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More injured sea birds seen after storms by beach clean up group

Source: Radio New Zealand

An albatross/toroa being looked after at Wellington Zoo. Supplied / Te Nukuao Wellington Zoo

A beach cleanup group says it is seeing more injured or deceased sea birds after storms.

Stormy weather in the capital this week blew birds off course and left some exhausted and in need of rescue.

An albatross, a gannet and a fairy prion were among those picked up by the Petone Beach Clean Up Crew.

“Because they’re seabirds, they’re not made for the land, so we know they’re in trouble and need help, and they need to go to DOC (Department of Conservation) or the Nest at Wellington Zoo,” said Lorraine Shaab, who ran the clean up crew.

Shaab said she kept a cage in her car ready to hold rescued birds, but this week the albatross proved not to be a good fit.

“He was a huge bird. He came up past my knee.” she said.

If people come across native birds, like this albatross, DOC is the best port of call. Supplied / Te Nukuao Wellington Zoo

But she said the bird was also exhausted, which made transporting him less of a challenge.

“I actually put him in my car because he was too big for the cage.”

“Normally I would never do it, but he was exhausted,” she said. “He had no fight in him whatsoever.”

Meanwhile, Shaab’s gannet rescue had left her less fond of the bird.

“They’ve got good beaks on them,” she said.

“So I learned a bit of a lesson just to be a little bit more prepared next time if I rescue a gannet.”

A gannet. Supplied

The fairy prion proved to be more smooth sailing.

“He was just, I think, soaking wet and happy to be in a dry cat cage,” she said.

Shaab said following the storm she had also come across some dead gulls and was aware of some other dead birds people had reported to her.

She said they were finding more birds injured or deceased after storms, but it was not the only thing killing them.

“We’re finding more birds with entanglements from fishing line and swallowing fish hooks as well.”

Shaab said in Wellington if people came across native birds like an albatross or a gannet, DOC was the best port of call. For other birds like seagulls she said she was happy to collect them and drop them off with the appropriate people.

Another albatross was picked up by the Department of Conservation.

Wellington Zoo currently has three albatrosses in its care. Supplied / Te Nukuao Wellington Zoo

Operations advisor Brent Tandy said its rangers picked up the wandering albatross in Petone on Wednesday.

“It seemed to be uninjured, just exhausted and blown off course because of the storm.”

“The albatross was taken to the Nest Te kohanga at Wellington Zoo where it’s currently being rehydrated and stabilised before full health checks in the next couple of days,” he said.

Wellington Zoo said it currently had three albatrosses in its care, two found in Petone and another in Upper Hutt.

It said the birds had been blown off course and were exhausted by the storm.

The zoo said the albatrosses had arrived dehydrated and weak, with some injuries to their feet from the crash landing. But they were responding well to IV fluids and nutritional support

“First we need to rule out any underlying diseases or injuries, then they need careful nursing and waterproofing on our salt water pool. Birds that are fit to return to the wild need to be released at sea by boat.”

The zoo said climate change was having a serious impact on the fitness and survival of seabirds.

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Why do nose and ear hairs become longer and thicker as we age?

Source: Radio New Zealand

Growing older often brings unexpected grooming challenges. This is particularly apparent when some areas that, when young, we could otherwise ignore start to develop hair.

This includes our nose and ears, where hair grows thicker and longer as we age. But why do hairs in these areas act like this?

The answer predominantly lies in our sex hormones.

Androgens are a group of sex hormones that influence hair growth, and are the key to understanding why we have longer and thicker hairs in our nose and ears.

Unsplash

Two types of hair

There are two types of hair that grows across our bodies.

Vellus hair is fine and colourless. This hair (also called “peach fuzz”) grows across most of our body, including our arms and neck.

Terminal hair is stiff, thick and darker. It stands up from our skin and is usually very obvious. Adult males have terminal hair on about 90% of their body, with females growing it on about 30% of their bodies.

Terminal hair stands up when we’re cold (giving goosebumps) and helps trap heat to keep us warm. It also protects us from the sun (such as hair on our scalp), and keeps dust and dirt out of our eyes through eyebrows and eyelashes.

As vellus hair is smaller, thinner and colourless, it is not usually an aesthetic problem (although it can be altered in some diseases). Instead, it is the terminal hair that is often noticed, and the primary target of our razor.

The normal process of hair development involves a growth phase (anagen), follicle-shrinking phase (catagen), and then a short resting phase (telogen) before the hair falls out and is replaced as the cycle begins again. Some 90% of the hair on our body is in the growth phase at any given time.

Nose, ear, eyelash and eyebrow hairs don’t usually grow too long. This is because the growth phase of the follicles only lasts about 100–150 days, meaning there is a limit to how long they can get.

Alternatively, the hair on your head has a growth phase that lasts several years, so it can grow to more than one meter in length if you don’t get it cut.

Why do we have hair in our nose and ears?

We have about 120 hairs growing in each of our nasal cavities, with an average length of about 1 centimetre.

As you breathe through your nostrils, the hair in your nose works with the mucus to block and collect dust, pollen and other particles that could make their way to your lungs.

The hair in the ears also plays a protective role, trapping foreign objects and working with the earwax to facilitate self-cleaning processes.

What is the effect of ageing?

Androgens are a group of sex hormones that play a key role in puberty, development, and sexual health. The most common androgen is testosterone.

These androgens influence hair growth, and are the key to understanding why we have longer and thicker hairs in our nose and ears.

Hairs in different parts of the body respond to androgens differently. Unlike some hairs that are stimulated at puberty (such as pubic hairs and facial hair in males), some hairs, such as the eyelashes, don’t respond at all to androgens. Others increase hair size much slower, like the ear canal hair that can take up to 30 years.

Females have lower levels of androgens in the body, so major hair growth changes are more localised to the underarms and pubic regions.

We don’t have much data to support various conclusions about hair growth in later life, as most studies have focused on why we lose hair (such as balding) rather than why we have too much.

Nonetheless, there are still some hypotheses about why we grow more ear and nose hair as we age.

  1. As we age, the body is exposed to androgens for a long time. This prolonged exposure makes some parts of the body more sensitive to testosterone, potentially stimulating the growth of hairs.
  2. Over time, and long-term exposure to testosterone, some of the fine vellus hairs may undergo a conversion and become the darker, longer terminal hairs. This terminal hair then sticks out of our noses and ears.
  3. Alongside increased levels of androgens as we go through puberty, a protein called SHBG (sex hormone binding globulin) is also released. This protein helps control the amount of testosterone and estrogen reaching your tissues. During ageing, the levels of SHBG levels may decrease faster than androgens, leaving testosterone to stimulate ear and nose hair growth.
  4. Hair simply changes with age. This can result in changes in colour, thinning, and follicle alterations. There might be variations occurring in the follicles that respond to our body’s changing environment, stimulating longer hair growth.

Most of the impact of hairy ears and noses is observed in males, as they have larger amounts of testosterone.

Should we be worried?

It’s not usually a problem. Having a hairy ear (auricular hypertrichosis) does not appear to impact hearing at all. Note that if you are using hearing aids, excessive hair can impact their effectiveness, so in these rarer cases it is worth having a chat with your doctor.

The largest issue appears to be the appearance of these hairs, which can make some people self-conscious.

To address this, avoid plucking hairs out (such as with tweezers), as this can lead to infections, ingrown hairs and inflammation.

Instead, it is safest to reach for the trimmers (or employ laser hair removal processes) to clean up the area a little.

Christian Moro is associate professor of science & medicine, Bond University. Charlotte Phelps is senior teaching fellow in medicine, Bond University.

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

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$80m RIF funding for critical minerals projects

Source: New Zealand Government

The Government has ring-fenced $80 million in the Regional Infrastructure Fund to develop and process domestic critical minerals resources, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Regional Development and Resources Minister Shane Jones say.

“Critical minerals are used everywhere, from clean energy technologies and electronics to aviation, medical technology and more. They are essential to modern life,” Mr Peters says.

“A year ago the Coalition Government released its Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List. Since then, there has been increasing interest by a number of countries in securing supplies of critical minerals and rare earths.

“With global demand clearly rising, New Zealand is in a position to be a credible and reliable source of critical minerals and an essential link in the international supply chain,” Mr Peters says.

“By backing the extraction and processing of our own critical minerals resources, the New Zealand Government is sending a message to the world that we are serious about contributing to the critical minerals market.”

“New Zealand engages with a broad range of partners to gather information about the scope of market interest in this sector, and how that relates to the New Zealand Government’s objectives and priorities.

“We will continue to engage with the New Zealand public appropriately, as and when policy and project proposals around critical minerals are developed,” Mr Peters says.

Mr Jones says the $80m Regional Infrastructure Fund package will help New Zealand turn its resources into more jobs, investment and long‑term value for its communities.

“Our regions hold substantial deposits of critical minerals that could support a strong, sustainable economic recovery and position the country at the forefront of high‑value industries,” Mr Jones says.

“By supporting the development of critical minerals opportunities in New Zealand, we create jobs, build self-sufficiency, improve national resilience, and benefit from the new infrastructure, technology and skills that come with development.

“It’s important that we think beyond just extraction when it comes to critical minerals. Developing advanced processing techniques and technology that could help other countries to unlock their resources is an equally exciting prospect. That could open the door to new and deeper partnerships with countries looking to strengthen their own supply chain resilience.

“Given the scale of opportunity, and the importance of the sector to regional development, it makes sense to create this $80m package to help realise those benefits while supporting our Minerals Strategy, which lays a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector.”

Relevant projects which meet the criteria and have already applied to the Regional Infrastructure Fund will be considered. Applications for new projects will also be accepted for consideration. 

Successful projects will be announced when they have been evaluated and ministers have made decisions.

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‘Impossible deadline’: Union questions shorter consultation period for Māori curriculum

Source: Radio New Zealand

NZEI President, the head of the country’s largest education sector union. NZEI supplied

Education union NZEI Te Riu Roa is questioning why the consultation period on a draft Māori curriculum is only half as long as its English counterpart.

“It’s pretty much an impossible deadline, really. I mean, you cut the deadline in half, we’ve got till April to respond,” president Ripeka Lessels said.

The Ministry of Education opened the draft Te Marautanga o Aotearoa framework and Year 0-10 wāhanga ako (Pūtaiao, Waiora, Toi Ihiihi, Hangarau, Ngā Reo, and Te Reo Pakeha) for consultation from 28 January until 24 April 2026.

However, consultation on the Year 0 to 10 draft New Zealand Curriculum opened three months earlier in October 2025. The consultation period closes at the same time as Te Marautanga o Aotearoa.

Te Marautanga o Aotearoa, alongside the New Zealand curriculum, make up the national curriculum statements, Lessels said.

The shorter consultation timeframe would impact on teachers, who would have less time to digest and respond to the changes, she said.

“It’s gonna be a challenge, unless [teachers] have subject specific association members beside them to actually take them to go through and read through that stuff, so that they can, you know, download it all and be able to respond appropriately.”

Lessels said the government and ministry had prioritised speed over experience and it would lead to less kaupapa Māori embedded in the curriculum.

“I think this is the only chance that most of the sector will get, is to respond in this time frame … but that’s true also of the New Zealand curriculum, there’s been very little consultation with the subject association around curriculum development since the beginning of this government.”

This curriculum would also apply to the majority of Māori students who were not in Māori medium education, but who Lessels said had a right to be taught in their language regardless of their choice of school.

“What’s good for Māori is good for everybody … tamariki Māori are still part of the education system in Aotearoa New Zealand and we still, and the government, still have an obligation to improve education, as they are trying to do, improve education for all tamariki Māori.”

Lessels said the previous curriculum documents had a lot of input from Māori in the education sector, but input on the new draft had been limited.

“I’ve been going through the Te Reo Rangatira document, and, you know, it reads very much like the Pākehā document, and that’s because this minister has pretty much demanded what it should look like, and that they should be the same. You can see that, it’s in the document, you can see that in the Te Reo Rangatira document, the step stages and phases in that document kind of mirror the New Zealand curriculum, the Pākehā document.”

In a statement the Ministry of Education said it was its intent to release the New Zealand Curriculum and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa side by side.

“We decided that further work was needed on the draft framework and Years 0-10 wāhanga ako of Te Marautanga o Aotearoa, to make sure we released the best possible version for New Zealanders to consider and provide feedback on. This is an important milestone in Māori-medium education, and we needed to get it right.

“We recognise that kura and schools using Te Marautanga o Aotearoa have a shorter consultation time period than those using the New Zealand Curriculum, so we are making it possible for kura, schools and whānau to provide feedback through multiple avenues. In addition to the feedback forms for the framework and each wāhanga ako, we are also:

– holding webinars that anyone can attend and provide feedback at

– arranging workshops through Kahu Pūtoi to discuss the drafts, and

– holding local workshops through the Curriculum Advisory Service.

“The final National Curriculum is expected to be released in mid-2026, and we intend the final versions of both curricula to be available together at that time.

“We believe the three-month consultation period, supported by multiple feedback opportunities, provides enough time for kura and schools to engage with the draft Te Marautanga o Aotearoa and provide feedback. The consultation closes on Friday 24 April 2026.”

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Ironic that government has ‘run out of time’ to pursue longer Parliamentary term – law expert

Source: Radio New Zealand

University of Otago law professor Andrew Geddis. Supplied

A law expert says it is ironic the coalition appears to have run out of time to put a four year Parliamentary term to a referendum.

The government has ditched a bill to put a longer electoral term to a binding referendum, citing time constraints and a desire to prioritise law and order policies.

University of Otago law professor Andrew Geddis said the proposal was basically dead now.

“Ironically, it’s dead because the government has run out of time which is the very thing that governments say they need more of and which is why they’re so keen to actually get a four year term if they can get the public to agree to it.”

The select committee that considered the bill had recommended it progress to second reading without the ACT Party’s proviso a longer term came with greater checks and balances on the government of the day.

New Zealand and Australia are outliers in having three-year parliamentary terms; four or five year terms are far more common.

The arguments for a longer term include that there three years is too short for a government to accomplish its goals, with the first year settling in and the third year all about gearing up for another campaign.

Those wary of allowing longer terms argue New Zealand lacks certain checks and balances on government power other countries have, such as a supreme court that can strike down legislation or an upper house like the Senate in Australia and the United States or Britain’s House of Lords.

Geddis said MPs clearly had concerns about the uncertainty the legislation might bring.

“The original legislative proposal, which was an ACT Party move, was that four year terms would only happen if the government agreed to give opposition parties control [of] the select committee and that would be written into the legislation.

“The worry about that was you never actually knew whether you’d have a three year or four year parliamentary term until the government made the decision as to whether to let opposition have select committee power.

“Putting that into the legislation itself could create future uncertainty down the track. So the select committee said it would be better to have a simple vote on whether to have a three year term or four year term with no extra complications put into the legislation.”

Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith said a four year term was something a future government might look at.

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Reality bites for Kiwi job seekers as unemployment climbs

Source: Radio New Zealand

Unemployment is at its highest in more than a decade, but an economist says that could actually be an early sign of economic strength, as more people return to the workforce. RNZ

New Zealand’s unemployment rate is the highest in a decade, but a leading economist is cautiously optimistic about the country’s economic outlook

There was a feeling of “cautious optimism” at a business breakfast in Auckland this week, after warning signs began flashing in the jobs market.

The latest figures, from Stats NZ, have revealed unemployment has risen to its highest level in more than a decade – 5.4 percent – with more people chasing work than jobs being created.

A total of 165,000 people are now unemployed – that’s a rise of 4000 on the previous quarter and 10,000 on a year ago.

When looking to the country’s future economic and employment outlook, Westpac chief economist Kelly Eckhold, the guest speaker at the breakfast, tells The Detail that he’s “cautiously optimistic” – a phrase he had on repeat.

“You know, in the last couple of years it’s been tough, hasn’t it?” he says. “We had a couple of years where things looked quite good as we went through the summer period in the early part of the year, only to find the economy sag in the middle of the year.

“And even though we have good reasons to be optimistic about this year, you have to be conscious that that could happen again, particularly given it’s an election year.”

He says the recent spike to 5.4 percent in unemployment is a complicated number. Yes, it’s higher than expected, but he says there’s also been a bump in the number of people wanting jobs.

“They survey New Zealanders to try to ascertain how many of us are actually looking for work, because not all of us are for various reasons. And the surprise last time was that jobs grew, but actually the number of New Zealanders thinking they wanted to be in the workforce grew as well.”

He believes this could be “early evidence of economic strength”.

“Often this relationship works in reverse – when the economy is weak, then people drop out of the labour force, they go ‘well, there’s not very many opportunities anyway, or the pay’s not going to be any good’, so they think about other alternatives, study or training for example.

“And when the economy picks up, people think ‘there are options out there now, I can actually go out there and get an interesting opportunity, I can get more income,’ and you tend to see people attracted into the workforce during these periods.”

He says hiring remains strong in government-related sectors, such as health and police, but construction is hurting.

“But we are starting to see some better signs … as lower interest rates filter through, although it is early days.”

Peak point

He believes the unemployment rate has peaked – “it should fall next quarter, modestly” – which is a sentiment echoed by Shay Peters, CEO of the Australia and New Zealand umbrella of Robert Walters, a recruitment firm. He hosted the business breakfast.

“I think what we will be seeing and what everyone will be forecasting over the next 12 months is for that unemployment rate to drop,” Peters tells The Detail.

He points to the 76 percent of businesses surveyed for the company’s latest Salary Guide who say they are planning to hire this year, up from 66 percent last year.

“Our labour market is showing a renewed sense of optimism, but caution remains.”

He says, “unfortunately”, New Zealand continues to be a victim of the brain drain to Australia.

“That is probably my biggest concern, around the level of individual that’s gone to Australia … they are the productive ones. They are there, they are productive, they are doing the job.

“They are the ones who we see leave New Zealand with their families and buy houses in Australia.

“Will these people come back? It’s highly unlikely. Will we be able to import talent from other offshore resources? I don’t know, it’s a tough one.”

When asked about the role of AI in New Zealand’s job market, he says, “I think there is a nervousness about AI taking people’s jobs, but we aren’t seeing it play out en masse yet”.

But, he says, AI is working overtime for those chasing a job.

“A great example is one of our clients, who said to us [that] when AI was just starting to be implemented by job seekers … they received 12 cover letters that were exactly the same from 12 different people. Clearly, they put it into the same bot, they put in the same job description in and it spat out the same cover letter.

He says “authenticity” is what sets candidates apart. And in a tough market, anything and everything helps.

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How much tax do influencers pay?

Source: Radio New Zealand

Influencers must stay on the right side of the tax rules. (File photo) Supplied/123rf

Emily Holdaway, or Officially Em, as she is known to her thousands of online followers, says she is running a constant type of mental tally when it comes to what is a “business” expense and what is just the cost of normal life.

While Holdaway had more recently moved her focus to offering social media workshops and building an online community, she was previously best known for her blog Raising Ziggy and related work as a social media influencer.

Some of the admin questions she had to address as part of her business highlight the complexities the influencing industry navigates when it comes to staying on the right side of the tax rules.

Generally, self-employed people could claim their business costs in their tax returns, which reduced the amount of income on which they must pay tax. But people usually cannot claim deductions for personal expenses.

When your income comes from sharing your life, that can be a problem.

Holdaway said she claimed all the business-related expenses any other type of business would. “My computer, my phone, and then we have a percentage of our living expenses that we’re allowed to claim based on the floor area ratio of our office space compared to our house space.

“But for things like when I’m in my car and I’m sharing on my [social media] stories, I’m thinking is this work or is this not?”

She said she did not claim food costs or clothing, whereas other social media influencers might.

“I don’t claim my clothes but I also shop at secondhand shops. If I’m running an event or if I’m somewhere that’s because of work or I’m going to something I’m going to create content with, then yes.

“If I’m going out and getting lunch and sharing that I went to McDonalds I’m not going to claim that because it’s still part of your everyday living. But if I have an event where I’m getting together with a whole heap of people within the community then it’s a business expense.”

She said it was complicated for self-employed people, and particularly influencers.

“Is work the influencing or what you’re getting paid to influence? Is it work when you’re showing up because you’ve got a campaign for someone… or it just the get ready with me, hey I’m having my coffee let’s go for a walk. You could argue both ways, I think. Does my coffee become a work expense if I show that on my story every morning?”

Hnry chief executive James Fuller said, based on the 2023 census, influencers in New Zealand were paying up to $50 million a year in tax but that figure was fluid and growing.

Hnry co-founder James Fuller. (File photo) Supplied/Hnry

“It’s a really interesting development over the last 10 to 15 years in the economy that we have a whole group on the sole trader spectrum who are earning income in content creation and as influencers.

“That can stretch from everything from micro influencers who have a couple of thousand followers all the way through to people who have a couple of hundred thousand.

“I think often when people say ‘influencer’ they imagine someone with millions and millions of followers. But what we are seeing is actually the rise of content creators who are able to generate an audience, bring in brand deals, partnerships, sponsorships and then managing revenue effectively as a sole trader.”

He said people needed to be aware that if they were generating revenue, even if it was just from talking about life, that would come with the same obligations as any other business.

“As such there are things to consider such as the taxes, but also the expenses side of things.”

In the 2023 Census, 2646 people selected “multimedia designer” or “multimedia specialist” from the available occupation options, 228 of whom were self-employed.

“It can be quite tricky to work out, you know, actually is this my life? Am I being paid for being in business or am I being paid for being on social media? But, you know, in the eyes of IRD, it’s very clear that if you’re if you’re generating revenue from it, then it is a taxable activity and therefore you are in business and you have all of the opportunities that come from being in business when it comes to expenses, tax management, those sorts of things.”

Expenses that influencers would often be able to claim would include home office costs, travel expenses, music, the cost of giveaways or the games used by gaming creators.

Inland Revenue said people could claim expenses even in years where they spent more than they earned but there needed to be an intention to make a profit.

“If you monetise content and receive regular amounts from subscribers or platforms, then the amounts are likely income and taxable,” the department said.

Deloitte tax partner Robyn Walker said small scale social media use could sometimes be considered a hobby if there was not a clear intention of making a profit or there was not a lot of activity happening.

But there would always be a level at which it had to be treated as a business.

She said expenses claimed would need to have a sufficiently direct connection to the income-earning activity.

“The other thing to be aware of is that if you are buying assets and then you stop doing content creation that might have implications. If you bought a phone or a camera or a computer and you claim that deduction – normally as depreciation depending on the cost of the asset, if you stop doing then you will have to make tax adjustments to reverse out or effectively sell the asset back to yourself.”

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NZ Warriors facing early halves crisis through heavy NRL pre-season injury toll

Source: Radio New Zealand

Shaun Johnson and coach Andrew Webster at Warriors training. Andrew Cornaga/Photosport

NRL pre-season: Warriors v Dolphins

Kickoff: 8pm Friday, 20 February

Leichhardt Oval, Sydney

Live blog updates on RNZ

An old, familiar face made a rare appearance at NZ Warriors training this week, as coach Andrew Webster faced early test of depth among his halves to start the coming NRL season.

Club legend Shaun Johnson, who retired to a media career last year, was throwing his weight around without actually putting his TV face at risk with any contact drills.

“We sent an SOS out, but I think he brushed us,” Webster quipped. “He just wanted to come and watch – I didn’t see him tackling those boys on the pads today.

“It was good to have an old boy around – he would say not so old. He’s obviously a big part of our path and done so much for our club.

“Any time he wants to come, he’s welcome.”

Webster could use some Johnson magic right about now, with an injury crisis among his inside backs just two weeks out from round one against Sydney Roosters.

As it stands, Luke Hanson may be winning a battle of attrition for his first-grade debut, as he lines up alongside Tanah Boyd – a combination that guided the Warriors reserves to glory last year – for their second pre-season trial against the Dolphins on Friday.

Last year’s incumbents – Luke Metcalf and Chanel Harris-Tavita – are both nursing niggles that could impact their availability during the opening weeks of the schedule.

Metcalf is still rehabbing from knee surgery that ended his 2025 campaign midway through and will likely miss a couple of months of the coming season. Harris-Tavita – along with second-rower Marata Niukore – has picked up a calf complaint that has kept him out of the pre-season.

Luke Hanson in action for the Warriors against Manly Sea Eagles. Kerry Marshall/Photosport

“They’re minor, but they haven’t progressed as quickly as we’d like,” Webster explained. “I’m assured they’ll be up for selection for round one, but that could change.

“They will have to tick every box from here, but they’re only light injuries.

“The reason we haven’t announced them as injuries is, at a push, they could have played, but there’s no point in risking it.”

Meanwhile, the Warriors have suffered a major blow, losing utility Te Maire Martin for 12-14 weeks with a broken leg suffered during his stint with the Māori All Stars on Sunday. While he was used as a Swiss Army Knife off the bench last year, Martin is primarily a half and would have been third or fourth on the pecking order.

“He’ll get operated on tomorrow,” Webster said. “Really frustrating.

“As we’ve learnt with fractures, they’re really slow early and we’re not going to know when he’s back until we start seeing big chunks of improvement.”

Up-and-comer Jett Cleary – son of former Warriors coach Ivan and brother of Penrith Panthers star Nathan – was another bolter, but has had to deal with his own health challenges during the off-season.

“Jett’s just completed his first full session with the squad,” Webster said. “He had osteitis pubis [inflammation of the pubic joint] over the break and a long recovery.

“He did warm-ups the last couple of weeks, 80 percent of the session today and he’ll start progressing over the next two weeks to get ready for round one. He’s not available for selection this week.”

The other bolter is former Newcastle Knights junior Jye Linnane, who is also returning from anterior cruciate ligament knee surgery last year.

Jett Cleary at Warriors training. Andrew Cornaga/Photosport

Boyd stepped into Metcalf’s vacant spot for the latter stages of 2025 and, with 76 first-grade games to his name, will probably start the season in the No.7 jersey.

Hanson was signed from the Penrith system two years ago and has played 35 games for the Warriors reserves, playing a key part in their NSW Cup and NRL State Championship triumphs last season.

The ‘other’ Luke seemingly has his nose ahead of the pack right now.

“He’s going to play big minutes this week,” Webster said. “We’ve got options and people will stand up.

“We’ve got faith in those guys and Luke Hanson has had a great pre-season. He just keeps doing his job each day and putting himself one step closer.”

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Independent investigation needed into historical allegations of abuse at St Bede’s College – Chief Victims Advisor

Source: Radio New Zealand

RNZ / Phil Pennington

The Chief Victims Advisor says there needs to be an independent investigation into historical allegations of sexual abuse at St Bede’s College.

The Christchurch boys’ school is conducting its own investigation, but Ruth Money says that is like marking its own homework.

A man who was sexually abused by a priest at the school says he doesn’t see how the college can conduct its own internal investigation.

RNZ earlier revealed that former priest Rowan Donoghue had admitted sexually abusing four boys at the school between 1996 and 2000.

On Wednesday, RNZ revealed that another priest, former rector Fr Brian Cummings, was also accused of abuse by three different complainants in 1996, 2014 and 2023. Cummings, who died in 2022, “strenuously denied” the allegations.

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

The school has confirmed to RNZ it is investigating what was known historically and how the matters were addressed. That work is being led by the current board and rector Jon McDowall.

Chief Victims Advisor Ruth Money told RNZ there should be an independent investigation.

“What concerns me the most is the fact that people do not take this issue seriously, and they continue to think that they can investigate themselves.

“There should be a specialist investigation with safeguarding principles applied, not me marking my own homework.”

She said the school had “lost the trust and confidence of the community and certainly the victims and survivors.”

“There should be sexual violence experts involved to help the community through it, as well as the school through it.

“For me, as the Chief Victim Advisor to the government, I see this time and time again in education, and this is what I am worried about at a system level.

“Sexual violence is an epidemic, and we need to do whatever we can to prevent it as a community, and that’s my concern… certainly best practice is that an expert is involved. It is independently investigated, but also support for the survivors, for the ex pupils and current pupils, for the school community, that needs to be done by experts, and that is not the school’s job.”

A man who was sexually abused by Donoghue told RNZ he also believed there should be an independent investigation.

“Due to the information that has come out in the media over the last few weeks, I can’t see how either St Bedes or the Society of Mary believe they have the remit to conduct their own internal investigation.

“If they had a genuine commitment to supporting the victims, as they’ve stated in every single comment they’ve released, then I would expect nothing less than an external inquiry. I personally wouldn’t believe any of the findings from an internal investigation, and doing so would no doubt discourage other potential victims who’ve not yet come forward, from doing so”.

RNZ asked McDowall for comment on the calls for an independent investigation.

He said he understood why there were “strong views about how this should be addressed”.

“Trust in this process matters.

“I was not at the College when these matters arose and had no involvement in the decisions of that period. That allows me to approach this work independently. My highest priority is ensuring we fully understand what occurred, support those impacted, and respond appropriately.”

The college has, for many years, had established processes for responding to complaints concerning clergy at the college, McDowall said.

“Some of those matters are subject to ongoing legal proceedings, and we are therefore limited in what we can say publicly.

“It is important to me that anyone who may have been impacted feels heard and supported. I have written directly to our Old Boys and publicly extended an open invitation for any person who may have been affected to contact me personally. Concerns raised will be addressed in accordance with school policy.

“Any form of abuse and any failure to address it is simply wrong. As Rector of St Bede’s, I continue to invite anyone who is impacted by this matter, or who has concerns, to contact me directly.”

A Society of Mary spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday it had records of three complaints of sexual abuse against Cummings from three complainants.

“They were received in 1996, 2014 and in 2023; the third came after he had died. All related to his time at St Bede’s College. Cummings strenuously denied the accusations in 1996 and 2014.

“The first two complaints were investigated by police and the Society of Mary. Police took no action on either complaint. The third complaint was investigated by the Church.”

McDowall earlier told RNZ the school was aware of allegations against Cummings.

“Those allegations are working through a process and we are not able to offer any further comment at this time.”

He said he found the matters “distressing”.

“Any form of abuse is unacceptable, regardless of when it occurred or whether it involved one individual or many.

“I was not in this role at the time these matters arose. My responsibility now is to ensure we respond with clarity, care and integrity.”

He said work was under way to understand what was known historically and how those matters were addressed.

“That work is being led by the current boards and myself.

“Some historical allegations were previously subject to investigation. Where new information comes to light, we encourage it to be brought forward and addressed through the appropriate channels.

“What matters most is that anyone impacted feels supported and heard. We are committed to ensuring concerns are addressed appropriately, with care, integrity and accountability.”

He said the school today operated with “clear safeguarding expectations, strong oversight, and a culture where student well-being comes first”.

“Abuse has no place at St Bede’s – past, present or future.”

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State Highway 35 to partially reopen after landslides led to weeks-long closure

Source: Radio New Zealand

Supplied / NZTA

State Highway 35 is set to reopen, once more connecting Tairāwhiti to the eastern Bay of Plenty.

It has been three weeks since heavy rainfall and flooding brought down multiple slips, closing the road between Pōtaka and Te Araroa.

Transport Minister Chris Bishop said a quarter of a million cubic metres of rocks and soil came down in the Punaruku slip, and workers had shifted 25,000 cubic metres of it to restore access.

“While there have been multiple slips along this stretch of state highway, the focus has been on two particular areas – the Waikura slip between Pōtaka and Hicks Bay, and the largest slip of all, the Punaruku slip, closer to Te Araroa.”

The Transport Agency confirmed the section of SH35 from Pōtaka through to Hicks Bay and around to Te Araroa would be open daily between 7am and 7pm, starting on Thursday.

Outside of those hours, crews would continue work on repairs.

“We know how important this is for medical appointments, to replenish supplies and reconnect with family and friends,” Bishop said.

The road remained fragile, and work would continue for some time.

“People travelling through will need to remember to take extreme care – the journey will take longer, the road will be down to single lane in multiple locations, and lower speeds and traffic management will be in place,” Bishop said.

Te Araroa Civil Defence said to expect 45-minute delays, and the road was not suitabe for truck and trailer units, or any vehicle over 18 tonnes on the Pōtaka to Hicks Bay section.

However, there were no restrictions on weight or length on the section between Hicks Bay and Te Araroa.

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