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.
NATURE LOOKS DIFFERENT FROM HERE
Nature isn’t scenery. Nature is a society that we rely on for everything, every day. It’s behind our identity and our way of life.
EIT is remembering Sir Selwyn Cushing, a prominent Hawke’s Bay business leader and honorary graduate, following his recent passing.
Sir Selwyn passed away on February 10, aged 89. He was awarded an honorary Bachelor of Business Studies by EIT in 2000, recognising his outstanding contribution to business and his strong support for education in Hawke’s Bay.
EIT Sir Selwyn Cushing was awarded an honorary Bachelor of Business Studies by EIT in 2000 in recognition of his contribution to business and education in Hawke’s Bay.
He was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in 1994 for services to business management and was made a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 1999 for services to business, sport, and the arts.
Hastings Deputy Mayor Michael Fowler, who was a senior accounting lecturer at EIT from 1997 to 2018, said Sir Selwyn would be remembered not only for his professional achievements, but also for his character and commitment to the region.
“He was a really humble, honest man that loved Hawke’s Bay,” Michael said. “He never lost his down-to-earth roots.”
Sir Selwyn was a natural choice to receive the honorary degree when EIT began conferring its own Bachelor of Business Studies qualifications, Michael said.
“We were awarding our own Bachelor of Business Studies degrees for the first time in 2000, and I came up with the idea that he should be awarded an honorary BBS because he was one of our foremost business leaders in Hawke’s Bay.”
Sir Selwyn’s connection to education began early in his career. He qualified as a chartered accountant at just 19, becoming the youngest person in New Zealand to do so, and later taught accounting through the former night school system to support others entering the profession.
“He had a passion for education and believed in education. He taught accounting at night school because he wanted to help other people.”
Michael said Sir Selwyn was deeply honoured to receive recognition from EIT, reflecting both his professional achievements and his strong connection to the region.
“He was absolutely thrilled to receive it,” he said. “He was a Hawke’s Bay man and was proud that education had developed to the point where you could qualify to be an accountant at a polytechnic in Hawke’s Bay.”
John West, EIT Executive Dean, Faculty of Commerce and Technology, said: “EIT is glad to have been able to recognise such an important Hawke’s Bay leader through the award of an honorary degree. Sir Selwyn leaves a business legacy, not only through our region but national and internationally.”
A motorbike rider who fled from Police before attempting to hide as an unsuspecting football fan will head to court.
Just after 6pm last night, Police were conducting speed patrols around the Huapai area spotted a motorcycle allegedly travelling at 110kph in a 80kph posted speed zone on State Highway 16.
Auckland Motorways Manager, Senior Sergeant Bill Russell says Police attempted to conduct a vehicle stop however the motorcycle fled.
“No pursuit was initiated, but the Police Eagle helicopter was able to quickly get overhead.
“The crew has then spotted the rider entering the Huapai Domain where he has allegedly parked on the footpath and attempted to blend in with football fans watching a game.”
Unfortunately for the rider he was swiftly taken into custody.
“We are committed to keeping people safe on our roads and individuals who chose to drive or ride in a reckless or dangerous manner will be held to account.”
A 32-year-old man has been charged with failing to stop and will appear in Waitākere District Court on Friday.
Construction on a new neonatal unit at Hutt Hospital will begin in April, expanding specialist care for newborns in the Hutt Valley, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.
“Welcoming a baby who needs specialist support can be an anxious and unsettling time for families. We want parents to be able to focus on their newborns’ recovery and wellbeing, without the added disruption of travelling outside their community to access the care they need.
“The current neonatal unit at Hutt Hospital no longer meets demand, with some families needing to be transferred to Wellington Hospital due to limited space.
“This $10.5 million investment will increase the unit’s floor area by 61 per cent and expand capacity from 12 to 14 cots, allowing more babies to receive specialist care in the Hutt Valley.
“The new unit has been designed to reflect modern models of neonatal care, with enhanced infection prevention and control, improved clinical workflows, and greater privacy and comfort for families. It will provide a more functional environment for our most vulnerable patients.”
Local MP Chris Bishop says strengthening local hospital capacity is important for the Hutt community.
