Category: MIL-OSI

Source: New Zealand Government

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced a refreshed ministerial lineup to continue fixing the basics and protecting New Zealand’s future.

“New Zealanders are facing economic challenges brought on by conflict in the Middle East and its effect on fuel supply across the world,” says Christopher Luxon.

“Having a strong ministerial team with real-world experience to deliver our response is crucial. Today’s reshuffle reflects that and brings in new talent.

“Having successfully delivered significant reforms from outside Cabinet, Chris Penk will now join Cabinet, picking up the Defence, GCSB and NZSIS, and Space portfolios. Chris’ time in the NZDF leaves him well placed to lead the work our Government has done in raising the status and capability of our armed forces.

“Penny Simmonds also joins Cabinet with responsibility for Tertiary Education and Science, Innovation and Technology. Penny has successfully delivered reforms to the vocational education sector, also from outside Cabinet, and will bring her extensive governance experience to her new portfolios.

“The past few weeks have underlined how important energy security is and as such I will be elevating the Energy portfolio to senior minister Simeon Brown.

“Chris Bishop becomes Attorney-General and Paul Goldsmith takes responsibility for the Public Service and Digitising Government, and Pacific Peoples portfolios.

“Louise Upston will become Leader of the House and Simon Watts will be Minister for Auckland.

“Nicola Grigg becomes Minister for the Environment and Scott Simpson becomes Minister of Statistics and Deputy Leader of the House. 

“Joining as a Minister outside Cabinet, Cameron Brewer becomes Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and Small Business and Manufacturing, and Associate Minister of Immigration. Mike Butterick becomes Minister for Land Information and Associate Minister of Agriculture.

“Finally, I acknowledge the public service of Judith Collins and Shane Reti who, between them, have dedicated almost 40 years to representing their communities in Parliament.

“Judith was first elected in 2002 and since then, has held numerous different ministerial portfolios and served as Leader of the Opposition. This term, she has delivered the Defence Capability Plan, advanced New Zealand’s space industry and modernised of our public service.

“In Shane’s 12 years in Parliament, he has served as Deputy Leader of the Opposition and has delivered key reforms as a minister, including improving the commerciality of our science sector to boost incomes and create jobs. He has also played a key role in projects that will benefit New Zealanders for generations, like the third medical school and expanded cancer screening.  

“I would also like to acknowledge the staff who have supported Judith and Shane throughout their time here.

“New Zealand is better for Judith and Shane deciding to enter public service and I am grateful to count them both as friends. On behalf of the Government and the National Party, I wish them all the best for their futures outside Parliament.”

These changes will come into effect on Tuesday 7 April.

Source: New Zealand Government

New Zealand and the Cook Islands have signed a Defence & Security Declaration in Rarotonga today, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.

“New Zealand and the Cook Islands have a special constitutional relationship which has endured for six decades,” Mr Peters says. 

“Today’s Declaration is about setting a course together for the future.

“The strategic environment we face is more complex and contested today than at any other point since New Zealand and the Cook Islands formed our free association relationship in 1965. 

“In that context, it’s vital that New Zealand and the Cook Islands are clear, with one another and third parties, about the nature of our special relationship and our responsibilities to one another in the defence and security domains. 

“This Declaration outlines a set of important political commitments that the Cook Islands and New Zealand have made to one another which provide clarity on key aspects of our special constitutional relationship.

“It’s no secret that our two governments have had a series of serious disagreements since late 2024,” Mr Peters says. 

“As we debated how to get past these disagreements, it became clear that one of their root causes was the lack of a shared understanding about the requirements of our special constitutional relationship – especially as it pertained to defence and security matters and the extent of the consultation required between us.

“This Declaration resolves this former ambiguity and provides clarity to both Governments so that we can move forward focused on the future, not the past.”

The Declaration adds to the other important expressions of the New Zealand-Cook Islands relationship: the Cook Islands Constitution, the exchange of letters between Prime Ministers Norman Kirk and Albert Henry in 1973, the Letters Patent of 1983 and the Joint Centenary Declaration of 2001.

New Zealand’s paused financial support to the Cook Islands will be restored following today’s Declaration signing, Mr Peters says. 

“We earlier took a difficult decision to pause parts of New Zealand’s funding to the Cook Islands Government because there was no shared understanding of the nature of our special constitutional relationship. Now that we have come to a mutually satisfactory understanding of the underpinnings of our partnership, we are pleased to normalise all aspects of our relationship – including New Zealand’s financial support. 

“Throughout the past two years, New Zealand has never wavered from our steadfast commitment to the Cook Islands people and their strong attachment to the free association relationship between our two countries. 

“We are pleased to now have a shared certainty about the contours of that relationship, and we are grateful to Prime Minister Brown and his government for the constructive way they approached the negotiation of this Declaration.

“New Zealand and the Cook Islands people benefit from our special constitutional relationship. We look forward now to further enhancing the broad range of cooperation between New Zealand and the Cook Islands, as well as navigating together the complex strategic environment and the many shared challenges we face,” Mr Peters says.

The political commitments made in the Declaration are summarised below. The Declaration’s full text can be found here.

Declaration summary

The Cook Islands-New Zealand Defence and Security Declaration contains a series of commitments. 

The political commitments made by the Cook Islands to New Zealand in the Declaration are as follows: 

• To uphold the fundamental values upon which New Zealand citizenship is based (clause 2).
• To discharge its foreign policy and diplomatic relationships subject to the constitutional limits of free association (clause 5).
• To uphold the defence and security interests of New Zealand, the Cook Islands and the Realm as a whole (clause 6).
• To continue to permit the New Zealand Defence Force access to the Cook Islands’ territory (including EEZ) to fulfil its mandate and uphold shared security commitments (clause 9).
• To consult with New Zealand in good faith on matters of defence and security that may affect New Zealand’s interests and constitutional responsibilities (clause 10), including maintaining regular structured dialogue and providing information to New Zealand on defence or security matters upon its request and to the fullest extent possible (clause 13).
• To engage with New Zealand on any requests for defence and security before engagement with other partners (clause 14).

In return, New Zealand has committed to the Cook Islands that it will: 

• Remain the primary defence and security partner for the Cook Islands and provide defence and security capacity and capability building (clause 7).
• Uplift Defence engagement and uphold the responsibility of the New Zealand Defence Force for the Cook Islands (clause 8).
• Consult with the Cook Islands in good faith on matters of defence and security that may affect the Cook Islands’ interests (clause 10), including maintaining regular structured dialogue and providing information to the Cook Islands on defence or security matters upon its request and to the fullest extent possible. (clause 13).

Both New Zealand and the Cook Islands have committed not to enter into activities, agreements or arrangements with other partners that would undermine the commitments set out in the Declaration

Source: New Zealand Police

Police are disappointed in a group’s actions after toy guns were brandished at members of the public at a night market last night.

At around 10.40pm, Police received a report of youths pointing a firearm at a bus driver at Botany Town Centre.

With the group believed to be in possession of a firearm, Counties Manukau East Area Commander, Inspector Rod Honan, says an armed response was initiated.

“Given the information, our staff were armed, and on arrival officers swiftly located a group of five youths who were taken into custody,” Inspector Honan says.

The group had discarded the firearm prior to Police arrival, and a search of the area located the gun, which was confirmed to be a plastic imitation gel blaster.

A second imitation gel blaster was found in a backpack belonging to one of the young people, along with a small quantity of cannabis. These items have been seized.

“As officers pieced together the events of the evening, it was revealed the group had pointed the imitation firearms at two other members of the public.”

The victim also revealed that when the group discarded the gun, another member of the public picked it up and pointed it at them. 

This person, a 38-year-old man, was located and taken into custody.

Inspector Honan says this is a timely reminder that presenting a firearm will initiate a strong response from Police and can result in charges, even if it’s a replica.

“Police take any report of the presence of firearms in the community very seriously.

“The group’s actions last night showed a complete lack of common sense.

“Police would like to remind the public that it is an offence under the Arms Act to possess or use an imitation firearm without a lawful, proper and sufficient purpose.”

Five youths were taken to Ormiston Police Station where they were spoken to before being released.

A 38-year-old man was arrested for breaching his release conditions.

ENDS

Frankie Le Roy/NZ Police

Source: New Zealand Police

Police can now release the name of the child who died following a crash in East Tāmaki on 15 March.

She was Isabella Tulumi, 9, of Auckland.

Police extend our deepest sympathies to her family and loved ones.

Enquiries into the circumstances of the crash are ongoing.

ENDS.

Holly McKay/NZ Police

Source: Auckland Council

The bi-annual test of the two tsunami sirens at Ōrewa will take place on the last day of daylight saving on Sunday 5 April, 2026, at midday.

Adam Maggs, General Manager of Auckland Emergency Management reassures Ōrewa locals that the siren sound they’ll hear on 5 April is a test and no action is required from the public.

“We carry out tests each year on the sirens to ensure they are working properly. No action is required from the public and there’s no cause for alarm during the testing,” Mr Maggs says.

Located at Ōrewa beach, the sirens give a combination of alert sounds and voice instructions advising what actions residents should take in a real emergency. You can check and listen to the siren sound sample on the Auckland Emergency Management website.

Ōrewa is the only location in the Auckland region which has tsunami sirens following the decommissioning of sirens at other sites in December 2023 due to vandalism, theft and outdated technology, making them unreliable as part of our tsunami alerting system. The two sirens at Ōrewa (installed in 2020) are newer than the decommissioned sirens and haven’t suffered vandalism or thefts.

The test at Ōrewa is also a good prompt to remind all Aucklanders that there will be timely communication in the event of a tsunami threat.

“An Emergency Mobile Alert (EMA) is the primary way of alerting the public to a tsunami threat. An EMA will be broadcast to all capable mobile phones in the event of a tsunami threat. News media and social media channels will be used to alert Aucklanders as well,”Mr Maggs says.

What are the natural warning signs for tsunami?  

If you are near the shore and experience any of the following, take action. Do not wait for official warnings. 

• Feel a strong earthquake that makes it hard to stand or a long earthquake that lasts more than a minute
• See a sudden rise or fall in sea level
• Hear loud or unusual noises from the sea.

Remember! If an earthquake is LONG or STRONG, GET GONE and move to higher ground. 

Be prepared  

Prepare your household emergency plan and practice it so everyone knows what to do in an emergency and what you need to take if you are evacuating.  

Check out Auckland’s Hazard Viewer for updated tsunami evacuation maps.

Check the tsunami preparedness tips and what to do before, during and after a tsunami.  

Source: Green Party

The Green Party has released data showing 9000 students across more than 70 schools and pre-schools faced unsafe drinking water in 2025, with water breaching safe Drinking Water Standards at some point during the year. 

“No child should face a health risk from the water coming out of a drinking fountain at their school. The data paints a troubling picture of the state of drinking water in Aotearoa,” says Green Party Co-leader Marama Davidson. 

“While many of these schools had treatment systems in place, for whatever reason the treatment has failed.” 

“Drinking water standards set safe limits for things like bacteria, chemicals, and other contaminants in drinking water, which must be met at all points in a water system after treatment.” 

“When a school’s water is found to be unsafe, drinking fountains are shut down, children are told to bring water bottles from home, and in serious cases schools may have to close. Children should be focused on learning not worrying about whether their water is safe.” 

According to the Minister of Education, no additional treatment barriers were installed at any of the schools in 2025 and there is no estimate of the cost to bring drinking water treatment facilities at those schools where ‘do not drink’ notices were issued in 2025 up to a standard where water is safe and reliable. 

“Schools should have all the resources they need to provide safe drinking water. Instead, the Government installed no new treatment systems at any of these schools in 2025 and cannot even tell us what it would cost to fix the problem.” 

The data follows an earlier 2024 report by Taumata Arowai which found a “stubbornly high” 71 schools reported at least one incidence of E. coli in their drinking water that year, meaning faecal contamination was present. 

