Source: New Zealand Police
District:
State Highway 29 on the Kaimai ranges is blocked by a slip near the lookout.
Motorists travelling between Bay of Plenty and Waikato should take alternative routes where possible, or delay travel.
ENDS
Issued by Police Media Centre.
Source: New Zealand Police
Police can now release the name of the man who died following a crash on Lake Sumner Road on 27 April.
He was 76-year-old Jens Lauritz Christensen, of Sumner.
Police extend our condolences those close to him at this difficult time.
Enquiries into the circumstances of the crash are ongoing.
ENDS
Issued by the Police Media Team.
Source: New Zealand Police
Police can now release the name of the man who died in a crash on State Highway 5, Mamaku on 22 April.
He was 52-year-old Paul John Coleman, of Melville.
Our thoughts are with those close to him at this difficult time.
Enquiries into the circumstances of the crash are ongoing.
ENDS
Issued by the Police Media Team.
Source: New Zealand Police
Police are at the scene of an unexplained death in Parakao this afternoon.
The body of a man was found by ambulance staff at a rural property off Mangakahia Road (State Highway 15) just before 4pm.
The death is being treated as unexplained and enquiries are underway into the circumstances.
The property has been cordoned off and a scene examination will take place.
A scene guard is in place with a post mortem to be carried out at a later stage.
These enquiries are in the very early stages and no further information is currently available.
Anyone with information to assist Police can call 105 using the reference number P062498068.
ENDS.
Nicole Bremner/NZ Police
Source: Palestine Forum of New Zealand
The Palestine Forum of New Zealand extends its heartfelt congratulations to His Holiness Pope Leo XIV on his election as the 267th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church.
We recognize this moment as a significant chapter in the Church’s history, and we pray that His Holiness will be a voice of courage, justice, and compassion for all oppressed peoples, especially in Palestine.
We remember with deep gratitude how the late Pope Francis stood by the Christians of Gaza in their darkest hours, calling them nightly until his final moments to offer prayers and words of hope. That extraordinary act of solidarity was a message not only to the Christians of Gaza but to all Palestinians: their suffering is seen, and their humanity is sacred.
Today, we call upon His Holiness Pope Leo XIV to continue this noble legacy — to be a steadfast advocate for peace, justice, and the dignity of the Palestinian people, including the Christian communities under siege in Gaza.
From Aotearoa New Zealand, we reaffirm our solidarity with all those who work for justice, peace, and the protection of human dignity.
Palestine Forum of New Zealand
Source: New Zealand Police
Police can now release the name of the man who died in a crash on Cromwell-Clyde Road in Central Otago on 11 March.
He was 26-year-old Mitchell Douglas McLeary, of Cromwell.
Police extend our condolences to his loved ones.
Enquiries into the circumstances of the crash remain under investigation.
ENDS
Issued by the Police Media Team.
Source: It’s time to fix the secondary teacher shortage
The Government’s plans to limit the powers and scope of the Waitangi Tribunal is a disgrace.
“This attack on the tribunal is nothing more than an attempt to limit the accountability the Government has to Te Tiriti o Waitangi,” says the Green Party’s spokesperson for Māori Development, Hūhana Lyndon.
“The Waitangi Tribunal plays a pivotal role in holding Aotearoa true to its founding agreement. Te Tiriti o Waitangi is something that binds us together in building a future for all of us, it is not something that should be used to drive us apart.
“Across this term, we have seen the actions of this Government trigger a record amount of urgent claims with the Waitangi Tribunal.
“Let’s be clear, this is not about improving the Waitangi Tribunal like the Minister says, it is about making it easier to trample all over Te Tiriti and punch down on tangata whenua.
“From the Treaty Principles Bill and undermining marine customary title, to the removal of 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act and now this, the assaults and insults to our founding agreement and our people have been relentless from this Government.
“Te Tiriti o Waitangi provides a place for us all in Aotearoa. It provides a layer of protection for our people and our lands. This does not suit the Government’s agenda to make the rich richer by allowing big corporations to exploit our people and abuse our environment for profit.
“We know our communities will not stand for this. We saw thousands flood the streets and submit in droves against the Treaty Principles Bill, calling for a country that acknowledges its past and strives for a better future,” says Hūhana Lyndon.
Source: NZ Music Month takes to the streets
Wairarapa flood resilience has been shored up with the completion of five projects funded by the Regional Infrastructure Fund, with more on the way, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says.
“These five projects, supported by Greater Wellington Regional Council, were among 42 priority flood resilience projects across 11 regions announced last year and approved for a total of $101.1 million in funding through the Regional Infrastructure Fund (RIF).
Greater Wellington Regional Council was approved for funding up to $16.1m across Kāpiti and Wairarapa.
“The completed Wairarapa projects are an upgrade of Pukio East Stopbank, protection upgrades at two sites on Waipoua River, and Stages 2 and 3 of the River Road Flood Protection Upgrade on Ruamāhanga River.
Mr Jones today attended an event hosted by Greater Wellington Regional Council at Fullers Bend on Waiōhine River to mark the completion of the five projects and to view progress of another 11 flood protection projects underway.
“I announced the first tranche of projects about this time last year. We wanted projects that would be ready to start as soon as they got the green light – what we have here is delivery on our promises,” Mr Jones says.
“Doing this work now protects local communities, provides local jobs, and builds a sense of security and confidence. It underpins a broader willingness to invest in our local economies
“It also protects Crown assets such as roads, railways, hospitals and schools. It also saves the costs of deploying government emergency services in clean-up operations and eases the demand on other social services.
Minister Jones also today held a joint regional growth summit for Kāpiti and Wairarapa in Carterton today where he engaged with stakeholders on economic growth, regional priorities, prosperity and resilience.
“Today’s summit was a great chance to discuss further growth opportunities for both of these regions and I look forward to seeing RIF applications through this engagement,” Mr Jones says.
GWRC Projects
To support councils to deliver essential works at pace, the RIF invested as grants to 42 flood resilience projects across 12 councils.
Flood resilience projects in Kāpiti benefitting from RIF investment are:
Otaki Cliffs River Bank Protection: $2.50 million.
Flood resilience projects in the Wairarapa benefitting from RIF investment are:
River Rd Masterton Flood Protection Upgrade – Stage 2: $1.48 million (completed)
River Rd Masterton Flood Protection Upgrade – Stage 3 Remaining Groynes: $2.11 million (completed)
Waipoua SH2 Left Bank Protection Upgrade: $80,000 (completed)
Waipoua Industrial Site – Akura Road Edge Protection Programme: $880,000 (completed)
Fullers Bend Protection: $1.39 million
Awaroa Floodway Spillover Sill: $530,000
Tawaha Floodway Spillover Sill: $1.02 million
Pukio East Stopbank Upgrade, South Wairarapa: $540,000 (completed)
Flood Gates – Fish Passage Upgrades, South Wairarapa: $220,000
Masterton Water Supply Protection Project: $570,000
Hood Aerodrome Masterton Waingawa River Flood Protection: $950,000
South Masterton Stopbank Upgrade: $520,000
Homebush Wastewater Treatment Plant Resilience Works: $270,000
Upper Ruamāhanga Buffer Establishment: $2.16 million
Whakawhiriwhiri Stream – Project Rescope: $860,000
Source:
Labour is asking the Government why it is silent on Israel’s deliberate use of starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza, saying New Zealand should be speaking out.
“We haven’t heard a peep out of the Government while Israel’s blockade causes starvation and their military kills civilians,” Labour associate foreign affairs spokesperson Phil Twyford said.
“Israel has killed more than 52,000 people in its 19-month assault on Gaza, and a two-month aid blockade has caused widespread hunger and a breakdown of law and order, as people become more and more desperate to feed their families.
“New Zealand used to be known as a country of principle, with a strong commitment to international law. But the silence from the Beehive on Israel’s relentless assault on Gaza calls that into question.
“New Zealand and our likeminded friends around the world must stand up for the things we value: human rights, justice, and international law. All of these values are being flouted in Gaza by Israel’s brutal and vicious war which seems designed to drive Palestinians out of Gaza,” Phil Twyford said.
Stay in the loop by signing up to our mailing list and following us on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
Source:
Survivors of abuse in state care have a right to feel disappointed and sidelined by the Government.
“The Royal Commission was very clear, survivors needed to be involved in designing and implementing a new, independent system for redress. The Government has completely ignored that,” Labour Leader Chirs Hipkins said.
“Putting more money into an existing redress system that so many of the survivors have already said they have no confidence in just isn’t good enough.
“We offered to take politics off the table and work with the Government to make sure we lived up to the words in our formal apologies last year. The Government chose not to take up this offer.
“I want to be clear the Labour Party has not been involved in today’s announcement. We think it misses the mark and fails to live up to the Prime Minister’s lofty talk in the formal apology he delivered last year.
“The Government promised not to repeat the mistakes of the past. Today’s announcement shows those were hollow words,” Chris Hipkins said.
Stay in the loop by signing up to our mailing list and following us on Facebook, Instagram, and X.