Source: New Zealand Police
One person has died following a single-vehicle crash on Tokerau Beach in the Far North last night.
Police were notified of the crash, where a 4WD has rolled, at around 7:30pm on Friday.
Sadly, one person was located deceased at the scene.
The two other occupants of the vehicle were airlifted to hospital, one in critical condition and the other in moderate condition.
Enquiries into the circumstances of the crash are ongoing.
ENDS
Issued by Police Media Centre
Source: Radio New Zealand
Winners with a physical ticket can take it to a shop they bought it from and fill out a form, or go to the Lotto head office in Auckland. Supplied / Lotto NZ
Lotto has jackpotted to a record $55 million prize, which has to be won. But what would you do if you woke up in the morning with a few extra zeros on the end of your bank balance?
Whether you were to win the top prize (a one in 38 million chance, it should be noted), or one of the smaller amounts, one financial adviser who has previously advised winners says there are a few things you should know.
Tim Fairbrother, of Rival Wealth, said people who won were often in a state of disbelief initially.
If you win when you’re playing online, you will be sent a prize claim form.
Winners with a physical ticket can take it to a shop they bought it from and fill out a form, or go to the Lotto head office in Auckland.
In most cases, Lotto staff try to meet in person with winners to talk to them about what will happen (there is champagne offered).
Winners are given a booklet that proclaims on the front “This is not a dream”.
In it, it offers tip on how to handle a life-changing amount of money.
Secure the ticket
Fairbrother said many people spent some time carrying the ticket around before they claimed their win, because they almost could not believe it had happened.
“If you’re telling everyone that you won but you haven’t’ secured your ticket then that can be a bit of a problem – perhaps if the ticket is suddenly not in the place you thought it was going to be.”
If you aren’t going straight to claim, keep the ticket somewhere very safe.
Deposit the money into a savings account
Lotto advises that the money should be paid into an interest-earning account while you work out your next steps.
If you win Powerball, it says, it can give you the details of the person at your bank who can help you with depositing the money.
Some people do not want this to go through their local branch.
Think about who to tell
Lotto said people should carefully consider who they wanted to tell about their win.
Fairbrother agreed. He said if it became common knowledge, the money could change people.
“Especially big amounts of money. It might not be you, it might be the people around you who suddenly have their hands out thinking ‘man, this is going to be good for me’.”
People were likely to encourage winners to invest in various things, or spend their money in certain ways – he said these should be approached with caution.
Have a plan
Lotto advises that people think about what they want to do with their money, have a plan and list of goals and check in on it regularly.
Fairbrother said people could work with an adviser to talk through their ideas and come up with a strategy.
“Make sure you have got the right accountant and lawyer so that you’re getting your structure right for tax and optimising what that looks like.”
He said those discussions would usually involve talking to people about what was important to them.
“What are your overarching goals now you’ve won this money? It might be a million dollars, which is amazing. But it might be $44m, which is epically life-changing, isn’t it?
“If you’re living in a $600,000 home you might want to go and extend the house, build a tennis court and swimming pool, or sell it altogether.
“How much do you want people to know this has happened to you? If you go and sell your $600,000 house and buy a $4m house, people are going to start asking questions.’
An investment portfolio would be structured according to a person’s wishes, he said.
Some might want to invest in commercial property, or a residential development including a number of homes.
“Or it might be saying I don’t want to deal with any of that, I’m just going to put it into a managed portfolio,. It’s going to be a mix of those things and it’s going to be a steep learning curve. You don’t need to go about it quickly, there’s no point rushing and doing things fast.”
Some purchases would be investments and others would depreciate, he said.
Knowing the difference would help to make wealth last.
“I knew of someone many years ago before I was a financial adviser, who a significant amount in Lotto and basically within three years he had got rid of it all by buying expensive cars and not understanding those expensive cars are going to be depreciating assets.
“By the time you drive it off the lot it loses 20 percent or whatever, then two or three years later it is down 60 percent.”
Pay off debt
If you win a smaller amount than $44m, it usually makes sense to use it to pay off debt.
Fairbrother said people with a mortgage would usually want to pay that off. “That puts them in a whole different financial position going forward into the future where they’re now able to save each month as opposed to paying the bank for their mortgage.”
Be careful with gifting
Many people wanted to give money to others, Fairbrother said, particularly to help their kids buy houses.
“If you want to give it, it’s better to do what they call an interest-free loan payable on demand.
“That means if there are problems in the future with their own relationships or whatever they might be, you can ask them to pay the money back. If you give a couple $100,000 then as soon as it goes into their account it becomes relationship property whereas if you loan it to them then you can ask to have to back again in the future.”
Write a will
Fairbrother said as soon as people had that much money to their name, they needed to do some estate planning.
A will would be essential to avoid disputes if something happened to them.
“You’re not going to end up with your children arguing over the fact you promised them more for any particular reason.”
Tax
Lotto winners do not have to pay tax on their prize, as in some other countries.
But they also cannot have it paid as an annual income, it has to be a lump sum.
You don’t have to declare it as income if you’re getting a benefit unless you receive the accommodation supplement, temporary additional support or special benefit.
But any income you make from your money will reduce your eligibility for support.
Sign up for Money with Susan Edmunds, a weekly newsletter covering all the things that affect how we make, spend and invest money.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Source: Radio New Zealand
Reporters at work during the 2025 Jefferson Fellowship trip. Supplied
RNZ reporter Kate Green has a strong focus on environmental issues but more recently her attention has been on the future of food security and lessons from Southeast Asia.
She travelled there last month as part of a Jefferson Fellowship and answered some questions from the Country Life team.
The Jefferson Fellowship is a three-week programme run by the East-West Centre in Hawai’i, giving 12 journalists from all over the world – Mongolia, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, United States and me – access to key groups and players on a particular topic. This year, it was food security.
The three places that best demonstrated issues and solutions for food security in the eyes of the programme’s creators were Honolulu, Indonesia – where we were in Jakarta for a week – before going over to Thailand, where we visited Chiang Rai and Bangkok.
RNZ reporter and Jefferson fellow Kate Green. Supplied
Follow Country Life on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart or wherever you get your podcasts.
I was so warmed to notice the similarities in the cultures between New Zealand with our Māori indigenous population and that of Hawai’i. Throughout the week I noticed the little ways it was similar or different in terms of language or world view, in terms of being part of the environment instead of using it and that came up quite a lot when we talked about food production.
It’s definitely a problem that Hawai’i only has two weeks of food on-hand at any given time. And it’s very expensive, as everything’s imported. This leaves them vulnerable to natural disasters.
We learned more about how it’s led to many seeing the merit in a swing back to producing native crops locally – crops like taro and breadfruit. One of the stand-outs for me was when we went to a lo’i kalo, which is a taro patch essentially.
It was part of this big non-profit restoration project, Kākoʻo ʻŌiwi.They produce fresh produce, they do educational visits, they run workshops and they have community work days.
Over the past 15 years they’ve restored several acres of this taro patch and they have a focus on “agroecology”. Basically how do we design sustainable food and farm systems that work with the environment rather than taking from it.
Dr Kawika Winter at the lo’i kalo at Kākoʻo ʻŌiwi. Supplied
We spoke to Dr Kawika Winter there and he had a story that was so emblematic of the problems in conservation.
Essentially, as people started to restore this wetland and planted the taro patch they noticed these beautiful native birds had started to come back. The agency that deals with the wildlife legislation side of things on the island said ‘great you have these birds, let’s protect them – you must keep a 30m distance from these birds and this nest’.
That was the whole taro patch. So they stopped maintaining it and it overgrew with weeds and no longer had its function as a food source, as well as degrading as an environment, and so the birds left. That meant they could restore it again but then the birds came back.
It’s a story about the bureaucracy that puts a stop to what are usually very old ways of doing things – usually indigenous practices – and the tension of how to get around them.
In Jakarta, we visited the flagship store of a company called Javara and it was run by a former lawyer. Her name is Heliante Hillman.
Her MO is to connect farmers to buyers. She was a lawyer and she was being driven around giving advice to farmers that were struggling in the market. The way she tells it, her husband was getting sick of driving her around and said ‘these people don’t need a lawyer, they need access to a market that is respectful and dignified’. So she made them that market.
She told us the story about how she got a panicked late night call from a farmer with tonnes and tonnes of vegetables that were in the path of a volcano which was about to destroy all his crops. In a nearby village there’s a pasta maker – so she connected the two and they made 14 different types of noodles in all different colours.
She told us that the noodles had also been a solution to help one mother get her children to eat vegetables, and Heliante said she knew she was onto a winner after doing a cooking presentation for a group of Italians who were very impressed.
Heliante Hillman, founder of Javara. Supplied
In Chiang Rai, in the very north of the country – so beautiful – we got to meet a couple of farmers who, when they were kids, their parents were growing opium.
It’s a tough life growing opium. It’s unsafe, you don’t really know who you’re dealing with because it’s an illicit trade. It’s a little bit dangerous, people might be carrying guns.
Pichit Boonyuenpanakul a coffee farmer in Wawee whose parents switched from growing opium in the 1980s. Supplied
Wiwat from the Aka tribe pictured in his greenhouse in Wawee in Chiang Rai. Supplied
They’ve switched to growing fresh vegetables in greenhouses and coffee which I can confirm, even by Wellington standards, is great. The security that’s come with that is obviously a big bonus. It also means they get an income year round if they’re growing different crops.
There’s a lot of doors that have opened to them – there’s a lot of community groups and NGOs, and government support to transition those farmers into more effective and sustainable crops.
It’s interesting that everywhere is looking into the issue of land use. And in New Zealand that’s ‘where do we put our housing developments so they’re not using the best land that could be used for growing things’.
It was very similar in Thailand. There’s also the issue of land ownership and indigenous views not always aligning with what the government considers for use and ownership.
It’s really important to make sure those yields are good, make sure they’re producing stuff all year-round and can feed their families. Ultimately that works out better for everyone because the farmers are earning, the government isn’t needing to support so many people and people are healthier because they’re eating locally grown food.
Learn more:
You can learn more about the Jefferson Fellowship, here.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Source: Radio New Zealand
A few weeks ago Spanish pop musician Rosalía sat down with the New York Times Popcast, for an interview that’s already been picked apart in multiple articles.
One response in particular seems to have inflamed the discourse: When asked if her new album Lux was asking a lot from listeners, she said “Absolutely. The more we are in the era of dopamine, the more I want the opposite.”
She was referring to online culture and the instant gratification that smart phones have enabled, an idea we’re all familiar with. But in this context, coming from a popstar with streaming figures in the billions, it feels slightly shocking.
Rosalia.
supplied
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Source: Radio New Zealand
A year ago, Kath Cross couldn’t even make it to her letterbox without stopping to catch her breath.
It was hard to believe this was the same avid mountain biker who used to knock out 100-kilometre at Rotorua’s Whakarewarewa Forest each week. But when she started falling behind her husband on the trails, and then even in the house, Cross knew something wasn’t right.
“I always remember going to meetings and if there was stairs, I’d just look at them and it would just be my worst nightmare,” Cross tells Nine to Noon.
Kath Cross wants to raise awareness for her friend Jan, who died this year, as well as the Asthma Foundation and organ transplants.
Supplied
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Source: Radio New Zealand
Glenbrook Station sheep Simon Williamson
Simon Williamson’s grandfather was in his late twenties when he rode his horse from St Bathans in Central Otago to Tekapo in South Canterbury.
The lambs he sought were too expensive but a good deed proved life-changing.
He met a man who took a liking to him and offered him the chance of owning a high country station called Birchwood in the Ahuriri Valley.
He bought it and his family and descendants lived there for 64 years.
It was then sold to the Crown and the Williamson family, in turn, bought another station, Glenbrook further east, straddling State Highway 8 south of Twizel.
Follow Country Life on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart or wherever you get your podcasts.
At 4000 hectares and carrying 3000 merino sheep and a couple of hundred cattle, the sheep station is a lot smaller than the stations of Grandad Ted’s day.
Back in the late 1800s a sheep station would have up to 60 staff and contract staff.
Nowadays, Simon said, it is a little different.
“Now the boys have gone off to school, just Kirsty and me are full time and one full-time man who’s gold that’s worked for us for quite a long time now.
“And he’s rock solid. So there’s really only three of us.”
But with the stock numbers and a bit of cropping they try and make everything fit, so it is “doable”.
Simon and Kirsty Williamson being interviewed by Mark Leishman Jo Raymond
Simon’s wife Kirsty is a vital part of Glenbrook Station with her four dogs.
She works the sheep and cattle and plays an integral part in the daily running of the farm.
She also runs a tourism venture, welcoming cruise ship guests on-farm for a high country station experience.
The homestead at Glenbrook Station Kirsty Williamson
“The buses come in and we give the guests lunch, with everything grown here,” she said.
“I think they just like the chance to get up a driveway. You know, they often drive down the road, and never really know what’s up here. So they get a chance to experience it.”
Glenbrook Station is in an extreme environment with harsh, cold winters and extremely hot summers.
Simon said, back in the early days, some winters you could lose almost a quarter of your stock and it took a long time to replace them.
“The winter of 1895, Benmore Station had 100,000 sheep shorn that season and … they got an early storm with metres of snow.
“In those days, there was no access out there. You only had a horse, and the snow covered the sheep over out on the flats.”
The shearing numbers were down to 40,000 the next season, so the numbers told it all.
“They lost 60,000 sheep in piles, so pretty devastating, those sort of events and history.”
Simon said when they took over the land there was no irrigation to speak of and it was not well understood at the time.
Six families took a punt and joined forces to pay for a scheme.
“We struck a good winter, and they got the whole canal right through from Lake Ohau.
“The whole canal cost about $4m to build, and it irrigated 4000 hectares of farmland and is still doing so to this day.”
He said modern, efficient pivot irrigators had been game-changers.
“We started with this irrigator here. It is 900 metres long, and it irrigates 275 hectares, pumping 200 litres of water a second to put six millilitres of water on 275 hectares.”
Glenbrook carries about 3000 merino sheep and a couple of hundred cattle. RNZ Insight / Maja Burry
There’s something about the high country, a kind of romance, with books like Mona Anderson’s “A River Rules My Life” in 1963 helping build an image of isolation, adventure and beauty.
But Simon said there are plenty of challenges.
“Wilding pines are a real problem.
“They just need money thrown at them, so that they don’t become a problem forever, but it is solvable at the moment.”
He said when the rabbits disappeared in the late 90s the pine tree problem really exploded, but he’d rather live with killing a pine tree than rabbits destroying everything.
Glenbrook Station Merinos ready for shearing Simon Williamson
But the main purpose of Glenbrook is to grow fine merino wool for export.
It heads to Vietnam or China to be scoured, spun and woven into outdoor wear and socks, and ends up in stores in the US.
“It’s a wonderful product, and it’s natural, and merinos suit this country.
“It’s cold in the wintertime, hot in the summertime, and I believe that you farm, what your country suits, and I believe that merinos suit this sort of country.”
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Source: Radio New Zealand
Surangel S. Whipps Jr addresses the Climate Summit 2025, a high-Level special event on Climate Action, at COP30 in Brazil. UN Photo / Manuel Elías
Palau’s leader says the world needs to be working toward reducing emissions and “not dropping targets”, in response to New Zealand slashing its methane reduction goals.
Last month, the New Zealand government announced it would cut biogenic methane reduction targets to 14-24 percent below 2017 levels by 2050. The previous target was a reduction of 24-47 percent.
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr, who is in Brazil for the annual United Nations climate change conference, COP30, said more work needed to go into finding solutions.
“[It’s] unfortunate because we all need to be working toward reduction, not dropping targets,” Whipps said.
“Countries struggle because it’s about making sure that their people have their jobs and maintain their industry. I can see the reason why maybe those targets were dropped, but that means we just need to work harder.”
Whipps said it probably meant the government needed to “step up” and help farmers reduce emissions.
Read more:
Tuvalu’s climate minister also told RNZ Pacific he was disheartened by the new goal.
New Zealand Climate Minister Simon Watts previously told RNZ Pacific in a statement that methane reduction was limited by technology and the only alternative would have been to cut agriculture production.
“New Zealand has some of the most emissions-efficient farmers in the world, and we export to meet global demand,” Watts said.
“If we cut production to meet targets, we risk shifting production to countries who are not as emissions-efficient, which would add to global warming and have a greater impact on the Pacific.”
Pacific Islands Climate Action Network campaigner Sindra Sharma said she wanted to know what scientists Watts spoke with.
“I’d like to see what the data is behind New Zealand having the most emissions-efficient farmers. It blows my mind that that is something he would say.”
Sharma said it’s especially disappointing given New Zealand is a member of the Pacific Islands Forum.
“I think the signal that sends is extremely harmful. It shows we don’t care about the Pacific.”
Speaking to Morning Report on Thursday, Watts said the country had not weakened its ambitions on climate change.
“We’ve actually delivered upon what has been asked of us. We’ve submitted our NDC (Nationally Determined Contributions) plan for 2035 on time,” he said.
“We’ve done what we believe is possible in the context of our unique circumstances.
“We’ve taken a position around ensuring that we are ambitious with balancing that with economic challenges.”
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Source: Radio New Zealand
England v All Blacks
Kickoff: 4.10am Sunday, 16 November
Allianz Stadium (Twickenham), London
Live blog updates on RNZ
After passing their biggest off field financial test, the All Blacks now face their biggest on field one of the end of year tour. Wins over Ireland and Scotland have led to a showdown at Twickenham against England, which was the scene of a dramatic test between the two sides this time last year.
England have started their northern hemisphere season with two wins of their own, a comprehensive one over the Wallabies followed by a pretty scratchy performance against Fiji last weekend.
READ MORE:
‘Just looking for a result’: Scott Robertson on All Blacks’ challenge against England
All Blacks named: Barrett back, loose forward and backline changes
All Blacks v England: Why this one has an extra edge
England make seven changes for All Blacks clash
Twickenham holds special value for All Blacks
All Blacks captain Scott Barrett tackles England’s George Furbank. © Photosport Ltd 2024 www.photosport.nz
England: 1. Fin Baxter, 2. Jamie George, 3. Joe Heyes, 4. Maro Itoje (c), 5. Alex Coles, 6. Guy Pepper, 7. Sam Underhill, 8. Ben Earl, 9. Alex Mitchell, 10. George Ford (vice-captain), 11. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, 12. Fraser Dingwall, 13. Ollie Lawrence, 14. Tom Roebuck, 15. Freddie Steward
Bench: 16. Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17. Ellis Genge, 18. Will Stuart, 19. Chandler Cunningham-South, 20. Tom Curry, 21. Henry Pollock, 22. Ben Spencer, 23. Marcus Smith
All Blacks: 1. Ethan de Groot, 2. Codie Taylor, 3. Fletcher Newell, 4. Scott Barrett (c), 5. Fabian Holland, 6. Simon Parker, 7. Ardie Savea, 8. Peter Lakai, 9. Cam Roigard, 10. Beauden Barrett, 11. Leicester Fainga’anuku, 12. Quinn Tupaea, 13. Billy Proctor, 14. Leroy Carter, 15. Will Jordan
Bench: 16. Samisoni Taukei’aho, 17. Tamaiti Williams, 18. Pasilio Tosi, 19. Josh Lord, 20. Wallace Sititi, 21. Cortez Ratima, 22. Anton Lienert-Brown, 23. Damian McKenzie
George Ford. Photosport
A couple of eyebrows have been raised at the selection of George Ford and Fraser Dingwall as the first and second five pairing, which hints at a kick-heavy gameplan from coach Steve Borthwick. However, there’s genuine excitement at the prospect of a ‘Pom Squad’ off the bench, with props Ellis Genge and Will Stuart, hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie and loose forwards Tom Curry and Henry Pollock being withheld for later in the test.
Anton Lienert-Brown during New Zealand All Blacks training at North Harbour Stadium, Auckland. Brett Phibbs/www.photosport.nz
Only one change due to the match up, with Simon Parker starting at blindside ahead of Wallace Sititi. That means Du’Plessis Kirifi drops out, along with Sam Darry due to Scott Barrett’s return from injury, which moves Josh Lord to the bench. Billy Proctor and Anton Lienert-Brown come in as centre starter and cover respectively, while Leicester Fainga’anuku moves out to the wing.
Dan Carter (R) greets a local at the Tower of London Photosport
The All Blacks and England have played 46 times, with the All Blacks winning 36, England eight, with two draws. The last English win was their famous World Cup semifinal victory in 2019.
The top English points scorer in the fixture is Owen Farrell, with 96 in 10 tests. He has never scored a try in that total, unlike All Black top points scorer Dan Carter, who bagged four in his total of 178 points in 12 tests.
Twickenham is the most played at venue for this fixture, with 25 tests played there. However, the first test between the two nations predates the famous home of English rugby, with the 15-0 win by the All Blacks in 1905 played at Crystal Palace.
New Zealand Head Coach Scott Robertson and his players arrive ahead of the New Zealand All Blacks v England rugby union test match at Twickenham. Mark Robinson/Photosport
“We’re just looking for a result. You look at these games, how tight they are in the margins, and there’s two quality teams both got clear DNA, how they want to play. Discipline, keep trusting ourselves and keep playing is the key.” – All Blacks coach Scott Robertson.
“Every game it has spiked how much they have kicked. Last year at Twickenham, they came and the first thing they did is go ‘right, we are kicking this ball’. It is that tactical element of it and it will be interesting to see if that’s what Scott Robertson has asked his team to do.” – England coach Steve Borthwick.
All Blacks 24 – 22 England
It was Damian McKenzie to the rescue last year, with the utility back coming off the bench to engineer Mark Tele’a’s late try, then calmly kicking the sideline conversion to win the game. He wasn’t alone in his heroics though, Patrick Tuipulotu played a great shift as a replacement as well, while Tele’a, Asafo Aumua and Wallace Sititi were massive as well.
This has all the ingredients of another thriller, with both sides creating an interesting styles clash. Robertson has talked about how the All Blacks want to play an up tempo game but really they will revert back to kicking as soon as they feel under pressure. The scrum will be intense, as the All Blacks will feel like they have a bit of a point to prove after a somewhat tepid return against Scotland.
Once again though, if England want to win they will need to chance their arm at some stage – it’s just whether they know exactly when or how to get the ball as fast as they can to the men who can take advantage.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Source: Radio New Zealand
Selwyn Rabbits has spent the years since his son Graeme’s death investigating the safety of cardan shaft brakes, and discovered several other related fatalities. Now, a coroner’s report has backed him up, calling them ‘inherently dangerous’. Nick Monro
Every time Selwyn Rabbits hears of a vehicle accident in the news, his first fear is that it is the same dodgy brakes as those on the runaway vehicle that killed his son nearly eight years ago.
“You get an instinct,” Rabbits says, a former military engineer and director of crane company Lifting Management.
His son Graeme Rabbits was crushed in January 2018 when the brakes failed on a telehandler, which rolled down a slope and pinned him against a concrete mixer at a construction site in west Auckland where he was working.
Selwyn started investigating soon after Graeme’s death and discovered several fatalities caused by vehicles with cardan shaft brakes since 2010.
The brakes are in around 70,000 vehicles in New Zealand, they are a common and cheaper form of braking system, with a single mechanism connecting to the gearbox rather than at the wheels.
Last week, in a major development, Coroner Erin Woolley found the parking brake was “inherently unsafe”. The finding was rejected by the Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) – but is in line with Rabbits’ own conclusions after nearly eight years of extensive investigations.
RNZ’s senior Checkpoint producer Louisa Cleave and reporter Jimmy Ellingham have been in close contact with Rabbits for many months but he was only prepared to go public with his story after the coroner released her findings.
Cleave tells The Detail how she became aware of Rabbits’ research into his son’s death through his niece, a friend of hers.
“I was immediately taken in by the detail that he had put together, it was an extensive amount of work in terms of other accidents that he had discovered, linked to the same braking system.
“One was just the previous year to Graeme’s death and I can only imagine when he started looking and started discovering all these other accidents and deaths how he realised that this was something that was a major problem,” Cleave says.
She says Rabbits was very insistent that he would not step outside of the coronial process and speak about the case because that’s where he would get the answers. It was always clear that any reporting would be based on her findings.
The Coroner referred to six fatal incidents involving vehicles with cardan shaft brakes since 2010, including one after Graeme’s death.
Her report said that Graeme’s death happened because the cardan shaft brake in the telehandler he was using to tow out the concrete truck failed to hold when it was parked on a slope.
It had been subject to a comprehensive servicing regime, and the Coroner said it would not have been obvious to Graeme, or any other person on site, that the brake would suddenly let go in the way that it did.
According to the report, what happened to Graeme could happen to any other person and more needs to be done to educate the users of vehicles with cardan shaft brakes about the inherent danger they pose.
The Coroner also strongly encouraged NZTA to acknowledge that relying on a cardan shaft brake as the only brake on a vehicle is inherently dangerous, because even a well maintained brake can fail without warning.
NZTA does not accept that finding.
In an interview with Checkpoint, NZTA’s deputy director of land transport Michael Hargreaves says since 1 December 2022, there have been significant changes to the Certificate of Fitness process, including roller brake testing.
He says that has led to fewer vehicles failing.
“In 2020, about a third of these vehicles used to fail, in 2025, after the roller brake test, it is now around about five percent,” he said.
He did not accept the Coroner’s finding that the brakes could fail whether or not they had passed the test.
“Our view and the assessment that we have made is that if we target the factors around poor maintenance and operational use, which is what we have done, those safety benefits will flow.”
Several reports on the NZTA website are dedicated to the brakes’ limitations and how to operate and maintain them. Over the years it has updated and added to the advice.
In July 2022, it issued a safety alert for them “to raise awareness of the limitations of the brake mechanism, including the potential risks of parking on slopes”. That was in addition to a WorkSafe bulletin on driveshaft parking brake failures.
The Transport Agency also requires vehicles with the braking system to display warning stickers.
New Zealand Transport Agency chair Simon Bridges. RNZ / Angus Dreaver
Rabbits says NZTA has not done enough and he is seeking a meeting with the chair of the agency, Simon Bridges.
He knows it’s not viable to ban all of these vehicles outright as it would be hugely costly and inconvenient. But he wants more done to warn drivers and he wants to see new imports stopped.
Cleave says his call to action is backed by many in the industry.
The National Carriers Association has sent an updated alert to its 1500 members off the back of the coroner’s report.
Heavy vehicle compliance expert Steve Bullot says the system has a fatal design flaw.
Cleave says she has spoken to a number of other people in the industry who echoed those concerns.
In a written statement to Checkpoint, the NZTA board chair Simon Bridges says Rabbits’ request is being considered, and a response will be provided directly to Rabbits.
Any legal advice to NZTA or its board members in connection with the coronial findings and recommendations is legally privileged and confidential.
Rabbits is determined and says he has a lot of supporters. His objective has always been to prevent another death or injury.
“I come from a military background, I was an engineer in the air force and I’ve always believed that you’ve got to make the system right so that it performs, it does its functions just like the Navy is doing with the Manawanui.
“This has not been a grieving father. I’ve always approached this logically, constructively. And I’m a strong believer that if you do that, sooner or later someone will take notice.”
Check out how to listen to and follow The Detail here.
You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Source: Radio New Zealand
A Taranaki family has paused a bach rebuild due to nesting kororā. Ngati Mutunga
A Taranaki family has paused work on the rebuild of their coastal bach, after a pair of nesting little blue penguins – or kororā – took up residence beneath its floorboards.
The Vile family, who are redeveloping a classic two-bedroom bach at Urenui Beach, are now patiently waiting for a chick to fledge.
Scott Vile, who’s owned his Urenui bach for about five years, knew he’d have to pause his summer renovation plans, when he discovered a penguin incubating an egg.
“Basically, I lifted a piece of chipboard there and they weren’t under there when I started in October, so me being me, I just went for it.
“Then my curiosity caught me out and I checked again on a Sunday, before I went to leave, and hello, there was a penguin sitting on an egg just nesting away, so I quickly made the phone call and got some help really.”
Coromandel couple Tracey and Peter Kendall told Morning Report on Friday they were at their wits ends, after their resident rowdy penguins migrated underneath their bedroom – keeping them up at nights.
Scott and wife Natalie were more relaxed about his find – they contacted the Department of Conservation and put the project on hold.
Scott Vile and Anne-Maree McKay search for the kororā chick. Robin Martin/RNZ
“Basically, we’re waiting for the penguin to fledge, so it will leave and go to sea, and once it’s fledged, we can continue on with the project and carry on.”
The timeframe was open-ended.
“Oh, it is just what it is. We’re pretty cruisy and, once we’re allowed to start, we’ll get in and begin chipping away at it.”
Scott said the bach had a history of penguins nesting under the floorboards and, at one stage, had a perspex viewing hatch in the floor.
“Late at night, they scoot out to sea, and they come back in when we’re having BBQs and a few drinks at night, and you can see them come back in.
“Kinda like little drunken sailors, they come in and hit their heads on the floorboards, ‘Donk, donk, donk’ you can hear them as they get back to their home.
“It’s just living in harmony really, just both us in the bach and them under the floor.”
Scott said the couple’s children, Bentley and Jordan, were thrilled by the discovery of the nest.
“We’ve been amazed by how fast the chick has grown. It’s been pretty cool to watch them grow.”
Scott Vile and Anne-Maree McKay search for the kororā chick. Robin Martin/RNZ
DOC tipped off Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Mutunga Pou Taiao about the penguin discovery.
“We actually all met here and had a look, and sure enough, there were a couple of little fuzz balls under the deck there. It was just really awesome, and we’re so grateful for Scott and his whānau for just being so accommodating of them, and willing to put their summer time on pause for us and the kororā.”
McKay helped monitor kororā for a joint Ngāti Mutunga – Ngā Motu Marine Reserve Society project.
“There’s been kororā around this coastline for as long as I can remember and, from the stories I’ve heard, they’ve been around for generations now.
“We have two areas that we monitor closely – Wai-iti and here at Urenui – and there are plenty of kororā coming and going.”
McKay expected the Vile family could soon get back to work.
“We actually microchipped this penguin on Monday, so it had shed enough of its fluff, of its down feathers to be chipped. It should only be a couple of weeks now, [before it fledged], I imagine.”
Meanwhile, Scott Vile wasn’t worried about penguins causing him to lose sleep.
“We first encountered them up the coast at Wai-iti, so we’re pretty used to them and I sleep like a rock anyway, so they’ve never bothered me.
“Like I say, we just live together harmoniously. They come and go as they please, and we do the same, so it’s always been a good little relationship.
“We just need them to leave for a couple of months, so I can build a bach and then they can come back.”
DOC Taranaki principal operations advisor Kelby Clements said the Vile family’s decision to pause their project for the penguins’ benefit was “naturing at its best”.
“This is a great example of how small acts of naturing make a difference to protecting our precious native species.
“By pausing their project, Scott and his family have made a real difference to this little family of kororā, and that will contribute to our understanding of the species’ local population.”
There were originally two kororā – which were the world’s smallest penguin species – under the Vile’s bach, but one did not survive.
Clements said little blue penguin populations had been declining where they were not protected from predators and threats to the birds increase where there was human development in coastal areas.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand