Source: New Zealand Police
District:
The public are asked to avoid Betsy Eyre Park, The Brook, while Police attend an incident there.
There is no risk to the public, however we ask people to steer clear while Police are at the scene and obey any instructions from local staff.
ENDS
Source: Police investigating after shots fired at Hastings house
This Mother’s Day we pay tribute to New Zealand mums ensuring the survival of our native species. Here’s some of our favourite photos…
Today mums, we salute you!
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To all the mums, grandmothers, mother figures and caregivers out there, Happy Mothers Day, Whakamihia Te Rā o Te Māmā.
Source: New Zealand Police
Attribute to Detective Inspector Martin James, District Manager Criminal Investigations:
Police can now release the name of the teenager killed in Napier early on Sunday morning.
He was 15-year-old Kaea Karauria from Napier.
He was found critically injured at an Alexander Avenue address. Despite all efforts by ambulance staff, he died at the scene.
A homicide investigation was launched yesterday, and a team of 20 investigators are continuing to make enquiries.
No one has been arrested at this stage.
A disorder event involving a group of people on Dinwiddie Avenue may be linked to the incident.
We still urgently need to hear from anyone who was in the area, or anyone who took photos or video of the altercation on Dinwiddie Avenue.
We understand the fact someone so young has been killed is very unsettling for the community.
We are providing support to the whanau of the victim and assure the community we are working hard to understand what happened and hold those responsible to account.
We would like to thank local residents for their cooperation and patience.
Anyone with information is asked to make a report online, or by calling 105.
Footage can be uploaded here
Please quote the reference number 250511/1317.
Information can also be provided anonymously to Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.
ENDS
Issued by Police Media Centre
Source: Secondary teachers question rationale for changes to relationship education guidelines
If you’re about to dive into some DIY, check out the materials from storm-damaged homes that are available at your community recycling centre.
With more than 200 of the 1200 Category 3 homes now removed, material from the deconstructed homes have ended up at recycling centres across the city – ready to become someone else’s treasure.
Grab everything from a whole kitchen, to framing timber, to a door for your next renovation and help these recycled materials find a new home. If the recycling centre doesn’t have the material you’re looking for, please ask them if they can get it.
The recycling centres with these materials are Devonport, Helensville, Onehunga, Henderson (Tipping Point), Point England (Tāmaki), Wairau, Waiuku and Warkworth. See the Auckland Council website for location details and hours of operation.
Source: Police investigating after shots fired at Hastings house
Date: 12 May 2025
Danica Stent, DOC’s International Manager, says New Zealand’s existing UNESCO World Heritage sites are some of the most remarkable places in the world.
“Our natural and cultural heritage is central to who we are as a nation. World Heritage sites are a source of national identity and our share of earth’s most unique, significant places.
“They are also a great source of national pride, containing internationally iconic heritage such as Piopiotahi Milford Sound, world-class hikes including the Routeburn and native species found only in New Zealand like kiwi, takahē and kākāpō.”
Aotearoa currently has three World Heritage sites: Te Wāhipounamu – South-West New Zealand, Tongariro National Park and the New Zealand subantarctic islands.
“We want to hear about the places that might make the cut for a new World Heritage site,” Danica says.
“Pursuing World Heritage status is all about being good tīpuna and protecting our heritage today, for all mokopuna tomorrow.”
Anyone making an application for the Tentative List should be prepared to submit a full nomination for World Heritage status within the next 10 years.
Danica says although New Zealand currently has a Tentative List of potential World Heritage sites, it was developed in 2007 and needs updating.
“Ideas about heritage have evolved over the past few decades. There’s now a greater recognition of the importance of the views and rights of indigenous peoples. For this reason, support from mana whenua will be essential for sites to be considered for the Tentative List.”
Making the Tentative List is the first step in the process towards becoming a World Heritage site.
“Robust examination of current sites and potential new sites for the Tentative List is needed to ensure they have local support and a high chance of making it onto the World Heritage List,” Danica says.
Vicki Soanes, Secretary General, New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO, says the programme seeks to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity.
“The process of refreshing the Tentative List is an important signal to UNESCO about the value New Zealand places on the World Heritage programme,” Vicki says.
Anyone interested in applying should submit an expression of interest by 31 July 2025, allowing DOC to provide any advice needed to support development of applications. The final closing date for applications is 30 January 2026.
An independent panel of natural and cultural heritage experts will assess the applications and deliver a report to the Conservation Minister on sites for the Tentative List.
Cabinet is expected to decide on the final Tentative List by the end of 2026. The list is submitted to the World Heritage Centre, then nominations can be developed for World Heritage status.
Visit DOC’s website for information on making an application for New Zealand’s World Heritage Tentative List.
New Zealand is a party to the World Heritage Convention under the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
DOC is New Zealand’s lead agency for the Convention, working closely with the Ministry for Culture and Heritage.
New Zealand’s three World Heritage sites won’t be affected by this review.
For media enquiries contact:
Email: media@doc.govt.nz
Source: NZ Music Month takes to the streets
As Road Safety Week begins, the Government’s crackdown on drunk drivers is delivering real results with newly released 2024 statistics showing the number of alcohol-related road deaths reducing by nearly 40%, Transport Minister Chris Bishop and Police Minister Mark Mitchell say.
“Our Government is focused on improving road safety through road policing and enforcement, investment in new and safe roading infrastructure, and targeting the leading contributors to fatal crashes such as drugs and alcohol impairment. That plan – the Road Policing Investment Programme (RPIP) – is seeing some strong results, and we need to keep it up,” Mr Bishop says.
“Police have really stepped up their road policing efforts in the past year. In 2024, Police delivered 4,118,159 passive breath and breath screening tests, the highest number recorded in a calendar year, and smashing their RPIP target of 3.3 million per year.
“Police have also exceeded their target to focus 65% of their breath testing on the highest risk times. In the first nine months of this financial year (July 2024 to March 2025), Police delivered 2,177,179 passive breath and breath screening tests during high or extreme risk alcohol hours. This is 35% above the year-to-date target of 1,608,750 tests, and a 21% increase compared to the first nine months of the previous financial year.
“The whole point of roadside breath testing is to keep New Zealanders safer on the roads – and it’s working.
“It’s really encouraging to see an almost 40% reduction in the number of road deaths where alcohol was a contributing factor, from 92 alcohol-related road deaths in 2023 down to 57 in 2024.
“In fact, the steep reduction in alcohol-related road deaths led to the 2024 total road toll being the lowest since 2014. Every avoidable road death is a tragedy and there’s always more work to do, but this is a big step in the right direction.”
“The reduced number of road deaths in 2024 is also significant given the presence of factors that can drive up the road toll, such as population increases, continued increases in the size of the vehicle fleet and increases in the total vehicle kilometres travelled (VKT) across the network.
“Roadside testing for drug driving is also coming soon. Anyone who drives while under the influence of drugs should know that they’re putting themselves and other road users at risk – and we’re not going to put up with it.
“In March 2025 the Government passed legislation to enable Police to conduct roadside testing for drug impairment, and we expect these tests to start being rolled out later this year.”
“Alcohol and drugs are leading contributors to death and serious injury on our roads, and both random and selective breath testing is proven to discourage people from drinking and driving. Every breath test delivered has the potential to save a life, and you can continue to expect to Police highly visible on our roads,” Mr Mitchell says.
“I’m proud of the work our Police are doing to reduce deaths on our road, keep our communities safe, and ensure everyone can get to where they need to go safely.”
Notes to editor:
Source: New Zealand Labour Party
Rehashing old laws around boy racers is not going to make our communities safer, or distract New Zealanders from the appalling decision to cut women’s pay.
“This Government is better at crushing the rights of working women than crushing cars,” Labour police spokesperson Ginny Andersen said.
“Putting out a press release talking about boy racers on Mother’s Day isn’t fooling anyone. New Zealanders value their mums and think they should be paid fairly. The debacle over women’s pay this week isn’t going away.
“So instead of addressing pay equity, they’ve announced tweaks to laws around boy racers, including making it easier to crush cars which didn’t work last time they were in Government. Slightly increasing fines also hasn’t historically changed behaviour in the long-term.
“This Government is yet again putting more work on frontline police without more resources. They’re failing to meet their 500 police promise and are more focused on confiscating gang patches than tackling meth.
“Reheating old policies won’t make our communities safer. They’re failing to address the nub of what is causing crime, while attempting the ultimate distraction.
“Get proper policies and pay women what they’re worth,” Ginny Andersen said.
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Source: Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa
A decision by the Broadcasting Standards Authority to uphold a complaint against a 1News broadcast in November is a warning to the news media, says the Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa.
The Broadcasting Standards Authority has ruled that a TVNZ news item on violence in Amsterdam breached BSA rules.
1News described violence in the streets of Amsterdam following a soccer match as ‘disturbing’ and ‘antisemitic’ and stated the graphic video of beatings were Maccabi Tel Aviv fans under attack just for being Jewish.
Videographers who took the footage which 1News had used, complained to their news agencies that this description was quite wrong. The violence was perpetrated by the Israeli Maccabi Tel Aviv fans against those they suspected of being Arab or supporters of Palestine. The visiting Israelis were the attackers – not the victims.
(Before the match these same Maccabi fans had gathered in large groups to chant “Death to Arabs” – a racist genocidal chant which if used with the races reversed (“Arabs” replaced by Jews”) would have been rightly condemned in purple prose by western news media such as TVNZ. But no such sympathy for Palestinians or Arabs)
PSNA immediately requested that TVNZ broadcast a correction. TVNZ refused, though admitting they had got the story wrong.
PSNA then referred a complaint to the BSA who upheld the complaint as failing to meet the accuracy standard.
PSNA Co-Chair John Minto says the BSA decision should be seen as a warning to the news media to be aware that Israel is using fabricated charges of antisemitism, to justify and divert attention from its genocide in Gaza and silence its critics.
“Just because Benjamin Netanyahu and the then US president Joe Biden made statements turning Amsterdam attackers into victims, doesn’t mean TVNZ news should automatically parrot them,” Minto says. “That’s effectively what the BSA concluded.”
Minto also points to what he called a recent fabricated hysteria about antisemitism in Sydney, which the New South Wales police found to be completely based on hoaxes by a criminal gang.
“In the US, Trump is using the same charge as an excuse to close down university courses and expel anyone who protests against the Israeli genocide in Gaza.”
“The Human Rights Commission here has also been guilty of publishing misinformation through the news media, which it refuses to publicly correct, probably because of its own fondness for Israel.”
“Of course, we strongly condemn the real antisemitism of anti-Jewish, Nazi-type Islamophobic groups,” Minto says.
“It should be easy for professional reporters and editors to tell the difference between criticism of Israeli apartheid, ethnic cleansing and violence on one hand, and on the other hand Nazis and their fellow travellers who condemn Jews because they are Jews”
“The BSA is, in effect, demanding the news media educate themselves.”
John Minto
Co-Chair
Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa
Source: Corporate PR for Skills Group
A cutting-edge trades teaching and training facility which has officially opened at Highbrook is set to unlock educational opportunities across Auckland and fuel growth in the trades industry.
The opening was marked with a symbolic wire-cutting ceremony — a nod to the electrical trade — led by 24-year-old student Georgia Rensen who recently qualified as an electrician. Georgia’s role in the ceremony highlighted the growing presence and importance of women in trades.
The event was also attended by the Hon. Erica Stanford, Minister of Education and Minister of Immigration, who officially opened the new 3,300-square-metre, two-storey campus – a major milestone for Skills Group, New Zealand’s largest private training establishment.
Previously a logistics warehouse, the building has undergone a $4.5 million transformation into a modern learning hub, now dedicated to training students in the electrical trades.
Skills Group Director Trades School, Di Lithgow, says the new campus reflects the organisation’s commitment to delivering contemporary and effective training environments.
“This facility represents a significant boost in our capacity to support the growing demand for skilled tradespeople across Auckland,” she says.
“It’s designed to meet the needs of both students and the wider industry through innovative, hands-on learning.”
The Highbrook facility follows recent expansions by Skills Group in Christchurch and Dunedin, bringing world-class training environments to key regions across the country.
Designed using feedback from tutors and drawing on international best practice, the new campus features state-of-the-art workshop classrooms for pre-trade students.
These spaces combine theory and practice in one cohesive environment.
“Students don’t have to leave the classroom to apply what they’ve learned,” Di says.
“They can immediately work on training boards within the same space, creating a seamless learning experience.”
Workshops are equipped with custom-designed U-shaped benches that allow students to sit or stand while learning about appliances, soldering, and other practical components. This layout also enables tutors to maintain full visibility and engagement with the entire class from a central position.
“We are incredibly proud to offer this world-class facility in Auckland – one that supports not only our apprentices but also their employers and the broader industry,” Di says.
The new campus is located at 18 Business Parade North, Highbrook.
