Category: MIL-OSI

Source: Secondary teachers question rationale for changes to relationship education guidelines

In a once weed-ridden and forgotten corner of Māngere, something remarkable is flourishing. On the unused land of a former Kāinga Ora housing site, the Māngere Community Enviro Hub is now sprouting with fresh produce to feed the community.

The hub, on the corner of Elmdon St and Watchfield Close, often echoes with the chatter of school kids gathered around the raised beds learning about growing kai, and on special occasions, the smoke from the hāngī pit signals a community gathering. At the Auckland Council-funded Māngere Community Enviro Hub, the community isn’t just watching things grow – they’re growing together.

1. Growing kai for the community

In just one year, the Kāinga Ora land leased to community development organisation I AM Māngere has gone from bare earth to a thriving community garden. The driving force of this transformation is software developer turned horticulturist Rata Taiwhanga, from the Etū Rākau Charitable Trust.

In the māra kai (food garden), several garden beds are growing seasonal kai. The beds are designed in a tiered pyramid shape to create airflow. There’s also a section dedicated to Pacific and international produce such as taro, pawpaw and bananas.

Even in cooler weather, the garden is thriving with rainbow silverbeet and winter greens. There’s a garden bed set aside for locals who can use the garden to grow vegetables for their whānau. Other produce is sold at markets for an affordable price.

The pyramid design of the garden beds at Māngere Community Enviro Hub is designed to create airflow around the whenua (land).

Auckland Council has supported the Māngere Community Enviro Hub through the Climate Grant, the Waste Minimisation and Innovation Fund and support through the Recovery Office. Installing a greenhouse is the next big project on the horizon which will allow the garden to extend the growing season on some crops – part of a bigger project around sustainability and climate resilience.

“It is important for Auckland Council to support Etū Rākau and the Māngere Enviro Hub,” says Frances Hayton, Low Carbon Specialist for the Council.

“Māngere is one of the three priority communities identified as needing support to be able to lead their own recovery following the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Weekend floods and adapt to the changing environment.

“The Māngere Enviro Hub sits alongside other Council programmes that aim to build on the understanding within the Māngere community of a changing climate to future hazards such as floods, drought, cyclones and rising sea levels.”

2. Composting waste and creating a circular economy

Council funding has helped provide carbon cycle composting bins for the site. Each bin can process 750kg of food waste a week, and the compost produced is used to replenish the garden. The composting system is part of the Enviro Hub’s circular economy and the group charges local businesses, such as cafes, $30 a week to collect their food scraps. The green waste is then used to grow microgreens, which are sold back to the cafe.

Local student Jackson has learnt how to compost Māngere Community Enviro Hub’s carbon cycle composting bins. The Council-funded bins have the capacity to compost 750kg of food scraps a week.

Another local business supplies the Enviro Hub with mulch and brown vegetation for the garden. If the compost bins can generate excess compost, Rata hopes to sell bags at local markets.

“The idea is to create a micro store that’s accessible for the local community as there’s no hardware store or plant store in Māngere,” says Rata. “By charging a small fee for things like plants, food or compost, it covers costs but it also shows there’s a value to what we’re creating.”

3. Growing great minds

The Enviro Hub works with several schools – including Māngere College, which helped build the foundations of the garden – and community groups, such as Ngāti Tamaoho, to run workshops and teach tamariki and rangitahi (children and teenagers) sustainable living skills like how to grow their own kai. From these practical skills and new-found knowledge of the environment comes personal growth, says Rata.

“Some of these kids have a 501 gang background and what we’re trying to do here is to equip them for life,” says Rata. “I see a lot of rangatahi and they’re afraid of being Māori. They think they need to speak the reo (language) to understand the history and know their whakapapa to be Māori.

“One thing I say to these kids is if you want to understand your culture, understand your first mother, Papatūānuku (Mother Earth). Once you learn how to look after the garden and the planet and all that, everything else will just come naturally.”

4. Replenishing the whenua (land)

In his workshops, Rata teaches his students how to rejuvenate the soil in the garden with compost and organic matter which brings microorganisms to the soil. He also talks to his students about carbon sequestration (the process of capturing and storing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in the soil) and mycelium in the soil (the rootlike network of fungus) – the Enviro Hub even has a mushroom hut!

“The way I explain the soil is like a waka,” Rata explains. “When some people first see a waka they think the ingenuity is in the sail, but it’s actually underneath the boat which creates air bubbles that make the boat go fast – it’s the same with soil and the garden.”

Rata also leads the community on litter clean-up days and the restoration of Te Ararata Creek. This Matariki, the Enviro Hub plans to plant 500 native trees on the waterway.

5. Feeding the community

As well as feeding locals with fresh produce, Rata and the Enviro Hub team have worked together with the Tūpuna Maunga Authority to create community hāngī days. Earlier this year, the Māngere Community Enviro Hub and Te Pane o Mataoho / Te Ara Pueru / Māngere Mountain collaborated to feed the community with delicious hāngī.

The hāngī pit at Māngere Community Enviro Hub is used for special events. The carbon left over from the feast is used to replenish the soil.

The food was prepped by a kapa haka group from Māngere College and was cooked by Māori chef Kia Kanuta. The meat served was halal to cater to Māngere’s growing Muslim community.

“For some that attended it was their first experience of hāngī and that part of Māori culture. It was important to us to make it inclusive for everyone,” says Rata. “As humans, food is our first language and it’s a common shared experience for every culture. The good thing about hāngī is it sweetens the soil and we can use the carbon back in the garden – it’s all cyclical.”

Source: NZ Music Month takes to the streets

The Government is turbocharging student achievement in maths by ensuring extra help is available at every stage of primary and intermediate schooling, Education Minister Erica Stanford says.
“Proficiency in maths is such an important foundation of success in life. Every child deserves the opportunity to be confident and capable in maths so they can reach their potential. Budget 2025 invests nearly $100 million over four years so children needing extra help with maths gets the early intervention and targeted support they need to succeed,” she says. 
“Four million dollars of that investment is going into the development and implementation of a new Maths Check for lower primary students. 
“From next year, every child will have their maths ability checked in their first two years of schooling. The check will identify students who would benefit from additional support, early on in their schooling journey. Professional development and specialist support will be available to teachers to ensure the checks are used effectively.
“The first two years of school are critical for developing foundational maths skills. Support in that time can transform a child’s learning journey. We’ve already successfully introduced this in literacy through the Phonics Check,” Ms Stanford says.
“$56 million of the investment will fund the equivalent of 143 new full-time maths intervention teachers to provide targeted support to children in years 0-6 who are not achieving at curriculum level. This provides the same kind of additional staffing support as structured literacy approaches. 
“This investment means more students will get the expert support they need, when they need it,” Ms Stanford says.
“The remaining $40 million will fund targeted, small-group maths tutoring for up to 34,000 year 7–8 students each year from Term 1 2026. This programme will build on the current pilot to provide tutoring to students who are not yet at curriculum level. 
“Ensuring students are prepared to enter secondary school with strong foundations in maths will support them to succeed in the co-requisite assessment, NCEA and life beyond school”.
All of these initiatives will also be introduced in te reo Māori for students who are learning in a bilingual unit or kura Kaupapa so that students learning in te reo Māori have the same access to resources and support. 
Budget 2025 builds on Teaching the Basics Brilliantly and the Make it Count maths action plan to transform the teaching and learning of maths in New Zealand.

A clear and detailed, year-by-year and internationally comparable maths curriculum
Approximately 830,000 maths books and resources distributed to schools
Around 980 schools and over 15,000 teachers involved in maths professional learning and development
3,000 students already involved in a Year 7-8 maths trial to accelerate learning

“We want 80 per cent of Year 8 students achieving at or above curriculum expectations in reading, writing, and maths by 2030. This system-wide boost will ensure Kiwi kids have the knowledge, skills and competencies they need to reach their full potential,” Ms Stanford says.

Source: New Zealand Police

Police investigating a fatal collision between a shared cycle and a car in Martinborough on Thursday 13 February 2025 have concluded their enquiries into the crash.

One person was killed in the collision. Three other people, also on the bike, suffered serious injuries.

Police can confirm no one will be charged as the alleged offender has died (unrelated to the crash).

The families of those involved in the crash have been notified.

ENDS

Issued by the Police Media Centre,

Source: New Zealand Police

A man remains in hospital in a critical condition following a fatal ATV crash at a residential property on French Pass Road, Karapiro yesterday.

Police can now confirm the person who died was a child.

Two other children were also flown to hospital and are now in a stable condition.

Police are providing support to the family at the centre of this tragic event.

The death will be referred to the Coroner.

ENDS

Issued by the Police Media Centre
 

Source: New Zealand Police

Police moved swiftly to keep motorists in Counties Manukau safe yesterday by activating a plan co-ordinating road patrols and the Eagle helicopter.    

A dirt bike rider who allegedly ignored a warning about dangerous driving was one of two people later arrested.

Police stopped and spoke to the rider in Manurewa at around 9.30am.

“The dirt bike rider was allegedly driving dangerously into oncoming traffic and doing wheelies on the roadway,” Inspector Warrick Adkin, Counties Manukau Central Area Prevention Manager says.

“The officer asked the rider to stop his behaviour and leave the area as he was putting other drivers at risk.”

The rider was allegedly undeterred by the warning and left the scene at speed riding into oncoming traffic.

Eagle tracked the rider to an address in Takanini.

“Officers then stopped a vehicle attempting to leave the address and the man was arrested,” Inspector Adkin says. 

A woman at the wheel of the car was also arrested for displaying Mongrel Mob insignia inside the car.

“Eagle’s involvement enabled Police patrols to follow at a safe distance so lights and sirens were not needed,” Inspector Adkin says. 

“The incident was resolved without harm to any members of the public.”

The 32-year-old man has been charged with failing to stop, dangerous driving and driving while disqualified.  He will appear in Manukau District Court on 15 May.

A 34-year-year-old woman is facing charges of obstruction and prohibited display of gang insignia in a public place. She will appear in Manukau District Court on 15 May.

ENDS.

Nicole Bremner/NZ Police

Source: Secondary teachers question rationale for changes to relationship education guidelines

This update is our first in a series covering what’s been done and what’s to come in Auckland Council’s efforts to maintain and renew our extensive network of regional park tracks.

In the two years since the Auckland storms impacted 79 regional park tracks, Auckland Council rangers, engineers and contractors have made strong and steady progress to repair damage in all the hardest hit areas. Most tracks are safe once again for visitors to enjoy.

To the west, the landscape in the Waitākere Ranges and Muriwai regional parks was scarred with slips, tree and track damage. Bridges were washed away and ground stability issues presented a challenging list of complex and costly repair jobs.

Only a handful of tracks in West Auckland escaped unscathed (11 of the 60 forest and coastal walks that were open when the storms hit), requiring 49 tracks to close due to serious safety concerns. 

Thanks to the council’s continued recovery effort, the council’s western rangers have reopened 39 tracks in a relatively short timeframe and another five are partially open to visitors again.   

In the south, all 25 regional park tracks damaged when the storms swept through have now been restored and re-opened to visitors.

To the north, a handful of tracks closed as a result of storm damage but have now reopened, providing a total network of 54 tracks around northern regional parks to enjoy.   

The few remaining tracks in West Auckland that are still closed because of storm damage present the most challenging issues due to the scale and extent of damage that occurred, as detailed in the checklist below. 

Regional Parks Manager Scott De Silva says ongoing geotechnical investigation is needed at most of these sites to see whether significant, costly repair work is the best course of action.

“There is a lot of work going on behind the scenes to ensure we manage track restoration in the best way possible, to increase resilience and keep the public safe,” says Scott.

“Tracks that remain closed are not safe – it is important that people stay off them. We have so many other options to choose from that you won’t run out of choices.”

Regional Parks continue to attract high visitor numbers, drawing more than 1 million people during January 2025.  

Kauri dieback remains an ongoing concern in our native forests and continues to require the careful management of tracks where there is a risk of this disease being spread. The council is working with Tiakina Kauri, iwi, local boards and interested communities to effectively manage the impacts of kauri dieback in multiple locations, most notably in the Waitākere Ranges and Hūnua Ranges regional parks.

In some areas, this calls for the need to minimise foot traffic to protect the environment by keeping tracks closed. In other areas, this will require more significant upgrades to allow people to return.

The Governing Body will consider Auckland’s Regional Parks track programme and associated funding in July 2025. Approval of the programme will enable council staff to undertake the work programme for 2025/26.

Track checklist – as of May 2025

More information on the status of Auckland’s regional park tracks is available via this PDF [69.8KB].

 Planning to visit an Auckland regional park?

• Check our map of walking tracks before leaving home, to see which tracks are open.

• Stay safe and keep our forests healthy. Closed tracks are unsafe or managing a biosecurity risk – please follow the instructions on signage and choose a track that is clearly marked as open.

• Be vigilant about using kauri dieback stations. Simple actions like cleaning footwear and gear before and after visiting will help us to continue to protect kauri.

Source: New Zealand Police

Northland Police have launched a homicide enquiry following the death of a man in Parakao on 9 May.

Ambulance staff located the body of the 55-year-old man just before 4pm at a rural property off Mangakahia Road (State Highway 15).

Detective Senior Sergeant Michelle Harris, from Whangārei CIB, says enquiries are underway with a post mortem being completed today.

Police expect to release further information about the victim once these processes are complete.

The Operation Cossar enquiry team is appealing for the public with information to come forward in relation to a vehicle and person seen in the area.

“We are particularly seeking information and sightings in the area between 2pm and 8pm on Friday 9 May,” she says.

Those are:

– Sightings of a 1999 blue and silver Mitsubishi L200 ute
– Reports of a man seen walking along SH14 that afternoon and evening

Detective Senior Sergeant Harris says Police are also seeking any CCTV along Mangakahia Road, Otaika Valley Road and State Highway 14 towards Whangārei.

Police would particularly like any dashcam footage on the same route between 2-8pm.

“We understand this is an unsettling time for the community and we are working hard to establish what has happened,” Detective Senior Sergeant Harris says.

Anyone with information is asked to make a report online, or by calling 105.

Please quote the reference number 250509/6749.

Information can also be provided anonymously to Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.

ENDS

Nicole Bremner/NZ Police

Source: New Zealand Police

Police have this morning arrested a patched Mongrel Mob member in relation to an arson at a Māngere Bridge funeral home last month.

Investigations had been underway following a fire at a funeral home on Kirkbride Road at about 11.50pm on 27 April.

The building sustained minor damage and there were no injuries reported as a result, however Police have been working hard to identify and located those responsible.

Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Hayward, Counties Manukau CIB, says officers executed four search warrants at addresses connected to the Mongrel Mob across South Auckland.

“As a result of these search warrants we have arrested a patched member who has been charged with arson (endangering life).

“Police also located a pump action shotgun and ammunition at the one of the addresses.”

Detective Senior Sergeant Hayward says two other patched gang members present at the address were also arrested for breaching bail and another in relation to an unrelated serious assault.

“What was of real concern was that there were children present at the address the firearm was located at.

“However, overall this is a pleasing outcome in that we have been able to catch up with the alleged offender and take another firearm out of circulation in the community.”

A 30-year-old man will appear in Manukau District Court tomorrow charged with the arson.

Another man, aged 34, has been charged with unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition and will appear in Manukau District Court tomorrow.

ENDS.

Holly McKay/NZ Police

Source: New Zealand Police

Police Commissioner Richard Chambers confirms he has been advised of Jevon McSkimming’s resignation from his position with New Zealand Police.

“The criminal investigation will continue and is not affected by the resignation. I have no further comment at this stage,” he says.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre