Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: Radio New Zealand

Indigenous peoples are leaving the world’s largest indigenous education conference (WIPCE) feeling inspired, uplifted and strengthened.

Over the week thousands of indigenous educators descended on Aotea Centre, Tāmaki Makaurau, for the World Indigenous Peoples’ Conference on Education 2025 (WIPCE).

Alongside keynote speakers and hundreds of presentations, discussions over the week-long hui have centred on kotahitanga (unity), shared strategy, and the reaffirmation of Indigenous sovereignty.

Miriam Zmiewski-Angelova (Choctaw, Cherokee descendant, Black) travelled from traditional Duwamish territory in Seattle.

Her mahi (work) with Hummingbird Indigenous Family Services brought her to WIPCE as a kaikōrero (speaker).

She told RNZ this week’s experience in Aotearoa has been “life changing,” especially sharing memories and learnings with her tamariki (children).

“We need to do more to make sure that there’s representation of indigenous folks, especially in the places that the education systems are happening in.”

She said it’s an experience “that we don’t have enough of.”

“Many times we’re at these conferences, and we’re desperately trying to find each other. I would love for a conference like this to be every year.”

Barbara Dude (Tlingit) and Margaret Katzeek (Central Council Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska) travelled to Aotearoa from Juneau, Alaska.

They told RNZ they are leaving the conference feeling incredibly inspired.

“It feels like we’re in the right place at the right time, and we needed to hear all these messages,” Dude said.

“Auckland is a big city, and so, I really didn’t know what to expect, but the people and hosts are just amazing.

“To be immersed in the singing and the dancing and rituals, the ceremony has been so uplifting.”

Katzeek said they hope to take back home with them the teachings and words from their ancestors, and other indigenous nations.

“The value of belonging has been really prevalent and that’s something that we really care about – making sure that our kids feel like they belong – so taking that energy back home is really important.”

Lee Breaker (Siksika Nation, Canada) is what he calls a ‘knowledge keeper’ of his peoples First Nations reserve.

This was his first visit to Aotearoa, and he said a big takeaway was experiencing a taste of te ao Māori.

“The Māori people are beautiful,” he said.

“I am learning about the culture of the Māori people right now. And right now, I believe it’s similar to what we do… especially the spiritual side.”

In their culture, they have the traditional practice of powwow – a gathering of Native American and First Nations peoples that involves dancing, singing, and celebration to honour and maintain tikanga, or traditions.

“What we do is a passion. It’s something that I can’t explain.

“We put our heart into our ceremonies back at home. And I see that [Māori] put a lot of heart into their ceremonies here too, learning to sing the songs and learning to understand the dance.”

Kereama Wright (Te Arawa) is a senior member of Ngāti Whakaue – the winning haka rōpū of Te Matatini 2025.

They were set to perform at Te Ao Pūtahi – a free festival taking place alongside the conference in Aotea Square.

He told RNZ kaupapa like WIPCE is hugely important, as it brings indigenous people from across the world together.

“We might be experiencing unprecedented attacks on our culture and on our language and on our lands, but we are better together. We are stronger together,” he said.

This year Wright has been to around six different countries, and he said that as a result of Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke’s viral haka in response to the Treaty Principles Bill, people identify him as Māori wherever he goes.

“That’s why I think it’s important that we come together as indigenous people, so that we can share the trauma, so that we can share the success stories, so that we can share models of education and models of political discourse that might be beneficial to other indigenous cultures.”

He said it’s also important to come together as one to give each other some “awhiawhi, hugs and kisses.”

Te Tai Tokerau leader Hone Harawira told RNZ, the importance of language revitalisation remained a core focus of the week-long hui.

“The language is the portal to your independence,” he said.

“Without an understanding of the reo, you can’t truly understand rangatiratanga, you can’t truly understand those principles which make us the special people that we are.

“You can learn about them in an academic way, but if you follow the reo, you can hold on to its principles.”

He encourages whānau to not “just chase around the edges,” and instead have the courage to challenge themselves to be a bit better every day, so that our children, our grandchildren, our great-grandchildren can see role models that they can feel comfortable aspiring to.”

“Charge into the reo, build your next generation so that those who do take over have something that we just struggled to have.”

The next WIPCE will take place in Hawai’i in 2028.

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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 Canterbury landlord, who had been warned multiple times that his property was not up to standard, has been ordered to pay $33,000, remove industrial rubbish and repair holes in the roof and walls of a boarding house in Lyttelton.

The Tenancy Tribunal took action against landlord Murray Lawrence Hill, who has a long history of complaints, for failing to ensure his property was compliant.

Tenancy Compliance and Investigations Team national manager Brett Willson said Hill had previously been issued warnings for the property.

“Despite receiving multiple warnings over a number of years, he failed to take meaningful steps to address these concerns until 2024/2025. His prolonged inaction over a four-year period demonstrates a deliberate and intentional disregard for his obligations.”

His failure to maintain the property to the required standard despite multiple warnings, had a direct and harmful impact on his tenants.

Wilson said landlords are running a business and if they want to operate a boarding house they must comply with their obligations under the Residential Tenancies Act.

Alongside the rubbish removal and hole repairs, he was required to install glass planes in windows that were boarded up, install mechanical ventilation in the bathrooms and clean the kitchen and bathrooms to an acceptable standard.

It is the first time the Tenancy Tribunal has ordered a landlord to pay pecuniary penalties and Wilson said the amount reflected the seriousness of the intentional and ongoing nature of the breaches.

Wilson said where possible, the team works with landlords to achieve compliance and allow tenants to remain in their homes, but where a landlord is not willing to engage, then it would take further action up to and including an application to the Tenancy Tribunal.

He said Hill was an experienced landlord who had regular interactions with Tenancy Compliance and Investigations Team, Fire and Emergency New Zealand and the Christchurch City Council, and was aware of his obligations under the Residential Tenancies Act.

The investigations team received a complaint from a member of the public in December 2023, who said the boarding house was in a serious state of disrepair, with rubbish rotting on the property.

The tenants were described as vulnerable and afraid to complain, for fear of being evicted.

Investigators visited the house and raised the issue with the Tenancy Tribunal, as two prior warnings had not resulted in any action.

At a case conference in March this year, Hill said he had completed some of the work required, but he failed to provide evidence of it.

At a subsequent site visit, investigators found some work had been done but there was still industrial rubbish outside the house that needed to be removed, part of the ceiling in the hallway was leaking and rotting, the stairway wall was in need of repair and parts of the guttering were broken and leaking in several areas. A smoke alarm was also missing outside one bedroom.

The Tenancy Tribunal found Hill failed to ensure the property was in a reasonable state of cleanliness and repair, failed to comply with the healthy homes standards for ventilation, draught stopping and moisture ingress and drainage, and failed to comply with smoke alarm regulations.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Foodstuffs South Island has been fined $39,000 for selling recalled hummus.

The dip was recalled in 2023 over the possible presence of salmonella.

Foodstuffs South Island was sentenced in the Christchurch District Court, after selling 39 units of the recalled hummus to consumers.

The deputy director-general for NZ Food Safety, Vincent Arbuckle, said the hummus should have been removed from shelves, and there was a significant failure in the company’s recall system.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Criminal investigations have begun into three police staff in relation to “misuse and inappropriate content”, RNZ can reveal.

RNZ earlier revealed several police staff were under investigation, including an officer who has been stood down after inappropriate material was found on a police-issued device.

It follows an audit of staff internet usage sparked by the resignation of former Deputy Police Commissioner Jevon McSkimming who recently pleaded guilty to possessing objectionable publications, including child sexual exploitation and bestiality over a four-year period.

Acting Deputy Police Commissioner Jill Rogers told RNZ on Thursday six out of 20 staff under investigation in relation to “misuse and inappropriate content” had been stood down.

“Those six are being investigated for serious matters, ranging from potentially accessing objectionable material, or accessing inappropriate material while also subject to separate misconduct matters.”

Some of the staff being investigated may have had legitimate purposes for accessing material, which police would verify through their inquiries.

“Criminal investigations are being conducted into three of the cases.”

Police were not able to disclose the ranks of those under investigation.

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

Rogers earlier told RNZ a “small number of users of concern” were under investigation.

RNZ asked for clarification but did not receive a response from police.

On Wednesday, Rogers said police continued to progress investigations into about 20 cases of misuse and inappropriate content as part of the ongoing audit of staff use of police devices.

“Employment processes are underway in some of these cases while others are still at the preliminary stages of investigation.

“We can assure the public appropriate action will be taken in every case and cannot rule out charges if the Solicitor General’s guidelines for prosecution are met.

“We are unable to comment further while these processes take their course.”

Rogers earlier confirmed to RNZ a police officer had been stood down from duty for “inappropriate content on a police device”.

“The officer is under employment investigation for serious misconduct, relating to inappropriate, but not objectionable, material on a police-issued device. The alleged misconduct was uncovered through following recent audits of staff internet usage.”

Police Commissioner Richard Chambers. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

Police Commissioner Richard Chambers earlier told RNZ the misconduct being investigated was uncovered as a result of the new monitoring measures introduced following the Rapid Review of the settings for police devices, launched after McSkimming’s resignation.

“I sought that review because of my concern that such conduct was not being detected. This offers some reassurance that we now have the necessary tools to detect potentially inappropriate behaviour.”

Police Minister Mark Mitchell earlier told RNZ he had not been briefed on the allegations, but expected police to “take action on any matters that involve inappropriate behaviour”.

The investigation into McSkimming led to concerns that staff could bypass internal controls and “exploit vulnerabilities to access inappropriate content”.

The concerns prompted Chambers to order a “rapid review” of police’s information security (INFOSEC) controls to ensure police had sufficiently strong controls to prevent or detect the misuse of police technology and equipment for non-work-related purposes.

A summary of the review said the main risks were; weaknesses in technology configuration, lack of visibility over user activity and gaps in governance.

The report included key findings and recommendations in relation to each of the risks.

There was “inconsistent application” of internet access policies across different workgroups as well as a “lack of robust filtering mechanisms” to consistently prevent access to unauthorised websites.

The review also found there was “insufficient monitoring of internet usage to detect and respond to potential security threats and inappropriate usage”.

Other findings included unmanaged devices being used for operational activities and inadequate monitoring of user activity and network traffic.

There was an absence of centralised logging and analysis tools to detect anomalies and potential issues and “insufficient resources allocated to continuous monitoring and incident response”.

The review also said there was a lack of “clear governance structures and accountability” for INFOSEC controls, with “inconsistent enforcement” of security policies and procedures.

The report called for “improved oversight and coordination among different workgroups”.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Warning: This story contains content some may find disturbing.

There are calls for a public awareness and education campaign about domestic violence, after fresh data has revealed its prevalence around the globe.

A new report from the World Health Organisation has found a quarter of women have been physically or sexually abused by a partner.

It shows there’s been no improvements in that statistic in the last two decades.

In Australia and New Zealand, 24.5 percent of women have been sexually or physically abused by a partner.

The head of Women’s Refuge, Ang Jury, is disappointed but not at all surprised.

“Until such time as men realise that they don’t own their women, nothing’s gonna change,” she said.

Jury said big societal shifts have been achieved before in Aotearoa, like attitudes towards smoking and drink driving.

But part of that shift was long-lasting, expensive public campaigns. She wants to see something similar – “long running, sustained action” – for domestic violence prevention.

“It would have to be a bipartisan thing, with the understanding that nothing is gonna change overnight.”

In the mid-2000s, the “It’s Not Okay” campaign advertisements beamed into living rooms across the country.

University of Auckland professor Janet Fanslow, who’s researched violence for nearly 40 years, said it was brilliant.

“At the beginning it was not only the national campaign around the messaging and building the understanding, but that campaign was actually backed with 150 community-based prevention projects. And then we let it drop.”

Fanslow advised the World Health Organisation on interpreting and analysing data for the report.

She said to force change in New Zealand, a similar nationwide campaign is needed, underpinned with well-resourced advocates educating people about things like power in relationships.

Fanslow said in some places overseas, those community programmes saw intimate partner violence drop by 50 percent in four years.

“It’s huge, and it’s fast,” she said.

“We often talk about it as an intergenerational problem, but I think what we actually mean is that we need intergenerational funding to implement it consistently across whole populations, long enough to get the change in behaviour that we would really like to see.”

Political reaction

Politicians on either side of the aisle agreed the statistics were horrific – and that a bipartisan approach was the way forward.

“Fully agree, and that’s why we have continued the previous government’s programme that they put in place,” said Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.

That’s called Te Aorerekura – a 25-year strategy to eliminate family and sexual violence, with a series of shorter-term action plans.

The minister for family and sexual violence prevention, Karen Chhour said the government’s second action plan has accomplished all its early milestones, like improving multi-agency responses, expanding access to safety programmes for survivors, and extending rehabilitation support for prisoners on remand.

“In recent years there has been an increase in reporting, meaning more people are aware these behaviours are unacceptable and are seeking help,” she said.

Chhour encouraged anyone experiencing family or sexual violence to seek help.

Labour’s family and sexual violence prevention spokesperson Helen White said there were emerging challenges to deal with.

“We have a really strong wind of misogyny coming through our social media, and it is really taking its toll on the way that young people think about their sexual relationships,” she said.

White believes change starts with young people.

“Education is absolutely key. We do need to make sure that this is cross-party, we should be able to cooperate on something like this. It’s huge.”

Family Violence

Sexual Violence

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Marlborough District Council are warning residents to be cautious of residual smoke after a Blenheim rubbish treatment plant blaze.

Fire crews were called to the Resource Recovery Centre in Wither Road at 2:50pm on Thursday.

Over two and a half hours later the council said the blaze was still burning, with it taking possibly three to four hours before it is put out completely.

All staff were evacuated and were safe.

The council said the cause of the fire was not yet known and a investigation team has been called.

The facility, and the dump shop will remain closed until further notice.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

It’s been revealed Kmart NZ’s sold tens of thousands of pots of potentially asbestos-laced children’s play sand.

The retail giant has sold 67,000 units of coloured children’s sand across the four products. That number doesn’t include suspect products sold through different retailers.

The sand has been sold at Kmart for several years, with the pink magic sand sales dating back to 2015, according to the Product Safety website.

In a statement, Kmart apologised for the inconvenience caused by the recalled products. It said whenever there is any potential risk associated with a product, they act “swiftly and proactively”.

Kmart has withdrawn all sand-based toys from sale as a precaution.

It said the risk that any asbestos found is likely to be airborne or fine enough for inhalation is low.

The sand is part of a massive recall that’s expanded even further on Thursday.

The latest contaminated item added to the list is 380 gram pots of craft sand in 15 different colours.

Samples of the product, which are sold in dozens of cut price retailers and dollar stores, have tested positive for asbestos.

MBIE and other agencies are proactively testing samples from other similar products that are available in New Zealand.

Testing of other play sands in New Zealand is ongoing, MBIE said.

“MBIE and other agencies are proactively testing samples from other similar products identified available in the New Zealand market. We are expecting to receive the first further results later this week and will update our partners and New Zealanders as they are received,” an MBIE spokesperson said.

Some councils have set up drop-offs sites for the recalled products.

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