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Sanson deaths now being treated as homicide, police confirm

Source: Radio New Zealand

Police outside the home where the children died. Jimmy Ellingham / RNZ

Police have confirmed they are now treating the fatal incident in Sanson on Saturday – where three children and their father died – as a homicide.

Police are continuing to comb through the scene of a house fire in Manawatū on Saturday, where the children and their father died.

Manawatū Area Commander Inspector Ross Grantham said the post mortem examination of the adult male has been completed and the three children are expected to undergo a post mortem tomorrow.

– more to come

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Otago Regional Council investigates Wanaka wastewater treatment plant failures

Source: Radio New Zealand

Queenstown Lakes District Council property and infrastructure general manager Tony Avery said the situation was unfortunate. RNZ / Marika Khabazi

Otago Regional Council is investigating a series of failures at Wanaka’s wastewater treatment plant.

Queenstown Lakes District Council says heavy rain hit last month while the Project Pure Wastewater Treatment Plant was operating at reduced capacity due to a major upgrade, leading to a spike in nitrogen levels and treated wastewater to flood disposal fields and run off.

The district council’s property and infrastructure general manager Tony Avery said the situation was unfortunate and would be unwelcome to many.

“There was always a risk that some parts of the facility’s treatment process would be negatively impacted while carrying out these significant upgrades. To reduce as much risk as possible, works were carefully planned to take place during low flow periods and operational teams implemented several mitigation strategies,” he said.

Queenstown Lakes District Council acknowledged the compliance issues in a media release on Tuesday.

It comes after recent compliance problems at the district council’s Hāwea and [https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/563664/queenstown-lakes-district-council-must-fix-issues-with-shotover-wastewater-plant-court

Queenstown treatment plants].

Mayor John Glover said he wanted to share the information proactively with the public.

“As governors, we will need to review what has happened to fully understand why and especially in the context of regulatory compliance failures at Shotover and Hāwea treatment plants,” he said.

Avery said while the issues at the Shotover plant also related to the disposal field, the system at Project Pure was different.

The council did not expect any long-term issues, he said.

“Project Pure’s fields have been operating successfully for approximately 15 years now, have more modest loading rates and discharge through free-draining soils well above groundwater,” he said.

Upgrade work was now complete and the plant’s performance was improving, the council said.

Queenstown Lakes District Council said it referred the performance issues to the regional council immediately and expected to receive its investigation findings shortly.

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Man arrested after vehicle causes life changing injuries

Source: New Zealand Police

A 19-year-old man has been arrested and remanded in custody on nine separate driving related charges.

The charges come in the wake of two bystanders being injured after a car lost control on State Highway 5, near Maraeroa Road, Mamaku on 11 November.

Reports made to Police at around 10:30pm that evening suggested a group of people were conducting burnouts and skids.

An hour later at 11:30pm a vehicle lost control and hit two bystanders, causing life changing injuries that will require months of recovery.

“We know that people go to these activities with a perception that they are harmless but that is far from reality,” says Rotorua Road Policing Manager, Senior Sergeant John Stapleford.

“You’ve got people throwing vehicles around like they’re toys. These are vehicles that weigh over a tonne, being driven in an out-of-control manner – the potential for harm is huge.

“The charges put forward to the courts show our commitment to meeting serious actions with serious consequences.”

Police continue to investigate the matter and are not ruling out further charges against other people involved.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

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Is it possible to turn bread back into usable flour?

Source: Radio New Zealand

Rescued Kitchen products. The Pantry / Rescued Kitchen / Instagram

University of Auckland students and a food upcycling company have turned old loaves of bread back into flour and then back into homestyle baking.

While the flour is a product of Rescued Kitchen, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering senior lecturer Febelyn Reguyal told Morning Report that the students analysed the environmental impact from the raw materials extraction of the leftover bread.

“They collect the leftover bread at the supermarkets, and then what they do is put it in a dryer, mill it, and then eventually you will have your bread flour.”

The drying process is very energy intensive, so the students recommended to the upcycling company that improvements could be made, Reguyal said.

Bread is one of the most wasted foods in the world, according to a study in the US National Library of Medicine, which estimated 24,000 tonnes of manufactured bread was binned each year.

The bread that was used in the experiment had to be of a certain standard – therefore mouldy bread was off the cards.

“That’s one of the requirements for the Rescued Kitchen because it has a short life, and sometimes we also overproduce the bread. We cannot use the bread that has already been consumed at home as the leftover bread, it has to be the clean and unused ones.”

The students presented their life cycle assessment reports to Rescued Kitchen co-founders Diane Stanbra and Royce Bold.

The reports concluded that rescued flour offered major environmental benefits compared to regular flour – using less water, land and fossil fuels, and producing much lower carbon emissions.

Rescued Kitchen’s bread flour has a shelf life of two years, freeze-thaw stability and complete substitution potential. And its capabilities have already been put to the test.

“Rescued Kitchen has already made some recipes and they also brought some products to the university and shared them with students. They had sweets as well as savoury muffins,” Reguyal said.

“They’re amazing. And I think all the students, including myself, I enjoyed the food brought by Rescued Kitchen.”

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Bills backing skilled tradies pass first reading

Source: New Zealand Government

Legislation that will allow skilled plumbers and drainlayers to sign off on their own work has passed its first reading in Parliament, alongside a second Bill aimed at raising standards and improving accountability for building professionals.

“The Government is cutting red tape in the building consent system to make it easier and more affordable to deliver the new homes and infrastructure we need to raise living standards and grow the economy,” Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says.

“The system has long been slow and inefficient, with even straightforward plumbing and drainlaying jobs delayed by lengthy inspection wait times, leading to frustrated tradies and homeowners who end up bearing the cost of lost time.

“The Self Certification by Plumbers and Drainlayers Bill has today cleared its first hurdle in the House, and will speed up straightforward residential plumbing and drainage work by allowing approved plumbers and drainlayers with a proven track record to certify their own work.

“It will also ease pressure on the consent system by allowing Building Consent Authorities (BCAs) to focus on processing paperwork and conducting inspections for more complex and higher-risk projects.

“Around 16,000 new standalone houses were consented in 2024, and most of these would likely have included plumbing and drainlaying work eligible for self-certification under the new regime.

“This approach has been long called for by Master Plumbers and aligns plumbers and drainlayers with electricians and gasfitters, who have been able to certify their own work for years.

“The scheme will be voluntary, and only practitioners who meet clear competency and compliance standards will be eligible. It will apply exclusively to straightforward plumbing and drainage work, while BCAs will continue to oversee complex or higher-risk projects to ensure public safety is protected.”

A second Bill has also passed its first reading in Parliament today, aimed at further strengthening accountability and standards across the building sector.

“The Building and Construction Strengthening Occupational Licensing Regimes Amendment Bill will support self-certification by increasing accountability and ensuring consumers have a clear path forward if building work goes wrong,” Mr Penk says. 

“New Zealand has a skilled building industry, but high-profile cases of poor workmanship can unfairly tarnish the sector’s reputation. It’s important to address this as more responsibility shifts from BCAs to building professionals.

“The Bill strengthens the disciplinary process by giving the Licensed Building Practitioners Registrar, who oversees the registration of LBPs, additional tools, and by publishing details of practitioners who have been suspended.

“Complaints processes for licensed electrical workers, plumbers, gasfitters, and drainlayers are being improved by allowing Registrars to initiate investigations more easily and by introducing Codes of Ethics to promote high standards of behaviour.”

“With these two Bills, we are backing tradies who take pride in their work, reducing unnecessary delays, easing pressure on the consent system, and giving Kiwis confidence that the people working on their homes are supported by clear checks and balances.”

Notes to editor:

  • Self-certification for reputable building companies is in progress, with a Bill scheduled for 2026.
  • The Building and Construction (Strengthening Occupational Licensing Regimes) Amendment Bill will apply to work completed by licensed electrical workers, licensed building practitioners and plumbers, gasfitters and drainlayers.
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What will the Uber decision mean for drivers’ tax bills?

Source: Radio New Zealand

Jomon Perumayan Joseph was caught with a stun gun on the dashboard of his Uber vehicle. NZME

A Supreme Court decision to reject Uber’s appeal against an Employment Court decision that found four of its drivers were employees, not contractors, may raise tricky tax questions, one tax expert says.

Deloitte tax partner Robyn Walker said it would be interesting to see how Inland Revenue responded.

As contractors, Uber drivers had been handling their own tax bills, and could claim expenses such as the cost of fuel against their income.

They also might be registered for GST.

But as an employee rather than a contractor, their employer would be expected to handle all of those things.

“It begs the question as to whether the Supreme Court decision will be followed from a tax perspective. The Supreme Court decision applies for employment law purposes and it doesn’t always automatically follow that the tax answer will be the same, but it will have some influence.

“From a tax perspective it is not possible for employees to claim deductions for the costs associated with earning income. Similarly, employees are not able to be GST registered in respect of the services that they provide their employer.

“To the extent that Inland Revenue concludes the drivers are also employees for tax purposes it will be necessary to determine how to rectify tax positions previously taken and a sensible way forward. All parties involved ought to consider how the tax treatment of the drivers flows through to the amount they are paid, including how they are to be reimbursed for expenses like vehicle running costs.”

Anita Rosentreter, Workers First Union deputy secretary, said the judgement would have implications in future for drivers’ tax expenses and reporting procedures.

“As a union, we think it will become significantly easier, not harder for drivers, and they will get a much better deal overall.

“Uber drivers have to date been responsible for their own tax compliance. Where the contractor system allows expenses to be deducted from taxable income, an employment not only requires those costs to be borne by the employer, but also significantly boosts driver income as drivers enjoy the protection of a wage floor.

“Through the collective bargaining process, we hope to bring clarity to these kinds of issues with Uber as their employer, which will lighten the burden on drivers and demystify what can be an obscure and complicated process.”

She said higher base wages and protections such as a minimum wage, sick and annual leave would be more significant to drivers than the ability to claim expenses.

Inland Revenue said it had no comment to make at this stage.

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200kg of signatures: Huge petition to fix ‘broken’ health system presented to Parliament

Source: Radio New Zealand

A petition containing 90,000 signatures is presented to Parliament. RNZ / Giles Dexter

A petition calling for the government to urgently fix the health system – which organisers estimate is New Zealand’s longest petition ever – has been delivered to Parliament.

Unfurled across Parliament’s lawn, the petition stretched down the steps, and past the Cenotaph.

Patient Voice Aotearoa spokesperson Malcolm Mulholland estimated it was 276 metres long, stretching a few metres beyond the length of the Suffrage Petition.

Mulholland said it weighed somewhere between 150 and 200 kilograms, and said it “quite literally” felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

“I can’t lift it myself, I need more help. But for me, the first part of the journey feels over.”

A petition containing 90,000 signatures – calling on the government to fix a broken health system – is presented to Parliament. RNZ / Giles Dexter

The 90,000 signatories were signing up to what Mulholland called the Buller Declaration – an assertion that the health system is in crisis, that Māori, rural, and low-income populations are disproportionately impacted, that the government must act urgently to address the crisis and meet its Treaty of Waitangi obligations to protect Māori health, and that it must allocated additional resources to train, recruit, and retain more nurses, doctors, and specialists.

“The call was made that our health system is broken, and because it is broken, people in Buller are missing out on the health care that they need, and in today’s age that is just unacceptable,” Mulholland said.

“It should be the priority of any government, regardless of colour, be they blue or red, that they look after the health of their people.”

Mulholland said his travels around the country had made him realise that what he at first thought was just a Buller problem was then a rural problem, then a Māori problem, then everyone’s problem.

A petition containing 90,000 signatures – calling on the government to fix a broken health system – is presented to Parliament. RNZ / Giles Dexter

The petition was also supported by groups such as the New Zealand Nurses Organisation, the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners, and the New Zealand College of Midwives.

It was accepted by MPs from the Greens, Labour, and ACT.

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters watched from a distance, but the Health Minister was absent.

Simeon Brown said he had a Cabinet committee meeting and so could not attend the petition handover, but he accepted there were “significant” challenges in the health system.

“I accept that too many people are waiting too long to be able to get the care they need. I hear the concerns of New Zealanders every single day, I meet with staff on the front-line when I’m visiting hospitals on a regular basis, and I’m focused on making sure we address these issues,” he said.

“We’re investing record funding into our health system, we are hiring more doctors, more nurses, and we’re focused on reducing those wait-lists which is why we reintroduced those health targets.”

A petition containing 90,000 signatures – calling on the government to fix a broken health system – is presented to Parliament. RNZ / Giles Dexter

Mulholland was not disappointed with Brown’s absence, saying it was more important that “the people” were present.

For now, the petition will stay in Green MP Hūhana Lyndon’s office.

But Lyndon was keen to get the petition into Te Papa, to serve as a constant reminder to whoever is in power of the importance of the health system.

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Rare pink grasshopper discovered during annual Mackenzie Basin survey

Source: Radio New Zealand

An ordinary annual insect survey has uncovered an extraordinary grasshopper.

Department of Conservation ranger Jen Schori said she could not believe her eyes, as colleagues called her over to see a deep pink grasshopper near Lake Takapō.

Schori was taking part in the annual grasshopper survey in the Mackenzie Basin, when the discovery was made.

The pink female robust grasshopper (Sigaus robustus) was sunning itself on stones.

“I’ve been studying these amazing creatures for years,” Schori said. “They are usually grey or brown coloured, like river stones.

“I’d heard rumours about a pink one, but never seen one myself. It was so exciting.

“Pink grasshoppers are exceptionally rare. It’s likely caused by a genetic mutation called erythrism, which results in an over-production of red pigment and less of the usual natural pigment that the species has.”

DoC said the robust grasshopper was New Zealand’s largest lowland grasshopper, only found along the edges of braided rivers in the Mackenzie Basin, and nationally endangered.

“These grasshoppers are so unique,” Schori said. “They look almost prehistoric.

“They can jump fairly well, but are renowned for their clumsy landings. They’re also very vulnerable.

Pink grasshopper found during a Mackenzie Basin survey. Supplied/DOC

“The pink one will unfortunately stand out even more to predators, which is why this sighting is so special.”

In 2018, a predator fence was built around a small area of grasshopper habitat in the Mackenzie Basin, but Schori said this pink grasshopper was outside the fence and would have had to fend for herself.

“They do live up to their name,” she said. “They’re quite robust and the females are double the size of the males.

“Maybe she will breed and we will see some more pink ones.

“She has certainly become a bit of a celebrity in our office, and we joke about the paparazzi coming and taking loads of photos. I’m just so happy I got to see one after all these years.”

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Mautohe Cathedral Cove to close as wet weather rolls in

Source: NZ Department of Conservation

Date:  18 November 2025

MetService has issued an Orange Heavy Rain Warning for Coromandel in response to two weather systems currently bearing down on New Zealand – one of which will move in over Coromandel and other parts of the North Island tonight.

That weather system, swooping down from the Pacific Ocean from the northeast, is expected to dump up to 180 mm of rain on the peninsula from Tuesday 18 November. The MetService’s rain warning is in place until 3:00 pm on Wednesday 19 November.

DOC Coromandel Operations Manager Nick Kelly says it’s prudent to close tracks to Mautohe Cathedral Cove given the weather system’s expected impact.

“DOC’s priority for this site continues to be the safety of visitors and managing visitor risk. Poor weather, particularly heavy rain, exacerbates the landslide and rockfall risks at Mautohe Cathedral Cove.

“We strongly discourage people from visiting the cove while this weather system moves – the conditions make it unsafe.

“We do not want people getting hurt.”

Nick says the Mautohe Cathedral Cove closure will come into effect from 6pm on Tuesday 18 November and be in place until further notice. Decisions about whether it is safe to reopen tracks to the beach will be made once staff undertake site inspections and weather forecasts are assessed.

Sea swells are expected to increase with the weather system and anyone planning to visit Mautohe Cathedral Cove by boat should check sea conditions first and consider the risks.

Mautohe Cathedral Cove is one of Coromandel and New Zealand’s most picturesque and iconic coastal locations, famous for its rock arch. However, land around the cove is known to be potentially unstable with a noted geological and landslide risk after heavy rain events.

DOC’s Trigger Action Response Plan for Mautohe Cathedral Cove guides decision-making for track closures at the site.

Tracks to Mautohe Cathedral Cove were closed in February 2023 due to extensive damage caused by Cyclone Garbrielle. DOC repaired the tracks through the second half of 2024, and they reopened to visitors in December 2024.

Contact

For media enquiries contact:

Email: media@doc.govt.nz

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Murdered Dunedin man planned to install security cameras before death

Source: Radio New Zealand

Dunedin High Court. RNZ / Nate McKinnon

Slain Dunedin man Gurjit Singh planned to install security cameras, after discovering his garage door was open weeks before his death, a friend says.

Singh was found dead on the lawn of his home in January last year, stabbed more than 40 times.

A 35-year-old man, known only as Rajinder, is on trial at the High Court for murder.

Rajinder’s defence lawyer insists he had no reason to kill his former employee and there was no animosity between the men.

Friend Jagmeet Buttar told the court Singh was not worried about security, but kept his doors locked, perhaps because he lived alone.

He bought security cameras days after finding his garage door open and had asked Buttar if he had come over to borrow some tools.

When Buttar told him he had not paid a visit, Singh said he planned to install front and backdoor cameras.

“He was not worried about security, he just wanted to just make sure if somebody come here, he can see who’s coming,” he said.

Buttar said Singh was happy, when he called in to pick up a car he had borrowed the night before he was found dead.

Singh told Buttar he was planning a three-day trip to pick up his wife, who was expected to arrive in Christchurch from India.

Buttar left before Singh got ready to go to a pizza party with friends in Helensburgh.

Buttar told the court he was working in Mosgiel the following morning, when he received a call to say that Singh was dead. He drove straight to his house, where he was stopped by police and gave a statement at the station.

Singh and Rajinder had previously worked together at Downer, which had a contract with Chorus to install fibre.

Buttar said Singh did not talk a lot about his work with Rajinder, although he mentioned that he might buy Rajinder’s car and some tools for $20-40,000.

At one stage, Singh told him Rajinder owed him money from their work together in about 2020.

Another friend and former flatmate Sunil Umat described Singh as a person who loved to crack jokes and was always laughing.

They were close friends and he was invited to Singh’s wedding in India.

They would go to the gym together, hang out, and go to BBQs every now and again, Umat said.

When asked if he knew if Singh had any problems with Rajinder, Umat told defence lawyer Anne Stevens KC that he had never brought anything up.

The trial is scheduled for three weeks.

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