Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: New Zealand Police

Police can now release the name of the man who died following a crash on SH30, Coastlands, on 23 January.

He was Paul Jukka Makela, 56, of Kawerau.

Police extend our condolences to his family and friends.

Enquiries into the circumstances of the crash are ongoing.

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Issued by Police Media Centre

Source: New Zealand Police

Clyde Street, Hamilton is currently closed due to a gas leak.

The road is cordoned off between Firth Street and Grey Street.

Members of the public are advised to avoid the area and expect delays around the surrounding areas.

Nearby schools have been placed into lockdown as a precaution.

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Issued by Police Media Centre

Source: NZ Music Month takes to the streets

Regulation Minister David Seymour has today announced the next steps in the Government’s plan to improve the quality of regulation, as the detailed proposal to pass a Regulatory Standards Bill has progressed through Cabinet. 
“New Zealand’s low wages can be blamed on low productivity, and low productivity can be blamed on poor regulation. To raise productivity, we must allow people to spend more time on productive activities and less time on compliance,” says Mr Seymour.  
“To lift productivity and wages, the ACT-National Coalition Agreement includes a commitment to pass a Regulatory Standards Act. I will be taking the proposed Bill to Cabinet on the 19th of May for approval to introduce it.  
“In a nutshell: If red tape is holding us back, because politicians find regulating politically rewarding, then we need to make regulating less rewarding for politicians with more sunlight on their activities. That is how the Regulatory Standards Bill will help New Zealand get its mojo back. It will finally ensure regulatory decisions are based on principles of good law-making and economic efficiency. 
“The Bill will codify principles of good regulatory practice for existing and future regulations. It seeks to bring the same level of discipline to regulation that the Public Finance Act brings to public spending, with the Ministry for Regulation playing a role akin to that of the Treasury.  
“It requires politicians and officials to ask and answer certain questions before they place restrictions on citizens’ freedoms. What problem are we trying to solve? What are the costs and benefits? Who pays the costs and gets the benefits? What restrictions are being placed on the use and exchange of private property? 
“Where inconsistencies are found, the responsible Minister must respond to justify deviation from principles.  
“People affected by bad laws will be able to appeal to a Regulatory Standards Board, made up of people who understand regulatory economics. That board will be able to make non-binding recommendations on whether the law was made well, turning up the heat on bad lawmaking. The findings, reasons for any inconsistency, and relevant documents will be made publicly available to ensure transparency.
“If we raise the political cost of making bad laws by allowing New Zealanders to hold regulators accountable, the outcome will be better law-making, higher productivity, and higher wages.   
“Under the proposed Bill, government agencies will also have duties to review their regulatory systems.  
“Ultimately, this Bill will help the Government achieve its goal of improving New Zealand’s productivity by ensuring that regulated parties are regulated by a system which is transparent, has a mechanism for recourse, and holds regulators accountable to the people. 
“The law doesn’t stop politicians or their officials making bad laws, but it makes it transparent that they’re doing it. It makes it easier for voters to identify those responsible for making bad rules. Over time, it will improve the quality of rules we all have to live under by changing how politicians behave.   
“In a high-cost economy, regulation isn’t neutral – it’s a tax on growth. This Government is committed to clearing the path of needless regulations by improving how laws are made.” 
Particular acknowledgements go to Dr Bryce Wilkinson, whose book “Constraining Government Regulation” laid important groundwork for this Bill. Special thanks also go to Dr Graham Scott, Jack Hodder KC, and other members of the Regulatory Responsibility Taskforce, who refined the Bill in 2009.  
 

Source: Police investigating after shots fired at Hastings house

Date:  07 May 2025

Kākā are rowdy and sociable parrots found in New Zealand’s native forests. Stoats and possums are the key threat to kākā, with females and chicks the prime targets during nesting when they stay in tree cavities for long periods. Over time, this leads to a male-skewed and declining kākā population.

A group of DOC and other scientists spent a week in the Pureora Forest last October, capturing and releasing kākā. It was a second trip into the Waipapa block to determine the health and gender balance of the local kākā population.

DOC Principal Science Advisor Terry Greene says the previous trip in 2023 had been “puzzling and concerning” because few birds were caught and all were males. However, the latest survey results were exciting.

“We caught an equal number of female and males which is a good sign of a healthy kākā population. This leads to more kākā breeding and chicks produced boosting the Pureora population.

“This is the first time in our monitoring of kākā at different sites we have found a 50-50 gender balance. At sites where there has been no predator control the ratio has been as low as one female to five males.

“With no predator control to protect kākā, females get taken out, breeding declines, old males are left behind – and after a while there are no kākā at all,” he says.

A total of 22 birds were captured (at 14 sites in Waipapa and two sites in Pikiariki) of which 11 were male and 11 were female during the October field work.

Kākā are generally monogamous during breeding season, which is triggered by forest masts – when trees produce and drop their fruit and seeds. Peak egg laying for kākā is December and January, and females sit on the eggs (clutches can be up to five eggs) for about 24 days before hatching.

Terry says the Pureora kākā population is “doing extremely well”, with the birds even obvious around the forest’s village – another indicator of the kākā population success.

“They’re doing as well as kākā on off-shore islands – where there are no predators – and they’ve responded very well to our management,” he says.

Nature in New Zealand is unique and special. Most of it is only found here. It’s different to what you can find anywhere else. Once our species are gone from here, they’re gone from everywhere.

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Source:

ACT MP Dr Parmjeet Parmar has written to the Chair of Parliament’s Education and Workforce Committee. She’s calling for politicians to listen to all the options for reducing the harms of social media on young people. The proposed inquiry would examine the practicality of introducing a ban on social media for young people and consider that against alternative solutions.

“The proposal to simply ban social media for those under the age of 16 is unlikely to solve the problem. Technologically, it’s a mine field. Morally, it is a Government solution that does not involve parents. Its unintended consequences could do more harm than good,” says Dr Parmjeet Pamar.

“The things that can go wrong are extensive, for examples:

– A ban could fail technically, with young people simply going around it to interact in new ways. Will, for example, Reddit threads be forbidden, and how could they evolve to produce the same harms we are currently worried about?
– A ban could excessively restrict access to the digital world, meaning young people miss out on genuinely useful opportunities, for example Australia will apparently exclude YouTube from Social Media
– A ban could unintentionally drive young people into the darker corners of the internet. The bill doesn’t block access to the internet itself – it targets platforms that at least try to build guardrails. The wider internet doesn’t. TikTok is easy to ban because it’s identifiable. But you can’t ban being online, and when the mainstream platforms go, the guardrails go with them. Maybe that trade-off is worth it and the risk of a young person finding truly objectionable material isn’t that great – but it’s a question worth asking.
– A ban could stigmatise online activity, making young people less likely to discuss harms they experience with parents and teachers, because they view their activities as illegal
– A ban could displace high quality solutions that allow parents to control internet access and enter the digital world safely
– A ban erodes personal responsibility. It implies that responsibility lies with the Government, when real solutions should involve Government, business, and community, especially parents in this case.

“A high quality inquiry would hear from teachers, principals, technological experts, mental health professionals, and parents, among others. Hearing their views and evidence, would put all options on the table. There might be a better way forward than a simplistic ban that young people will probably get around anyway.

“Other jurisdictions have moved towards bans, but there is no success story. The implementation is proving tricky. Rather than repeating their mistakes in real time, we should learn from them. In Australia, even though the legislation has passed, they still have no idea how the age restriction will be enforced.

“The last thing we want is a knee-jerk response that sees young people pushed to the dark web or other platforms that don’t even self-regulate – or creates a system that forces everyone, under 16 or not, to hand over personally identifiable information to tech companies.

“ACT shares the concern that social media is causing harm to young people. But any government response must be grounded in evidence and respect parental responsibility – a Select Committee inquiry would ensure we are best placed to achieve that.”

Source: New Zealand Police

A large-scale search and rescue operation has continued today in Milford Sound, for a man who has been missing since Sunday.

The solo tramper failed to return after a planned day trip to climb Mitre Peak.

The alarm was raised promptly, and a search and rescue operation began immediately, shortly before midnight on 5 May.

Detective Tracy Ward says a large number of resources have been working through arduous terrain, assisted by helicopter crews.

The search is being supported by Land Search and Rescue teams from Fiordland, Caitlins and Southland, Southern Lakes Helicopters, Heli-Otago, Southland Amateur Radio Emergency Communications, a Wakatipu Land Search and Rescue tracking dog team, a Dunedin Land Search and Rescue air scent dog team, and Wakatipu Alpine Cliff Rescue teams.

“There is also a huge amount of local support being provided by tourism operator Real NZ at Milford Sound. Roughly 60 volunteers, 10 Police staff and the various helicopter and tourism staff are working hard to find the missing man.”

A Police incident management team is in place in Invercargill, supporting a forward command base at Milford Sound.

Detective Ward said helicopter searches began on Monday and carried on into the night, before resuming this morning.

“Land Search and Rescue field and dog teams have been in the search area since Monday morning, as well as alpine cliff rescue teams due to the incredibly steep terrain in the area. Real NZ has assisted the operation with marine vessels and support staff, as well as helping the search staff at the forward control base in Milford Sound.

“We are looking at a wide search area in a very rugged part of New Zealand. We have yet to find any items that could help narrow the search area, but we are remaining positive.

“The man we are looking for is experienced in the outdoors and we believe he had suitable clothing and provisions, which can make all the difference. We are in contact with his next of kin, but at this stage are not in a position to release further details about him,” Detective Ward said.

“We are expecting a deterioration in the weather tonight and that may affect ongoing search efforts, but Police and volunteer staff will remain in Milford Sound until further notice.”

Police have spoken to a number of people who encountered the man in the vicinity of Mitre Peak on Sunday 4 May. Detective Ward said Police still needed to hear from anyone who was in the area on Sunday if they haven’t already spoken with Police. Please contact Police by making a report online, or by calling 105, referencing the event number P062448221.

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Issued by the Police Media Centre

Source: New Zealand Police

A Land Search and Rescue team today joined the search for missing Masterton man John Rafferty, who was last seen about midday on Sunday 4 May.

Sergeant Anthony Matheson says it’s possible John is staying with a friend, but Police and his family want to know he’s safe.

“A reasonable amount of time has passed, and John doesn’t have his cell phone or wallet. A search team has been out looking for him, and a helicopter also helped us search several areas today. We are really keen to know that he’s safe.

John is 74 and was last seen at Masterton Railway Station about midday on Sunday. He did not board a train and left on foot about 20 minutes later. The CCTV image shows John on the station platform.

He was wearing sweatpants, black shoes, and a blue jacket with ‘NASA’ written on the back.

John may have left the Masterton area, and anyone who sees him is asked to contact Police via 111. Information after the fact can be provided online at 105. Please use the reference number P062453320.

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Issued by the Police Media Centre