Category: MIL-OSI

Source: New Zealand Police

Police’s newest recruitment advertising campaign is now mobile across Tāmaki Makaurau with five double-decker buses wrapped in Police livery. 

Commissioner Richard Chambers says: “This campaign represents another positive step toward delivering our target of 500 additional officers.

“These newly decorated double-decker buses seat 500 people, which is exactly the number we want to recruit.

“Auckland has always been a key recruitment area for us, and we are keen to be highly visible and advertise far and wide. We know that the buses are ideal for reaching the whole of the city.”

The ‘police’ buses will be in public circulation for over three months.

The cost to wrap the buses totalled $119,800 including print, installation and 12 weeks of media advertising.

“The new Auckland training campus at Albany will also help make a career with the Police a reality for those who cannot relocate to Wellington for the full 20-week course.

“That campus is set to welcome its first intake from the start of July. That is a significant development in our recruitment and training,” Commissioner Chambers says.

Applications remain open in all districts across the country, except for Canterbury. Recruitment efforts continue to ramp up and applications are trending upwards with a spike in applications in 2025 and total application numbers reaching the highest seen in 10 years.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

Source: New Zealand Police

Attributable to Tasman District Road Policing Manager, Acting Inspector Nathan Snell.

From Wednesday 28 May to Sunday 1 June 2025, Tasman Police delivered an operation focused on anti-social road users.

This was in response to an increase in complaints from the local community.

Two search warrants were executed, resulting in a stolen firearm being located and three vehicle impounds for sustained loss of traction and driver licence offences.

Further Police activities occurred across the district with Tasman Police staff supported by the Anti-Social Road User team from Christchurch.

The team deployed across Nelson Bays and Marlborough resulting in over 50 vehicles being inspected and deemed unsafe or defective.

Five more vehicles were impounded for Land Transport Act offences.

Over 100 Infringement notices were issued for speeding, restraint and distraction offences amongst many others.

Following the operation, Police have laid charges against multiple individuals for unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, sustained loss of traction, driving whilst suspended, driving whilst disqualified and threatening behaviour. Further charges are being considered.

ENDS

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

State Highway 29 (SH29) Kaimai Range will be closed for 4 nights, from Sunday 15 June to Thursday 19 June, between 8pm and 3.30am each night. These closures are necessary to complete routine maintenance, including drain clearing, sign maintenance, road marking and surface repairs.

“We occasionally close SH29 for essential maintenance works. The full closures allow us to complete the work safety and efficiently – benefiting both road worker crews and road users,” says NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) System Manager for the Waikato, Andy Oakley. 

SH29 plays a critical role in connecting New Zealand’s largest port with the wider Golden Triangle region.

With approximately 14,000 vehicles, including thousands of heavy vehicles, using the road daily, maintaining it is essential for safety and accessibility. 

“We’ve worked closely with freight operators and roading contractors to coordinate the best possible schedule for these closures. By confirming specific days and times, regular road users—including freight operators—can plan ahead to minimize disruptions to themselves and their customers,” says Mr Oakley. 

The detours for this closure are significant and add considerable time to journeys. People are encouraged to check the NZTA Journey Planner and allow extra time for their journey, or if possible, delay travel over SH29 on these nights.   

“We’d like to thank our stakeholders and partners for working with us on this. While disruptive in the short term, everyone will enjoy the benefits of having a more reliable and safer route over the Kaimai Range,” says Mr Oakley.   

The closure points on the western (Waikato) side are at the SH29/24 and SH29/28 intersections and on the eastern (BOP) side at the SH29/Cambridge Road intersection. Emergency services will have access at all times, and residents can access their property from the relevant side of the closure. 

Alternative routes

• South: all vehicles: SH28, SH5, SH30, SH33, SH2 via Rotorua  
• South: light vehicles: SH28, SH5, SH36 via Rotorua  
• North: SH24, SH27, SH26, SH2 via Karangahake Gorge   

Source: New Zealand Labour Party

Source: New Zealand Labour Party

Source: New Zealand Labour Party

Source: New Zealand Labour Party

Source: New Zealand Police

A prolific Tauranga shoplifter has been sentenced to two years in prison after being convicted of 37 shoplifting charges dating back to 2024.

Police Commissioner Richard Chambers said it was the result of outstanding investigative work by an officer in the Tauranga Retail Crime Unit.

The officer began his investigation based on a single shoplifting report that came through Auror, with no offender identified and no real lines of enquiry.

From that single report, the officer was able to build a picture of a serial shoplifter, who was offending on an almost daily basis.

A 45-year-old woman was arrested in February 2025, and charged with offending dating back to September 2024.  She appeared in Tauranga District Court on 21 May and was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment.

“This was the result of meticulous and painstaking work by the officer in the Tauranga Retail Crime Unit,” Commissioner Chambers said.

“The exceptional work of the officer has meant a serial shoplifter has been held to account for her actions. It highlights the importance of monitoring and following up on what might initially seem like low-level offending.

“We know how devastating this type of offending is for our retail community, and holding people to account for shoplifting and retail theft remains a priority for NZ Police.

“The convictions in this case were a result of not only outstanding investigative work, but also of the great rapport that the officer has built with local retailers.

“Each region is different and policing Districts much continue to have the leeway to decide how their resources are best used, and what their priorities need to be.

“However, the case does highlight just how effective the dedicated retail crime unit in Tauranga can be. 

“It provides a good model for other Districts to consider when deciding how to tackle retail crime.”

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre.

Source: New Zealand Government

The NZ Transport Agency’s Board has endorsed the detailed business case for a new four-lane road in Hamilton which will deliver economic growth for the region, and approved $4.1 million for the next stage of design work, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says.

The project, which is cost-shared between Hamilton City Council (HCC) and NZTA, will enable the completion of the Ruakura Inland Port while also unlocking residential and commercial land for the Ruakura Superhub.

“It’s welcome news that the NZTA Board has endorsed the detailed business case for the Ruakura Eastern Transport Corridor, which means the project now has $4.1 million funding approved to complete consenting and detailed design,” says Mr Bishop. 

“The Ruakura Eastern Transport Corridor project will complete a strategic four-lane corridor for freight and regional traffic with some walking and cycling elements to connect into the existing network. It also includes a grade separated link over the East Coast Main Line railway line, connecting housing with employment. The Ruakura Eastern Transport Corridor currently has a Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR) of 6.7. 

“A 2024 Future Proof study found that parts of the Hamilton roading network will soon be unable to accommodate the expected increases in traffic. This will cause extended periods of peak hour congestion, resulting in disruptions to 42 per cent of national freight volumes and jeopardising the generation of over 50 per cent of New Zealand’s GDP. 

“The study concluded that the Ruakura Eastern Transport Corridor will enable ‘the golden triangle’ – Auckland, Tauranga and Hamilton – to continue to provide freight corridors for the most economically significant part of New Zealand, putting the right traffic on the right roads to reduce congestion and improve freight reliability.

“On land owned by Tainui Group Holdings, the Ruakura Superhub is a nationally significant development which services around 45 per cent of New Zealand’s population, 42 per cent of the nation’s freight and 55 per cent of the country’s GDP with a 30ha inland port connected via rail to Auckland’s port and the Port of Tauranga.

“Recently the Prime Minister, Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka and I attended a ceremony at Ruakura where Tainui Group Holdings announced a long-term joint venture with global investment firm Brookfield. This exciting joint venture will see the development of a further 70 hectares of facilities for storing goods and moving them through different modes of transport including road and rail freight, making the transport corridor project even more important.”

Hamilton East MP Ryan Hamilton welcomes the news as this not only supports commercial activity at Ruakura but unlocks housing and development to support New Zealand’s fastest growing city.

Implementation of the Eastern Transport Corridor project is currently timed for 2027-30 National Land Transport Programme and is subject to further funding being approved.

Notes to Editor: 

• Total cost of the pre-implementation phase is $4.1 million
• NZTA’s contribution is $2,091,000 (a FAR rate of 51%)
• A Multi-Party Funding Agreement is required between the various parties prior to seeking implementation funding.
• The cost to complete the full project is estimated at $300 million.
• On The BCR of 6.7 has been calculated based on P50 costs.
• The implementation phase is currently timed for the 2027-30 NLTP, with any decision on implementation made within overall prioritisation of the 2027-30 NLTP.

Source: NZ Department of Conservation

Date:  04 June 2025

Campbell Hutchings nearly sped up the car when he saw something brown and vaguely possum-like on the road, but he’s glad he didn’t. He slowed down on the road near Ōtanewainuku and was rewarded with a kiwi encounter many New Zealanders dream of.

In a video sure to tug on heart strings, his first reaction is shock, followed quickly by a delighted “It’s a kiwi!” as the unconcerned bird meanders across the road.

With brown kiwi populations increasing across parts of Te Ika-a-Māui the North Island, once rare wild encounters with our national icon are becoming more likely.

Department of Conservation Tauranga Operations Manager Kristine Theiss says brown kiwi are increasing in areas with effective predator control to protect them against introduced predators like stoats.

“We’re at the point where encounters with kiwi are becoming more frequent. Kiwi live in a range of habitats so they won’t necessarily stay in a neat patch of bush, they cross the road and enter backyards, it’s amazing, but also risky for the birds. It’s essential we all play a role in protecting them.

“You can see in this video just how naïve they are—absolutely no idea about roads or cars—so we ask drivers to watch out for them at night in kiwi areas. There’s often a yellow kiwi sign indicating their presence in the area.”

Ōtanewainuku Kiwi Trust volunteers manage more than 180 kilometres of trap and bait stations to help kiwi thrive in the Ōtanewainuku Forest.

Trust Chair Lesley Jensen said their team of volunteers work exceedingly hard to protect kiwi and other birds from predators

“As bird numbers increase, we are calling on our community to slow down when travelling around Ōtanewainuku to protect them from vehicles.”

Community groups, iwi and hapū, Save the Kiwi Trust, and government agencies have been working hard to protect kiwi, with populations of brown kiwi booming in many areas.

Kris says population success remains dependent on continued conservation efforts and everyone doing their bit.

“Many people are working hard to protect kiwi, and we’re asking our community to keep kiwi in mind when driving at night, and if you come across an injured or dead kiwi, please call us on 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468).”

Watch the kiwi encounter at Ōtanewainuku video (mp4, 13,910K)

Background information

• Brown kiwi are increasing in areas with effective predator control to protect them against introduced predators like stoats.
• As populations grow kiwi are more likely to come into contact with people – this could be in urban environments, on roads, and in other places we might not expect to find them.

Contact