“This new neonatal unit will mean more newborns can receive specialist care right here in the Hutt Valley, surrounded by their parents, family, and wider support networks. Families will spend less time travelling and more time focusing on their baby’s recovery and wellbeing.
“It’s an important step in supporting our growing communities and ensuring families can access quality health services close to home, when they need them most.”
Construction is expected to begin in April 2026, with the new unit scheduled to open in mid-2027.
“We are focused on ensuring health infrastructure keeps pace with community need and population growth, and that it is designed with patients at the centre, including our smallest and most vulnerable babies.
“This new neonatal unit will give parents in Hutt Valley confidence that specialist neonatal care will continue to be available close to home, both now and into the future,” Mr Brown says.
Coromandel has traditionally been deer-free and is not a recreational deer hunting area. However, aerial surveillance conducted by DOC in 2025 revealed a deer herd – prompting a new work programme to remove the animals from the southern tract of the Coromandel Forest Park.
DOC’s Hauraki-Waikato-Taranaki Regional Director Tinaka Mearns says the surveillance confirmed a staff suspicion deer were in the forest park – and acting decisively to remove them is essential.
“Deer damage native forests by feeding on forest plants, trees, and seedlings. This has a flow on impact to resilience of the forest and land stability.”
“For some time, DOC and its partners have strived to keep Coromandel deer-free. We aim to maintain the wild-deer-free area to reduce pressure on native plants and habitats.”
In Coromandel, deer presence is a particular concern as the animals are a suspected vector for kauri disease. Coromandel has thousands of taonga kauri, and the disease is already present in some locations – so stopping its spread is vital.
Work to remove the deer will start this month, with communication to adjacent landowners, Tinaka says.
“For wild deer management operations to be effective we need to work across both public and private land.
“Landowners will be notified prior to the start of hunting operations. We’ll also ensure we obtain a written permission from landowners to carry out our deer management operations on their properties.
The first phase of work will include further surveillance work by experienced contract hunters.
“The surveillance will determine the presence and distribution of the deer, and will be followed by targeted hunting to remove the animals.”
Landowners can help by immediately reporting any fallow and red deer they encounter on their properties as soon as possible so we can arrange for a quick hunter response.
People going about usual activities such as farming or pig hunting can also shoot any deer they see in Coromandel Forest Park or on adjacent land (with permission), if safe to do so. DOC would welcome information on these types of deer encounters or removal.
The general public and visitors naturing in the forest park can help by reporting deer sightings in the southern area of the Coromandel Forest Park to 0800 DOC HOT.
The work starting this month will also ascertain if the deer have established a breeding population, and what ongoing resource will be needed for eradication.
“With the ongoing commitment of resource, and the support of landowners and the wider public, we believe we can remove this deer herd from Coromandel,” Tinaka says.
“This work is important to prevent long-term ecological damage and reduce future management costs to keep Coromandel deer-free.”
NATURE LOOKS DIFFERENT FROM HERE
Nature isn’t scenery. Nature is a society that we rely on for everything, every day. It’s behind our identity and our way of life.
New Zealand and Argentina have agreed to cooperate more closely, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.
“Our discussions today have underlined that both New Zealand and Argentina are working hard to make our economies more efficient in order to deliver more jobs and higher living standards through export growth,” Mr Peters, who met President Javier Milei and Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno, says.
“Argentina has achieved an impressive economic turnaround and government reform in recent years, and New Zealand companies can and should be among those to do more here.”
Mr Peters is currently leading a Parliamentary and business delegation through Latin America. The Parliamentary delegation visited Argentina’s National Congress, and called on its New Zealand Parliamentary Friendship Group.
This is the first visit to Argentina by a New Zealand Foreign Minister since Mr Peters last came in 2007.
His discussions with President Milei and Foreign Minister Quirno also involved dialogue on the uncertain international environment and recent global developments.
“We spoke about a range of issues of mutual interest, including the situation in Iran, the competitive strategic environment in both the Western Hemisphere and the Indo-Pacific, and the urgent need for reform of the UN system,” Mr Peters says.
“Overall, today’s discussions demonstrated our growing business, education and people-to-people links with Argentina, while stressing our joint commitment to open, rules-based trade.”
