Source: New Zealand Police
Police can now name the man who died after a fatal crash on Nelson Road, Taupaki on 29 January.
He was Keith Armour Southey, 63, of Waimauku.
Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time.
Enquiries into the circumstances of the crash remain ongoing.
ENDS.
Amanda Wieneke/NZ Police
Source: New Zealand Police
Police can now name the man who died after a fatal crash on Logan Road, Buckland on 9 February.
He was Mark Richard Gerring, 67, of Pukekohe.
Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time.
Enquiries into the circumstances of the crash remain ongoing.
ENDS.
Amanda Wieneke/NZ Police
Source: Radio New Zealand
123RF
The number of companies going broke has surged to its highest level in 10 years as past economic and commercial problems catch up with a growing number of firms, despite signs of economic recovery.
The latest report from BWA Insolvency for the December quarter showed a 31.5 percent rise in the number of insolvencies to 933 on the previous quarter, and 11 percent higher than the same period in 2024.
BWA Insolvency principal Bryan Williams said the number of insolvencies reflected old pressures coming to the surface.
“The insolvencies we are seeing today are rooted in earlier events. Old debt, thin margins and stalled projects are what ultimately undermine a company’s viability.”
“The improvements we are seeing now in interest rates, building activity and export returns arrive too late for those already in deep financial trouble,” Williams said.
There was a total of 3132 insolvencies last year, involving more liquidations, a slight rise in voluntary administration, but a fall in receiverships. It was the highest annual tally since 2015 following the global financial crisis.
Williams said the figures showed by the end of 2025 more firms had reached “terminal distress” where there was little or nothing left to save and they had accepted the inevitable.
The high level of insolvencies in the past year has been put down, in part, to a more aggressive approach by Inland Revenue in collecting unpaid tax and other payments.
Williams said there was still a reasonable number of companies to fail even as economic conditions improved.
“A bit of extra revenue can provide temporary relief, but it is rarely enough to overcome the weight of historic debt. The cost of those past problems is often greater than the benefit of any new earnings.”
Construction had the most insolvencies, but the rate of failure was slowing. There were now also substantial increases coming through in food and beverage, repair and maintenance, personal services, retail trade, transport and delivery, and manufacturing.
Williams said the high level of insolvencies should not affect the broader economic rebound currently underway, and there were some positives to be taken.
“Employees from these companies can be absorbed into sectors that are strengthening. Moving these workers into growing industries is a helpful result from what is otherwise a tough situation.”
He said directors of struggling companies should seek advice and not hope that improving sentiment will save them.
“It is natural to hope that better times will solve current problems but continuing to fight a battle that cannot be won without new capital is exhausting and often futile.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Source: Radio New Zealand
Explainer – A Northland woman was killed by a dog this week, the latest in a series of fatalities. What exactly are the laws around animal control?
Here’s where dangerous dog regulations stand in New Zealand, and what people are saying needs changing.
Mihiata Te Rore, 62, was killed by dogs while visiting a home in the Northland town of Kaihu this week.
There had been multiple complaints about the dogs in this week’s attack, Kaipara District Council said, and staff had visited the property at least four times.
“For far too long we have been warning regulators that New Zealand’s current approach to dog control is not fit for purpose,” the SPCA’s chief scientific officer Dr Arnja Dale said. “Our thoughts are with the woman’s whānau and the wider community during this incredibly heartbreaking time.”
The 1996 Dog Control Act lays out the rules for dog owners, but many advocacy groups have said it’s long overdue for a revamp.
It includes provisions for registration, leash laws, and what owners must do to control and care for their pets.
The act sets out how dogs can be classified as menacing or dangerous, seized and impounded, and infringement offences and fees. People can also be disqualified from owning dogs for certain offences.
However, local councils and authorities are responsible for actually enforcing many of these laws.
“Dog owners are responsible for their dogs – they have a legal responsibility to look after and control their animals – but we also acknowledge that council’s animal control plays an important role in managing risks in the community,” the Kaipara District Council said in a statement after this week’s fatal attack.
“We really need an urgent, substantive and evidence-based review of the Dog Control Act, which is 30 years old and hopelessly out of date,” SPCA senior science officer Alison Vaughan told RNZ’s Morning Report.
The Auckland Council has also called for major changes to the act, saying the dog problem is out of control in many areas.
“We’ve got children being attacked, people being attacked, animals being attacked,” Auckland Council animal management manager Elly Waitoa told RNZ last year. “Children can’t go to school, because they’re being terrorised by aggressive dogs.”
Local Government Minister Simon Watts has said he is looking how the central government can respond, but no reforms to the Dog Control Act have yet been announced.
“This is a serious issue, and I agree that action is needed,” he told RNZ this week.
“As Minister of Local Government, I am responsible for the Dog Control Act. I have sought advice on all available options, in addition to the work that is already being completed.”
Dangerous dogs are classified if they’re a “threat to the safety of any person, stock, poultry, domestic animal or protected wildlife,” according to the act, or if their owners are convicted of an offence involving the dog attacking.
If a dog is classified as dangerous, they must be kept in a secure fenced area, cannot be in public without being muzzled and controlled on a leash, and they must be neutered. You’ll also pay higher registration fees for owning a dangerous dog.
Menacing dogs are considered to be dogs that may pose a particular threat. Certain breeds of dogs, such as American pit bulls, are automatically considered menacing and are banned or heavily restricted from being allowed in New Zealand.
Abel Wira was found guilty of manslaughter over a fatal dog attack. NZ Herald
The owner of a dog that causes serious injury is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years or a fine not exceeding $20,000. The court will also order the dog destroyed upon the owner’s conviction unless there are exceptional circumstances.
For less serious attacks, the Dog Control Act also lays out fines not exceeding $3000 and liability for damage.
Dog owners have been held accountable for attacks.
This week, The Post reported that an Auckland woman whose leashed dog pulled away from her teenage son and attacked a 70-year-old woman was convicted for owning a dog that caused serious injury. She was sentenced to 70 hours of community work and to pay $500 emotional harm reparation to the victim.
And last year, a Northland man was jailed for manslaughter after his dogs killed Neville Thomson in 2022 – a New Zealand first.
Abel Jaye Wira was found guilty by a jury and sentenced to three years and six months in jail. Wira’s dogs were described as aggressive, uncontrollable and dangerous.
Wira was first charged with being the owner of a dog that caused injury or death, and then several months later the charge was upgraded to manslaughter, the first such case in New Zealand’s history.
“The community cannot underestimate what can arise when dog owners majorly depart from their responsibilities,” Judge Andrew Becroft said during sentencing.
The Kaihu death this week remains under investigation.
Auckland Council is calling for changes to national dog control guidelines. Nick Monro
Local governments lack consistency in how they respond to dog attacks and central government needs to take a stronger hand, the SPCA’s Vaughan said.
“What we really need right now is leadership from central government so we can get standardised national guidelines, so we can get more funding to address desexing of menacing and roaming dogs, because right now this population is continuing to grow.”
She said Dog Control Act reform needs to look at measures such as increased desexing and subsidies for those who can’t afford the costs, addressing irresponsible breeding and more public education.
The SPCA also seeks standardised national guidelines for councils on actions to take following a dog bite incident.
Auckland Council has also pressured the government to give councils more power to deal with dog attacks.
It’s calling for measures such as mandatory reporting of dog attacks from hospitals and medical clinics, introducing fencing requirements, allowing councils to set their own desexing policies, and improving councils’ abilities to detain dogs following an attack.
“The changes we are proposing make good common sense and would greatly improve our ability to protect Aucklanders from dog-related harm,” Auckland Council general manager of licensing and compliance Robert Irvine said in launching the campaign last year. “They would not affect the majority of dog owners who we know are responsible.”
Auckland’s council said last July that within the past year it received 16,739 reports of roaming dogs, 1341 reports of dog attacks on people and 1523 reports of attacks on other animals.
In Northland, where dog problems are chronic, statistics from the Kaipara District Council showed the number of dogs impounded by the council more than doubled over the four years from 2021 to 2025.
In the period from July 2022 to July 2025, there were 174 call-outs for dog attacks, but only one person was prosecuted in the same period.
“We cannot afford to wait for another tragedy before meaningful reform is undertaken,” the SPCA’s Dale said.
Local Government Minister Simon Watts. RNZ/Mark Papalii
In an interview with RNZ’s Checkpoint earlier this month before the latest fatal attack, Watts said he understood frustration over uncontrolled dogs.
“Roaming dogs without doubt is a growing concern for many communities and I share their frustration …. communities deserve to feel safe in their own neighbourhoods.”
On the current legislation, Watts said, “It is an old act and a lot of the feedback coming back from councils is that they are wanting to see amendments and changes.
“We’re a busy government and we’ve got a significant amount of work underway in the Local Government portfolio … overhauling the Dog Control Act is not something that we have capacity for this term but we are working through right now.”
Watts said with the time left before November’s election, “passing laws in that timeline is unlikely”.
“To date my focus has been on non-legislative options that can assist councils more quickly, and that work will continue,” Watts told RNZ this week.
Watts said that among those interventions were improving the quality and consistency of national dog-related data, working with the local government sector to refresh and improve dog control enforcement guidelines and creating updated guidelines, which are expected to be issued by the beginning of the third quarter of 2026.
Northland MP and cabinet minister Shane Jones. RNZ / Mark Papalii
NZ First leader Winston Peters told NZME that dog attacks like the Kaihu incident were “facilitating murder” and manslaughter charges should be considered, while Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has called Te Rore’s death “unacceptable”.
In an interview with Morning Report earlier this week, Northland MP and cabinet minister Shane Jones called for “severe” punishment.
“Not only is the law not fit for purpose, we’re not being honest that there are packs of homicidal dogs and feral owners scattered around Northland. I think it’s time we had a very severe level of punishment.
“When I grew up in Awanui if there were wild and dangerous dogs around, my father’s generation just shot them. That was the end of that problem.”
However, the SPCA’s Vaughan said culling wild dogs would not stop the bigger issue.
“We do know from overseas examples that indiscriminate culling of roaming dogs doesn’t find a sustainable solution, so it may reduce numbers temporarily, but if we don’t address the irresponsible breeding and roaming, we will see population quickly rebound.”
Officials at the scene of a fatal dog attack in Kaihu, Northland this week. RNZ
This week’s fatal attack unleashed a stream of testimonials to RNZ from other people who are complaining about wild dogs.
“We have been complaining for years about these wandering frigging dogs,” one person wrote about the Kaipara District attack.
There have been several accounts of people afraid to go for walks without weapons.
“I now go for walks with a brick in my hand and will not hesitate to kill one,” one person wrote on Reddit after claiming an unleashed dog killed their cat.
Another RNZ reader wrote in to say they have complained to their local council numerous times and “have seen dogs and people attacked and injured, provided video and photographic evidence, witnesses, you name it… and we’re still waiting for action”.
“All we get are lame, pro-forma excuses, while the local emergency vets tell us these sort of incidents are happening on a weekly basis.”
One local at the scene of the fatal attack in Kaihu this week told an RNZ reporter that Mihiata Te Rore’s death should never have happened.
“There were so many warnings before that happened and nothing had been done,” he said.
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Source: Radio New Zealand
Auckland Business Chamber chief executive Simon Bridges, who campaigned for an end to the policy, said he was hopeful this was a win for small and medium businesses.
The Auckland Business Chamber is cautiously optimistic that government promises to ban paywave and credit surcharges from card payments appear to have stalled.
In July last year, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Scott Simpson moved to scrap the fees, declaring: “That pesky note or sticker on the payment machine will become a thing of the past.”
The ban was set to kick into effect no later than May 2026, and the move was heavily opposed by businesses.
Now, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the government was taking “a breather” on the policy.
“[It’s] still under consideration. We just want to make sure we understand all of the implications before we push the final button on it,” Luxon said.
Auckland Business Chamber chief executive Simon Bridges, who campaigned for an end to the policy, told Morning Report he was hopeful this was a win for small and medium businesses.
“We’ve been stuck between the big banks and the payments providers, the visas and mastercards and consumers, and I suppose politics. I can tell you 29 chambers all over the country reacted viscerally to this, the submissions almost to a single one opposed this strongly,” he said.
“I’ve made and I know Retail NZ has made clear to any minister who will listen our opposition to this. So, look, we don’t know for sure but we’re hopeful this is a win.”
Bridges said the problem with the bill as it stood was a very serious unintended consequences from a blanket ban.
“It’s a slogan in a sense more than it is a policy. In Australia, I understand they walked away from a very similar policy after the unintended consequences and so were there,” he said.
“I hope Scott Simpson and his colleagues will go back and either ditch this or find something more nuanced for the issues that are there.”
The move to axe surcharges followed growing public frustration at the cost and transparency of the charges; the Commerce Commission estimated New Zealanders were paying up to $150 million in surcharges each year, including $45 to $65 million in what it considered excessive charges.
Businesses pushed back, Retail New Zealand arguing every one or two and a half percent made a difference in a tough economy.
The Retail Payment System (Ban on Merchant Surcharges) Amendment Bill is now languishing on the order paper, ready for be read a second time.
“It’s going nowhere,” New Zealand First leader Winston Peters told reporters on Thursday afternoon, after Luxon’s comments.
Asked if there was any disagreement between the coalition parties, Luxon said no.
“We want to take a breather and have a think and make sure that we fully understand the implications of that on all businesses,” he said.
ACT leader David Seymour said businesses could not afford it.
“The government said it would do it. We’ve listened to the very strong feedback. I’ve listened to small business people saying we get a million bucks through our card system, a 2 percent fee we have to eat would be $20,000, our small business can’t afford that, and that’s why the conversations carry on,” Seymour said.
“We are listening as a government to small business and we’ll get to a better place.”
Seymour said the surcharge ban bill had been through Select Committee, where his colleague Parmjeet Parmar suggested businesses should be able to keep surcharges if they offered a free alternative, like EFTPOS.
“Maybe that’s where we end up, who knows.”
Asked whether the ban would be in place by May as promised, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Scott Simpson said he was “hopeful”.
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Source: New Zealand Police
Two months on after roadside drug driving testing was introduced in Wellington, Police continue to gain valuable operational knowledge and are evaluating processes on this new and important road safety tool.
Since implementing testing in mid-December 2025 to further bolster road safety efforts, more than 300 screening tests have been completed. As of 18 February 2026, seven infringements have been issued.
“Overall, there has been positive and valuable feedback from the public across the Wellington region and from our frontline staff involved with roadside drug driving testing,” says Superintendent Steve Greally, Director of Road Policing.
“The operational insights gained since December have been beneficial, and will feed into the national rollout which starts in April this year. We will be testing across New Zealand by mid-2026.
“National drug-driving testing will further bolster our policing efforts in making roads safer for all, and deterring drivers who are impaired whether by drugs or alcohol from endangering the lives of others.”
Testing remains ongoing in locations spanning across the broader Wellington region, from Kapiti, Porirua, Wellington City, Hutt Valley, and all the way through to Masterton.
“Drivers cannot use a prescription or medical note at the roadside to stop them from undergoing a test or to dispute a positive saliva screening test result.
“The message is still the same for drivers who drive impaired by drugs – don’t take drugs and drive,” says Superintendent Greally.
“You need to know what you are taking and how it might affect driving and any period of time where it is unsafe to drive.
“If you intend to get behind the wheel after consuming impairing drugs, you will be caught.”
ENDS
Issued by Police Media Centre
Source: Radio New Zealand
An unfinished apartment block on Manukau Rd in Auckland’s Epsom. MELANIE EARLEY / RNZ
The company behind a half-finished apartment block in Auckland’s Epsom is in the process of being removed from the Companies Register – while a neighbour is still waiting to be paid $30,000.
Work on the Epsom Central Apartments Project halted six years ago, after Auckland Council found it had not complied with building consent.
The original partnership, Epsom Central Apartments LP, was put into receivership in 2022, and purchased by Xiao Liu – the director at the time of a company named Reeheng Limited – in September 2023.
In September 2024, RNZ spoke to community members and business owners who described the building as a “blight on the Epsom landscape“, which at one point attracted rats and squatters.
Forest Tan owns Just Laptops next door and was awarded $30,000 by the Disputes Tribunal after ageing concrete collapsed and blocked his driveway. But he’s worried he may never see this money if the company is removed.
According to the Companies Register, Reeheng Ltd was overdue in filing an annual return and the Registrar of Companies had initiated action to remove it.
Anyone who wanted to reject the removal was given a deadline of February 18 to do so – which had now passed.
Tan said he worried once the company was removed from the register, the money owing to him would become unenforceable.
“I haven’t received compensation from Reeheng Ltd despite the tribunal order. It’s deeply concerning to me to see this.”
Tan said he had been in touch with debt collection agency Baycorp, who indicated to him if the company was removed from the register there wouldn’t be much that could be done.
In the last few months Tan demolished his business which sat directly beside the apartment block and had plans to rebuild.
If Reeheng Ltd ceased to exist he worried what the future of the building would be and how much longer it would stay in its current state.
According to the Treasury website, a property would go to the Crown if a company was removed from the register.
If someone wanted to deal with the property the company could be restored or an application could be made to the High Court for an order giving the property to an applicant.
MBIE’s acting national manager of business registries Vanessa Cook said if a company was removed from the register it effectively ceased to legally exist.
It did not however, extinguish any debts or obligations owed by the company.
She said a creditor could apply to have the company restored on the register and if it had been, enforcement could continue. This was the main pathway for any money owed.
Not filing annual returns was the most common ground for removal, she said.
“The registrar cannot comment on whether companies purposefully seek to remove themselves from the register to avoid obligations. However, failing to meet company obligations is an offence, and removal is not a mechanism to avoid paying debts.”
In Tan’s case, Cook said if a tribunal order had not been complied with the next steps for enforcement sat with the Ministry of Justice.
Tan had submitted an objection to the removal of the company from the register.
Reeheng Ltd were approached by RNZ for comment. The company’s lawyers said they had not received instructions from the company for several months.
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Source: Radio New Zealand
Canada’s Cassie Sharpe receives medical assistance after crashing during the women’s freestyle skiing halfpipe at the Winter Olympics. 2026. KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP
Auckland freeskier Mischa Thomas has qualified for the final of the halfpipe at the Winter Olympics.
The 17 year old landed a score of 77.00 in her first run and followed that up with a slightly improved 77.50 in her second.
With the best score from the two runs counting, Thomas qualified tenth.
The field had to contend with falling snow during the competition and Thomas said it provided some challenges.
“It was a run I was pretty comfortable doing, I’ve done quite a few times,” she told Sky Sport.
“The pipe was still fast and it is kind of scary to see what it is going to be like when it’s not snowing. It was a little bumpy so just had to manage that, but you get given what you’re given and you just have to deal with it.”
Zoe Atkin of Great Britain topped the qualifying with a best score of 91.50, while defending champion Eileen Gu of China qualified fifth with a score of 86.50.
The competition was paused for 15 minutes when Canadian Cassie Sharpe, who won halfpipe gold in 2018 and silver in 2022, fell and appeared to knock her head. She received medical attention but still qualified third.
The final is on Sunday morning.
New Zealand freeskier Mischa Thomas competes in the halfpipe at the Winter Olympics, 2026. KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP
Heavy snow again forced organisers to change the schedule with qualifying for the men’s freeski halfpipe pushed back a day.
It means Fin Melville Ives, Luke Harold, Gustav Legnavsky and Ben Harrington will start their qualifying on Friday night with the final scheduled for Saturday morning.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Source: Radio New Zealand
Armed police remain at the scene (file image). RNZ/ Calvin Samuel
An assault in Porirua, which placed nearby schools in lockdown, has left one person with moderate injuries.
Police remain in the area – some armed.
In a statement, Kāpiti-Mana Area Commander, Inspector Renée Perkins, said officers were called to Dido Place in Cannons Creek about 7.40am on Friday.
Nearby schools were placed in lockdown while police attended.
The lockdowns have since lifted.
Perkins said the alleged assault has left one person with moderate injuries.
“An investigation into the incident is underway.
“A number of police staff remain at the scene and some are armed as a precaution.”
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Source: New Zealand Government
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced Te Kura Awhitu, sponsored by the Tūhoe Charitable Trust, will open by Term 2 2026 as a charter school.
“Every child deserves the opportunity to learn and grow in ways which are more specific to their needs. Today’s announcement demonstrates the innovation enabled by the charter school model,” Mr Seymour says.
“Tūhoe and the Crown stood apart for generations. Today’s announcement delivers on an important commitment to investigate a charter school for Tūhoe based learning that was made in 2013 as part of the reset of the Crown-Tūhoe relationship.
“Te Kura Awhitu will prepare its students for modern life from traditional roots. Autonomy is important to Tūhoe, and the charter school model enables this. It means Tūhoe can embed their tikanga, language, values, environment, and cultural identity into the curriculum. This marks a significant step forward in the Crown-Tūhoe relationship.
“The school will offer a full Māori immersion education. The curriculum is based on the philosophy and guiding principles drawn from the Te Urewera environment.
“The school will have the use of Te Urewera as a classroom, to learn practically about natural sciences, biodiversity, and geography in a way that incorporates Tūhoe traditions and knowledge: learning about environmental change, waterways management and whakapapa.
“NCEA achievement standards will be used for learning. Natural science learning will be taught against achievement standards in biology, environmental studies or agriculture. A learning module on water restoration, for example, may earn credits in sustainability, science and history,” Mr Seymour says.
“Charter schools show education can be different if we let communities bring their ideas to the table.
“These schools have more flexibility in return for strictly measured results.
“The charter school equation is: the same funding as state schools, plus greater flexibility plus stricter accountability for results, equals student success.
“There are more ideas in the communities of New Zealand than there are in the Government. That’s why we open ideas to the wider community, then apply strict performance standards to the best ones.
“It will join the charter schools announced in the last year which will open in 2026. This takes the total number of charter schools to 19. We expect more new charter schools to be announced before the end of the year, along with the first state schools to convert.
“I want to thank the Charter School Agency and Authorisation Board for the work they have done getting charters open. They considered 52 applicants for new charter schools. They tell me this round the choices were very difficult.
“This is just the beginning. I hope to see many more new charter schools opening, and state and state-integrated schools converting to become charter schools.”