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NZ, allies express ‘deep concern’ about Israeli bill expanding death penalty for Palestinians

Source: Radio New Zealand

Foreign Minister Winston Peters. RNZ / Mark Papalii

New Zealand has joined Australia, France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom in expressing “deep concern” about an Israeli bill expanding the death penalty for Palestinians.

Winston Peters posted on social media on Wednesday night, indicating New Zealand had joined the other nations, and emphasising the country’s opposition “for decades” to the death penalty “in all circumstances”.

It comes as the Green Party tried on Wednesday to move a motion in Parliament on the issue, but failed to get the support of all parties.

The ACT party told RNZ it did not support the motion being put without notice, and noted the Minister of Foreign Affairs was responsible for expressing New Zealand’s position on international issues.

Earlier this week, the Israeli parliament finalised a controversial bill that would effectively expand the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of terrorism and nationalistic murders.

The bill stipulated that residents in the West Bank who killed an Israeli “with the intent to negate the existence of the State of Israel” would be sentenced to death.

The Foreign Ministers of Australia, France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom released a joint statementexpressing their “deep concern” about the bill, saying it would “significantly expand the possibilities to impose the death penalty in Israel”.

“We are particularly worried about the de facto discriminatory character of the bill. The adoption of this bill would risk undermining Israel’s commitments with regards to democratic principles.

“The death penalty is an inhumane and degrading form of punishment without any deterring effect. This is why we oppose the death penalty, whatever the circumstances around the world. The rejection of the death penalty is a fundamental value that unites us.”

The statement also urged the Israeli decision makers to “abandon these plans”.

The Green party wanted to highlight the issue in parliament, and sought support from across the House to move a motion without notice.

Co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick told reporters on Wednesday afternoon convention stipulated motions without notice needed prior agreement from all parties.

“This stops spurious motions going up and clogging the time of our parliament.”

Green’s co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. RNZ / Reece Baker

The motion read that the “New Zealand House of Representatives expresses deep concern about Israel’s new legislation which extends the use of the death penalty against Palestinians living under unlawful occupation; shares the concerns of Australia, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Italy about the “de facto discriminatory character’ of the legislation; and calls on the Israeli Government to reverse this legislation”.

Labour and Te Pāti Māori both told RNZ they supported the motion.

Labour leader Chris Hipkins said his party would firmly support a motion in the House to condemn Israel’s use of the death penalty against Palestianians.

“It clearly discriminates against Palestinians – a point underscored by the fact that the law does not apply to Israeli extremists who commit similar crimes. There are major issues with the process including that it removes the right to an appeal. By condemning Israel, we would stand alongside the United Nations, EU and the UK.”

Te Pāti Māori told RNZ it supported the motion, and queried why other parties had not.

“This law further embeds discrimination into Israel’s justice system by allowing Palestinians to be sentenced to death while others are not subject to the same punishment for similar acts,” a spokesperson for the party said.

“It sits within the context of the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people, and the backdrop of Israel and the United States’ illegal invasion of Iran and Lebanon.”

National and New Zealand First did not respond to queries but the ACT party told RNZ it did not support the motion being put without notice.

A spokesperson for the party said it noted the Minister of Foreign Affairs was responsible for expressing New Zealand’s position on international issues, and “ACT supports that approach over symbolic motions in the House”.

“If the House passed a motion every time a country passed a law of concern, we would spend more time talking about other countries’ legislation than our own.

“All MPs have the right to put a motion on notice under Standing Orders.”

In response, Swarbrick said it was “deeply disappointing” and acknowledged the point was “symbolism”.

“I can point to many different examples when the ACT Party, for example, has put forward very similar motions, evidently for the very purpose of that same symbolism, which in turn means something on the international stage.

“It felt particularly pertinent for our country to take a stand against the perpetuation of abuse of human rights with the Israeli parliament passing the ability to effectively murder, to slaughter Palestinian hostages and prisoners.”

She said a motion on notice did not have the status of being read out in Parliament and having the backing of every single parliamentary party.

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

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Armed man allegedly sent manifesto to schools, govt promising to become NZ’s ‘most deadly mass shooter’

Source: Radio New Zealand

An armed man sent a manifesto to schools, the police and the government promising to “kill everyone” (file photo). RNZ

An armed man sent a manifesto to schools, the police and the government promising to “kill everyone” and become the country’s “most deadly mass shooter”, police allege.

The man – who has never had a firearms licence – is accused of possessing a pump action shotgun with more than 350 shotgun cartridges, “suspected components of an improvised explosive device” and Nazi literature, it can now be revealed.

The 20-year-old faces an array of charges including two representative charges of threatening to kill, three charges of threatening to destroy property and four representative charges of unlawful possession of firearm/explosive.

He had also been charged with three representative charges of possessing an objectionable publication – including the Christchurch terrorist’s manifesto and video – and two charges of failing to carry out obligations to computer search.

Do you know more? Email sam.sherwood@rnz.co.nz

The man, who has pleaded not guilty to the charges and has name suppression, is set to go on trial in July. RNZ has been granted access to a court document that details the police allegations against him.

The document accused him of sending a manifesto to various addresses at 1.40am on 12 March last year.

The recipients included Waiuku College, Rutherford College, Pukekohe Police Station, Te Atatu Police Station and Parliament.

The closed front office at Waiuku College following the threat. RNZ / Calvin Samuel

Police said the email was titled “This is my manifesto” and stated that another person was the author. It made several claims, including that the author had been “subject to constant bullying and harassment”.

“I have finished making weapons, body armour and suicide vest that will be needed for what I will do to get revenge on bullies.”

The author said they had finished 3D printing and assembling a Rogue 9 submachine gun and had about 200-300 armour piercing bullets, some 3D printed Glock magazines, a pistol and about 100 bullets.

Police alleged the email said the submachine gun and pistol had been tested and the author knew “they will work for ‘what I am going to do tomorrow morning'”.

“I have body armour so that I will not die in a shootout with police,” the manifesto was alleged to say.

According to the police the email author claimed to also be in possession of Molotov cocktails and ingredients for explosives. The manifesto also said explosives had been sent in various packages to Waiuku College, Rutherford College, Pukekohe Police Station, Te Atatu Police Station and the Beehive.

“The rest of the … explosive was in the suicide vest that I will detonate even if defeated in a gun fight and kill everyone around me.

“I will go to Rutherford College or Waiuku College early and … become New Zealand’s most deadly mass shooter.”

It also promised “a big tragedy” if there were not enough police at the school, and threatened to set schools on fire and take hostages.

“The only way out of this is for a plane to be provided to me and safe passage out of New Zealand.”

The manifesto said explosives had been sent in various packages to Waiuku College, Rutherford College, Pukekohe Police Station, Te Atatu Police Station and the Beehive. RNZ / Calvin Samuel

Later that morning, police said they received an online form submission to a Police Service Improvement webform link, detailing the manifesto that had been sent.

When the schools became aware of the threat students and staff had already started to arrive for school.

As a result, Waiuku College put the school into lockdown for several hours, before staff and students were sent home.

Rutherford College restricted access to the property and had armed police posted at the school for the duration of the day.

Police said they spoke with a person who had been named as the author of the manifesto. They denied being the author and instead identified the defendant as a possible suspect.

Rutherford College restricted access to the property and had armed police posted at the school for the duration of the day. Rutherford College

On 13 March, police raided two properties associated with the defendant.

At one of the properties, police said they found a 12-gauge pump action shotgun under his bed, as well as 359 shotgun cartridges.

They said they also found a 3D printer, a machete in sheath, blueprints showing the assembly components of an AR15 rifle and Nazi literature.

The court document said “suspected components of an improvised explosive device” were also seized from the property. This included electrical chipboards, timers and household chemicals.

While searching the other property, police said they seized a phone, an iPad, two laptops, a USB drive, a desktop computer, 134 spent shotgun shells and a large knife.

When asked for the passcodes for the iPad and one of the phones, the defendant allegedly provided incorrect passcodes.

“When suggested that he was providing the wrong passcodes, the defendant claimed not to remember the passcodes,” the court document said.

Police analysed the defendant’s devices and said they found several objectionable materials, including a copy of Brenton Tarrant’s manifesto, a video of the Christchurch mosque attacks and a copy of a manifesto written by Ryan Palmeter, who killed three people in Jacksonville, Florida, in 2023.

There were also two copies of “an instructional book on how to make explosives, weapons, drugs and other dangerous or illegal activity” and videos of the Russian Moscow ISIS concert hall terror attack and the Buffalo, New York, mass shooting.

When spoken to by police, the defendant denied being involved in any of the alleged offending.

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

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Navy officer acquitted at court martial faced earlier complaint of unwanted touching

Source: Radio New Zealand

Bronwyn Heslop RNZ / Lucy Xia

A former Navy ship commander faced an earlier complaint of unwanted touching before she was acquitted at a court martial of inviting a junior officer to kiss her on the cheek.

Bronwyn Heslop was the commander of HMNZS Canterbury when she was alleged to have encouraged a junior officer to kiss her by tapping her own cheek in a bar, during a deployment in Fiji in March 2023.

She was found not guilty of doing an act to prejudice service discipline at a court martial in February.

The earlier complaint of touching – revealed in documents released by the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) to RNZ under the Official Information Act – alleged that Commander Heslop “placed her hands on a member of the NZDF’s neck and shoulders without their consent and made comments that made them feel uncomfortable”.

Military police found there was not enough evidence to lay a charge, but the complaint did result in “administrative action” taken by command.

The NZDF said a command investigation followed the two complaints against Commander Heslop in 2024, to determine whether there was a “pattern of behaviour” inconsistent with the NZDF’s core values. It concluded with administrative actions, which can range from counselling to warnings.

Commander Heslop’s lawyer Matthew Hague said she denies any wrongdoing in relation to all the allegations.

Heslop became the first female officer to be in charge of a Royal New Zealand Navy vessel, when she took command of HMNZS Moa in 1998.

She became the ship commander of HMNZS Canterbury in April 2022, and the NZDF said she had reached the natural end of that tenure by September 2025.

She is now in a shore-based role in Military Maritime Operation Orders.

Survivor: ‘They hung her out to dry’

A survivor of sexual assault said Commander Heslop was hung out to dry while more serious sexual allegations against men in the military were dealt with behind closed doors.

Karina Andrews had her statutory name suppression lifted to speak out about the sexual abuse by her father, former Air Force Sergeant Robert Roper, which started when she was six years old.

As a child, she was interviewed by members of the Royal New Zealand Airforce in the same room as her abuser.

Andrews, who was involved in the early stages of NZDF’s Operation Respect when it was launched in 2016, said things haven’t improved as much as they should have, and that the “old boys’ club” where men in the military looked after their own was still “alive and kicking”.

Andrews said the alleged behaviour in both complaints against Commander Heslop were not fitting for a ship commander.

However, she said the alleged behaviour did not warrant a court martial, and she felts the military was prosecuting the less serious cases to show they were still doing something about the culture.

“Pretty pissed off that they would use that to say ‘hey, we’re doing something with Operation Respect’, they hung her out to dry, because they needed a win,” she said.

Andrews said if similar allegations were made against a male, it would not have resulted in a court martial.

“I know that there have been some women that have been rail-roaded into making a closed disclosure, because the military can deal with that, and nine times out of ten it is because it’s a high ranking staff member that has performed a sexual assault, that’s still the old boys looking after their own, and that hasn’t changed,” she said.

Andrews said she had spoken directly to two female NZDF staff who complained of sexual assault by male staff in the past two years, who had their complaints dealt with internally.

RNZ asked the NZDF about the allegations of its treatment of the two women, but the NZDF has not responded directly.

It said the sex of the accused person was not a factor in their decision to lay a charge in Commander Heslop’s case.

It also added that members of NZDF are free to report concerns to other independent agencies, such as the police.

Meanwhile, the Auditor General’s survey of more than 6000 defence personnel found that 78 people (1.3 percent of respondents) experienced unwanted sexual activity in the 12 months to March 2023.

It found junior uniformed women were particularly affected, with 7.2 percent of them among respondents reporting unwanted sexual activity, and 24.6 percent reporting some form of inappropriate sexual behaviour.

Andrews said she felt that the unwanted sexual behaviour was under-reported, based on her wide contacts in the military and people who had come to her for advice on how to proceed on a complaint.

NZDF said it had made significant progress with Operation Respect, since the review in 2020.

A refreshed Operation Respect strategy with a 20-year outlook was released in June 2024, it said.

NZDF: Charge needed to be laid in alleged kissing incident

The NZDF said there was a well-founded allegation of an offence under the Armed Forces Discipline Act (AFDA) regarding the alleged kissing incident, and that they were legally required to lay a charge.

It said the charge first went to summary trial, and Commander Heslop later was given the right to elect court martial – which she chose to do.

Commander Heslop’s lawyer Matthew Hague said her decision to select court martial was a necessary step to access her basic right to a fair legal process.

“A summary trial lacks the protections afforded to all other New Zealanders, such as the right to legal representation and a trial presided over by an independent Judge,” he said.

Following Commander Heslop’s electing court martial, a decision still needed to be made by the director of military prosecutions to proceed the case to court martial.

NZDF said allegations referred to the director of military prosecutions must satisfy both the evidential and public interest tests.

“If an accused at summary trial elects trial by court martial, this will normally weigh in favour of laying the charge or charges before the court martial, provided the evidential test is met,” it said.

“As the evidential test was deemed met in this case, the charges proceed to court martial,” said the NZDF.

Law professor: discretion needed in Armed Forces Discipline Act for lower level allegations

Retired Auckland University law professor Bill Hodge sat on court martial panels for sexual assault cases when he served in the US Army.

He said he was perplexed as to why Commander Heslop’s case ended up in front of a court martial.

“I wondered why it is at that level, that’s the most senior level, it’s a lot of valuable time of valuable experienced people, and it looked like they should not be spending their time on this type of case,” he said.

He said the allegations were at a relatively low level, and based on his knowledge of military courts, the allegation of soliciting a kiss on the cheek wouldn’t even have reached the level of a summary court.

Hodge however said he understands how a ship commander can be held to a higher standard.

Hodge said there needs to be more discretion in the Armed Forces Discipline Act, where even if a charge is well founded, there could be the option of selecting a form of punishment akin to “company level punishment” – such as training, warning and counselling.

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

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Dorothy Spotswood Charity Hospital finds home on Wellington’s Cuba Street

Source: Radio New Zealand

Wellington’s new Dorothy Spotswood Charity Hospital has found a home in a building on upper Cuba Street. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

Wellington’s new Dorothy Spotswood Charity Hospital has found a home in a building on upper Cuba Street in the central city.

The Dorothy Spotswood Charity Hospital, for which the fit-out was being funded by Wellington philanthropist couple Dame Dorothy Spotswood and Sir Mark Dunajtschik, would provide surgical day services on a referral basis, mostly through GPs, for people who did not meet the criteria or faced long wait times to be seen in the public system and could not afford private treatment.

The property at 275 Cuba Street was recently purchased by local investor Mike McCombie, and the charity hospital board signed the lease just this week, with the hospital itself set to occupy its ground floor.

Hospital trust chair Dr Graham Sharpe said finding a suitable premises had been a five-year mission.

Hospital trust chair Dr Graham Sharpe. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

Of the three buildings they had scoped, two had turned out to be unsuitable, and the land under the third had been sold mid-process, Sharpe said, throwing their plans into disarray.

Finding a building with ample ceiling height, and which could draw the electricity required for all the medical equipment, had also been tricky.

The Cuba Street site had location on its side, near the public hospital and the main highway, which would make life easier for staff coming in from the Hutt – as would the more than 40 carparks underneath.

The fitout was set to cost $10-13 million, and running costs would be around $1.5m a year, Sharpe said.

It would be funded entirely by charitable donations, he said, and a number of philanthropic groups had already expressed an interest.

“We’ve had some very generous support from professionals, such as architects, planners and builders, many of whom have offered their services free or at a significantly reduced rate because they share our vision.”

Vito Lo Iacono, the hospital’s chief executive, explained they were leasing 900 square-metres of the 1100-square-metre floorplan, with other tenants able to lease the other floors.

Vito Lo Iacono, the hospital’s chief executive. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

The building was undergoing earthquake strengthening – set to finish in June this year – and in years to come, the hospital could consider expanding outwards and upwards within it, he said.

Right now, the space was cold and dark, the ceiling a jumble of dangling extractor tubes and wiring above a dusty concrete floor.

But Sharpe said it would soon be transformed into a reception and staff areas, two operating theatres, a recovery area catering for up to six patients, and consulting rooms.

It would only be performing day surgeries, no overnight stays, and would not be taking any patients under 18.

Right now, the space was cold and dark, the ceiling a jumble of dangling extractor tubes and wiring above a dusty concrete floor. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

The concept was based on the success of the Canterbury Charity Hospital, and a similar one in Southland, with medical professionals offering their services for free around their paid schedules across the public and private sectors.

“Last time we checked, we had 42 specialist surgeons and anaesthetists willing to work for us for free,” Sharpe said.

The aim was to open next February, starting with one operating theatre for the first six months until systems were in place, Sharpe said.

At first, they would take on procedures like endoscopies and colonoscopies, before moving into eye surgery like cataracts.

The sorts of things he expected they would be doing long term were surgeries for hernias, varicose veins and cataracts.

“These sort of day-case, relatively straightforward, quick things are the very things that get dropped when there’s a problem at the hospital. Emergencies come in, or there’s illness in the staff … these sort of things just fall off the list,” Sharpe said.

“They’re not life-saving, but they are life-affirming and life-changing.”

Dame Dorothy Spotswood (L) and Sir Mark Dunajtschik. Supplied

General surgeon Dr James Tietjens, a member of the hospital’s board and among those doctors planning to volunteer their time, said he and other doctors were seeing increasing unmet need in the system.

“This is a way to try and give access to certain populations that can’t access secondary care, or even primary care at times,” he said.

“People that may meet a hospital waitlist, or meet the criteria and aren’t being seen in a timely manner, or are declined. But there’s also a large proportion of people who aren’t able to access GP care, or GPs aren’t able to get their patients into hospital.”

He expected to see a number of people with hernias and other minor surgeries through the door.

Signing the lease and locking in a location was “a big step”, he said.

“We’re very grateful for all the support we’ve had to date.”

Wellington mayor Andrew Little said signing the lease was “a fantastic step forward for the hospital and I’m delighted to see this progress”.

“Dame Dorothy and Sir Mark have been incredibly generous in their support of health in the Wellington region. Wellingtonians will be hugely grateful to Dame Dorothy and Sir Mark for backing this valuable contribution for the health of our people.

“Initiatives like this take extraordinary efforts, I commend everyone who has played a part in this great outcome.”

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

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Government corrects figure after call-out for overstating school attendance improvements

Source: Radio New Zealand

(File photo) RNZ

The government has corrected a figure after being called out for overstating improvements in school attendance.

A member of the public complained to RNZ that two National Party advertisements claimed 150,000 more children attended school regularly in term four last year than at the same time in 2022.

They said Education Ministry roll figures indicated that was an over-statement.

When RNZ examined the figures it found the change between 2022 and 2025 was about 135,000 students – 15,000 short of the number claimed by the government.

But there were also a lot more children at school in the final term of 2025 than in the same term in 2022, and even if the rate of regular attendance had remained unchanged the number of regular attenders would have increased by about 65,000 students.

That meant only about 70,000 students could be attributed to improvements in attendance.

The National Party told RNZ it sourced its figures from an announcement by Associate Education Minister David Seymour in January.

That announcement said the number of regular attenders improved by “about 150,000” children between term four 2022 and term four 2025.

RNZ asked the National Party if it would correct the ad and received a response from Seymour’s office saying the figure “was based on an error” and had been corrected.

There was keen interest in attendance figures.

Regular attendance, measured as children attending more than 90 percent of the time, reached all-time lows in 2022 with schools blaming the effect of covid lockdowns in previous years and on a particularly bad run of winter illnesses.

The government had overhauled the attendance system and set a goal of 80 percent of pupils being regular attenders by 2030.

For the record, here’s our working:

In term four of 2022 there were 329,499 regular attenders and in term four 2025 there were 464,498, an increase of 134,999.

But there were more students overall in 2025 than in 2022 – just 676,384 in the final term of 2022 and 810,652 in the same term of 2025.

If the rate of regular attendance in term four last year was the same as in 2022 (48.7 percent), there would have been 394,788 regular attenders, an increase of 65,288 due solely to the overall increase in the number of students.

That meant only 69,710 of the increase in the number of regular attenders could be attributed to the rate of regular attendance improving to 57.3 percent.

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

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A ‘quiet’ Catholic revival? Christchurch says ‘yes’

Source: Radio New Zealand

You might be wondering why someone with the name Helaman Hatcher is in a story about Catholicism. Helaman is a name from the Book of Mormon, a sacred text for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

So, here’s the story:

Hatcher, 21, was born into a Mormon family in the UK. When he was five and moved to Christchurch, his mother left the church and became an atheist. His father kept a soft spot for religion, identifying as agnostic. Essentially, Hatcher was raised without religion.

Young Catholic men at a Fit for the Kingdom event in Christchurch. Health and fitness is a bonding element for some new converts.

Fit for the Kingdom

“Honestly, I don’t think I would have been able to tell you the difference between, like, Catholics or other Christian denominations.”

He came of age during a chaotic period for young men, where some felt vilified by culture shifts such #Metoo, the anti-harassment movement that started in 2017. A few found representation in online influencers like Andrew Tate, who beckoned lost young men into the often misogynistic world of the manosphere, where wealth and ripped bodies are antidotes to a perceived female takeover. But Hatcher found those ideals were lacking. Instead, he gravitated towards media personalities like Michael Knowles, a US conservative commentator who is open about his Catholic faith. What Hatcher admired in Knowles, he also saw in the few Catholic friends he had.

Hatcher craved an anchor for life that he wasn’t finding in secularism or online or anywhere else. After nine months spent pondering faith in the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, the Catholic Church’s pathway for adult converts, he decided to formally join the church. At Easter in 2024, he was baptised with a priest pouring water on his head.

“Having converted to Catholicism, I would say there is a bit more intentionality with the way I live rather than a passive get through life level of thinking.”

He also appreciates the contemplative silence during mass, another remedy to the bombardment of the online world that is native to Gen Z.​

Andrew Tate, left, and his brother, Tristan, in December 2023. They were arrested in Romania in 2024 over UK sex offence charges.

DANIEL MIHAILESCU / AFP

Hatcher’s 2024 confirmation into the Catholic Church came at the beginning of what some are calling a “quiet revival” in Christchurch, growth that isn’t reflected in New Zealand’s population-wide data. The growth that local church leaders say is happening reflects a global trend of Western young people re-examining Christianity, especially the Catholic Church, which experienced years of decline following the sexual abuse scandal that rocked the institution from 2002 onwards and the new atheist movement of the same decade.

Year on year in Christchurch, it was typical to see only a handful of new converts, if any, according to Phil Bell, a senior leader in Christchurch’s Catholic Cathedral Parish. Mostly women with greying hair filled the pews on Sundays. However, last year, there were about 70 new converts, who skewed mostly young and mostly male. This Easter, Bell anticipates about 100 new converts, with another substantial group already on track for confirmation next Easter.

“We’ve been praying for this for a long time.”

Josh Duymel and his wife on their wedding day. They attend regular Catholic mass together.

Curate Weddings

Josh Duymel is another answer to prayer. The 26-year-old software designer will be confirmed this Easter after a 12-month deliberation process.

“It feels like Christmas, because it is very special. It is religious, and I’m getting a treat. I’m getting a present, a gift,” he says of his new-found salvation.

Before he met his lapsed Catholic girlfriend and now wife in 2023, Duymel had no prior Catholic or religious connection. He described himself as a womaniser in pursuit of worldly riches with a seemingly dark spiritual presence following him. He was unsatisfied and looking for role models after his own father left when he was six.

“You know, I don’t want Andrew Tate or a Bugatti [the fast, luxury car preferred by Tate]. I don’t want to be some internet influencer.

“I want to live a good life, and I want to have a lovely family.”

He finally found that mentor in Dean Mischewski, a devoted Catholic in Christchurch, a father of nine and grandfather to four who competes in the New Zealand Masters sport competitions. Pursuing fitness and health has become a bonding element for some young Catholics in Christchurch.

In Mischewski’s family, Duymel saw the intergenerational impact of genuine faith. Now, Duymel’s 15-year-old brother is on his own post-manosphere journey towards a Christian faith, he says.

Michael Grimshaw, an associate professor of sociology who studies culture and religion, has been tracking Gen Z’s return to religion globally and locally. He sees increasing numbers of believers as part of a wider swing back towards a masculine-focused society and traditional gender roles, a shift that has been led by some women as well (think trad wives and mothers replacing careers with family life following Covid).

“There are those who are just looking for something to ground themselves in, that’s got tradition, that’s got ritual,” says Grimshaw, noting that orthodoxy, another ritualistic take on Christianity, is experiencing growth.

But not everyone is a believer in the Catholic revival. Geoff Troughton, associate professor of religion at Victoria University of Wellington, has heard anecdotal stories of more people with no prior religious connections turning to churches. Yet, data from the 2023 census and the 2024-2025 New Zealand Attitudes and Values Study, as well as the Catholic Church’s Auckland parish, all point to declining numbers, according to Troughton.

Brendan Malone, Christchurch Catholic and podcaster who speaks on faith and culture.

supplied

Brendan Malone, a Christchurch Catholic and podcaster who speaks on faith and culture, argues the new convert figures are too fresh to show up in population data.

“…the quiet revival is about people coming to an active participation in the faith, rather than merely having Catholic as an identity of sorts.”

Malone, who is also a travelling speaker, encounters young men all around New Zealand who are on the road to confirmation. It’s something he wasn’t seeing even two years ago. While millennials – including Malone for several years – were more likely to flock to the loud, flashing evangelical churches, Gen Z are curious about tradition and stability, he says.

“People were looking for, ‘Okay, well, where’s the deep tradition? Where’s the source of this thing? If you’re going to go to the real thing, where is it to be found?’

“And so I think they went looking for perhaps those denominations that actually had a very long, like in the case of Catholicism, 2000-year history, [and] Orthodox almost as long.”

And what about that modern Achilles heel of the Catholic Church – the global sexual abuse scandal and institution-wide cover-up? In New Zealand, 14 percent of Catholic clergy who worked under a bishop and eight percent of male congregational members, including priests and brothers, have been accused of abuse since 1950.

It’s something that Hatcher considered as he worked his way towards his 2024 Catholic confirmation. The enormity of the scandal didn’t sink the church, another indication of enduring stability anchored in 2000 years of history. Hatcher found that today’s Catholic Church is “owning” its stained history. The 2024 report from the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care in New Zealand was spoken about at mass with priests urging parishioners to read it.​

“They are very much doing what they can to try and make up for what [happened] and avoid that ever happening again.”

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

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Cotality says house prices might not rise this year, after all

Source: Radio New Zealand

House prices might not rise this year after all, property data firm Cotality says. RNZ / Quin Tauetau

House prices might not rise this year after all, property data firm Cotality says.

It has released its latest data, which shows property values lifted 0.2 percent in March, after the same rise in February.

The median value in March was $802,599, 1.3 percent lower than a year earlier and just over 17 percent down on early 2022.

In the month, both Hamilton and Wellington were down 0.1 percent while Auckland and Tauranga were flat. Auckland’s affordability had improved in recent years as more supply had come on to the market, prices had dropped and incomes had increased.

Christchurch was up 0.6 percent and Dunedin 0.7 percent. Cotality said areas that were benefiting from a positive agricultural sector were seeing stronger growth.

Wellington remained one of the weaker parts of the country, with all of its regions down over the past 12 months and all still more than 20 percent below their peak.

Chief property economist Kelvin Davidson said two months of increases in a row could signal a change in direction for the housing market, but the Iran conflict threw a layer of uncertainty over everything.

He said he had been expecting prices to rise 5 percent this year but that was not as likely any more.

“The chances that things are even weaker get greater and greater the longer this goes on.

“At the moment you’d certainly have to be pegging that back a bit. I see some of the banks are now talking about possibly small falls in average house prices this year and that wouldn’t necessarily surprise me either … we had a relatively modest house price forecast up to 5 percent – you could easily imagine that being down at zero or even slightly negative. That’s despite the fact that mortgage rates are relatively low at the moment.”

Cotality chief property economist Kelvin Davidson. SUPPLIED

He said the factor that was missing for house prices to turn around was confidence.

“There were signs that was starting to come through but now that’s hard to imagine. Your confidence would probably be going the other way, potentially the economy’s going the other way too and potentially mortgage rates are going up. All of those things that might have been falling into place for the housing market are now starting to go back in the other direction again.”

He said while some sellers might not be pleased, it was still good news for buyers provided they felt secure in their jobs.

“In a nutshell, both the economy and housing market still face a testing period ahead.”

Davidson said he did not expect “knee jerk” official cash rate rises but the Reserve Bank was on high alert.

“Global uncertainty stemming from the Iran conflict and concerns about wider inflationary pressure have already seen interest rates rise in world money markets, and that’s flowed through to mortgage rate lifts at some NZ banks.

“Many households will be watching that very closely and recent data shows there’s recently been a strong shift by borrowers towards fixing longer.

“That will give some sense of security to individuals, but for the wider housing market the risks of higher inflation, rising interest rates, and/or a softening economy both point to headwinds,” Davidson said.

“Indeed, our modelled forecast for property sales to rise from around 90,000 last year to 100,000 this year is starting to look a stretch. In the end, though, everything is a watching brief at the moment when it comes to the economy and housing market.”

He said households might not want to list their homes for sale in an uncertain environment.

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Why retailers are hoping you don’t work from home

Source: Radio New Zealand

RNZ

Employers might be being encouraged to let people work from home if they are struggling with fuel costs, but not everyone hopes they heed the message.

As fuel costs have risen in recent weeks, unions have called on organisations such as banks to be more flexible with staff wanting to skip the commute.

Retail NZ chief executive Carolyn Young said that should be done carefully.

“This is an economic issue, not a health issue. The work from home edict [during Covid] came about because there were concerns that ongoing engagement and connection with people could cause harm to people’s lives.

“We’re not in that situation, this is quite a different situation. The economic situation would be worse if people don’t come into towns and cities across the country. If people stop coming into town they stop buying. Eighty-five percent of sales are done in person, in store, people in town. They’re walking past shop windows, they’re seeing items they might need.”

Retail NZ chief executive Carolyn Young. Supplied

The increased prevalence of working from home through Covid has been credited with changing the makeup of some central business districts around the country.

Young previously told RNZ that she worried that foot traffic levels might never return to where they were, for some businesses.

But Brad Olsen, chief executive at Infometrics, said consumer confidence more generally was likely to be more of a concern for retailers than whether people were working from home.

When people were at home, their spending tended to drift more to food-related items, he said. The pattern of spending could be affected, but the total amount would not be.

“I don’t think it’s a full and complete view that people only spend when they’re working in town and don’t spend otherwise.”

Brad Olsen, chief executive at Infometrics. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

But he said the wider economic environment had more potential to dent total spending. “The wider impact of having to spend more on fuel, people are more worried about the economy, that will drive overall spending down. If we see spending activity drop it won’t be because people are working from home, it will be because people are paying more for fuel and worried about their financial lives.”

Westpac chief economist Kelly Eckhold said it would make it harder for CBD retail. “But past experience suggested that there were flows of business to suburban shops and cafes when WFH was more prominent. I would expect the same dynamics again.”

‘Big hit coming through on households’ disposable income’

BNZ chief economist Mike Jones said it would add to all the other headwinds on spending at the moment.

“Chief among them is the big hit coming through on households’ disposable income from the fuel cost spike. Cuts are being made to discretionary spending already. But there’s also a potentially weaker labour market and reduced job security to contend with, broader cost of living pressures, and reduced tourism spending. It’s shaping up as a big hit and consumers are feeling it, as we saw from last week’s slump in consumer confidence.”

But Young said going back to isolating at home would not be a solution to an economic crisis.

“That creates another beast in itself and it multiplies the impact of the inflationary measures if we get to a place where people stop coming into town and they stop buying a coffee and they stop going into the stores to buy things. More businesses will close, which creates greater, you know, demise for the New Zealand economy.”

She said she had seen some positive economic data in the early months of this year and had been hoping that 2026 would be a time of recovery.

“Then of course in March we’ve been hit by this and it feels like another blow and we just can’t seem to get a break.”

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Contractors recall superhuman efforts to get stadium up to scratch after Christchurch quake

Source: Radio New Zealand

[brightcove] https://players.brightcove.net/6093072280001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6392317895112

After 14 years, the Crusaders are bidding adieu to their Addington home before packing their bags for Te Kaha.

The team’s Super Rugby Pacific clash against the Fijian Drua on Good Friday marks their final game at Christchurch’s Apollo Projects Stadium.

Home games will then be held at the new $683 million New Zealand Stadium.

The long-awaited 30,000-seat stadium in the central city, also known as Te Kaha, was officially opened last week.

Ahead of the final Super Rugby game at Addington, contractors have reflected on round-the-clock efforts to get the temporary stadium ready for the 2012 Super Rugby competition.

The critical infrastructure assignment was called for after the devastating February 2011 earthquake caused irreparable damage to Lancaster Park.

RNZ / Nate McKinnon

Aotea Electric contracts manager Tim Kennedy said it was a “pretty intense” project.

“Most guys were doing 90-hour weeks, which puts strain on people and families and what not. I know Paul O’Connor from Hawkins did 66 days straight without a day off, and that was pretty common for most of the people that were working [at Addington],” he said.

“Everyone made a point of saying from the start, like, if you don’t think we can deliver this by the date that we need to have the Crusaders here, you know, we’ll find something else for you to do. Because if we didn’t have 100 percent commitment from everyone here, it’s just never going to happen.”

The stadium was built on the old Rugby League Park site which had also sustained earthquake damage.

The hectic schedule forced project managers to be nimble with materials.

The floodlight towers were previously in place at Dunedin’s Carisbrook before it was demolished.

“When we needed lights up here, Carisbrook was being decommissioned,” Kennedy said.

“So they grabbed them from down there, cut the poles up, altered them a wee bit and brought them up.”

Aotea Electric contracts manager Tim Kennedy. RNZ / Nate McKinnon

Chattels from the old Lancaster Park were also recycled for the new stadium, which was originally known as AMI Stadium.

Kennedy said the project was a significant touchstone for him personally.

“There will never be another job like this, unless there’s a natural disaster,” he said.

“Anyone that’s worked on this job talks about it all the time as the shining light in their careers, because to do what we did for a community that was broken, in that amount of time, and for the impact that it had at that time, it’s really, really special.”

In the hours before the first post-earthquake Super Rugby game in Christchurch in March 2012, there were nerves about how the venue’s power system would cope.

The potential problems feared would never materialise.

In the ensuing years the stadium had been home to rugby, football, rugby league, and outdoor concerts.

It had also undergone multiple naming rights changes – AMI Stadium, Orangetheory Stadium and finally Apollo Projects Stadium.

Crusaders players react to the win at the final whistle in the Super Rugby Pacific final. Peter Meecham/www.photosport.nz

Venues Ōtautahi assets and facilities manager Toni Jones said he recalled the reaction of dozens of contractors before kick-off in the Crusaders-Cheetahs game on 24 March 2012.

“The Crusader horsemen went round the park and I turned round, I was standing with about 30 contractors and there were tears of joy down their faces. They were emotionally tired, but it was a phenomenal thing.

“This has been home now for 14 years. It’s not a temporary venue by any means.

“We’ve invested a lot of blood, sweat and tears and some big bucks in here to make it a permanent home.”

The venue was not perfect.

Even some of the Crusaders management staff could attest to this.

Hardy supporters often braved freezing nights at games during the middle of the year.

But on the plus-side for staunch red-and-black supporters, the cold dewy conditions regularly proved to be awkward for teams not acclimatised.

It was a graveyard for visiting teams, with the Crusaders forging an imposing 86 percent winning record across their 14 year tenancy.

The side won all 19 of their playoff matches at the venue, including victory in four finals.

Despite this dominance, Crusaders logistics manager John “Foxy” Miles admitted he was looking forward to warmer conditions

“It’s home, but it’s not your ideal home,” he said.

“The fact it was built in a hundred days is really great and really impressive. And it served a purpose for us over all those years, which was a lot longer than we all thought.

“But to be honest I won’t miss going there.”

RNZ / Nate McKinnon

Friday night’s swansong would also mark 150 Super Rugby games for Crusaders and All Blacks hooker Codie Taylor.

The veteran said on Wednesday, the ground held many special memories for him, including his All Blacks test debut in 2015.

“It’s the only stadium I’ve known that I’ve called home, from my debut right through to this point. It’s a special place, it’s very unique, but it’s special to us as a community down here in Christchurch.

“It’s been a long time coming and it’s been an awesome journey.”

The Wellington Phoenix’s A-League clash with Western Sydney on 18 April will be the final event at the stadium.

The Christchurch City Council is yet to decide on future plans for the site.

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‘It’s not a diagnosis that you want’: Professor confronts inequities

Source: Radio New Zealand

Jacquie Kidd (Ngāpuhi), a former nurse who has spent more than two decades researching Māori health inequities, is now facing her own terminal cancer diagnosis.

The AUT professor of Māori health began experiencing symptoms in 2022 that she knew needed to be examined, but she was 58 – not the “magical age” of 60, when free screening begins.

“I organised a private consult with a GP, who I bullied outright, because he was saying, ‘No, you won’t get one, you won’t get one’,” she says, adding he was eventually convinced when she told him she had health insurance.

Supplied