Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

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Serious crash: SH1, Meremere

Source: New Zealand Police

Emergency services are responding to a serious crash on State Highway 1, Meremere.

Police were called to the crash between a car and a motorbike at 1.45pm.

Initial reports indicate there are serious injuries.

State Highway 1 is closed northbound from Hampton Downs Road, with mototrists able re-enter the expressway at Springhill Road.

The Serious Crash Unit has been advised.

Police are asking motorists to avoid the area if possible and expect delays.

ENDS.

Amanda Wieneke/NZ Police

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Work under way to move cramped Wellington ED

Source: Radio New Zealand

Outside Wellington Hospital. (File photo) RNZ / REECE BAKER

Healthcare staff in Wellington’s Emergency Department will have to wait until 2029 for a bigger space, with one nurse describing corridors crowded with patients waiting for beds.

Renovations to add much-needed space to the ED were underway, as Health New Zealand worked to increase the capacity of the already stretched department by 34 “points of care” – that is, a combination of bed spaces, resus rooms, consult rooms, and treatment spaces – taking it from 53 to 87.

One New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) delegate, who didn’t want to be named, said the main problem was space.

“It’s too small. We get to the point where we can’t move. Corridors are full. We’ve had up to 26 patients in the corridor – that’s a lot of patients. That’s more than the little areas we see people in.”

ED’s weren’t allowed to turn anyone away, they said, no matter how full the department got – but sometimes, although they were not supposed to, staff would give ambulances a heads up that it might be some time before they could offload patients, and if there was anywhere else they could take them, they should do so.

“Our Wellington [patients] wouldn’t like to go out [to the Hutt] because they might not have any way to get back,” they said.

“If it’s an ambulance that’s taken them out there, and they’ve got no family, that can be a bit hard.”

The delegate hoped the renovations would mean parts that were spread out would be brought closer together – observation and pediatrics beds, even perhaps a mental health area.

The new ED was part of a $1 billion hospital-wide upgrade announced in Budget 2025, with the ED expected to open in 2029.

The plan for Wellington Hospital’s emergency department. HEALTH NZ / SUPPLIED

Health NZ’s group director of operations for Capital, Coast and Hutt Valley, Jamie Duncan, said the “front of whare” refurbishment was progressing well.

The ED was to be moved within the main hospital building, with renovations underway elsewhere in the hospital to make space.

A number of both clinical and non-clinical spaces were being relocated, Duncan said, but the work should improve other acute clinical spaces, too.

According to Health NZ, work underway at the moment included:

  • Refurbishment of levels 6 and 7 of the Grace Neill Block in preparation for the relocation of the main Outpatients Department and other clinical services
  • Construction of a new main reception area and a new Security Orderly Service base
  • Creation of a new and improved Medical Assessment and Planning Unit (MAPU) to support patient flow throughout the wider hospital

Future work included the expansion of MAPU, along with the Surgical Assessment and Planning Unit (SAPU), and the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) to further increase inpatient capacity.

The case for more space

Documents from as far back as December 2021, when Health NZ was still operating as separate District Health Boards, detailed the need for a “front of whare” project to address the lack of capacity.

Between October and January this year, Wellington Hospital’s ED went into its most critical code red status on average nearly twice a day (code red means hospital occupancy is forecast to exceed 100 percent – it does not indicate services are closed).

The detailed business case for the hospital upgrades, dated October 2024, said “without progressing the project, the hospital’s ED is in an unsustainable situation and will continue to be unable to meet the health needs of the region”.

“The ED is clinically and culturally unsafe, spaces are cramped, inadequately designed, fragmented and inefficient. Around 1/3 of patients are receiving treatment in a corridor. It is difficult to maintain consultant supervision and oversight of patients in five different areas,” it reads.

One of the government’s health targets – 95 percent of patients to be admitted, discharged or transferred from an emergency department within 6 hours – would not be met without this work, it said.

One in ten people, facing long queues, did not wait to be seen by a clinician – making them more likely to come back later in a worse condition.

A lack of beds elsewhere in the hospital meant people were stuck in ED, taking up those beds.

Seismic assessments rated the current ED at 15 percent of the National Building Standard (NBS). Some strengthening work had increased that to 34 percent, but that was still below the recommended rating 67 percent.

Duncan said since the time of the report’s writing, HNZ remained focused on improving wait times.

“The significant work and investment made in this area has seen Wellington Regional Hospital’s performance against the Shorter Stays in ED (SSED) target improve by 11.6 percent points between January and December 2025 – a testament to the ongoing hard work and professionalism of our dedicated and fantastic staff,” he said.

But at the same time, there was growing demand for services and patients with more complex and acute needs.

“We acknowledge that there is still a long way to go and much work to do – however people can remain assured that ED is the safest place for them when experiencing a healthcare emergency, and that we remain committed to doing all we can to continue responding to the needs of our communities.”

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

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31k-strong petition for an independent Commissioner for Animals taken to Parliament

Source: Radio New Zealand

A Southland livestock grazing company was fined close to $50,000 for allowing hundreds of cattle to graze in mud. Supplied / MPI

Warning some of the images in this article may be distressing for some people.

More than 31,000 New Zealanders want an independent “Commissioner for Animals” to improve animal welfare for companion and farmed animals.

A petition launched by a group of animal protection organisations was taken to Parliament on Tuesday calling on the Government to establish the parliamentary commissioner role.

Proponents said animal welfare offences like abuse or neglect were being under-reported or even permitted under sector regulations in Aotearoa under the Government’s current system.

At present, the Ministry for Primary Industries enforced animal welfare laws, particularly with production animals, and could pursue prosecutions for offenders.

In addition, there was the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC) which advised the Agriculture Minister responsible for animal welfare, Andrew Hoggard, and also the National Animal Ethics Advisory Committee (NAEAC).

MPI provided funding to SPCA for some of its mahi too.

Hawkes Bay SPCA team rescues sheep after floods SPCA supplied

But a collective of 21 animal protection organisations – including SAFE, Greenpeace, HUHA, World Animal Protection and more – wanted the Commissioner role to be created to address concerns about the independence of these government bodies, which it argued was hurting welfare outcomes for animals.

Theroetically, this Commissioner would operate like a watchdog, similar to the Ombudsman or the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment.

SAFE chief executive, Debra Ashton said the animal welfare system for both companion and production animals was broken, poorly resourced and lacked enforcement – so independent oversight was urgently needed.

“I think that staff at MPI do the best that they can. But the system that we have currently means that their priority is to increase productivity and to increase exports,” she said.

“So when financial and profitability are your priorities, animal welfare considerations are going to come secondary.

“A Commissioner for Animals would have a goal of ensuring animal welfare and making sure that we can have a better system that works for animals.”

An Auckland woman has been sentenced to 260 hours’ community work for animal welfare offences in 2018. Supplied

Ashton said examples of welfare standards being overlooked in the interest of productivity, included the continued use of farrowing crates for mother pigs, and cages or barns for hens.

She said welfare regulation for production animals was being shaped by farming industries that profitted from using animals.

The case for an Animals Commissioner was explored in depth by the Animal Law Association in its December report, written by Alison Vaughan, who was now the senior scientific officer at SPCA.

The report said while MPI had policies to manage individual conflicts of interest, they did not address structural conflicts between its economic export growth and animal welfare goals, excluded by Public Service guidelines.

“Overall, MPI’s incompatible economic and animal welfare goals are in direct conflict with one another. It seems impossible to pursue economic growth without some negative impact on the welfare of animals,” it read.

“That is not to say MPI does not care about animal welfare; but its structure prevents it from giving both goals equal priority.”

A Southland livestock grazing company was fined for allowing hundreds of cattle to graze in mud. Supplied / MPI

But MPI’s director of compliance and response, Glen Burrell said it was committed to ensuring animal welfare and had a strong system to take action when required.

“The ministry looks at approximately 3,000 animal welfare cases each year, identified through proactive visits (either on farm or at places like sale yards), our 200 vets at meat works around the country, and public complaints,” he said.

Its animal welfare workforce included more than 50 inspectors, including managers who could act as inspectors, across a number of different teams.

For lower level offending, it issued 584 infringement notices during the 2024/25 financial year, and so far 369 were issued this financial year (25/26).

Investigations by inspectors could also lead to prosecutions for more serious offending.

The Green party’s animal welfare spokesperson Steve Abel accepted the petition on Tuesday.

He said the Greens had wanted for some years now to establish a Commissioner for Animals to independently monitor and advocate for animal rights.

A survey run by SAFE in September found that 85 percent of the 1000 New Zealand adults who responded were concerned the Animal Welfare Act requirements were not always upheld.

Ninety-eight percent also believed it was important to protect animals from cruelty and neglect.

Other members of the Commissioner for Animals Alliance included Animal Evac, Chained Dog Awareness, Companion Animals NZ, Goat Welfare NZ, Greyhound Protection League NZ, Māui & Hector’s Dolphins Defenders, New Zealand Animal Law Association, NZAVS and World Animal Protection.

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

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Local council dealt with 34 complaints about bee poo in last two years

Source: Radio New Zealand

Bees excrement can create a waxy substance which is hard to clean off outdoor furniture. (File photo) Supplied/Bioeconomy Science Institute

Tauranga City Council wants to make it easier to deal with complaints about bee poo.

It investigated 38 complaints about urban hives in the past two years – 34 of them about excrement.

The poo could create a waxy substance that was hard to get off outdoor furniture and decks.

The council’s animal service manager Oscar Glossop, told a local meeting, complaints could be difficult to investigate and act on.

“It’s very hard to prove the bees are a nuisance and are coming from a specific place once they get to a certain number. Most of these complaints come in around spring time when bees generally are at a high activity rate.”

The current rules meant staff had to decide whether to completely remove hives or leave them.

That could lead to lengthy appeals.

The proposed changes would allow for a more proportionate response, including education, that could avoid staff being pulled into drawn out disputes between neighbours.

“It would take away an expectation that we would be dealing with bee poo for 163 hours in the last two calendar years of staff time, and instead make it when it was an actual issue.” Glossop said.

A council paper on the problem said urban beekeeping had advantages, supporting food security and biodiversity.

The current rules allowed backyard hives as long as the bees are not a nuisance or causing safety problems.

The public would have the ability to have a say on the proposed changes in June.

They were part of wider changes to the Keeping of Animals Bylaw.

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

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New Wellington Emergency Department won’t open until 2029

Source: Radio New Zealand

Outside Wellington Hospital. (File photo) RNZ / REECE BAKER

Healthcare staff in Wellington’s Emergency Department will have to wait until 2029 for a bigger space, with one nurse describing corridors crowded with patients waiting for beds.

Renovations to add much-needed space to the ED were underway, as Health New Zealand worked to increase the capacity of the already stretched department by 34 “points of care” – that is, a combination of bed spaces, resus rooms, consult rooms, and treatment spaces – taking it from 53 to 87.

One New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) delegate, who didn’t want to be named, said the main problem was space.

“It’s too small. We get to the point where we can’t move. Corridors are full. We’ve had up to 26 patients in the corridor – that’s a lot of patients. That’s more than the little areas we see people in.”

ED’s weren’t allowed to turn anyone away, they said, no matter how full the department got – but sometimes, although they were not supposed to, staff would give ambulances a heads up that it might be some time before they could offload patients, and if there was anywhere else they could take them, they should do so.

“Our Wellington [patients] wouldn’t like to go out [to the Hutt] because they might not have any way to get back,” they said.

“If it’s an ambulance that’s taken them out there, and they’ve got no family, that can be a bit hard.”

The delegate hoped the renovations would mean parts that were spread out would be brought closer together – observation and pediatrics beds, even perhaps a mental health area.

The new ED was part of a $1 billion hospital-wide upgrade announced in Budget 2025, with the ED expected to open in 2029.

The plan for Wellington Hospital’s emergency department. HEALTH NZ / SUPPLIED

Health NZ’s group director of operations for Capital, Coast and Hutt Valley, Jamie Duncan, said the “front of whare” refurbishment was progressing well.

The ED was to be moved within the main hospital building, with renovations underway elsewhere in the hospital to make space.

A number of both clinical and non-clinical spaces were being relocated, Duncan said, but the work should improve other acute clinical spaces, too.

According to Health NZ, work underway at the moment included:

  • Refurbishment of levels 6 and 7 of the Grace Neill Block in preparation for the relocation of the main Outpatients Department and other clinical services
  • Construction of a new main reception area and a new Security Orderly Service base
  • Creation of a new and improved Medical Assessment and Planning Unit (MAPU) to support patient flow throughout the wider hospital

Future work included the expansion of MAPU, along with the Surgical Assessment and Planning Unit (SAPU), and the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) to further increase inpatient capacity.

The case for more space

Documents from as far back as December 2021, when Health NZ was still operating as separate District Health Boards, detailed the need for a “front of whare” project to address the lack of capacity.

Between October and January this year, Wellington Hospital’s ED went into its most critical code red status on average nearly twice a day (code red means hospital occupancy is forecast to exceed 100 percent – it does not indicate services are closed).

The detailed business case for the hospital upgrades, dated October 2024, said “without progressing the project, the hospital’s ED is in an unsustainable situation and will continue to be unable to meet the health needs of the region”.

“The ED is clinically and culturally unsafe, spaces are cramped, inadequately designed, fragmented and inefficient. Around 1/3 of patients are receiving treatment in a corridor. It is difficult to maintain consultant supervision and oversight of patients in five different areas,” it reads.

One of the government’s health targets – 95 percent of patients to be admitted, discharged or transferred from an emergency department within 6 hours – would not be met without this work, it said.

One in ten people, facing long queues, did not wait to be seen by a clinician – making them more likely to come back later in a worse condition.

A lack of beds elsewhere in the hospital meant people were stuck in ED, taking up those beds.

Seismic assessments rated the current ED at 15 percent of the National Building Standard (NBS). Some strengthening work had increased that to 34 percent, but that was still below the recommended rating 67 percent.

Duncan said since the time of the report’s writing, HNZ remained focused on improving wait times.

“The significant work and investment made in this area has seen Wellington Regional Hospital’s performance against the Shorter Stays in ED (SSED) target improve by 11.6 percent points between January and December 2025 – a testament to the ongoing hard work and professionalism of our dedicated and fantastic staff,” he said.

But at the same time, there was growing demand for services and patients with more complex and acute needs.

“We acknowledge that there is still a long way to go and much work to do – however people can remain assured that ED is the safest place for them when experiencing a healthcare emergency, and that we remain committed to doing all we can to continue responding to the needs of our communities.”

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

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Possible Māui dolphin found deceased

Source: NZ Department of Conservation

Date:  03 March 2026

The two sub-species of dolphin look so similar they can’t be identified without a genetic test – but based on the location it’s likely to be a critically endangered Māui dolphin. At the last survey there were just an estimated 48 to 64 individuals left.

The juvenile dolphin, which washed up near Port Waikato, was reported to DOC on the morning of Thursday 26 February, after a member of the public came across it on Wednesday afternoon.

With the help of the local landowner, DOC staff collected the dolphin and sent it to Massey University for a necropsy to try and understand what has happened to it. A DNA sample will be sent to the University of Auckland to determine if it was a Māui or Hector’s dolphin.

Mana whenua supported DOC to gain access to private landowners, and undertook karakia protocols. Remains will be returned to Ngaa Iwi o Te Puaha o Waikato at a later date. The dolphin was gifted the name Māui Pōtiki from mana whenua, derived from the karakia Pai Mārire.

DOC Marine Species Manager Malene Felsing says unfortunately, preliminary necropsy work could not determine a cause of death because the remains are severely decomposed.

“More testing is being done to see if we can learn anything about what’s happened to this dolphin, but this will be limited due to the decomposition of the animal.

“Given the rarity of the species we need to try and learn anything we can, to better understand the threats facing these iconic dolphins, which are some of the smallest in the world.”

Malene says anyone out naturing on our coasts who sees a dead dolphin is asked to call it in to DOC as soon as possible, with an accurate location, so we can collect it quicky.

“The sooner we can get to the animal, the better condition it will be in for necropsy which means we will learn more from it. Every hour is critical.

“A huge thanks to the local landowners for retrieving the dolphin from a really remote stretch of coastline.”

Malene says Māui and Hector’s dolphins can be identified by their distinctive rounded dorsal fin, which looks a bit like one of Mickey Mouse’s ears, and the public are encouraged to report all sightings.

“DOC recently started its five-yearly Māui dolphin population survey. Real time reports of sightings, especially off the west coast of the North Island from Maunganui Bluff to Whanganui, help our field teams understand where dolphins have been seen and improve the survey’s results.”

Sightings can be reported using the SeaSpotter app, through the emergency hotline 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468) or via our online form: Marine mammal sighting form.

Contact

For media enquiries contact:

Email: media@doc.govt.nz

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Live: Australia’s Middle East military HQ hit in Iranian drone attack, Qatar halts LNG production

Source: Radio New Zealand

Follow the latest with our live blog above

US President Donald Trump is warning ‘a big wave’ of strikes against Iran is yet to come.

Speaking to CNN, Trump said the US hasdn’t even begun to hit the Iranian regime hard.

Missile strikes continued to fly over the Middle East overnight, with multiple countries threatening escalation of the ongoing conflict.

Top members of the Trump administration have spoken publicly about ‘Operation Epic Fury’ for the first time at a Pentagon press conference. The US said the goal of the war was not regime change, despite the deaths of top Iranian leaders, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the United States was not ruling out any options in the war, but promised, “This is not Iraq … This is not endless”.

Meanwhile, Iran said it was ready for a “long war” and has targeted US military bases in other Gulf states.

Kuwait said it accidentally shot down “several” US military aircraft in friendly fire.

Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel continue to trade blows, prompting the Lebanese government to ban Hezbollah’s military and security activities and call on the group to hand over its weapons to the state.

Trump has said he envisages the conflict could last four weeks.

Follow the latest with our live blog at the top of this page.

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

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TamaIti Williams cops three-week ban for dangerous play

Source: Radio New Zealand

Crusaders prop Tamaiti Williams. photosport

Crusaders and All Blacks prop Tamaiti Williams will serve a three-week suspension after being found guilty of dangerous play during Saturday’s Super Rugby Pacific win over the Chiefs.

The competition’s foul play review committee found the ruling after Williams was cited for his entry to a ruck early in the match at Hamilton, with his shoulder deemed to have connected with the head of All Blacks team-mate Tupou Vaa’i.

The committee said the act of foul play merited a “mid-range entry point” punishment of six weeks but that was halved after the 25-year-old’s remorse and his disciplinary record were taken into account.

“Williams was also given permission to apply to take part in World Rugby’s Coaching Intervention Programme as a substitute for the final match of the sanction,” the committee said in a statement.

The 27-test veteran will miss this weekend’s match against the Blues at Eden Park, followed by games against the Highlanders and Moana Pasifika.

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

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Opposition leader Chris Hipkins says US-Israel strikes illegal

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Prime Minister admitted he “misspoke” when he said New Zealand supported “any actions” to prevent Iran having nuclear weapons.

The Prime Minister has admitted he “misspoke” when he said New Zealand supported “any actions” to prevent Iran having nuclear weapons.

Christopher Luxon also said New Zealand will not join the conflict.

At his post-Cabinet press conference on Monday, Luxon said successive governments have had a longstanding position that any action that stopped Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, from sponsoring terrorism, and from stopping them killing there own people was “a good thing.”

On Tuesday, Luxon described his comments as meaning New Zealand had long supported actions to prevent Iran from getting “its hands on nuclear weapons” and actions to stop the country sponsoring terrorism and repressing its people, but said “obviously, not any action.”

He said that was any action, but not “at any cost.”

Referring to the example raised of carpet bombing Iran, Luxon said “clearly that is not what we want to see.”

When asked how he made the error, given he repeated “any action” multiple times on Monday, Luxon said “I just said to you, I misspoke,” and passed on apologies.

Labour leader Chris Hipkins believes the strikes were illegal. RNZ / Mark Papalii

Labour leader Chris Hipkins said it was good that the Prime Minister had admitted he misspoke.

“Words matter – to quote our Foreign Affairs Minister – and in this particular instance words matter a great deal,” Hipkins said.

“Adherence to international law shouldn’t be a matter of discretion, it should be something we expect all countries to adhere to.”

“It’s a no” – Luxon rules out New Zealand joining strikes

Asked whether New Zealand would join the United States in this instance, Luxon confirmed it would not.

“It’s a no from me, and we haven’t been asked to, and I think we’re unlikely to do so as well.”

Luxon reiterated his comments from Monday, in which he said New Zealand was not party to the information that led to the strikes, and would also not speak about US President Donald Trump’s judgement when it came to conflict.

Hipkins welcomed the Prime Minister’s decision to rule out joining in the United States’ actions.

“I would prefer that the New Zealand government continued to take a very principled stance in saying we’re actually opposed to this bombing campaign, because it is a violation of international law, and New Zealand has a lot of reasons to want the rest of the world to be adhering to international law”

Iran and Israel have continued to trade strikes since joint US and Iran airstrikes killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday.

US President Donald Trump has warned that bigger strikes are to come, and says the conflict could drag out longer than the four to five weeks he initially planned.

New Zealanders in Iran are urged to leave if it is safe to do so, and register on SafeTravel.

Luxon confirmed that 2150 New Zealanders were registered.

On Morning Report, Hipkins disagreed with the Prime Minister’s stance that it was not New Zealand’s place to comment on the legality of the strikes.

Hipkins said he believed the strikes were illegal.

“I think New Zealand government seems to be moving away from what has been a long-standing and principled approach to these issues,” he told Morning Report.

“We have been very clear that we think international law matters, and that all parties to these sorts of conflicts should follow international law. That’s not the case here.”

He said it is important that our government speaks with authority and in favour of international law.

“New Zealand’s government should stand up for the international system of rules that we rely on for our own security as a country,” Hipkins said.

“If the situation becomes that the countries with the most power can do whatever they like regardless of what international law says, that’s very bad news for a small country like New Zealand.”

Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson said the latest conflict in the Middle East endangered the rules-based order New Zealand relied on.

“The idea that we can start encouraging and allowing other countries to invade just because we don’t like their leaders is an incredibly dangerous take for this Prime Minister to support.

“He needs to be up front and declare whether he supports the rule of law, whether he supports countries in the world just willy nilly being able to decide, on vibes, whether they can invade or not.

“That’s really dangerous. That puts us and regions of the world in a really unsafe position.”

ACT leader David Seymour. RNZ / Mark Papalii

Deputy Prime Minister and ACT leader David Seymour is backing Luxon’s stance on the US-Israel attacks on Iran.

“One thing he’s noted that’s important is that New Zealand does not have all of the information that the US and Israel have used to justify their actions,” he told RNZ’s First Up on Tuesday. “So, we could spend a lot of time with New Zealand trying to be precise in its position, but I don’t think that’s what the world’s waiting for.”

He said as a result of the strikes, Iranian girls will have an opportunity to “dress as you like, go to school, do things that are normal rights that have been withheld from them by this regime”.

“And finally, for them in Iran and also for all of us around the world, it’s critical that trade is able to continue and resume so that we don’t face price shocks and even more economic peril. Those are the things that I think are important.”

Seymour would not say if he expected advance warning from allies like the UK if New Zealand troops at allies’ bases in the region were in danger.

“That’s something that we constantly talk about with our allies, but I think it’s safe to say that whatever we may or may not be doing won’t be helped by me announcing it on New Zealand radio…

“Clearly, the safety of New Zealand personnel is critical, and whatever moves might or might not be afoot, we’re not going to discuss publicly.”

Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters said New Zealand was not given any advance notice of the attack on Iran, and has again urged New Zealanders to leave if it is safe to do so.

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Convicted sex offender and former Gloriavale leader Howard Temple will not be going to jail

Source: Radio New Zealand

Howard Temple The Press/Kai Schwoerer

The lawyer for convicted sex offender and former Gloriavale leader Howard Temple says his client has won a High Court appeal against his sentence and will not be going to jail.

Temple was sentenced to 26 months’ jail in December for indecently assaulting young women and girls at the West Coast Christian community over 20 years.

The 85-year-old immediately appealed and has been on bail.

At a hearing in February, Temple’s lawyer Michael Vesty argued the sentence was excessive, given his age, bail conditions and cognitive impairment.

He argued that the sentence should be reduced to two years or less to allow for home detention.

On Tuesday, Vesty confirmed Temple would not be jailed and said his client was pleased the matter had concluded.

Temple was arrested in 2023 and denied the offending until part-way through his 2025 trial when he pled guilty to amended charges.

He admitted five counts of indecent assault, five of doing an indecent act and two of common assault – many of the charges were representative.

Temple was in a position of power at Gloriavale when the offending against six girls and young women happened between 2002 and 2022.

Temple resigned as Overseeing Shepherd in December, with Stephen Standfast taking on the leadership role.

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