Category: MIL-OSI

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Health and safety sentencing gives important lessons for ‘overlapping duties’

Source: Maritime New Zealand

A sentencing in the Nelson District Court today [February 9] gives important health and safety lessons for when businesses are working together at the same workplace.

Maritime NZ Deputy Chief Executive Regulatory Operations, Deb Despard, says this is the ‘overlapping duties’ principle in the Health and Safety at Work Act. Importantly, while this case involved a fishing vessel, the lessons can apply to all industries covered by the Act, not only the maritime and ports sectors.

Maritime NZ prosecuted Sealord Group Limited after a crew member of the Sealord fishing vessel, Rehua, was trapped and crushed when a winch he was working on started unexpectedly. The crew member suffered serious chest injuries.

Sealord pled guilty to one charge under section 34 of the Act and was sentenced today.

The incident occurred on 4 June 2022, when Rehua was docked at Port of Nelson for planned maintenance. This included refitting its winch systems. Two other companies were also involved in the refit of the winches.

The Act makes each business responsible for carrying out their health and safety duties at the workplace, which in this case was the Rehua.

Business must also work together to manage safety (the Act says they consult, cooperate and coordinate activities). This is so they have shared understanding of the work and the risks, and agree who is best placed to manage safety. 

It was reasonably practicable for Sealord to consult, cooperate with, and coordinate activities with the other businesses by ensuring:

·         a toolbox talk involving all people working around or with the winch system, discussing the winch controls and a safe system of working that day took place

·         there was clear communication of a safe system of work

·         clear communication of training and supervision for the work involving the winch system.

“The lessons from this incident are being used to help keep others safe,” Ms Despard says.

“Maritime NZ is working with senior leaders in the industry through the Fishers’ Health and Safety Leadership Group, including Sealord, to progress initiatives together to prevent harm in the fishing sector.”

Maritime NZ is also sharing information about this case with the maritime and port sectors to increase knowledge of the Act and help prevent harm in future.

 

Editors’ note:

The Health and Safety at Work Act uses the term ‘person conducting a business or undertaking’ (PCBU). For ease of reading by the general public, Maritime NZ has referred to PCBUs as businesses in this media release. In this case the three PCBUs involved were businesses.

The Court ordered Sealord to pay $40,000 reparations to the injured crew member and imposed a fine of $12,950.

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Improving access to medicines in rural communities

Source: PHARMAC

Remote and rural communities across New Zealand will soon benefit from improved access to emergency health care following a recent Pharmac funding decision.

From 1 March 2026, Pharmac will fund more treatments for use in community emergency care, ensuring that rural health practitioners, such as GPs and midwives, have access to the same emergency, trauma and pain medication as hospitals and ambulance services.

“Getting fast emergency care can be especially challenging for people living in rural areas of New Zealand, where ambulances can take longer to arrive and hospitals may be further away,” says Pharmac’s Director Strategy, Policy, and Performance Michael Johnson. 

Previously, some trauma and emergency services in the community didn’t have access to the same funded medicines as Health NZ hospitals and ambulance services. This affected people’s ability to get the medicines they needed, when they needed them.

“This simple change will ensure people living in rural areas will have access to the same quality of emergency medical treatment as those living in major urban centres.  

This will ensure rural health professionals have funded access to key medicines, that will reduce imbalances in health care that existed between city and country areas. 

From 1 March the following medicines will be funded for use in community emergency care:

  • PRIME services: droperidol, glucose (5% 100 ml bag and 10% 500 ml bag) ketamine, methoxyflurane, intravenous tranexamic acid, and enoxaparin 100 mg.
  • Home births: intravenous tranexamic acid for postpartum haemorrhage.

“These medicines will be made available through Practitioner Supply Orders (PSO), enabling authorised health professionals to stock them in advance so they are available for emergency situations”, Johnson added.

Primary Response in Medical Emergency (PRIME) services are provided by specially trained GPs and nurses from rural general practice, who are first responders for trauma and medical emergencies in rural areas where ambulance services are not readily available.

Pharmac is also funding ketamine for uncontrollable pain in people receiving palliative care in their communities.

“Ketamine is currently funded for palliative care in hospitals, but not in the community,” says Johnson.

“Ketamine will be available by prescription or pre-stocked in rest homes and hospices so that people can get it when they need it,” Johnson says.

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Government funds and delivers new school in 18 months

Source: New Zealand Government

The first new school announced by the Government is open from today in Flat Bush following a blessing this morning, Education Minister Erica Stanford says.

“A new school is an exciting start for the school community and it was a pleasure to visit Te Kura Rau Iti this morning. Flat Bush is a fast-growing suburb and this school, with a capacity for 700 students, will provide for local families heading into the future,” Ms Stanford says.

