NZ Engine

Source: Radio New Zealand

MetService says there’s a strong likelihood of several regions being upgraded to red heavy rain warnings as a damaging storm sweeps across the country.

Northland and Whangārei are currently in a state of emergency, which will last for seven days.

Although rainfall is set to ease for both regions, others may soon be in the flood firing line.

So which regions are preparing for the worst?

Tauranga

Tauranga City Council is also warning people of landslide risks.

An orange heavy rain warning remains in place for Tauranga through to 1am on Saturday.

The warning has a high chance of being upgraded to a red warning.

Due to earlier rainfall and slips, it said there was an increased risk of new landslide occurring and more damage at sites which had already experienced slides.

“If you learn or suspect that a landslide is occurring or is about to occur in your area evacuate immediately if it is safe to do so.

“Seek higher ground outside the path of the landslide. Getting out of the path of a landslide or debris flow path is your best protection.”

Adams Avenue, between Pilot Bay and the Maunganui Rd roundabout, would be closed to vehicles from 5pm due to the heavy rain warning.

“This is a precautionary approach following geotechnical advice about the current risks on Mauao from anticipated rainfall.

“The road will not be opened until the rain event has passed and we have expert advice regarding the safety of the area.”

Bay of Plenty

Bay of Plenty Civil Defence is warning of possible land slides and for people to stay inside if possible.

Up to 180 millimetres of rain is expected, with the region’s orange warning likely to be upgraded to a red.

MetServices said surface flooding and road closures are expected.

Visit MetService, NZTA or the council website for updates, the region’s Civil Defence said.

Coromandel

Meteorologist Mmathapelo Makgabutlane said there was a high chance of the Coromandel’s orange rain warning being upgraded to red.

A heavy rain warning was in place for the area from 4pm Thursday until at least 6pm Friday.

MetService said expect up to 80 to 120mm of rain on top of what has already fallen.

It said rain up to 200mm was also possible for the Coromandel Peninsula.

Auckland

All of Auckland is now under orange rain and wind warnings, with a low chance of being upgraded to red warnings.

Auckland Civil Defence said residents should prepare for flooding and stay up-to-date via MetService and the NZTA website.

Taranaki / Central North Island

MetService says to expect 100 to 150mm of rain on Taranaki Maunga before noon Friday.

Strong winds are expected in Taupo and Taumarunui, with a heavy rain watch on the former until 10pm Friday.

Taihape, Whanganui and South and Central Taranaki can also expect strong wind through to about 9am.

East Cape

There is a heavy rain watch in place for Gisborne north of Tokomaru Bay, and Bay of Plenty north of Te Kaha, with a moderate chance of upgrading to warning status.

Nelson/Tasman

Residents in the Nelson and Tasman districts are being asked to prepare for severe weather, with up to 250 millimetres of rain expected in some areas.

An orange heavy rain warning is in effect for Tasman northwest of Motueka until 4pm Friday, with a a high chance the warning will be upgraded to red.

Nelson Tasman Civil Defence said the rain was settling in on Thursday, and people should be careful around rivers and streams, and on the roads.

Rest of South

Orange heavy rain warnings are also in place for the Richmond and Bryant ranges, as well as parts of Westland, south Canterbury, and north Otago.

MetService said up to 90mm of rain could fall in North Otago and Canterbury.

There was a minimal chance of the warning upgrading to red, it said.

Red weather warnings ‘no joke’

National Emergency Management Agency’s (NEMA) director of civil defence emergency management John Price confirmed further red warnings for parts of the country were likely.

“Red weather warnings are real and no joke, and I’m urging people not to put themselves in harm’s way, as your life safety is critical.

“MetService only issues red warnings for the most extreme weather events. Heavy rain and severe winds can cause flooding and landslides, which can kill or cause serious harm.”

Price urged people to “trust their danger sense” and not be foolish.

“If you get into trouble and need rescuing, you’ll be holding up emergency services who need to be looking after our most vulnerable.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The head of the science teachers association says Year 11 students could benefit from compulsory science lessons.

The government is considering making the subject mandatory, along with English and maths, when it abolishes NCEA level one in 2028.

Jayatheeswaran Vijayakumar, who is also head of science at Edgewater College, told RNZ compulsory Year 11 science could help more teens into careers in science and technology.

He said it would also ensure young people were better prepared to be science-literate citizens.

But he said there was a strong risk some students would be bored.

“If learners’ experiences are irrelevant or overtly academic, they might not necessarily engage with the learning and then we could have high levels of disengagement,” he said.

“If it’s poorly designed, it could actually reinforce some of the inequities that already exist in STEM pathways and this could really disenfranchise more learners from taking science.”

Vijayakumar said making science compulsory at Year 11 would require good teachers and resourcing.

Education Ministry figures indicated most Year 11 students already studied science.

They showed there were 69,108 Year 11 students in 2025 with 45,500 enrolled in science, 3426 in physics, 2404 in chemistry and 3507 in biology.

Vijayakumar said students had to actively opt out of the subject at his current school, but at his previous school it was optional.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

• A new bill would give police new powers but just how far it goes will now be fought over in select committee.
• The Privacy Commissioner says it sets the bar too low, but a Justice Ministry push for more safeguards was rejected.
• A criminal procedure expert warns it leaves so much up to police discretion it will likely land them in lots of court challenges.
• A hurry around the bill led to limited consultation with the public, Māori and over impacts on children.

A big step towards mass surveillance or restoring common sense powers to police to collect evidence and fight crime?

A bill just introduced to Parliament delivers new powers to police to move or detain someone, but just how far it goes depends who you listen to.

Alarm and reassurance were both in play when Mark Mitchell tabled the Policing Amendment Bill at its first reading before a nearly empty Parliament on Tuesday evening.

“I want to be very clear that this bill will not provide additional powers to police that could be construed as enabling mechanisms for mass surveillance of the New Zealand public,” the Police Minister told the House.

Labour’s Camilla Belich retorted that it was too vague to be sure.

“We don’t want a situation where we have an Orwellian society of mass surveillance, where there is unreasonable collection of personal data, which is then in some instances used to charge people with offences and … there isn’t enough detail in this bill to date that … should assure the House that situation will not arise,” she said.

The bill allowed for police to record short live videos in public if they judged that was justified.

Law professor Gehan Gunasekara bridled at Mitchell’s repeated statements that the bill “restored” police powers.

“It doesn’t restore the status quo. It changes the status quo,” he said.

‘Safeguards’

The bill in a preamble said two events “have together narrowed the law” so that police now had less power to photograph or record people in public than a regular person.

One was official inquiries sparked by RNZ in 2020 exposing how officers for years had casually snapped tens of thousands of people, mostly Māori teenagers.

Ruled illegal, the practices were curtailed – albeit reluctantly and soon after police won bipartisan political support to change the law amid a rise in ramraids on shops.

That change had taken till now, but not before a Supreme Court ruling last year further narrowed what officers could do, according to the bill.

ACT’s Todd Stephenson gave qualified backing to reverse that.

“This bill does clarify and expands the police’s power to collect, record and use information, including images, sounds, for lawful policing purposes,” he said in the debate.

But with a kicker.

“Our support is conditional on ensuring that there is strong privacy protections and safeguards against mass surveillance powers.”

‘Low bar’

The Privacy Commissioner was not convinced about the safeguards, saying the bill set a “low bar”.

“It permits collection of people’s information for ‘an intelligence purpose’ which is not defined and establishes a low bar for police to meet (the police employee collecting the information only has to ‘consider that the information will or may support the Police in performing a function’),” said Michael Webster in a statement.

The Justice Ministry meantime had recommended tailormade safeguards.

But that was “deemed unnecessary” because the bill was not displacing any privacy principles or the Commissioner’s powers, said the bill disclosure statement.

However, the ministry largely supported the bill and said it did not breach the Bill of Rights Act.

Webster’s office in 2021 made one of two investigations of police taking so many photos so casually.

The Privacy Act did not permit “baseless or indiscriminate collection”, he said, but now the bill sought to set up a broad authorising framework.

“Overly broad or insufficiently clear intelligence gathering powers will impact on the privacy rights of everyday New Zealand[ers] and has the potential for chilling effect on people’s civil and political rights.”

Green MP Tamatha Paul said at the first reading that maybe Mitchell was right when he said the bill would not impact everyday New Zealanders: “Maybe he’s right, because this bill is going to impact Maori.

“Rather than tightening up the practice and protecting children, they’re changing the law to make it legal,” she said.

Police did make changes over several years as ordered by the Privacy Commissioner but failed to find a technology solution to identify and delete all the unlawfully taken photos.

Council of Civil Liberties’ Thomas Beagle saw not power restored to police but a power grab.

“It is trying to give the police whatever they want at the price of the people of New Zealand,” he said.

“It’s expanding surveillance powers for police drastically by allowing them to use any form of recording [of] visual or audio data that they can capture from public or private places without any oversight.”

‘Time pressures’

“Time pressures” meant there had been little or no consultation with the public or Māori or consideration of Te Tiriti, said the disclosure statement, and a regulatory impact statement (RIS).

Police consulted Te Puni Kokiri, which raised these concerns.

For the same reason, impacts on children and teenagers had not been delved into – even though the bill arose in part from officers photographing and fingerprinting them.

“This proposal is not seeking to legislate any additional protections for the collection, use, and retention of personal information on children and young people,” said the RIS.

Existing protections combined with police seeking “to ensure operational policy and guidance is aligned with our legislative obligations” was enough, it added.

Police would deal with any disproportionate impacts, the disclosure statement said.

Children’s Commissioner Dr Claire Achmad said she had real concerns especially for mokopuna and rangatahi Māori, “given the previous breaches of their rights by the exercise of police power in photographing them”.

A police policy team talked to her office and invited more feedback “but due to very short time-frame provided by police, this was not possible”.

‘We’re striking the balance’

The Police Association’s Steve Watt said it was not over-reach.

“Look, it is important to consult a wider group when these types of bills come out. However, I’m sufficiently satisfied that there’s safeguards in place that minority groups won’t be targeted as a result,” Watt said.

“Ultimately … what this does is it gives our officers certainty around the information that they can collect and store as part of their day-to-day duties.

“We’re striking the balance between what was occurring in the past but allowing the freedom and ability for police to be able to perform their duties and functions appropriately.”

He echoed Mitchell in stating that internal and external controls were adequate – Mitchell noted the establishment of the Inspector-General of Police role sparked by the McSkimming scandal – and how any information gathered could be tested in the courts.

But criminal procedure expert professor Scott Optican of Auckland University said that was the problem.

“The definitions are vague, the reasonable standards are vague, and I think it’s going to invite continuing challenges in court,” said Optican.

“I don’t think it does the police any favours.”

Giving police general intelligence-gathering powers was a laudable goal, but should be done after wide consultation to arrive at “proper standards, clear guidance that adequately balances the need for criminal investigation against the protection of personal privacy, [and] that creates standards of reasonableness that we all understand and live with”, he said.

Part two

The bill is in two parts: The first is on intelligence gathering; the second would give police new powers to declare a wider range of public areas off limits earlier, before, say, boy racers kicked off or other public disorder, including the power to fine people $1000, get their details or if they refused, to fine or jail them for up to three months.

Part two would “deter antisocial driving behaviour”, the bill said.

But it also would let a constable temporarily close off a place if they believed on “reasonable grounds” that “public disorder exists or is imminent at or near the place”, or a danger to a member of the public.

It “expands the police’s existing temporary closure powers to include circumstances that are broader than vehicle-related offending, as well as expanding the geographical size of areas that may be subject to temporary closure”.

Beagle said that was unreasonable and open to abuse, for instance, to close off protests.

“This, combined with the police powers to move on homeless people, are reducing the right to be in public places,” he said.

The bill has now gone to select committee to be reported back to Parliament on 27 July.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Private healthcare provider IntraCare has been affected by a cyber breach, with its IT systems now offline and 28 patients’ surgeries deferred.

The company, which specialises in “image-guided precision medical diagnostics and interventions”, said it became aware of the breach on Friday, March 20, and immediately shut down its IT systems.

The company said it had deferred 28 patient procedures, but due to the complexity and nature of the incident, it would take some time to ascertain whether individual patient records had been affected.

It had also been unable to contact all patients directly as its database containing their contact details had been shut down.

Information about how many patients were on its book was commercially sensitive, a spokesperson said. But according to its website, the company treated more than 2000 patients each year.

It said independent Australasian cybersecurity experts, CyberCX, had been tasked with a forensic investigation, and the company was being supported by an all-of-government group of experts and IT professionals.

It was also working closely with Health NZ, the National Cyber Security Centre and the police, and was in regular contact with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.

“Our investigation remains ongoing as we work at pace to determine the full extent of the incident. At this stage, we are not in a position to confirm what information, if any, may or may not have been impacted.”

With systems offline, there might be delays in appointments or scheduling, it said.

It was “taking all possible steps to prevent any misuse of information,” and “communicating openly and transparently as more information becomes available”.

“We sincerely apologise that this incident has occurred and for any concern it may cause.”

Health NZ chief information technology officer Darren Douglass said the health agency was aware of the incident.

He confirmed they had a Cyber Security Incident Management Team in contact with IntraCare “to offer support”.

It directed any further queries to Intracare.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The head of the science teachers association says Year 11 students could benefit from compulsory science lessons.

The government is considering making the subject mandatory, along with English and maths, when it abolishes NCEA level one in 2028.

Jayatheeswaran Vijayakumar, who is also head of science at Edgewater College, told RNZ compulsory Year 11 science could help more teens into careers in science and technology.

He said it would also ensure young people were better prepared to be science-literate citizens.

But he said there was a strong risk some students would be bored.

“If learners’ experiences are irrelevant or overtly academic, they might not necessarily engage with the learning and then we could have high levels of disengagement,” he said.

“If it’s poorly designed, it could actually reinforce some of the inequities that already exist in STEM pathways and this could really disenfranchise more learners from taking science.”

Vijayakumar said making science compulsory at Year 11 would require good teachers and resourcing.

Education Ministry figures indicated most Year 11 students already studied science.

They showed there were 69,108 Year 11 students in 2025 with 45,500 enrolled in science, 3426 in physics, 2404 in chemistry and 3507 in biology.

Vijayakumar said students had to actively opt out of the subject at his current school, but at his previous school it was optional.

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

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Hutt Valley’s wastewater treatment plant is upgrading blowers and pipes at risk of failing because they are old or too small.

Wellington Water is upgrading the smell-prone Seaview plant at the same time as it deals with the Moa Point plant crisis.

A tender due on Friday aimed to install new blowers and diffusers for the aeration system.

It said this was all part of upgrades to improve compliance and meet community expectations.

Breaches of odour consents have upset locals for years.

The tender said the equipment was “currently at risk of failure due to its age and insufficient capacity for future peak process load”.

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