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‘Sovereignty at stake’, Iranian diaspora says

Source: Radio New Zealand

Women members of Iran’s Red Crescent society stand near smoke plumes from an ongoing fire following an overnight airstrike on the Shahran oil refinery in northwestern Tehran on March 8, 2026. AFP

On 28 February, Iran’s Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed by joint US and Israel attacks on his residence. A further week of strikes on Iran have targeted nuclear and military sites, including airfields, radar, and naval facilities.

The Red Crescent estimates the death toll has topped 1000 people across Iran, including at least 165 girls killed when their school was bombed in the city of Minab. Iran has retaliated against military and civilian targets across the Gulf states, and Israel has also attacked Hezbollah in Lebanon.

As the strikes continue, Iranians living here in New Zealand talk to Kadambari Raghukumar about their views on the war and the divide in the community that it has amplified.

Mahdis Azarmandi, an expert in Peace and Conflict studies and senior lecturer at University of Canterbury said: “I think what people need to understand that this war is motivated and it’s a continuation of the genocide in Gaza, the war in Lebanon, of the restructuring of West Asia. So it has to be seen politically in a broader context of how to rearrange the, you know, Middle East or West Asia more accurately. And that has been underway for a period of time. And Iran, as one of the few countries left that retains sovereignty, is a threat to the reordering of that part of the world.”

Many in the Iranian community are divided over the conflict.

Rubble of destroyed buildings is pictured at the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted Rweiss neighbourhood in Beirut’s southern suburbs, on March 8, 2026. AFP

While some Iranians around the world have celebrated the death of Khamenei and welcome the attacks, there are large numbers denouncing the assault on Iran and decrying the attack on their nation’s sovereignty.

Mahdis said: “This is not just about people who opposed the war and people who are celebrating the war in some park. It means that entire families and communities are going to be completely divided for a very long time. So that is what concerns me on a personal level. I think it’s that how many relationships are broken right now because of it.”

Separating the personal from the current politics is hard, Mahdis tells Raghukumar – especially for those who had to leave Iran during the 70s or 80s – either during the rule of the last Shah of Iran, Mohamed Reza Pahlavi, or after he was deposed in 1979, when the first Supreme Leader, the Grand Ayatollah Khomeini took power.

Mahdis said: ” I think I am constantly living through all of these layers of personal experience. So the personal experience of being in a diaspora Iranian with a particular kind of relationship to the Islamic Republic and who sees these things not in isolation from each other, but in conjunction. And I think that is what differentiates the people who are now more concerned and maybe taking a step back and defending the sovereignty of Iran, which I think is what is at stake.”

Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Tibnit on March 5, 2026. RABIH DAHER / AFP

The current bombings came after weeks of negotiations between Iran and US and are viewed by many commentators as a breach of international law.

Dr Behzad Dowran has been living in New Zealand for eight years. He said: “From the past, we can remember they invaded many countries. And the result was just, innocent people were killed over there. And nothing but misery they gifted to those countries.”

In January, Dowran happened to be in Tehran, a witness to the violent protests that saw thousands of people killed. Behzad said “nobody can imagine being attacked by negotiators”.

“We have had many internal issues, many internal problems, mismanagement or wrong policies, many things. But we have had this experience, and we were going to manage it in a way internally to solve it.

“It is not easy to solve these sort of problems when you have long term of sanctions. But we managed it, more or less. But they attacked the country just in the middle of negotiations.”

Dowran said he was “very angry” because it violated international law.

“Nobody has the right, no country has the right to invade another country and kill the head of another country. And I am sorry and I am very sad that I see my Iranian comrades here think this is a thing that they may celebrate.”

Another Iranian, who preferred to remain anonymous for concerns of their safety, told Here Now that “the Iranian community is very diverse. Whatever the people inside Iran want that is what should matter most. Many people believe that a lasting solution must come from inside Iran, not imposed from outside”.

“Different approaches doesn’t we mean are enemies to one another. Most of us want the same ultimate goal -a better, freer, more dignified future for Iranians. But the ways we reach that goal may be very different.”

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

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Leman murder trial: Closing arguments heard in High Court

Source: Radio New Zealand

Michael Scott Rodger is on trial for murdering Richard Leman. RNZ / Nathan Mckinnon

Crown prosecutors have been accused of being “underhanded and dishonest” by ignoring crucial evidence around the brutal killing of a Canterbury man, a High Court jury has heard.

Michael Scott Rodger, 46, is accused of murdering Richard Leman, 41, whose body was found in the boot of his own car parked at an abandoned house in Tyler Street in Rangiora in April 2023.

Leman’s torso was found in the car but his head, legs and arms are still missing.

Rodger denies shooting or killing the father-of-three.

Closing arguments were heard in the High Court at Christchurch on Monday in front of Justice Jonathan Eaton.

The jury heard from Crown prosecutor Barnaby Hawes for more than two hours, where he explained the case against Rodger was “overwhelming”.

In response, Rodger’s defence lawyer Ethan Huda said there were legitimate questions around the circumstances of Leman’s death.

He explained the Crown had failed to mention, in its closing arguments, evidence from a pathologist who found Leman could have been stabbed before being shot.

“There’s a reasonable doubt about what happened at the crime scene. There’s a reasonable doubt as to what happened around the time of death,” Huda said.

“I suggest…that when you get to [the pathologist’s] evidence during your deliberation, the Crown’s case evaporates into the thin air like candy floss. It’s good to look at, it’s even good to taste from a certain angle, but it’s fluff.

“It’s disrespectful to 12 members of the jury to think you can hide evidence from them. A pathetic attempt at proving its case.”

The Crown argues Rodger shot Leman twice, first in the leg, then a fatal shot to his chest.

Richard Leman’s torso was found in a car, but his head, legs and arms are still missing. Supplied / NZ Police

Earlier in the trial, pathologist Dr Leslie Anderson said Leman was also stabbed in the back.

The defence said key Crown witnesses Morgan Grant and Sara Plimmer, who were with Leman the night he died, did not reference a stabbing during their respective testimonies.

The defence also outlined a text message exchange between Grant and another person, three days after Leman’s murder, which referenced the involvement of not one, but multiple “fugitives”.

In his closing arguments for the Crown, Hawes told jurors “objective evidence” proved there was only one possible killer.

“I suggest the way to approach the case is to start with what is fixed and independent, the pathology, the CCTV and telecommunications records, and all the forensic work and the linkages back to Mr Rodger,” he said.

“Any other possible explanation you’re looking at bring it back to this core, objective evidence. When you do that, I suggest the evidence clearly converges on one person and one person only and that is Mr. Rodger.”

Hawes said the accused’s claim that another unidentified person was the killer remained implausible.

“Mr. Roger would have you believe he’s unlucky.

“It’s not simply bad luck, that he was at the scene. It certainly was for Richard Leman. It’s not bad luck that both eyewitnesses name him as the perpetrator.

“I suggest he’s not unlucky, I suggest he’s guilty.”

The Crown said no-one gave Leman first-aid or called emergency services and Leman died within minutes.

The jury heard that Rodger threatened to kill Grant and Plimmer, took Leman’s drugs and cash and dragged his body into another room.

Justice Eaton was due to sum up the case on Tuesday before the jury retires for deliberations.

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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 working ‘around the clock’ to help New Zealanders stranded in Middle East

Source: Radio New Zealand

Royal New Zealand Air Force C-130J Hercules prepares to leave for the Middle East on 7 March. Kaye Albyt

New Zealanders in the Middle East should attempt to leave by road or commercial flights as soon as it is safe to do so, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) said.

The government was working “around the clock” on plans to assist Kiwis stranded in the region, an MFAT spokesperson said.

Efforts were focused on overland options to support New Zealanders to leave Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait.

MFAT had contacted New Zealanders in those countries who had expressed interest in government-assisted departure, but support provided would depend on factors, including the security environment and cooperation of foreign governments, the spokesperson said.

MFAT warned that travel disruption has now extended well beyond the region.

Airlines that normally transit Middle East airspace to connect Europe and Asia faced significantly longer routes and higher fuel costs, which had been compounded by Russian and Ukrainian airspace also being closed to most airlines.

For those countries where the airspace remained closed, MFAT advised sheltering in place and following the advice of local authorities at all times.

This included ensuring enough food and water supplies, torches, batteries, and medications.

Commercial airlines were increasing the number of flights operating and were the fastest way for New Zealanders to get home, MFAT said.

By Monday morning, 3694 New Zealanders had registered as in the region via the Safe Travel site.

A MFAT spokesperson said the majority (2213) were in the United Arab Emirates. Around 900 New Zealanders have registered from Qatar and Saudi Arabia combined, and 121 in Egypt.

Less than 100 Kiwis were in each of Kuwait, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Bahrain, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and Oman, and 36 in Iran.

MFAT said its ability to assist New Zealanders in Iran was extremely limited.

The Embassy in Tehran, which closed in mid-January, would remain closed until further notice.

New Zealanders in Iran needing support should contact the consular emergency line or the New Zealand Embassy in Turkey.

The Safe Travel site reported Qatar’s Civil Aviation Authority (QCAA) had announced the partial re-opening of airspace and some resumption of flights out of Doha.  

The services would  operate on designated contingency routes with limited capacity, and with the support of Qatar’s Armed Forces, allowing for airline-run evacuation flights.

Qatar Airlines had been in direct contact with customers to offer this option, MFAT said.

“We strongly encourage New Zealanders who want to leave Qatar, particularly those who have existing bookings with Qatar Airways, to urgently contact your airline and travel agent to seek further information. “

There was one commercial flight scheduled to leave Doha on Monday, travelling to Perth.

There could be long delays getting through to airlines, given very high demand, but people should stay on the line until answered and use official channels like chat or call centres, not social media, MFAT said.

All airlines and airports continued to stress that passengers should not proceed to the airport unless their airline has confirmed their specific flight is operating.

It urged people to register via the Safe Travel website, to check the website and Facebook for any updates, and to avoid government buildings, military sites and facilities, such as energy infrastructure, including oil production facilities and US Embassies, which could be targeted in military strikes.

Two Defence Force Hercules are in the region and poised to assist if commercial flights become unavailable, a MFAT spokesperson said.

One departed from Whenuapai on Saturday, and another was being redirected to the Middle East from Asia.

On the weekend, Defence Minister Judith Collins said she could not provide specific routes, timings or destinations for security reasons, but that if evacuations took place, the planes would bring people to safer locations where they could board commercial flights back to New Zealand.

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

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‘Rockets and feathers’ effect: The phenomenon behind soaring gas prices

Source: Radio New Zealand

RNZ / Dan Cook

Do petrol prices rise faster when oil increases, than they fall when it drops?

A number of motorists have got in touch with RNZ over the weekend, complaining that it appears that when the price of oil rises, petrol companies respond quickly with higher fuel prices. But when the price of oil drops, the relief does not flow through as fast.

The oil price is now over US$100 per barrel and 95 has reached $3 a litre in some parts of the country. Gaspy said the average price of 91 was $2.64 on Monday afternoon.

Murat Ungor, an economist at Otago University, said it was a known phenomenon.

“Economists have a name for it: the ‘rockets and feathers’ effect. This label suggests asymmetries in the immediate adjustment to a cost change as well as in the number of periods needed for a complete adjustment.”

He said it reflected rational responses to market structure, search costs and competitive dynamics.

“Whilst the pattern disadvantages consumers during price decline periods, it emerges from well-understood economic mechanisms including inventory management, menu costs, asymmetric search behaviour, and oligopolistic market structure.

“Policy interventions focusing on enhancing price transparency and maintaining competitive market structures can mitigate, though not eliminate, asymmetric price transmission.”

He said it was a pattern seen in the UK and US, too.

“Competition authorities across the globe have long been interested in the question of whether retail gasoline and diesel prices rise more quickly than they fall, relative to the movements in underlying input costs.

“So why does this happen? There are a few reasons working together. First, when oil prices go up, petrol stations need to replace their fuel at higher costs, so they raise prices quickly to avoid losing money. All stations face the same pressure, so prices jump across the board within days. But when oil prices drop, there is less urgency. Stations can keep prices higher for longer because most customers do not actively shop around for cheaper fuel when prices are falling gradually.”

He said that it was not price fixing as much as it was fuel retailers responding to competitive pressure and consumer behaviour.

“When you are more likely to notice and complain about rising prices than slowly falling ones, stations can get away with slower cuts. Price comparison apps and websites can help by making it easier to find the cheapest fuel, which forces stations to compete more on price. But the rockets-and-feathers pattern is unlikely to disappear completely. It is baked into how the retail fuel market works.”

In 2024, a focus report from the Commerce Commission said that its analysis showed fuel companies were quicker to increase petrol prices than to lower them.

“There is no evidence that fuel companies ultimately fail to pass through the cost increases or decreases to consumers, rather the speed at which companies do this varies. This effect is present for Regular 91 and Premium 95. The commission estimates that if fuel companies drop prices as quickly as they increase them when costs change, consumers would save in the order of $15 million a year.”

But Simplicity chief economist Shamubeel Eaqub was not convinced it was such a problem. He said it could be that people were more sensitive to price rises than they were to price falls.

“Using 20 years of weekly MBIE data, the rockets-and-feathers hypothesis is not confirmed with the well-specified models. The popular intuition may reflect cognitive bias, structural factors like taxes being a large fixed component of retail prices, or something else. I certainly don’t see the rockets and feather effect in the data.”

Z did not have anyone available to speak. BP said it was monitoring the situation closely.

“There are a number of factors that influence prices. We continue to review bp Connect prices every day to ensure competitiveness in the market. The bp website has more information on the facts about fuel pricing. There are also a number of independent bp operators all around the country who set their own prices and manage their own operations.”

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

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Schools bringing in counsellors to deal with harm caused by social media

Source: Radio New Zealand

There are calls for a ban on social media for under 16’s in New Zealand. (File photo) NurPhoto via AFP

Principals of two Auckland schools say they’ve had to hire counsellors specifically for dealing with the harm caused to children by social media.

The principal of East Auckland’s Riverina Primary School, Bryce Mills told Checkpoint children as young as eight were being exposed to extreme online content.

He said his school hired a counsellor to help deal with the damage and he was not the only one.

Auckland’s Whangaparāoa College had hired the equivalent of five school counsellors last year to help teenagers harmed by social media, it said.

It’s prompted calls to push through a ban on social media for under-16s.

It comes days after Parliament’s Education and Workforce Committee released its final report on the inquiry into the harm social media causes for young people, offering recommendations including banning under-16 year olds from social media.

Saasha Jolley is a teacher at Riverina Primary School and she regularly heard students talk about scrolling Instagram, Tiktok and Snapchat as well as gaming online the night before.

Primary school children were using social media apps like Instagram and Tiktok, a teacher said. (File photo) RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly

“Roblox in particular is a big one at the moment, in terms of the chatter that happens, the games they have access to.

“I know that it’s both a platform for kids and adults, they can both access it, they can create the games on there, so I guess that makes it a lot more open.”

What the students see and hear online at night arrived with them at school the next day, she said, and they didn’t always understand what they were repeating.

“They heard it from their friend or they heard it from this person online, so they thought that it was okay to say.”

Last year, research from Te Mana Whakaatu the Classification Office, found young people don’t generally go looking for objectionable content.

But it could be hard to avoid when it came up on social media, in group chats, or was shown around in person.

Some examples of this included pornography and real-world violence.

Riverina Primary School principal Bryce Mills said similar content was being seen by children as young as eight at his school.

“There is the odd occasion unfortunately where you do hear some of that sexual stuff coming through as well,” he said.

The school of 150 students was self-funding its own online security system, which costed them $3000 each year.

But Mills said the school couldn’t control what the students saw once they went home for the day.

“I had a parent the other day say to me, that they got up at one in the morning to go to the bathroom and they could see a glowing light from a bedroom.

A child using the Roblox app. (File photo) MARIJAN MURAT

“Their daughter had gone out and got the phone off the dining room table and was on their phone.

“If they hadn’t gone up to go to the bathroom, they wouldn’t have known that. It [happens] behind those closed doors.”

The situation was similar at Auckland’s Whangaparāoa College.

Principal Steve McCracken said he had to hire the equivalent of five school counsellors last year to help teenagers harmed by social media.

It was costing the school hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“I think that it is largely driven by social media and what they see is cool, the people that they see online with rich backgrounds and fast cars and all the bling.”

Last year, Australia became the first country to implement a social media ban for under 16’s, blocking access to sites like TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.

Where to get help:

  • Need to Talk? Free call or text 1737 any time to speak to a trained counsellor, for any reason
  • Lifeline: 0800 543 354 or text HELP to 4357
  • Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 / 0508 TAUTOKO. This is a service for people who may be thinking about suicide, or those who are concerned about family or friends
  • Depression Helpline: 0800 111 757 or text 4202
  • Samaritans: 0800 726 666
  • Youthline: 0800 376 633 or text 234 or email talk@youthline.co.nz
  • What’s Up: 0800 WHATSUP / 0800 9428 787. This is free counselling for 5 to 19-year-olds
  • Asian Family Services: 0800 862 342 or text 832. Languages spoken: Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese, Hindi, and English.
  • Rural Support Trust Helpline: 0800 787 254
  • Healthline: 0800 611 116
  • Rainbow Youth: (09) 376 4155
  • OUTLine: 0800 688 5463
  • Aoake te Rā bereaved by suicide service: or call 0800 000 053

If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111.

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

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Rugby: Injury-hit Black Ferns Sevens outlast Australia in Vancouver thriller

Source: Radio New Zealand

New Zealand’s women’s team celebrate with the trophy after defeating Australia to win the HSBC SVNS Vancouver rugby sevens tournament. AFP / DON MACKINNON

An injury-depleted Black Ferns Sevens side pulled off a hard fought victory over Australia in the Vancouver Sevens final on Monday.

Reduced to just three players on their reserves bench with Braxton Sorensen-McGee, Jazmin Felix-Hotham and Manaia Nuku unavailable, the odds were stacked against the Black Ferns, who have got the better of Australia in three of their four previous title clashes during the series.

Leading 12-5 at halftime, New Zealand appeared to be running out of steam as the Aussies reeled them in level the scores at 17-17 with a couple of minutes left on the clock before a late try Alena Saili sealed the victory for the Black Ferns.

Player of the match Jorja Miller was the crucial point of difference between the two teams.

Miller scored one and set up a second in a full-throttle final as the Black Ferns Sevens held off Australia maintain their perfect winning record in Vancouver.

Miller said the adversity faced by the team during the tournament made the win more meaningful.

“I am so proud of this team, I’m so honoured to wear this black jersey. We’ve had a few girls go down this weekend … it means a lot more to us than just rugby,” the

And, on International Women’s Day she remembered who had inspired her. “When I was younger I was looking up to the greats, amazing players like Portia and Sarah Hirini.

“I hope that, as a team, we can inspire young girls and young boys to play rugby.”

USA beat France in the third-place play-off to end a nine-tournament wait for a podium finish, while Canada got the home crowd on their feet as they claimed fifth, and Japan claimed seventh at the end of an end-to-end play-off against Great Britain.

In the men’s draw, South Africa toppled Spain to take out the title.

South Africa beat and Spain 38-12 in the men’s final.

The All Blacks Sevens failed to reach the semifinal stage after losing to both of the eventual finalists during pool play.

The series now heads to New York for the next weekend’s tournament.

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

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Airlines may look to cut flights as fuel prices soar, airline boss says

Source: Radio New Zealand

Duane Emeny, chief operating officer of Air Chathams. Sharon Brettkelly

Airlines may have to cut the number of flights as they grapple with the soaring price of aviation fuel, according to the boss of a New Zealand airline.

The chief executive of Air Chathams says the rising cost of oil is costing the small airline some $140,000 extra a month in fuel.

The conflict in Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route carrying about 20 percent of the world’s oil and gas.

It’s pushed the global oil prices higher. The benchmark Brent Crude rose 18 percent or by US$18 to US$110 a barrel shortly after trading resumed on Monday at 11am NZT.

Air Chathams chief executive Duane Emeny told Checkpoint that prices were certainly on their way up.

Emeny said fuel was the company’s third most expensive cost, behind people and maintenance, and it’s causing significant cost increases for the airline.

“Every time the fuel costs go up by 10 cents, for a small airline like Air Chathams, that’s about $300k on to the bottom line for us. As you can imagine, with an increase of about $60 a barrel to what we are seeing at the moment, which is around the $115 mark, you are looking at annual costs of about 1.65 million increase, or $140k a month,” he said.

“So, it’s really, really significant, especially for a small airline.”

Emeny said the airline may have to cut the number of flights should the price of jet fuel remain so high.

“If you can’t afford to put aeroplanes in the air, then you’ve got to look at that and say ‘do I cut back my schedule, do I provide less connectivity because of this cost and then wait until it comes right and eases?’.”

“… All airlines will be looking at this, the big ones and the little ones,” Emeny said.

He’d like the government to look at ways to soften the blow on airlines.

“It’s an uncontrollable. We just have to grin and bear it,” Emeny said.

“I would just say, if there is any opportunity for the government to look at some of the mechanisms they do control – [Civil Aviation Authority] CAA levies, cost of airways, those sort of things – maybe there’s some short-term measures we can look at to support airlines.”

He said pausing those levies would be a welcome relief, saving the airline around $200,000 a month.

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

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Kaikōura farmer fined $35k for failing to register hundreds of cattle

Source: Radio New Zealand

Trevor Bolton, failed to track or register the movements of cattle on and off his farms. (File photo) RNZ / Nate McKinnon

A Kaikōura dairy farmer has been fined $35,000 for failing to register hundreds of cattle or track their movements on and off his farms.

Trevor Ronald Bolton, 59, was sentenced at the Kaikōura District Court on March 6, after pleading guilty to three charges under the National Animal Identification and Tracing (NAIT) Act.

Under the act, the movement of all cattle or deer must be declared to Operational Solutions for Primary Industries within 48 hours.

Animals must also be fitted with a NAIT tag and registered in the system by the time the animal is 180 days old or before it is moved off a farm. 

A Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) investigation found Bolton had not registered 269 animals, failed to declare 571 animals that were moved off-farm and failed to declare the movement of 83 animals onto his two large dairy farms.

He was fined $11,666 for each of the failures.

MPI district manager of animal welfare and NAIT compliance upper south Paul Soper said the system was critical in tracing animals to manage disease or biosecurity incursions.

“This farmer’s failures under the NAIT Act related to almost 1000 animals. As we have learned from our experience with Mycoplasma bovis it only takes one animal to cause a problem,” he said.

Soper said MPI took non-compliance with the animal tracing rules seriously.

“Put simply, when people in charge of animals disregard or fail to live up to their NAIT obligations they put the whole agricultural sector at risk,” he said.

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Taihoro reborn: Team NZ launches upgraded AC75 ahead of America’s Cup defence

Source: Radio New Zealand

Emirates Team New Zealand’s new AC75 sailing on Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf James Somerset

Team New Zealand’s boat Taihoro is officially out of the shed and ready to hit the water ahead of next year’s America’s Cup.

The team relaunched their AC75 at their Wynyard Point base in Auckland on Monday, a milestone in a campaign that is focussed on securing a historic fourth consecutive victory in Naples in 2027.

While Taihoro is the same vessel that dominated the waters of Barcelona, it has undergone a significant refit to meet the new 38th America’s Cup rules.

Team New Zealand chief executive officer Grant Dalton said “to outsiders, there may not be a huge amount that is apparently different”.

“From the outside it looks similar.”

Under strict cost-containment measures, teams are restricted to their legacy hulls used in the last Cup.

To remain compliant, Team New Zealand’s designers worked within razor-thin margins, limited to three specific modification categories:

  • Cockpit Reconfiguration: Extensive work to transition the deck layout for the new crew requirements.
  • Structural Rebuilds: The team was permitted to rebuild up to 4sqm of the hull using the same shape but different materials, allowing for localised strengthening or weight optimisation.
  • Functional Rebates: Modifications were made to add rebates to maximize aerodynamic efficiency.

Team New Zealand’s head of design Dan Bernasconi said despite the same hulls being used again, the rules still allow for some significant technological developments and improvements in the AC75’s.

“The hulls have always been one of the most noticeable features on an America’s Cup yacht, but because the hulls spend so much time out of the water, there is actually not that much difference in the performance of hulls, maybe five seconds around the race course across all of the boats in Barcelona.

“So the class rule and design parameters still allow for important gains and difference in performance from the foils, sails and control systems for example. As with every iteration of the same class of boat, there is no doubt the racing will be a lot closer this time around between all teams.

“So, as always, winning will be a massive challenge for the whole team.”

Team New Zealand first unveiled Taihoro ahead of the 2024 America’s Cup in Barcelona. LLUIS GENE / AFP

Chief operating officer Kevin Shoebridge also expected a step up in performance.

“Internally, our philosophy is to always drive innovation and technology, so we think Taihoro ‘2.0’ will be a great step on from what we saw in Barcelona.” .

The most radical visual transformation lies in the crew pod on either side of the AC75.

The cyclors, who used leg power to provide hydraulic pressure have been retired as per the Protocol. In their place sits a standardised battery system for use across all teams.

This high-capacity battery is now the primary source of power for the yacht’s complex foil and sail control systems.

This technological leap has direct consequences for the crew, moving the challenge from physical exertion to digital discipline, as sailors must manage finite battery limits throughout the race.

Crew sizes have shrunk from eight down to five.

With an odd number of crew, roles are becoming more fluid, or roles like flight control and sail trimming may be further consolidated.

Skipper Nathan Outteridge said there is a lot of anticipation around what the roles of the five sailors will be.

“When you look across all of the teams, the question is who will be in the different positions.

“For us, we have a fresh new team which is an exciting mix of young talent and experience so what that eventually looks like in July next year we don’t know right now. That’s part of what the next block sailing Taihoro is about.”

One certainty in the coming days is Olympic gold and silver medallist Jo Aleh is set to become the first woman to crew an AC75 as a new rule introduced to extend the pathways beyond the AC40’s and Women’s America’s Cup to the America’s Cup itself.

A notable addition to the new layout is a dedicated guest racer pod, designed to allow a non-crew member to experience the raw G-forces of an AC75 at full flight, a feature not seen since the days of the version 5 IACC boats in 2007.

Team New Zealand will be utilising the guest racer spot throughout their sailing block in Auckland over the coming weeks.

The relaunch ceremony was centred around the cultural traditions that have come to define the team’s identity with Iwi Manaaki Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei presiding over the event, blessing Taihoro once again.

The blessing reconnected the vessel with its name, meaning “to move swiftly as the sea between both sky and earth”.

Aucklanders and America’s Cup followers will not have to wait long to see the Taihoro in action.

With the AC75 ready to go sailing, the first seen in the 38th America’s Cup cycle, the team will begin an intensive testing block immediately. Over the coming weeks, Taihoro will be a regular fixture on the Hauraki Gulf, flying across the water as the crew acclimates to the new dynamics of the freshly evolved AC75 before the team refocuses on AC40 racing at the first Preliminary Regatta in Cagliari, Sardinia in May.

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

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Luxon: Bad poll result ‘not a major focus’ for National

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Prime Minister continues to insist he has the backing of his party and colleagues, and that he has only discussed last week’s disastrous poll “in passing”.

The Taypayers Union-Curia poll last week put National on 28.4 percent – its lowest result since he became leader.

Speaking at his post-Cabinet media conference this afternoon, Christopher Luxon said polling was not a major focus of discussion with his ministers and fellow National MPs.

He said the media had “gone a bit bananas” on the poll result, and his support amongst the caucus was solid.

He said he did not need to talk to members of his party over the weekend to know he had their support.

“I talk to my ministers and MPs all of the time. In passing I talked about the poll results, but I talked about lots of other things.”

He said the poll had not been a “major focus”.

“I can reassure you I’ll be the leader going into the election on November 7.”

Luxon said the poll result was just one of many, and that only one poll really mattered to him.

“Every day I’m talking to Kiwis and the key thing is their poll – and they tell me they’re frustrated with the cost of living and frustrated with the speed of the economic recovery, and that’s what they want us to do.”

He added that the kinds of numbers seen in last week’s poll were “not going to happen” on Election Day.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. RNZ / Angus Dreaver

Riding the economic shockwaves

Finance Minister Nicola Willis also spoke at this afternoon’s press conference, and sought to give reassurance the government could respond to any economic shocks caused by the conflict in the Middle East.

Willis said the potential impacts to GDP depended on how long the conflict lasted – saying it could be between -0.2 to -0.4 percent, but beyond that it depended on the global trajectory for growth.

She said there were so many different scenarios that she could not give precise figures.

“We are already seeing impacts in the price New Zealanders pay for petrol and we can anticipate a range of potential consequences for supply chains, trade, inflation and future economic activity.”

Willis did say it was unlikely the government will cut fuel excise taxes.

“I’d love to be able to say I can take away the pain right now, but I’m conscious that short term gain could lead to longer term pain, and I’m mindful that any immediate actions do come with a longer term cost.”

She said while there is a lot of volatile in global oil prices, the government does not expect fuel companies to take advantage of rising prices.

“We have asked the Commerce Commission to step up its monitoring of fuel prices and if necessary to call out any suspect pricing behaviour by retailers.”

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