The new school for Years 0 to 6 has come in on time and under budget, making use of the Government’s new approach which has reduced the cost of a classroom while still retaining high-quality specifications for the build.

“We have proven that we can provide repeatable designs for schools in a way that both ensures students are getting quality, and taxpayers’ money is used responsibly,” Ms Stanford says.

“The new school is also free from the unpopular, large barnyard-style classrooms that we promised to address. These weren’t working for students and they weren’t working for teachers.”

The new school has:

  • 30 teaching spaces with flexible art spaces
  • A library, hall, and administration spaces
  • Two hardcourts, and junior and senior playgrounds.
  • A school field, available in March.

The new school is a repeatable design, based on Ahutoetoe School, Brookfields School, and Te Pae School which is currently in construction. The school design also includes space for further roll growth when required. The total build is $41 million.

Ms Stanford says the school will also provide the Learning Support initiatives that are rolling out from Term One through the Government’s $746.7 million Learning Support investment. 

“We are supporting our children to get the support they need with their learning whether they’re needing to catch up, get more help, or have specific learning needs. As part of the next phase for the school in the future, there is also a planned learning support satellite unit.”

Local MP for Takanini, Rima Nakhle, says the school’s opening is fantastic progress that responds to Flat Bush’s growth, relieving pressure on nearby schools. 

“Locals have been seeing significant growth in Flat Bush, and Te Kura Rau Iti has been built to respond to that. The opening of the school today is another step in ensuring our community has high-quality learning spaces for our children heading into the future,” Ms Nakhle says.

“This is a great example of delivery in action. We are committed to fixing the basics and building for the future, and today is another step in delivering the funding and resources required to build a world-leading education system.”

“I wish the school team and the community the absolute very best in learning and success in their new school. This is an exciting start for everyone and I look forward to seeing the school’s progress,” Ms Stanford says.

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Dedicated dialysis service opens in Invercargill

Source: New Zealand Government

Southland’s new dialysis unit has officially opened, improving access to life-saving treatment for patients across Invercargill and the wider Southland region, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. 

“The opening of this new unit at Southland Hospital is a significant step forward for renal care in the South,” Mr Brown says.

“Until now, many Southlanders have had to travel to Dunedin three times a week for dialysis – a 2.5-hour journey each way. This new facility means more people can receive the care they need closer to home.”

The purpose-built unit features five haemodialysis spaces to treat outpatients and eligible inpatients from across the hospital, along with a dedicated area for peritoneal dialysis training and follow-up care.

“In time, the unit will also support training for patients who wish to undertake home haemodialysis, giving people greater independence and flexibility in managing their treatment.”

Previously, dialysis services in Invercargill were delivered from a space originally intended as an ‘away-from-home’ facility for visitors, before growing demand saw it accommodate some regular dialysis patients. 

“With demand increasing, a fit-for-purpose dialysis service in Southland became essential. This new unit increases the number of dialysis chairs from two to five, improving access for patients.”

Initially, the expanded service is expected to support six to eight haemodialysis patients each week, with numbers projected to grow over the next six months.

“For patients and their families, dialysis isn’t just a treatment – it’s part of everyday life. Being able to receive that care locally reduces stress, keeps people connected to family and community, and supports better long-term health.

“This new facility is about making sure Southlanders can receive the care they need, closer to home,” Mr Brown says.

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Speech to the Climate and the Cryosphere Open Science Conference and Antarctic Science Platform announcement

Source: New Zealand Government

Opening remarks

Nga mihi ki te rangi, ngā mihi ki te whenua. Ngā mihi ki a koutou. Kia ora mai tātou.

I greet the sky. I greet the earth. I greet all of you. Welcome.

Ki te mana whenua, tēnā koutou. Ko tēnei taku mihi tuku atu ki a koutou. Ngā mihi, ngā mihi.

I would also like to start by acknowledging Professor Tim Naish; Professor Brony James; Professor Gary Wilson; and all distinguished delegates who have travelled from around the world to be here.

Nau mai, haere mai ki whakatau ma Te Whanganui-a-Tara. Once twice, thrice a greeting.

Welcome to Wellington and welcome to New Zealand.

The importance and timeliness of this conference

Your conference comes at a pivotal time. Advances in cryosphere research are sharpening our understanding of the climate system, particularly in the Southern Hemisphere, while new technologies are transforming what researchers can observe, measure and model.

For New Zealand, our interest in Antarctica stretches back at least as far as a founding signature to the Antarctic Treaty System. Antarctica is not remote – it is our close neighbour and a critical part of our climate system. 

Changes in Antarctic ice sheets influence sea levels, storm behaviour, and long-term risk across our region. Closer to home, research on Southern Alps glaciers is improving our understanding of water resources, ecosystems, and energy security.

The work represented here strengthens and adds to the global evidence base and directly informs long-term planning and resilience. 

I acknowledge the significant contribution each of you makes through your fieldwork, modelling, innovation, and international collaboration. Thank you.

Strengthening New Zealand’s science system

Science, innovation and technology are important to a productive and resilient economy. Over the past year, we have responded to science productivity, innovation and modernisation concerns by delivering the most significant reform of New Zealand’s science system in over 30 years.

Seven Crown Research Institutes have been consolidated into three Public Research Organisations aligned to national priorities, including earth systems science. Once of the most successful amalgamations of large state-owned enterprises to date.

We have also established the New Zealand Institute for Advanced Technology, supported by $231 million over four years, to accelerate capability in frontier technologies such as cryogenic super conduction, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies and synthetic biology.

These advanced technologies are increasingly relevant to Antarctic science – from autonomous under-ice vehicles and sub-ice moorings to high-resolution environmental modelling and remote sensing. They are expanding our ability to monitor ice-ocean interactions and improve predictive capability.

Announcement

A few months ago I announced the first ever formal science memorandum of understanding with the United States. The very first projects include:

  • Antarctic Groundwater-Ecosystem connectivity
  • Spectra of Sentinels: Mapping Ecosystem Change from Ground, Air and Space, and
  • Drivers and Implications of Rapid Sea Ice Decline in the Ross Sea.

Today, I am pleased to announce a new international collaborative partner, the UAE, a along with a targeted $1 million increase to New Zealand’s Antarctic Science Platform for 2026, through the Emirates Polar Steering Committee and the new Polar Research Centre. This investment will support two new joint research projects with Khalifa University in United Arab Emirates.

Through this partnership, researchers will access complementary strengths, including advanced satellite data streams and environmental sensing capabilities.

The initial collaboration projects will focus on:

  1. Storm dynamics and sea ice formation – integrating high-resolution modelling with new observation techniques to improve forecasting and understanding of how storm systems influence sea ice formation; and
  2. Tracking changes to ice shelves using autonomous underwater vehicles – deploying long-range AUVs and remote technologies to measure heat content and water mass exchange on the continental shelf, helping fill critical data gaps.

For New Zealand, this partnership further strengthens our contribution to global climate and cryosphere science while building our capability in advanced remote technologies.

This level of collaboration reflects the importance New Zealand places on cryosphere science and international scientific partnership.

Climate resilience and adaptation

The insights generated by cryosphere science are increasingly important for New Zealand and the world.

Here we face growing risks from floods, storms and other natural hazards. In October, the Government released New Zealand’s first National Adaptation Framework — a long-term plan to help communities prepare for climate impacts.

The framework includes practical steps such as developing a consistent National Flood Map, so New Zealanders can access trusted information about their risk, and requiring adaptation plans in priority areas so councils can plan ahead for the next 30 years.

Sound adaptation policy depends on robust science. The research and collaboration represented at this conference directly supports that work.

To all delegates, thank you for your commitment to advancing understanding of our climate system. With two new funded international Antarctic science collaborations in just over 60 days, you can see the importance I place and New Zealand places on cryosphere research. I have urgency and have acted accordingly and I hope that you also share that urgency.

International Science collaboration supported by innovation and technology is essential to building a resilient future.

Closing

In closing, I wish you a productive and stimulating conference, and thank you helping us build a better, safer world.

It is now my pleasure to declare the Climate and the Cryosphere Open Science Conference officially open.

Ngā mihi nui. Thank you.

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NZ-UAE partnership boosts advanced tech capability

Source: New Zealand Government

A new Antarctic science partnership with a leading UAE university will grow New Zealand’s advanced engineering and modelling capability, supporting high-value jobs, encouraging economic growth, and enabling smarter climate risk management, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Dr Shane Reti says. 

“This partnership is about building high-value capability in New Zealand and strengthening our economy for the future,” Dr Reti says.

“By combining our research expertise with the UAE’s strengths in engineering and autonomous technologies, we will develop new tools to better understand and predict how climate change in Antarctica affects our weather, oceans and coastal communities. 

“The collaboration supports our Antarctic research goals while strengthening New Zealand’s advanced engineering and autonomous systems capability – technologies that can boost productivity and resilience across key industries. 

“It will also provide better insight into Antarctic climate change to help businesses and decision‑makers plan for the future. 

“The systems developed, from high-resolution climate modelling to long-range autonomous underwater vehicles, will have applications across marine industries, environmental monitoring and aerospace.

“That means new commercial opportunities, high-value jobs, and stronger national capability in the technologies that will power our future economy.”

The partnership will initially support two Antarctic Science Platform projects focused on improving sea-ice forecasting and deploying advanced autonomous systems to better understand ice shelf melt and ocean circulation.

New Zealand will invest $1 million in the projects, following a Memorandum of Arrangement between Khalifa University and Antarctica New Zealand.

The Antarctic Science Platform will run a targeted contestable process to identify New Zealand research teams to join the collaboration, with proposals assessed on scientific excellence and their potential to build capability for both countries.

Notes to editors:

The partnership will initially support two projects delivered through the Antarctic Science Platform. These projects will focus on:

  • Storm dynamics influence on sea ice formation: Improved forecasting tools will enhance operational planning and build New Zealand’s capability in predictive environmental modelling, integrating high resolution modelling with new observation techniques will improve understanding of how storm dynamics influence sea ice formation.
  • Tracking changes to ice shelve using Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs): Long-range AUVs and other remote technology will be developed and deployed to measure heat content and water mass exchange on the continental ice shelf. Designed to operate in extreme conditions, these systems will expand New Zealand’s capability in remote sensing technologies while helping fill key data gaps related to iceshelf melt and ocean circulation.

In May 2025, the Government announced an investment of $49 million over the next seven years to support the Antarctic Science Platform. Collaboration between New Zealand and the UAE’s relevant Antarctic institutions through this Platform supports the Government’s work to accelerate long-term economic growth driven by innovation. 

It also complements recently announced collaborations with international partners including Japan, Singapore, Australia and the United States across advanced materials, space science, health technologies and climate research supported by the MBIE-administered Catalyst Fund. 

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Fatal crash: Buckland, Auckland

Source: New Zealand Police

One person has died following a serious crash on Logan Road, Buckland this morning.

Emergency services responded to the single vehicle crash, involving a truck and trailer unit, at 7.32am.

Sadly, the sole occupant of the truck died at the scene.

The Serious Crash Unit attended, with enquiries into the circumstances of the crash ongoing.

At this stage the road remains closed while Police examine the scene.

ENDS.

Amanda Wieneke/NZ Police

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New trans-Tasman standards agreement signed

Source: New Zealand Government

A new agreement between Standards New Zealand and Standards Australia means improved products and opportunities for local businesses and households, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Scott Simpson says.

“This agreement is what this Government is all about – fixing the basics and building the future. It will make it easier to operate across New Zealand and Australia, reducing costs for businesses and improve the quality and safety of goods and services that consumers rely on every day,” Mr Simpson says.

In August 2025, Prime Minister Luxon and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese affirmed in their Australia-New Zealand Leaders’ meeting the importance of trans-Tasman standards and ongoing partnership.

“By aligning standards and adopting trusted international rules in areas like artificial intelligence, data management and cybersecurity, New Zealanders can have greater confidence that new technologies are being used safely and responsibly.

“Reducing fees and red tape will also free up businesses to invest in innovation and growth, supporting jobs, strengthening digital trade, and helping New Zealand businesses compete internationally – delivering long-term benefits for the wider economy.”

The two national standards bodies have signed a new Standards Development and Distribution Agreement and Statement of Operating Procedures.

Mr Simpson says the agreement reaffirms the commitment to trans-Tasman standards alignment.

“It ensures our standards system reflects modern science, technology, regulatory and business practice. It’s a win for New Zealand businesses, consumers, and our economy.”

Mr Simpson commended Standards New Zealand and Standards Australia for their close cooperation and focus on economic growth.

“Harmonised standards with Australia are a priority for this Government. The standards relationship between Australia and New Zealand is internationally unique and highly-valued, having delivered significant economic benefits to both countries.

“The new agreement has support from industry stakeholders on both sides of the Tasman and lays the foundation for future joint trans-Tasman standards development with Australia.”

Notes to editors:

 This agreement will ensure:

  • Shared standards to help businesses streamline operations, reduce costs, improve quality and meet regulatory requirements in both countries
  • Companies can focus on innovation, growth and global competitiveness
  • Adoption of international standards in areas such as artificial intelligence, data management, and cybersecurity gives businesses confidence to use new technologies
  • Removal of commissioning fees for New Zealand industry for joint Australian-New Zealand standards development
  • Support for digital trade and help New Zealand businesses remain competitive internationally
  • A stronger voice for New Zealand industry in the early scoping and prioritisation of joint standards work.
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Serious crash, Greenmeadows

Source: New Zealand Police

Emergency services are responding to a crash involving a car and a cyclist on Avondale Road, reported around 8.24am.

One person is reported to have serious injuries and is receiving medical treatment.

The Serious Crash Unit has been advised.

Motorists may expect high traffic and delays. Traffic control is being managed around Avondale Road, Knightsbridge Place and Osier Road.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre