Source: New Zealand Police
Harihari Highway (SH6), Ross, is blocked following a serious crash this afternoon.
Police were notified of the multi-vehicle crash, near Donoghues Road, around 1:10pm.
Initial indicators are that there have been serious injuries.
The Serious Crash Unit has been advised and the road is expected to be blocked for some time while emergency services work at the scene.
Motorists are advised to avoide the area where possible and expect delays.
ENDS
Source: New Zealand Police
Please attribute to Detective Inspector Shaun Vickers, Counties Manukau CIB:
Two separate investigations are underway following several complaints received in relation to the Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board Election.
Police can confirm that at this stage we are investigating 16 complaints, forwarded to us from Election Services.
This investigation remains in the early stages, however they relate to allegations of electoral fraud.
Separately, a petition of inquiry into the conduct of the Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board (Papatoetoe subdivision) election is before the Manukau District Court.
The respondent to that petition is the independent Electoral Officer for Auckland (from Election Services).
ENDS.
Note for media: Any further questions in relation to the petition will need to be directed to Election Services.
Holly McKay/NZ Police
Source: New Zealand Police
Police can confirm one person has died following a crash in Mount Eden this morning.
The crash, on Dominion Road, was reported at around 10.18am.
Sadly, one person died at the scene.
Dominion Road has since reopened and an investigation into the cause of the crash remains ongoing.
ENDS.
Holly McKay/NZ Police
Source: New Zealand Police
Good Police work has swiftly ended the plans of four alleged youth offenders in Auckland on Tuesday.
Two investigation teams were tasked with enquiries into a series of aggravated robberies reported across Waitematā in recent days.
Detective Senior Sergeant Ryan Bunting, Waitematā West Area Investigations Manager, says there were four separate reports of intimidating behaviour and assault over a two-day period.
“These alleged offenders confronted their victims, assaulted them, and took multiple items including a gold watch, cash, cell phones, and a scooter,” he says.
“With the help of CCTV, investigators were able to identify a person of interest linked to the series of offences. Officers from the Youth Crime Team located and arrested that person shortly after.”
The alleged offender was also identified as being involved in multiple instances of disorder, trespass, and shoplifting in West Auckland over the past two weeks.
“Once we identified one member of the group, the other three were located and arrested within three hours,” Detective Senior Sergeant Bunting says.
“We are pleased to have stopped the harm these alleged offenders were causing in our communities.”
A 14-year-old female has been charged with multiple counts of aggravated robbery and will appear in the Waitākere Youth Court today. She has also been referred to Youth Aid for the other alleged offending.
Three males, aged 12 and 13, have been referred to Youth Aid for aggravated robbery.
ENDS.
Amanda Wieneke/NZ Police
Source: NZ Ministry for Primary Industries
Fisheries New Zealand fishery officers caught 2 divers with 369 undersize pāua at Sponge Bay in Gisborne yesterday.
Officers discovered the pair when they were patrolling the coast and inspected their catch.
“The divers were preparing to leave the area when they were stopped for a routine check of their catch. It was very disappointing to find they had 369 undersize pāua, the smallest pāua was only 56mm,” says Fisheries New Zealand district manager, Gisborne/Whakatane, Jordan Cooper.
Officers returned the pāua to the sea and seized their vehicle and diving gear. Fisheries New Zealand is considering next steps, including prosecution.
“When we find evidence of people deliberately breaking the rules – we will hold them to account. The rules are there for a reason – to keep our shared fisheries sustainable into the future.
“The daily limit per person for gathering pāua is 5 with a minimum size of 125mm and we would strongly encourage anyone who is unaware of the rules to download the free NZ Fishing Rules mobile app which will provide you the latest rules, including closures and gear restrictions for any area you intend to fish,” Jordan Cooper says.
We encourage people to report any suspected illegal activity through the Ministry for Primary Industries’ 0800 4 POACHER line (0800 476 224).
For further information and general enquiries, call MPI on 0800 008 333 or email info@mpi.govt.nz
For media enquiries, contact the media team on 029 894 0328.
Source: New Zealand Transport Agency
State Highway 1 Transmission Gully will be fully open this weekend, with a planned southbound road closure now postponed by one week.
The next southbound closure will be in place between 10 am Friday, 28 November and 4:30 am Monday, 1 December.
Mark Owen, Regional Manager Lower North Island / Top of the South says there has been a full review of what happened last weekend and how it affected the public.
“We realise the congestion on Sunday afternoon and evening caused lengthy delays and frustration for drivers. We apologise for the inconvenience caused.”
“We are working through the key causes of last weekend’s problems so that we can make improvements. While the work we have planned this summer will be disruptive and cause delays, we want to minimise it as much as possible,” Mr Owen says.
He says revised plans are being developed and the public will be updated soon on expected improvements to reduce congestion and delays on the State Highway 59 detour route.
“Works continue throughout the summer period, so people must prepare for delays to travel in the upcoming months. Currently, there are lane closures in place in both northbound and southbound directions, and these will be in place 24/7 until mid-February, weather permitting.”
We want to return the road to full operation as soon as we can. This is so it is ready for expected peak traffic volumes immediately before Christmas,” Mr Owen says.
Contractors backfilling concrete next to the southbound lane after drainage has been installed.
Mr Owen says Friday afternoon northbound traffic will be congested on Transmission Gully during peak hour, so where possible, people should try to travel earlier or later in the afternoon and evening.
“On Saturday, there is a Wellington Phoenix game scheduled, so people should be prepared for delays on Saturday afternoon heading into Wellington city.”
“With Metlink bus replacements in place for the Kāpiti rail line on Sunday, people can also expect more traffic than normal,” Mr Owen says.
He also says people must be aware that Sunday afternoon is typically a busy time for southbound traffic, particularly around Raumati.
“We expect southbound traffic in the morning peak to be congested, as well as northbound traffic in the afternoon peak, Monday to Friday.”
“Please follow the posted speed limits, merge like a zip and be patient with other drivers and the crews on site,” Mr Owen says.
State Highway 59 remains a recommend alternative route while work on Transmission Gully continues. Drivers are encouraged to check Journey Planner regularly for information before they travel and follow NZTA/Waka Kotahi social media channels for updates.
Source: New Zealand Police
An 18-year-old woman has died following a crash in Manawatū on Tuesday 18 November.
The crash, involving a car and a truck, occurred at the intersection of Kairanga Bunnythorpe Road and Roberts Line at around midday.
The young woman was critically injured in the crash and tragically has subsequently passed away in hospital.
Enquiries into the circumstances of the crash are under way.
ENDS
Issued by Police Media Centre.
Source: New Zealand Government
The Government is marking World’s Children Day by reinforcing its commitment to make New Zealand a better place for young Kiwis to grow up in and thrive, Child Poverty Reduction Minister Louise Upston says.
“Today marks one year since the launch of our Child and Youth Strategy, outlining the vision, outcomes and priorities driving government work to improve the lives of all young New Zealanders,” Louise Upston says.
“We are continuing to take action on three key priorities in the strategy:
• supporting children and their families and whānau in the first 2000 days,
• reducing child material hardship
• preventing harm against children
“Our Government has already delivered tax relief to families, made early childhood care more affordable through FamilyBoost, and delivered on ambitious targets to raise outcomes in areas such as health, education, housing, and law and order.
“We’ve also made commitments directly supporting the first 2,000 days of a child’s life and preventing child harm.
“Parenting funding was announced as part of Social Investment Funding in Budget 2025, specifically $20 million for programmes strengthening parenting in the first 2,000 days of a child’s life, reducing harm and setting children up for better long-term outcomes.
“Children of families with complex needs were identified as priority groups for the first round of the Social Investment Fund in June.
“We know children with complex needs are more likely to experience poor outcomes and require significant social support throughout their lives. I’m pleased that the focus on these children has been prioritised under the fund.”
The Government has also accepted all recommendations of the Dame Karen Poutasi Review and set up an integrated response to work at pace in strengthening the children’s system to better protect children from harm.
“Our commitment to this integrated response marks a clear line that child safety comes first. Every child in New Zealand deserves to feel safe and secure,” Louise Upston says
“The Government is also taking action to reduce child material hardship, particularly in challenging economic times. In Budget 2025 we lifted the income threshold for Working for Families so that more low-to-middle-income working families would get additional financial support each fortnight.
“We’ve also supported families in material hardship by:
• extending funding for community providers to source and distribute food through food hubs and foodbanks and for KidsCan for raincoats and KickStart Breakfast,
• reprioritising funding to deliver additional social housing places and affordable rentals, including affordable homes for whānau Māori, over four years.
“The principles of social investment – intervening earlier and more effectively – will continue to guide decisions on where to invest and what to do differently to improve outcomes for our children and young people.”
Source: New Zealand Ministry of Health
The Drug Checking Service Provider Licensing Handbook was updated in November 2025. This page now reflects the latest version.
Drug checking provides an early intervention harm reduction service by determining the likely composition of illicit substances and providing harm reduction advice to individuals. Drug checking services aim to reduce risk and harm by helping people make informed decisions about drug use. It does not promote illicit drug use or claim that illicit drug use is safe.
Drug checking is regulated under amendments to the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 (MoDA), along with the Psychoactive Substances Act 2013, the Medicines Act 1981, and the relevant regulations of those Acts. For drug checking service providers to operate legally, the Director-General of Health must have licensed them.
This publication gives details on the application, assessment, and licence renewal processes along with general information about the Drug Checking Licensing Scheme for potential and current drug checking service providers. It also contains information about the monitoring and reporting requirements for providers.
Source: New Zealand Government
The Government is reforming building research funding to boost value for money, eliminate duplicate costs and drive innovation in the building sector.
“The Building Research Levy Act was introduced in 1969 and has not been reviewed for over 50 years, while the levy rate has remained unchanged since 1977,” Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says.
“A long overdue review of the Act has found that the current system lacks transparency, no longer reflects modern expectations for public funding and limits competition in the way research funding is allocated.
“At present, every construction project valued over $20,000 is charged a levy of $1 for every $1,000 of its contract value. All funding goes to the Building Research Association of New Zealand (BRANZ), which invests it in research aimed at improving building practices, materials and performance.
“However, Kiwis also pay a separate building levy on successful consent applications for projects over $65,000. This funding supports Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) work to invest in and develop the building sector through policy, education, compliance and monitoring.
“This means consent applicants end up paying two separate bills for Government funded initiatives to improve building in New Zealand.
“Today I am announcing that the Government will replace the Building Research Levy by repealing the outdated Building Research Levy Act 1969. Going forward, building research will be funded through the existing building levy under the Building Act 2024.
“Funding will be managed centrally, with input from the sector, to improve oversight of spending and ensure research funding aligns with sector needs and Government priorities.
“The portion of the building levy dedicated to research will be ring-fenced, providing reliable multi-year support and giving long-term research projects the certainty they need to succeed.
“Funding will be contestable, creating new opportunities for universities, industry organisations and research agencies to access levy funds.
“The changes will also make processes more efficient for Building Consent Authorities, who will no longer need to manage paperwork for two separate levies. Consent applicants are expected to save around $65 per consent as a result.
“I want to acknowledge BRANZ for its decades of hard work to improve sustainability, quality and resilience in the building sector. BRANZ will continue to play a central role in providing valuable research, and transitional arrangements will be put in place to maintain its current funding levels until the new allocation model comes into effect.
“By modernising the way research is funded, the system will become more transparent, competitive and accountable. This will help ensure that every research dollar achieves better outcomes for both the building industry and homeowners.
“The Government is committed to making building easier and more affordable in New Zealand. A more innovative and resilient building sector will help deliver more homes, strengthen infrastructure and support economic growth.”
Notes to editor: