Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

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‘Sort it out’: Minister’s frustration with flooded cycleway

Source: Radio New Zealand

A flooded cycleway at Petone. Phil Pennington / RNZ

Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop says Wellington Water needs to “sort it out” and fix a flooded cycleway.

The rail underpass tunnel on the $70 million cycleway at Petone was still thigh-deep in water on Friday morning, days on from Monday’s storm.

New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) has passed responsibility to Hutt City Council, which passed it to Wellington Water.

Bishop, who is also the local MP for Hutt South and transport minister, said it flooded because a pump station lost power during the weather bomb.

“It’s clear that Wellington Water are responsible for the pumps, sumps and drains,” he told RNZ on Friday. “Wellingtonians know all too well about the problems with that organisation. As infrastructure minister, I urge them to sort it out.”

Commuting cyclists were now choosing to avoid the tunnel and take their bikes instead through the railway station’s pedestrian underpass tunnel, which remains dry. While it was at the same depth as the cycleway tunnel, it was 200m to the north, further away from Korokoro Stream.

Wellington Water was grappling with its biggest ever disaster at the Moa Point treatment station, which had been spewing raw sewage onto the capital’s south coast.

The agency did not mention a pump when asked earlier about the underpass.

RNZ has asked Wellington Water about the pump.

It said instead on Wednesday the underpass was a “multi-agency dependency”.

“New Zealand Transport Agency is obviously responsible for the state highway. Wellington Water manages the stormwater culvert and Greater Wellington Regional Council [manages] the waterway – in this case, the Korokoro Stream.”

This was under a decades-old water courses agreement.

NZTA designed and built the cycleway that blew its budget by almost three times, working out at $25m per kilometre – about the same as some state highways cost – partly because it did not anticipate so much contamination of the strip under the path or how it had a lot of cables and pipes already running under it.

The agency was now a lead partner in the much more expensive harbour cycleway that will connect to the Petone one, and in the two huge state highway projects nearby, Riverlink and Petone-to-Grenada.

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

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‘Please hit pause’: Advocates and UK MP call for passport grace period

Source: Radio New Zealand

Dual citizens face having to get both passports and keep them up to date – and to get a UK passport soon if they want to travel from the end of February. Gill Bonnett

UK lobby groups are calling on the British government to urgently delay the deadline for dual nationals to get UK passports.

It comes as reports that the British Home Office is allowing airlines to decide whether they accept expired British passports when the border changes start on Wednesday.

Advocates have accused the government of failing to communicate the impending requirement for overseas dual citizens to use a UK passport, or certificate of entitlement, saying many only found out last month.

An opposition MP, Liberal Democrat Will Forster, has also asked for a grace period to allow travellers to catch up with the change.

Campaign groups British in Europe and ‘the3million’ wrote to the government this week along with immigration lawyers asking for the deadline to be postponed. They also want the cost of a certificate of entitlement, now a £589 (NZ$1330) digital addition to a foreign passport, to be significantly reduced.

“Please hit the pause button,” the3million’s head of advocacy Monique Hawkins told RNZ. “Think again, do more comms. Canada paused it twice before they began their enforcement. But from what we’ve heard, I think they’re digging in and they’re not prepared to move on this at all.”

Getting a certificate of entitlement could be a very complex, expensive process, she said, but for people with a recently expired passport it could be made a lot more straightforward.

“It should cost no more than the cost of a passport, I think, and they could just maintain one passport then,” she said. “We would like carriers to show flexibility for carriers to perhaps look at an expired British passport and think, yes, OK, we can accept that.

“If you look at what Canada did. Canada had exactly the same problem for its own dual nationals, but they came up with a pragmatic solution.”

Canada’s workaround, a special authorisation, was still open to its citizens 10 years after it required its nationals to use its passport, she said.

Using an expired UK passport

The UK Guardian is reporting that the Home Office said airline carriers could at their own discretion accept an expired British passport as alternative documentation, in addition to a valid foreign passport.

It would be a further frustration for dual nationals who had sent their expired UK passport away to get a new one to comply with the new rules, the newspaper noted.

Hawkins called on airlines who will implement the new regime to be sympathetic, but she feared many people would be turned away at international check-in desks. Carriers face a £2000 (NZ$4500) fine per passenger for allowing passengers with incorrect documentation to board.

A Carrier Support Hub was a 24/7 Home Office service airlines could contact to check that someone was British, she said.

The groups want the government to reconsider its overall position. “People are saying I’m just going to renounce my British citizenship. You know, it’s an expensive process to renounce it, but I’ve had it. Why should I still feel any loyalty towards the UK?

“And I think that’s tragic, really. I mean, that’s not how our country should treat its citizens. I really don’t understand what the mischief is that they’re trying to address. They want to know who’s coming to the country. It is just crazy that a New Zealand national coming as a tourist can get an ETA for £16 no problem and their dual British New Zealand partner is blocked from going to this country that they once belonged to. It doesn’t make sense.”

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

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Queensland fruit fly restrictions lifted – Mt Roskill

Source: Auckland Council

With no further fruit flies found in the Mt Roskill area, Biosecurity New Zealand has lifted restrictions on the movement of fruit and vegetables in the area. Biosecurity New Zealand, the biosecurity arm of the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), announced the update today.

Dr Imogen Bassett, Head of Natural Environment Specialist Services, commends the community for stepping up to help protect our natural environment and economy from this unwanted pest.

“It’s great to hear that Biosecurity New Zealand is confident that it can lift all restrictions in Mt Roskill. A huge thank you to the Mt Roskill community – households, schools, businesses and market-stall holders – for sharing information and following the restrictions carefully,” says Dr Bassett.

“The actions that the community take are essential to the success of these responses and keeping unwanted pests like the Queensland fruit fly out of New Zealand.”

Take full advantage of your food scraps

This means that normal kerbside collections will resume at the end of February, the affected area’s first normal collection being 27 February, and the return of food scraps collections for Zone A.

Make sure to give your food scraps collection a try, if you haven’t already, and join thousands of Aucklanders who have already helped turn over 60 million kgs of food scraps into clean energy. Here’s some summer tips to beat the heat.

Remember, you can also request an additional food scraps bin for free, or request to have a broken or stolen bin replaced, by contacting us. 

A successful operation

Biosecurity New Zealand responded quickly to the detection of a single male Queensland fruit fly in a surveillance trap in Mt Roskill, Auckland on 7 January 2026. A response team immediately ramped up trapping and inspection, getting on the ground to share information with those in the area.

Additional fruit fly lure traps were set within a 1,500-metre area of the original find to determine if other flies were present, and a Controlled Area Notice was put in place, restricting the movement of fruit and vegetables in the area.

Biosecurity New Zealand has successfully eradicated 14 (now 15) previous fruit fly incursions in New Zealand and was confident the same could be done in Mt Roskill.

When announcing the closure, Biosecurity New Zealand expressed gratitude for the actions people took to comply with the restrictions, which were vital in preventing the fruit fly from establishing in New Zealand.

The response timeframe was based on scientific advice about the life cycle of the Queensland fruit fly and helped Biosecurity New Zealand to be confident that there was no breeding population.

While restrictions are lifted, stay vigilant. If you think you’ve spotted a Queensland fruit fly, eggs, or larvae/maggots in your fruit, call Biosecurity New Zealand (MPI) right away at 0800 80 99 66.

More information about what to look out for is available on MPI’s website.

MPI will continue as normal to check the 7,800 fruit fly traps around the country, including more than 4,600 in the Auckland area.

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Waipā and Ōtorohanga states of emergency extended

Source: Radio New Zealand

Water rushing over a blown out culvert on Corcoran Rd, Te Pahu, Waipā. Supplied/Ryan Vickers

Both Waipā and Ōtorohanga Districts have extended their respective states of emergency for a further seven days.

Both districts experienced localised flooding after storms on Friday 13 February, which also washed away a water treatment plant supplying the township of Pirongia in Waipā.

Waipā Mayor Mike Pettit said the district still had a long way to go when it came to repairs.

“What we’re focused on at the moment is making sure people are safe and secure and trying to get people back into their homes, that’s our first mission.”

Across both districts 16 properties had been given a yellow sticker, restricting access, while eight properties still needed to be assessed.

He said there was some roading damage in Waipā, but the damage to water infrastructure was extensive, especially in Pirongia.

“And some of it simply isn’t there anymore.”

Pettit said the upcoming switchover of the Pirongia water supply would be a critical time.

In an update on Friday morning, the councils said the decision to extend the state of emergency followed ongoing response efforts by both councils, emergency services, iwi and partner agencies after severe weather events across the two districts.

The state of emergency would remain in place until Saturday, 28 February, enabling response agencies to continue accessing resources and act quickly to support affected communities.

Ōtorohanga District Mayor Rodney Dow said conditions in parts of the district remained challenging, with ongoing impacts to roads, farms and access routes.

“Our district has been significantly affected, and the state of emergency gives us the ability to keep supporting communities, coordinate response efforts and respond quickly as conditions continue to change.

“The extension is not a reason to panic. It enacts the right legal settings to continue managing the situations in the best way possible.”

Ōtorohanga District Mayor Rodney Dow. RNZ / Marika Khabazi

Ten properties on Whatauri Rd, near Arapuni had lost road access after a bridge was destroyed. The council said a replacement bridge and road was due to be completed and, in the meantime, residents had quadbike arrangements to get in and out.

Another six properties were affected after a bridge was destroyed on Mangati Road, Ōtorohanga. The council said this would need a longer-term solution to fix but people had been given private access through a property.

A long-term detour would need to remain in place on State Highway 39.

Altogether, there were currently 34 displaced people, relating to Phillips Ave (Ōtorohanga) and Corcoran Rd (Waipā district).

Local iwi had suspended commemorations of the Battle at Rangiaowhia this weekend to allow the community to focus on recovery efforts. The Western Waikato Emergency Operating Centre paused on Friday morning to acknowledge the memorial.

Pettit said the council had some long-term decisions to make, but for now it was focused on bringing back normality.

The Waipā District Mayoral Disaster Relief Fund was now open for applications from people and groups across the district.

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

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Grown-ups, playing is good for you too

Source: Radio New Zealand

Somewhere along the way to adulthood, time to play fades away. We tend to trade silliness and imagination for seriousness and busyness.

Yet there is clear evidence that adults benefit from playfulness just as children do.

Play has long been treated as something separate from adult life.

Unsplash

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

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Shallow, sharp quake jolts Canterbury

Source: Radio New Zealand

Supplied / Geonet

Cantabrians have been jolted by a short, sharp earthquake.

Geonet which monitors earthquakes says the “moderate” magnitude 2.8 quake was around 10 kilometres deep and centred south-east of Christchurch.

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

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Successful fruit fly response in Mt Roskill a credit to community

Source: New Zealand Government

New Zealand is once again free of Queensland fruit fly, following a swift biosecurity response in the Auckland suburb of Mt Roskill, says Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard. 

Biosecurity New Zealand has lifted controls on the movement of fruit and vegetables in the area. No further evidence of the pest has been found since the discovery of a single male Queensland fruit fly in a surveillance trap in the suburb in early January.

“This is great news for all New Zealanders, and particularly for our horticulture industry, which would have been significantly impacted by the establishment of a Queensland fruit fly population here,” says Mr Hoggard.

“Allowing fruit fly to become established would have hammered New Zealand’s horticulture industry just as it is hitting record export returns. The industry is projected to export $9.2 billion worth of produce a year by 2026, while Kiwifruit alone returned $4.1 billion in the year to July 2025. I’m pleased that our growers can continue to thrive without having to worry about fighting this pest.”

Biosecurity New Zealand, with the help of communities and sector partners, has successfully stamped out 15 fruit fly incursions since 1996. 

“This success shows our multi-layered biosecurity system working. This includes treatment of fruit before it arrives in New Zealand, checks at the border at airports and import facilities, and surveillance trapping to catch any flies that slip through with passengers or on imported goods,” says Mr Hoggard. 

“The Biosecurity New Zealand team put in a great effort, and I commend them for their hard work over the past six weeks.”

The successful eradication of this pest wouldn’t have been possible without the cooperation and support of the local community, local businesses, and sector groups.  

“The way residents and local businesses have engaged with this response has been a terrific display of community spirit. Their efforts to follow the restrictions has protected our horticultural sector and our home gardens,” says Mr Hoggard. 

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How the British press reacted to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest

Source: Radio New Zealand

British media are preparing their Friday morning newspapers in the wake of ex-prince Andrew’s arrest.

It will be no surprise that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, pictured soon after leaving a UK police station and looking stunned in the back of a car, is dominating front pages.

Meanwhile, reporters gathered en masse outside Buckingham Palace in London.

Supplied

Andrew was arrested on Thursday – his 66th birthday – over allegations he sent confidential government documents to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The younger brother of King Charles, Andrew was stripped of his titles and honours last October because of his connections to Epstein.

He has always denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein, and said he regrets their friendship.

On The Sun’s front page, Andrew’s face his plastered under the headline ‘Now he’s sweating’ – a reference to the former prince’s claim he doesn’t sweat.

The outlet also featured the blurb: ‘Royals in crisis, Andrew arrested’.

The Daily Express is running the same image, with a smaller image of King Charles with the headline ‘The law must take its course’ – a quote from the king.

The Daily Mail has ‘Downfall’ in large block letters with the same image of Andrew in the car.

Screenshot / BBC

“Looking haggard, shamed and haunted, Andrew is released from police custody 11 hours after his arrest plunged the modern monarchy into its gravest peril”, a blurb next to the picture reads.

The Times’ headline reads ‘The arrest of Andrew’, and The Guardian’s reads ‘King says ‘law must take its course’ after Andrew arrested’.

Metro’s front page features a different image of Andrew and a smaller one of the king. The headline reads ‘King: Law must take its course’.

Finally, the Financial Times has no image of the ex-prince, and just the beginning of a stort about the arrest under a larger story about US President Donald Trump.

The headline for the story about Andrew’s arrest reads: ‘Police arrest former prince Andrew in misconduct probe over Epstein links’.

The rest of the front pages are posted below.

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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 awards primary sector student scholarships

Source: New Zealand Government

Six tertiary students have been awarded scholarships as part of efforts to support farmers and growers on-the-ground, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay and Associate Agriculture Minister Andrew Hoggard have announced.

“This Government is backing the sector by supporting the next generation of on-farm advisers,” Mr McClay says.

“Our On Farm Support Science Scholarships are an important part of our efforts to ensure the sector can provide specialised on-the-ground expertise and advice for farmers and growers.

“The successful programme has already started producing the next generation of advisers with four of the inaugural 2024 recipients having secured roles.”

The 2026 scholarships went to students enrolled in agricultural science, commerce, or environmental sustainability degrees.

The recipients were Lincoln University students Cameron Brans, Jack Green, Eibhlin Lynch, and Fraser Wilson, Massey University student Ella Hogan, and University of Canterbury student Cecily Holland. Each will receive $5,000 for the year. They have an interest in dairy, sheep, beef, horticulture, and arable production.

“Recipients in the scholarship programme are also mentored by members of the Ministry for Primary Industries On Farm Support team, providing hugely beneficial experience and networking opportunities,” Mr Hoggard says.

“Farm advisers have a vital role to play in providing on-the-ground support to farmers and growers. These students are the future of the advisory sector and will help keep our food and fibre sector thriving.”

Note to editors:  
Biographies of the successful scholarship recipients can be found below.

Name: Cameron Brans
University: Lincoln University 
Degree: Bachelor of Commerce (Agriculture)
Home region: Waipawa, Central Hawke’s Bay
Background: Cameron has an interest in sustainable meat and arable production and diversification on-farm. He’s seeking a career in an advisory role that combines scientific and business aspects of agriculture.

Name: Jack Green
University: Lincoln University
Degree: Bachelor of Agricultural Science (Hons)
Home region: Auckland
Background: Jack has been on an exchange at Cornell University (US) for a semester. His study in 2026 will focus on the growing complexity of data and software on New Zealand dairy farms. He’s seeking a career in agri-tech and farm consultancy.

Name: Fraser Wilson
University: Lincoln University 
Degree: Bachelor of Commerce (Agriculture)
Home region: Gore, Southland
Background: Fraser was raised on a sheep and beef farm and is most interested in the sheep industry. He’s seeking a career in rural banking, agribusiness, and has a long-term goal of farm or agri-business ownership.

Name: Eibhlin Lynch
University: Lincoln University
Degree: Bachelor of Agricultural Science (Hons)
Home region: Whanganui
Background: Eibhlin was raised on a dairy, sheep and beef farm. She’s been on an exchange at University College Dublin in Ireland to learn how the country is tackling similar environmental challenges and consumer pressures within the agricultural sector. She’s seeking a career in farm advisory combining science and rural services.

Name: Ella Hogan
University: Massey University
Degree: Bachelor of Agricultural Science
Home region: Dannevirke
Background: Ella is passionate about supporting the sheep and beef sector through science-based advisory work. She is interested in connecting research and policy with practical farm management to help farmers build resilient, sustainable businesses.    

Name: Cecily Holland
University: University of Canterbury
Degree: Bachelor of Science, and Bachelor of Social and Environmental Sustainability
Home region: Wellington
Background: Cecily is interested in horticulture, regenerative agriculture, and helping growers adapt to climate change and improve soil health. She’s seeking a career to work as a sustainability consultant or adviser.

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Work begins on new inpatient ward at Nelson Hospital

Source: New Zealand Government

Construction is now underway on a rapid‑build inpatient ward at Nelson Hospital, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.

“The 28‑bed ward will allow services to be relocated while major redevelopment work progresses at Nelson Hospital, including seismic strengthening of existing buildings,” Mr Brown says.

The project involves around four months of off‑site construction alongside approximately six months of on‑site works.

“Running these stages in parallel accelerates delivery, maintains high quality standards, and limits disruption to daily hospital operations.

“Once operational, the ward will boost inpatient capacity, easing current bed pressures and improving patient flow while Nelson’s permanent inpatient building is completed.”

The Nelson ward is the next step in the rollout of five rapid‑build wards being delivered nationwide through the Government’s accelerated hospital wards programme. With Hawke’s Bay already underway, the programme is focused on quickly increasing inpatient capacity and improving patient flow, supported by a $90 million Budget 2025 allocation that will add 140 new beds across key hospitals next year.

“These rapid‑build wards can be delivered more quickly and at lower cost than traditional builds, enabling us to expand hospital capacity where demand is greatest. Off‑site construction allows faster delivery, better cost control, reduced disruption for hospitals, and earlier benefits for patients and staff.

“Investing in modern, purpose‑built infrastructure is about supporting better care and ensuring patients remain at the centre of every decision. This new ward will strengthen services across Nelson Marlborough and help ensure people can access the care they need, close to home,” Mr Brown says.