“The data reinforces why the protection of drinking water at its source, in rivers, lakes, and groundwater, must be a priority.” 

“Almost all New Zealanders get their drinking water from a river, lake, or underground aquifer. If we protect those sources from pollution, we can be far more confident that what comes out of the tap is safe, even when something goes wrong at a treatment plant.” 

“Keeping source water clean also avoids the enormous cost of removing contaminants like nitrate and sediment, which are extremely difficult and expensive to treat, particularly for smaller towns and communities.” 

Green Party environment spokesperson Lan Pham has called for the Government to learn the lessons of the Havelock North Drinking Water Inquiry. 

“The Havelock North Drinking Water Inquiry was clear that source protection should be treated as a matter of national importance in resource management law,” said Pham. 

“The Inquiry found that protecting the source of drinking water provides the first and most significant barrier against contamination and illness.” 

“Despite those recommendations, the Government’s resource management overhaul only requires decision-makers to ‘have regard to’ effects on drinking water quality. That falls well short of what the Inquiry called for.” 

“If this Government were serious about keeping our water safe, they would be enshrining source protection in law.” 

In answers to written questions, the Minister of Education confirmed she was not aware of ‘Do Not Drink’ notices that had been issued at schools in 2025, had received no advice on water quality at the affected schools, had no estimate of the cost to fix the issue, and had not corresponded with the Ministers for Local Government or Health about the matter. 

“The Minister is treating this as someone else’s problem. Parents sending their kids to school have a right to expect that the water is safe. They deserve a Government that takes that seriously,” says Davidson.

Source: New Zealand Police

The eastbound lane of Whitford Road is blocked following a single vehicle crash this morning.

Emergency services were called to Whitford Road, Whitford at 7.20am

One person has been taken to hospital in a serious condition.

Motorists are advised to expect delays.

ENDS

Frankie Le Roy/NZ Police

Source: New Zealand Police

State Highway 5 in Tahorakuri Forest is closed following a two-vehicle crash.

Emergency services were alerted to the incident around 7.07am.

Injuries are reported.

The Serious Crash Unit have been advised.

Road closures are in place from Ohaaki Road to Te Toke Road.

Motorists should choose alternative routes to travel in the area as emergency services work at the scene.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

Source: Green Party

Tonight, Green Party MP Kahurangi Carter’s Copyright (Parody and Satire) Amendment Bill passed through its first reading.

“This common-sense amendment would improve how our copyright laws work in a modern media landscape, and provide more protections for artists, like Australia, Canada, and parts of Europe,” says Green Party spokesperson for Arts, Culture and Heritage, Kahurangi Carter.

“Satire makes us laugh and makes us think. This Bill would help protect New Zealand’s comedians from legal threats and outsized egos.”

“Aotearoa can be a country that properly values our art and our artists, both of which already contribute significantly to what makes our country what it is.”

“Our copyright laws have not kept pace with the changing landscape of the digital age, which has left creatives exposed to the risk of costly legal repercussions.”

“We want to acknowledge the support of wonderful artists such as Thomas Sainsbury, Kura Forrester, and mihi to the broader artistic community.”

“The Greens want to further empower artists by protecting their artistic expression, which is currently restricted.”

“We’re grateful to those political parties who voted in favour of this Bill, and we’re looking forward to working with the public through the select committee process to ensure this Bill becomes a much needed law.”

“There is a lot going on in the world right now, so more than ever we must lean into art to help us express ourselves without being hampered by outdated laws,” says Kahurangi Carter.

Source: New Zealand Police

Please attribute to Detective Phill Hamlin: 

A body has been located in Lake Dunstan, near Cromwell, this afternoon.

Police were notified by a member of the public who was near Cornish Point about 2.35pm.

While the formal identification process is yet to be completed, it is believed to be the 21-year-old man reported missing from Cromwell.

The death will be referred to the Coroner.

The community support and search efforts have been extremely appreciated.

Our thoughts are with his loved ones at this difficult time.

ENDS

Issued by the Police Media Centre