Source: New Zealand Police
Emergency services are responding to a fire in the carpark at Whangārei Hospital.
Fire and Emergency NZ are currently leading the response, however Police are present at the scene.
The public is asked to please avoid the immediate area while emergency services are in attendance.
Residents and anyone in the nearby area are also asked to close their windows at this time.
Further information will be provided when we are in a position to do so.
ENDS.
Holly McKay/NZ Police
Source: NZ Department of Conservation
Date: 21 October 2025
Kirsty Prior, Operations Manager Marine, says that this summer DOC’s focus is on helping people understand the new rules and boundaries.
“We’ve got a new team of marine rangers, community rangers and a bunch of seasonal staff gearing up for summer. We’ll be heading to events, boat clubs, boats ramps and out on the water to chat about these new marine protections,” says Kirsty.
“We understand this is a big change for many in the fishing community, and we’ll be working alongside you as everyone gets familiar with the new boundaries and what they mean.
“This law is brand new. It will take time for the practical changes to take place – such as updates to electronic chart-plotting systems and installing physical markers.
“These protections are very important. They will take some pressure off crucial underwater habitats such as productive reefs and sensitive sea floors. We’re giving space for marine life to thrive, and over time this will help contribute to a healthier gulf with more fish for everyone.”
The DOC team and support vessels are based in Whitianga, Warkworth, Auckland’s North Shore and the CBD. Their role includes educating people on marine protection, undertaking compliance and monitoring changes in the underwater habitat.
“Currently the team is working to install signage at boat ramps and entry points, distributing protection area maps to local businesses such as fishing retailers, updating the DOC website, and have provided maps to chart-plotter providers to update their mapping systems,” says Kirsty.
“We expect updates to digital charts to happen when these manufacturers are able. The installation of signs and marker buoys will roll out progressively over summer and into early 2026. Fishers can find the latest maps and updates at www.doc.govt.nz/haurakigulfmarinepark.
“Our focus for now is on education and support. Compliance activity will gradually increase as people become more familiar with the new protections. This will include both on-the-water patrols and the use of drones and high zoom CCTV cameras to monitor activity in these protection areas.”
Key info on new protections for the fishing community:
“We’ve had questions about what the new protections mean for recreational fishers, and for customary fishing. Here’s a quick guide to clear things up,” says Kirsty. “While some areas now have higher protection, the majority of the Gulf remains open for recreational fishing.”
You can learn more about the marine protections: Hauraki Gulf marine protected areas.
For media enquiries contact:
Email: media@doc.govt.nz
Source: New Zealand Police
State Highway 1 is currently blocked near the Hapuku River bridge, Kaikōura following a crash this afternoon.
Emergency services were called to the single-vehicle crash at around 1:20pm after a campervan has rolled due to high wind.
At this stage, no life-threatening injuries have been reported.
Police have also been advised of another single-vehicle crash at the same time, where a campervan has rolled, near the intersection of Schoolhouse Road and Old Beach Road, Kaikōura Flat.
At this stage, no serious injuries have been reported and there are no blockages to the intersection.
We urge road users, especially those of high-sided vehicles, to please take care and consider delaying travel while these high winds persist.
ENDS
Source: New Zealand Government
A Crown facilitator will be appointed to assist Waitaki District Council to amend and resubmit its water service delivery plan under Local Water Done Well, Local Government Minister Simon Watts says.
“The Secretary for Local Government has asked the Council to amend its plan to include an assessment of the current condition, lifespan and value of the district’s drinking water, wastewater and stormwater networks as required under the Local Water Done Well legislation.
“Our priority is for the Waitaki ratepayers to have a plan that will ensure the costs of necessary water infrastructure upgrades are fair, transparent, and do not lead to disproportionate rate increases.
“I have considered my options and have decided to appoint a Crown facilitator, to assist the Council to ensure its amended plan contains the information required to accurately assess the financial projections and overall financial sustainability of its plan.
“I would also like to be assured that the Council has the time and resources to consider all viable water services delivery models that would benefit Waitaki’s ratepayers.”
The Council is now required to conduct an asset condition assessment and update its plan by 30 June 2026, allowing six months for the assessment and a further three months to amend the plan.
“I have notified the Mayor of Waitaki of my decision and expect to confirm an appointment to the role of Crown facilitator by mid-November,” Mr Watts says.
“I am confident the Crown facilitator will help ensure the Council has the expertise and tools to undertake its asset condition assessment and consider its delivery model options, and update its plan accordingly.”
Source: NZ Ministry for Primary Industries
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) is consulting on how we recover costs for the new integrated Trade Certification system. This platform will conduct electronic certification for over $33 billion in certified exports each year.
This system is critical to keep New Zealand’s primary exports moving across borders: it provides the official government-to-government assurances required by overseas markets. These assurances confirm that exported goods meet the requirements of importing countries. They are essential for maintaining and expanding market access.
New Zealand’s current certification systems are ageing, fragmented, and increasingly expensive to maintain. They limit our ability to respond to changing market requirements and meet international expectations.
The investment in MPI Trade Certification will:
More information on the investment, benefits, and long-term value of the system are in the 2022 business case.
MPI Trade Certification business case [PDF, 6.6 MB]
MPI Trade Certification supports these government initiatives:
We are seeking input on the proposed cost recovery options for MPI Trade Certification. Your feedback will help shape final decisions on how costs are allocated and recovered. This will ensure the final fee structure is fair, reflects how the system is used, and supports long-term sustainability.
We propose 2 options.
Costs are split based on system usage and sector-specific features. Fees vary by sector.
A single fee is applied to all certificates and documents issued, regardless of sector. This option is preferred, as it is simpler, more equitable, and reflects actual usage.
More detail on these proposals, including the proposed new fee structures for animal products, wine, and phytosanitary (plant) products, is available in the consultation document.
This consultation opened on 24 October we’re accepting submissions until 11.59pm on 5 December 2025.
MPI Trade Certification cost recovery options and what they mean for your sector [PDF, 832 KB]
Submit your feedback on the proposals by 11.59pm on 5 December 2025.
You can use the online form, or email or post your feedback using the submission template.
Online submission form – Survey Monkey
If you are emailing or posting your submission, we encourage you to use our consultation template [DOCX, 753 KB]
Email your submission to costrecovery@mpi.govt.nz
While we prefer online or email submissions, you can post written submissions to:
Cost recovery consultation
Ministry for Primary Industries
PO Box 2526
Wellington 6011
New Zealand.
Make sure you include in your submission:
Note that all, part, or a summary of your submission may be published on this website. Most often this happens when we issue a document that reviews the submissions received.
People can also ask for copies of submissions under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA). The OIA says we must make the content of submissions available unless we have good reason for withholding it. Those reasons are detailed in sections 6 and 9 of the OIA.
If you think there are grounds to withhold specific information from publication, make this clear in your submission or contact us. Reasons may include that it discloses commercially sensitive or personal information. However, any decision MPI makes to withhold details can be reviewed by the Ombudsman, who may direct us to release it.
Source: PHARMAC
Pharmac’s Pūahoaho Report provides the latest information about applications for medicines, vaccines, and related products that we’ve assessed for funding in New Zealand. Proactively releasing this information is part of our ongoing commitment to transpar
Every year we receive over 100 funding applications from health care professionals, consumer groups and suppliers. These applications include requests to fund new medicines and to widen access to medicines that we already fund.
We ask our clinical advisory committees to assess the available evidence and recommend whether we should fund, defer, or decline the applications. With their advice, we work to complete an assessment, including a health economic appraisal if required.
We apply the Factors for Consideration throughout our assessment of an application. The factors consider four areas: health need, health benefit, suitability, and costs and savings.
Factors for Consideration(external link)
Once the assessment is complete, we take the application to a quarterly internal prioritisation meeting and add applications to one of the following priority lists:
Priority lists for funding applications and previous Pūahoaho updates(external link)
We rank applications on our options for investment (OFI) list from highest to lowest priority but keep these rankings confidential so that we can negotiate the best prices with suppliers.
As of 17 September 2025, there are 115 applications on the OFI.
Since March’s prioritisation meeting we ranked 10 new proposals on the OFI list, and re-prioritised 23 others. Re-prioritisation can occur due to more information becoming available, or a change in an application’s Factors for Consideration in comparison to other medicines being considered for funding. Detailed descriptions of indications available on the Application Tracker.
If our assessment confirms an application does not provide any additional health benefit compared to treatments we already fund, it may be ranked on the only if cost-neutral or cost-saving list. We would look to fund these applications if we negotiated a deal that would be cost-neutral or cost-saving.
Since March’s prioritisation meeting we ranked 18 applications on the only if cost neutral or cost saving list (detailed descriptions of indications available on the Application Tracker on our website):
There are a range of reasons a funding application may be added to the recommend for decline list. Our expert clinical advisors may have recommended that the funding application be declined, or they may have provided a positive recommendation, but we’ve found:
When applications are added to this list, they become inactive and we stop progressing work on the application. While applications may be listed on the decline list, they are only formally declined after public consultation to ensure we haven’t missed anything important.
More about this process: Declining inactive funding applications(external link)
If we decline an application, it means the medicine won’t be funded for the use requested at this time. It does not prevent us from reconsidering funding for the medicine in the future if new information becomes available.
Since the last prioritisation meeting in March, we ranked 22 applications on the recommended for decline list (detailed descriptions of indications available on the Application Tracker):
Source: New Zealand Police
One person has died after being hit by a falling branch on Mount Victoria.
At around 9:20am emergency services received reports of a man suffering critical injuries on Lookout Road, Mount Victoria.
The man was taken to hospital but sadly died a short time later.
The death will be referred to the Coroner.
People are asked to take care in the current weather conditions.
ENDS
Issued by the Police Media Centre.
Source: New Zealand Government
The Government is launching the Expanded New Zealand Curriculum (NZC), a resource that will support around 12,000 students with high and complex additional needs from Term 1 next year.
“In the past, expert teachers and specialists in special education have had to adapt the national curriculum themselves so their students can learn from it meaningfully. They will now have a resource that is clear about what to teach each year of school and the evidence-informed practices to use,” Education Minister Erica Stanford says.
The support is a New Zealand first and provides specialist teachers with a tool to deliver curriculum-aligned teaching and learning for all students. It will support teachers to deliver that learning no matter what context they’re in satellite or specialist education.
“The Expanded NZC outlines specific learning in English and Mathematics and includes comprehensive guidance to make sure the needs of learners are recognised, and their progress and achievement is supported.”
The resource has been developed in partnership by with the Specialist Education Principals’ Association of New Zealand.
“As we roll out the new knowledge curriculum, it’s critical we’re providing support to children with high and complex learning needs so they get the best from it too,” Ms Stanford says.
“It’s essential that all Kiwi kids are supported to progress and achieve. Parents can be assured this evidence-informed resource will help students with complex needs. We want to ensure they are supported and set up for lifelong success,” Ms Stanford says.
Source: New Zealand Police
Eastern District Police are urging drivers of high-sided vehicles to consider delaying travel.
Emergency services are currently attending a single-vehicle crash on State Highway 2, Takapau, where a truck has tipped due to high winds.
There are further reports from around Hawke’s Bay of several near-misses involving trucks and vans that have nearly been blown over in exposed areas.
Thankfully, no serious injuries have been reported.
Anyone on the roads is urged to take care and drive to the conditions.
ENDS
Source: New Zealand Government
Courts Minister Nicole McKee is pleased to see faster justice for victims, with the backlog of criminal cases in the District Court falling 20% since April 2023, the equivalent of around 1,700 cases.
“After five years of continuous growth in the backlog of criminal cases in the District Court, I’m pleased to see the backlog is turning around under this Government, fixing what matters for victims,” says Mrs McKee.
“Much of this can be put down to a whole of justice sector approach, with multiple agencies and the judiciary working together to deliver timely access to justice. There is more work to be done, but this progress is a sign that our approach is working.”
“Implementation of recent operational initiatives as part of the District Court Timely Justice Programme has improved the efficiency, timeliness, and performance of the court system.
Priority-based rostering and scheduling has also seen judicial resources reprioritised to District Court locations with the largest backlogs. Other measures in the timely justice programme include:
“Being able to make such a significant impact on the backlog in the District Court’s criminal jurisdiction contributes to the wider goal of providing timely access to justice.
“Justice delayed is justice denied. This Government is focused on fixing what matters to make a real difference, getting justice delivered faster for victims, offenders, and communities.”