Mr Peters and the Parliamentary and business delegations leave for Uruguay tomorrow, before programmes later in the week in Brazil, Chile (Santiago and Rapa Nui) and French Polynesia.
World Wildlife Day is celebrated every year on 3 March to celebrate and raise awareness about wild animals and plants. This year, the focus is on medicinal and aromatic plants.
Today is World Wildlife Day
The date was chosen because the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) was signed on 3 March 1973. This global agreement uses permits to control the international trade of wild plants and animals, making sure it is legal and sustainable.
Which New Zealand native plants have medicinal or aromatic properties?
New Zealand has many native medicinal plants (rongoā) such as kawakawa, mānuka, horopito, kūmarahou, harakeke, kōhūhū, hoheria and tōtara. We also have several aromatic native plants, including tarata (lemonwood), kānuka, mānuka, kopoti, kohukohu, fragrant hebe, and Olearia (tree daisy) species.
These plants are increasingly used in local skincare products. Kawakawa balm is popular for eczema and sensitive skin, and kūmarahou is valued for its natural, soap-like cleansing properties.
Most of New Zealand’s medicinal and aromatic plants are not protected under CITES, because they are not currently threatened by international trade.
Kawakawa plant – Herb, Christophers
Which New Zealand Native plants are protected by CITES?
The only New Zealand native plants protected under CITES are orchids and tree ferns. The whole orchid family (Orchidaceae) and the tree fern genus Cyathea are listed globally.
New Zealand has 26 genera and 118 species of native orchids. Orchids are used in beauty and health products overseas, but native orchids are not commonly used this way in New Zealand.
Thelymitra cyanea – Christopher, Stephens
Cyathea has over 450 species, with many globally threatened by habitat loss, climate change, and overuse for horticulture. In New Zealand, there are seven native and one introduced Cyathea species. Only two species, found only on Raoul Island, are classified as at risk.
The black tree fern (mamaku, Cyathea medullaris) and the silver fern (ponga, punga, Cyathea dealbata) are the primary native Cyathea ferns used in rongoā.
Cyathea medullaris – Jacqui, Geux
Some trade has occurred in these species:
Cyathea dealbata has been exported as live plants and sometimes logs to the UK, Europe, and China.
Cyathea medullaris has been exported as live plants, powdered trunks, and tissue extracts, mainly to Europe and Japan. Powdered trunks have been exported to French cosmetic companies for use as exfoliants, and small amounts of plant fluid extracts have more recently gone to Australia, China, and France for use in health supplements.
These exports were managed under CITES regulations.
What medicinal and aromatic species are listed under CITES internationally?
Many medicinal and aromatic plants listed globally under CITES are available in New Zealand.
Medicinal plants:
American Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius): A North American plant – vulnerable to endangered, depending on the region.
Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis): A vulnerable North American herb.
Pygeum/African Cherry (Prunus africana): A vulnerable tree from central and southern Africa.
Costus root (Saussurea costus): Also known as Kuth or Aucklandia. A critically endangered medicinal herb from the Himalayas.
Dendrobium(Dendrobium): A large genus of orchids, with many species used in traditional medicines. At high risk because of habitat loss, climate change and illegal harvesting.
Aromatic plants:
Agarwood-producing species (Aquilaria): Trees from Southeast Asian rainforests that produce the fragrant resin agar (used in Oud perfume). Twenty-one species now classified from vulnerable to critically endangered.
There is a lot of chatter, commentary and excitement ahead of the City Rail Link (CRL), but for some Aucklanders the wide-ranging benefits of the new rapid transit network remain a mystery.
Opening in the second half of this year, CRL is Auckland’s ticket to becoming a truly international city. But how? Here is the answer in the words of the experts:
Modern city
‘The City Rail Link itself, the upgrade of station neighbourhoods, and the new CRL-enabled timetable will improve how the city moves, grows and competes. It will open up easy and efficient travel in and around the city for those further from the city centre, while connecting the likes of Pukekohe and Franklin with our urban population. Everywhere benefits.’ Read more from Councillor Andy Baker on the value of CRL for Aucklanders.
Efficiency
‘This is the largest, most complex transport project undertaken in New Zealand for decades. It sets a benchmark. It will mean you’ll get to work faster in the morning, you’ll get home faster at the end of the day, and if you’re heading somewhere on the network on a Saturday night it will be a much more efficient and seamless trip.’ Hear more from Auckland Council Director of Resilience and Infrastructure, Barry Potter.
Value
‘This major infrastructure investment will deliver a significant return on the council’s 50% stake in the project, when it doubles the number of people experiencing a public transport journey time of 30 minutes or less into the city centre by train from opening day in 2026.’ Learn more from Auckland Council Principal Transport Advisor, George Weeks.
Walkability
‘Incrementally, 21,000 more city centre residents, 17,200 more students and 37,000 additional (existing) jobs will be within a 12-minute walk of two new stations, once CRL is operational.’ Read this and more from George Weeks.
Productivity
‘Improved connectivity between people and jobs enabled by CRL will drive urban productivity. A more productive Auckland is not only more competitive in attracting people, skills, and investment; ultimately, it’s a more liveable place for everyone.’ Auckland Council Chief Economist, Gary Blick explains more on OurAuckland.
Housing
‘CRL makes transport-adjacent locations more accessible and desirable, improving the feasibility of high-density homes in these areas. This helps housing supply respond to demand and more housing should, over time, help moderate price growth’. Gary Blick shares more in this OurAuckland article.
Neighbourhoods
‘CRL is much more than a transport project – it’s a city-shaping investment. Station neighbourhoods create places that connect people seamlessly to jobs, learning, culture and daily life, while supporting a more walkable, resilient and low-carbon city centre. They are critical to unlocking the full value of the City Rail Link.’ Read this and more from Auckland Council Priority Location Director – City Centre, Simon Oddie.
Active modes
Two examples of new cycleway systems in CRL precincts: separated bike lanes along each side of Karangahape Road and new separated cycle lanes on Canada Street and East Street linking up with existing cycle routes such as Te Ara I Whiti – The Lightpath. Pitt Street and Vincent Street are also now linked into the cycle network.
And the second example: ‘Victoria Street West – on the doorstep of CRL’s Te Waihorotiu Station – is now a tree-lined section of street with one lane of vehicles in each direction, connected laneways, wide footpaths with places to sit and spend time, and a new cycleway.’ Read this and more from Simon Oddie.
Sustainability
‘The more people use the rail network and the more vehicles come off the roads, the more sustainable Auckland becomes.’ Barry Potter explains more in this article.
Tourism
Auckland competes in a highly dynamic global market for tourists and major events. CRL is tipped to give the city a new edge in both arenas. Fans will be able to travel from Henderson to a game at Go Media Stadium and from Glen Innes to a concert at Eden Park with a single train trip. Learn more from Tātaki Auckland Unlimited Director Destination, Annie Dundas.
Experience
‘When the stations open, I think people will be surprised with what they see. They are very beautiful, immaculate, 21st century structures of the kind we’re just not used to.’ Read this and more from George Weeks.
Investment catalyst
‘CRL’s new stations will drive quality development, just as Waitematā Station has in downtown. It will have a positive catalyst effect.’ Barry Potter explains more in this OurAuckland article.
Inclusion
‘Connectivity is essential for smaller and mid-sized cities (like Auckland) to harness economies of scale. There is a strong correlation in most (global) city benchmarks between transport infrastructure quality and access to good public services, air quality, responsible carbon emissions and social inclusion.’ Read the full 2025 State of the City Report.
Throwing more light on the optimism of these experts, business leader and NZ Herald columnist Cecelia Robinson says: “Infrastructure is optimism made physical.”
The City Rail Link (CRL) launch is a major highlight for the year ahead. City Rail Link information brochures are available in eight languages on the Auckland Transport website.
The man arrested following a family harm incident in Parawera, Waipa is appearing in court today.
The 47-year-old faces a number of charges relating to the incident and will appear in the Hamilton District Court.
Armed Police, including the Armed Offenders Squad, as well as the Police Negotiation Team attended the scene yesterday, and assisted in bringing the incident to a safe conclusion.
The remaining cordons were lifted, and the road was opened to the public shortly after 6pm.
Police want to reassure the community that this was an isolated incident and there is no ongoing risk to the public.
