Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: Radio New Zealand

The World Health Organization has released its first guidelines on the Ozempic-type drugs, conditionally recommending their use for long-term treatment of obesity.

To tackle what it said was a serious health challenge, its guidelines said Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) medications such as Ozempic or Wegovy could be used by adults as part of a comprehensive approach. That included healthy diets, physical activity and support from health professionals.

Obesity was associated with 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024 and was major driver of diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes, it said.

“Our new guidance recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with comprehensive and lifelong care,” WHO director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

The WHO also called for fair access to the drugs and said they should be made affordable for those who needed them.

Peter Shepherd, professor of molecular medicine and pathology at University of Auckland, said obesity affected between 20 percent and 30 percent of the New Zealand population and was major driver of health problems.

He told Morning Report the therapies weren’t without problems, but “nothing else has really worked”.

“Levels of obesity globally have continued to rise despite the best efforts of diet and exercise and behavioural programmes to do otherwise over the years.

“And now we for the first time are seeing a reduction in levels of obesity, in the US of all places, reductions in people eating at fast food, restaurants, etcetera. So these drugs really do work.”

At a cost of $6000 a year in New Zealand, Shepherd said the drugs were out of reach for many people, but the price was likely to fall.

“These drugs are coming off patent as many biosimilars in the pipeline in China already, for example. So in the next few years, we’re going to see these prices come down even more.”

Australia’s medicines regulator has issued a safety warning over the potential risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviours when taking Ozempic-style drugs.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration said people using the medicines should tell their health professional if they experienced new or worsening depression but stressed there was enough evidence to conclude the drugs caused those changes.

Shepherd said there was limited evidence of risk of suicidal thoughts among those taking the drugs.

There were gastric side effects and “more worryingly” people seemed to be losing not just fat but muscle mass.

“Particularly for older people, loss of muscle is not a good idea. So these probably will need to be supplanted by different types of weight loss drugs going forward that don’t have these side effects”.

The drugs were originally designed for type 2 diabetes treatment but became known as a weight loss solution.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

A cross-sector group concerned about the impact of forestry in Tai Rāwhiti is urging the government to stump up $359 million.

The transition advisory group, known as TAG, was established in response to a ministerial inquiry, which labelled the problem an “environmental disaster”, and is tasked with transitioning 100,000 hectares of land back into permanent bush to stabilise its most vulnerable slopes.

Members include forestry owners, Māori landowners, farmers and experts from Gisborne District Council and Ministry for Primary Industries.

• Over 20 percent of Tai Rāwhiti is covered in pine trees, many were planted after Cyclone Bola in 1988 to help with erosion control as the region has the most slip-prone land in New Zealand.
• The region’s steep hill country loses 55 million tonnes of topsoil every year and post-storm clean-ups (Cyclone Gabrielle and subsequent events) have exceeded $110 million in debris and sediment removal alone.
• It’s estimated that without intervention, cumulative storm-related damages over the next 30 years could exceed $1 billion.
• It was so bad in 2023 after Cyclone Gabrielle and Hale that a ministerial inquiry into land use was launched, it found lives were put at risk, and said the time to fix this “environmental disaster” is running out. It recommended planting the worst areas back into native bush.
• In response, a TAG was set up and has identified up to 100,000 hectares of forestry and pastoral land that needs to be taken out of production and planted in permanent bush.

The cost of transitioning this land was initially estimated to need $200m of government funding, however the figure has grown to nearly double that.

“We’re looking at $359m of Crown co-investment over the next 10 years and this is backed by our own regional, private, and also philanthropic funding that is already flowing into the region,” Gisborne District Council chief executive Nedine Thatcher Swann said.

“What our business case shows, though, is that for every $1 spent, we actually save $4 on the recovery. This programme is about avoiding more than $1 billion in future storm damage and recovery costs.

“It is about ensuring that we’re putting investment into preventative work rather than being the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff, literally picking up large woody debris when the next event happens.

“It’s not an if, it’s a when,” she said.

The business case sets out a 30-year plan to stabilise around 100,000 hectares of erosion-prone land. It includes a $20.5m early-start package to begin work in the most at risk-areas and proposes a $359m Crown investment over ten years, as well as regional and private contributions estimated at more than $240m.

The group has sent the proposal to the prime minister and minister for Primary Industries.

“We have had conversations with them, and we understand that we’re in an incredibly tight economic times,” Thatcher Swann said.

However, she said the plan will save money in the long run.

The group is urging the government to seriously consider the implications of what will happen if Tai Rāwhiti’s current land use doesn’t change.

“Our region agrees that we do need to transition some of the most vulnerable land to permanent cover and we’re ready to go. The plan’s in place, our partnerships are strong, the momentum is real and we just need the Crown to come and back us.”

A spokesperson for Forestry Minister Todd McClay said that the case study has been received and will be evaluated as part of ongoing work in relation to sustainable land use.

“Unfortunately the group’s expectation of taxpayer support seems unrealistic, however no decisions have been made at this stage,” they said.

Government no ‘white knight’ for landowners

Dan Jex-Blake farms in the Waingake Valley about 50 kilometres away from Gisborne and is part of the TAG. He’s experienced the impacts of forestry slash on his land and is keen to see the problems with land use addressed.

“We need to change the way our land is used in this region because the material damage caused to those downstream, certainly from forestry, is huge,” he said.

But he’s realistic when it comes to government funding.

“As a landowner I’m not thinking the government is going to be a white knight and come along and pay for everything,” he said.

However, the farmer told RNZ what will help is commercial opportunities to incentivise the changes.

“That could put up an economically rationale and logical case for landowners to go ‘that piece of land is not sustainable for long term farming or trees and there are options to get other income from it’.

“If we don’t do something it’s an indictment on us as a generation … the goal is aspirational but we need to get on and get going with it,” he said.

Farm consultant and chief executive of Tairawhiti Whenua Charitable Trust, Hilton Collier, is also in the TAG.

“There’s certainly a lot of ambition and a lot of hope for better outcomes.

“It’s been a challenging journey and there’ve been some very difficult discussions at times given the tensions between farming and forestry,” he said.

Collier said ultimately everyone agrees a better relationship with Tai Rāwhiti’s land is needed to reduce and mitigate excessive sedimentation and woody debris entering waterways.

But he warns that land use transition will take time, and people must be patient.

“We won’t get an instant fix and everyone needs to understand we are not going to have a solution tomorrow. It’s probably going to take 20 to 50 years, or longer, before we have the issue addressed properly.”

‘We have concerns’: Eastland Wood Council

Eastland Wood Council chairperson Julian Kohn, who also a TAG member, said Gisborne forest owners recognise that land-use transition is needed, particularly around vulnerable land that’s been identified.

“But we have concerns. The business case understates the potential risks to our region’s economy and we believe landowners need to be considered more – this transition includes land owned by iwi as well as mum and dad investors around our country.

“We also think poplars, willows, redwoods and other timber should be included in the replanting along with natives for the permanent vegetation,” he said.

Outside of the land use change, Kohn said there is still a place for sustainable forestry in Tai Rāwhiti.

“The forestry industry wants to be part of the answer to keeping soil on the hills, protecting waterways, and supporting our region’s economy.

“This region recently had a sawmill reopen which created 110 jobs. Our port, heavily reliant on forestry, is also undergoing a multi‑million‑dollar upgrade for its Twin Berth Project,” Kohn said.

He’s confident there is capacity in the region to support the forestry industry, and said Eastland Wood Council wants to be part of the future of Tai Rāwhiti.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Wellington City Council is installing motion-activated cameras in the Town Belt on Mt Victoria after a spate of vandalism which it says appeared to have targeted mountain bikers.

Over the past few days, the council said logs, stumps and other obstacles had been placed on several mountain bike trails in places where, if hit by a mountain bike rider, they could cause serious injury.

The council’s parks manager Bradley Schroder said timber had also been fastened to trees at a height with the apparent intention of injuring riders.

He said fencing and signage had also been removed mainly around the V, Rockdrop and Shuttlecock tracks. However, he cautioned riders that it should not be taken for granted that other trails have not been vandalised.

Schroder said the police had been notified and cameras would be installed adjacent to the bike trails with the aim of identifying the culprits.

“We are extremely concerned about what’s going on – we’re in touch with the mountain biking community and we’re warning riders to take extra care while using trails on Matairangi/Mt Victoria.”

He said the mountain bike trails on Mt Victoria were designed and heavily-signposted to minimise the risk of riders and other Town Belt users from coming into conflict.

“We know some people in the community don’t like that the Town Belt is a shared space for walkers, runners, riders and other track users but we won’t tolerate people doing things to put other people in harm’s way.”

Schroder urged the public to call the council on 04 499 4444 if they spotted any vandalism or suspected any person of performing vandalism.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

A shop owner is in hospital after being stabbed during a robbery in the Christchurch suburb of Opawa.

Police were called to the dairy on Opawa Road at about about 5.40am on Tuesday.

By the time police got there, the alleged offenders had fled.

RNZ understands the store owner was punched in the face and stabbed on the hands during the attack.

An RNZ reporter at the scene said blood was spattered on the inside of the shop.

Police are still looking for the people responsible.

A worker nearby said the dairy has been targeted by thieves before, but nothing as horrific as this morning’s attack.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

More people are listening to Radio New Zealand, with the broadcaster saying it has hit a target for live listeners a year ahead of schedule.

GFK survey figures released on Tuesday show 500,300 in a typical week for RNZ National aged 10 or older, up from 475,800 in the last survey.

“We’ve achieved our November 2026 goal a year early with these latest results, and we now want to build on that success in 2026,” RNZ chief executive Paul Thompson said.

RNZ’s flagship programme Morning Report has 13,000 more listeners, a rise of 4 percent.

“Further changes to programming and the introduction of new presenters and correspondents in 2026 will help confirm RNZ National as the home of trusted news and content for New Zealanders,” Thompson said.

Auckland has by far the biggest lift in live radio listeners, up 16,700 from 116,000 last survey to 132,700 in the latest figures.

There was growth in all major programmes.

Morning Report had 13,600 more listeners across the country, Nine to Noon 20,200 more, Checkpoint another 18,100 and Saturday Morning 4,400.

RNZ National and RNZ Concert have a combined weekly audience of 584,300 listeners.

The two have a 12.7 percent combined share, up from 11.3 percent.

However, RNZ Concert had 154,100 listeners which was down from 170,400 in the last survey.

RNZ said when all its platforms are combined, it is now reaching 83 percent of New Zealanders a month aged 18 or over.

Separately, it has also had back-to-back record digital growth in digital viewers.

A total of 1,698,000 New Zealanders aged 15+ visited rnz.co.nz in October, the highest ever monthly audience for RNZ’s website following another record month in September.

The survey, known as Survey 3, was conducted between 10 August and 1 November.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Regional councillors who’ve just been sworn in have been shown the writing on the wall by the government, which is plotting a swift end to their terms

It’s been billed as the biggest shakeup in local government since amalgamation in 1989.

But at the end of the day, “all the government’s really announced is work to start a brain storming session,” says Stuff political reporter Glenn McConnell.

Simpler, more cost-effective local government is the stated aim from the ministers involved; local government minister Simon Watts and the man in charge of resource management reform, Chris Bishop.

The media release from the Beehive didn’t mention the word ‘amalgamation’ once, but that’s effectively what it will end up being.

“It is a huge announcement,” McConnell tells The Detail, “because it’s effectively a key part of New Zealand’s democracy … regional councils, local government being completely overhauled, reformed, so that … probably the next time a local government election comes up, you won’t be voting for who is on your regional council.”

He says it’s probably fair to say this is effective amalgamation but “the government hasn’t come out and said ‘we want to amalgamate all these councils; we want to merge regional and district councils across the country’.”

There are 11 regional councils in New Zealand – Auckland, Marlborough and the Chatham and subantarctic islands don’t have them.

McConnell says Chris Bishop raised a pretty good point when he asked if people actually know who they’re voting for on a regional council – who can name the councillors?

He adds that local government voting percentages are so low that you could ask if the democratic process is even working that well, with less than half the population participating.

On the other hand, the chair of Environment Canterbury, Deon Swiggs, has told him that locals are well engaged in his area and do know what’s happening.

“So maybe that’s a good example of this new system that everyone is going to need to think about. We could have, depending on engagement in the areas, and the concerns raised, different voting systems.”

McConnell says local government in New Zealand is a complex system and simplifying it will be a complicated job. He also points out that the country’s busy mayors didn’t sign up for this.

The first step is to replace regional councillors with the mayors who cover those regions, on what will be called Combined Territories Boards, and they have two years to work out what the decision-making structures will look like in the future.

One irony here is that Prime Minister Christopher Luxon campaigned on giving more power to locals to make decisions, in a bite-back to Labour’s Three Waters changes.

McConnell says in a way, this move is not dissimilar.

“This is the same rationale as having Three Waters, that you could combine resources across different cities and regions to make it more effective and cheaper to operate local government services. That is the same rationale that Chris Bishop is using for pushing for this reform of regional councils.”

Bishop has been very interested in this area and has been open with his desire to reform it.

National has backing from both its coalition parties, but interestingly for different philosophical reasons.

“The politics of this is quite fascinating,” says McConnell.

New Zealand First’s Shane Jones has effectively made getting rid of regional councils a party policy – “particularly he’s unhappy about the Otago Regional Council, which he said is a ‘Kremlin-like institution’ in the South Island, all because he doesn’t like the decisions they’re making.”

Act, on the other hand, sees it as a way to get rid of co-governance.

“In Canterbury, ECan has seats for Ngāi Tahu – Ngāi Tahu representation is guaranteed on the ECan board – now this change, getting rid of the board that runs ECan and just replacing it with mayors, means that Ngāi Tahu representation is gone.

“So Act is celebrating from the perspective of getting rid of co-governance. Three completely different reasons for this policy.

“But this is going to take years to change this … I think this discussion will be going on for quite some time.”

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