Category: Public Media

Source: Radio New Zealand

Some people receiving the pension are being forced to choose between eating dinner and playing off their debt, after taking on student loans later in life.

One Taupō woman says she is still facing a $58,000 student loan from a business degree she took two decades ago.

Her repayments are now being docked from her pension and it is forcing her to sacrifice the basics so she can afford rent and power.

It has prompted calls for better guidelines on student loan eligibility and better communication between Inland Revenue and older students.

Taupō woman Fenella took out a student loan 20 years ago, to cover the fees for a business degree as she embarked on a new chapter in her life.

From 2007, her partner was helping her pay off her loan, but the relationship ended. One day she noticed $40 missing from her pension.

She said the pension and her accommodation supplement barely covered weekly bills and rent.

“I wasn’t eating so I’ve been selling my possessions just to get cat food and food for me.

“Apart from the fact of a 44-year relationship ending like it did, it’s been devastating.”

To save on power, Fenella turned off her hot water during the day and during winter she wrapped up in blankets and only used one small heater.

“We’re having to survive day by day without anything else happening to us.”

Inland Revenue takes 12 percent of every dollar earned over $24,128 a year for student loan repayments.

A single person living alone on the pension, getting $32,604 a year before tax, is caught by this threshold.

Former prosecutor for the IRD and tax barrister Dave Ananth has been helping people with student loans to negotiate repaying their debt.

He has had 10 people receiving the pension in the past month asking him for help.

“Do I pay my student loan or do I deprive myself of groceries? That’s not what the student loan scheme was designed for, at 70 you shouldn’t need a spreadsheet to decide between dinner and debt.”

Ananth said the student loan system needed to be re-looked at.

“Taking a loan is a responsibility, it’s tax-payer funded so it’s got to be paid back.

“I’m not in any way advocating that we write off things, I’m saying look at the system again, do you really need to give out this loan, can you avoid it or is there another way?”

Age Concern chief executive Karen Billings-Jensen said 40 percent of older New Zealanders only have superannuation as their income.

“When we see other fixed costs going up, like rates, electricity and insurance it’s really hard.

“What we’re seeing is people potentially cutting back on food, which is the only discretionary part of their income or budget.”

Billings said she would like to see more consistency on how debt can be repaid without someone falling into financial hardship.

“Interested in knowing that the settings to ensure that for repayments of any debt to the government doesn’t cause that level of financial hardship.

“It’s probably wanting some consistency across IRD, MSD, wherever the debt might sit.”

From the end of June this year, more than 23,000 people aged 65 and older had student loans. Of these, almost 6000 were based overseas.

In a statement to Checkpoint, Minister of Revenue Simon Watts said New Zealand super was taxable income and therefore subject to deductions for outstanding student loans.

He was not currently considering changes to the student loan system that fit within his responsibilities.

He said the government had measures to reduce the burden of student loan debt, such as minimum income repayment thresholds and no interest for most borrowers who stay in New Zealand.

But he said student loans still must be repaid.

The Department of Inland Revenue said they encouraged people who were having difficulty meeting their obligations to contact them.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Christchurch can withdraw from part of a plan change aimed at increasing housing density, because it has met its housing growth target, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop.

Bishop said Christchurch and Auckland councils had argued the Medium Density Residential Standards, which are part of Plan Change 14, were not right for their cities.

In August, Parliament passed a bill allowing the cities to withdraw Plan Change 14, provided the council could prove it had provided for 30 years of sufficient feasible housing capacity, with a 20 percent contingency margin.

Bishop said based on advice from officials, including two peer reviews provided by the council from Urbanomics and Sense Partners, he had decided the Christchurch Council has met this requirement.

“Christchurch City Council has confirmed its housing plan provides for future growth, with modelling showing plan enabled feasible housing capacity for at least 68,200 homes, exceeding the 65,640 homes needed to meet the statutory requirement for 30 years of adjusted demand,” Bishop said.

“Freeing up land for development by removing unnecessary planning barriers is essential to increasing housing supply.

“The evidence is clear that more housing capacity leads to more homes being built, which helps bring down rents and make housing more affordable. The council has delivered on this, and it’s a great result for the city.”

He said ministerial decisions were still pending on two heritage sites, Antonio Hall and Daresbury, and a special character area around Piko Crescent, but these will be considered in the coming months.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

The man in charge of the emergency response during Cyclone Gabrielle in Hawke’s Bay was worried about putting people in danger if he issued an evacuation alert earlier, a coronial inquiry has heard.

‘The last safe moment to evacuate may have already passed’

The acting group controller for Civil Defence in Hawke’s Bay has explained why he did not issue an emergency evacuation alert to residents earlier in the night.

He said there was a lack of information and it was hard to get a reliable picture of what was happening due to the darkness, so they agreed the best option was for people to “shelter in place”.

Lennan admitted he was “aware that there were significant gaps” in his “situational awareness”. He feared that issuing an EMA “was the more dangerous course of action”.

His reasoning was that an EMA would not be any help to people already experiencing significant flooding or anyone who had climbed onto their roofs, and worried it may lead to people putting themselves into danger by trying to drive when there was a risk of slips, falling trees and being trapped in floodwaters.

“I considered that it was possible that the last safe moment to evacuate may have already passed, without anyone involved in the emergency response realising that was the case,” said Lennan.

Last month the inquest heard from the hydrologist in charge of flood forecasting during the deadly Cyclone, who could not explain why it took two hours for him to tell Civil Defence about a failure with the river level monitoring equipment due to a power outage.

The third week of the Hawke’s Bay phase of the inquest began this morning with Land Search and Rescue capability and development manager Edaan Lennan giving evidence.

When Cyclone Gabrielle struck the region on 13 February 2023, Lennan was employed by Hawke’s Bay Regional Council (HBRC) in Hawke’s Bay Civil Defence Emergency Management (HBCDEM) Group Emergency Management Office.

Because the main group controller for civil defence, Ian Macdonald, was away on leave during the cyclone, he put Edaan Lennan and Iain Maxwell into the top role in his absence.

An EMA (Emergency Mobile Alert), was not issued for Esk Valley until 5:19am on 14 February, by which time two people had already drowned and many more residents were clutching onto their rooftops, desperately hoping to be rescued.

Lennan told the court that at some point between 3am and 3.30am on 14 February, he held an emergency style meeting with local civil defence controllers and the emergency services to decide what to do next.

The decision was made not to issue an EMA at that point. Although the coroner’s lawyer Nick Whittington pointed out that an email at 2.10am from the hydrologist clearly told civil defence the Esk River was at the highest level ever recorded.

“Is that not a clear indication that what ever it looks like out there… the predictions are out the window?

“Was there no consideration of sending an EMA at this point?” asked Whittington.

“Not that I recall”, said Lennan.

Lennan said “you wouldn’t want to send an EMA without understanding what was happening on the ground”, but Whittington disagreed. He queried whether residents could have been sent a message about the record river levels.

“Isn’t this a wake up call? Don’t they need to be alerted to the fact this is going on?” said the lawyer.

Lennan agreed they could have possibly issued the mobile alert earlier to inform residents about the situation, but he also believes evacuating people in the middle of the night could have put people in harm’s way.

A state of emergency was not declared until about 4am on 14 February, and Whittington questioned Lennan about whether there was a link between civil defence waiting for an emergency declaration before issuing an EMA.

Lennan was hesitant to say if that was the case, instead pointing to the risk of issuing too many emergency mobile alerts, saying it can cause anxiety and result in a less responsive public response.

“You can create a lot of harm to society in over-alerting… or create independence on an alerting system,” he said.

Whittington pressed him further, asking if civil defence has a pre-conceived view that a mobile alert should only come after a declaration of emergency.

“It’s something I’ve thought about… I don’t personally think I had that pre-conception,” said Lennan.

‘Skeleton’ Civil Defence crew on overnight

On 13 February there were about 30 people in the Group Emergency Coordination Centre, but by about 10pm most of those staff had gone home or were heading home.

Lennan said they had “skeleton staff” overnight, which included himself and several liaison officers from different emergency services.

Whittington asked Lennan why there were not more staff working overnight, when the cyclone was expected to intensify.

Lennan explained the complications behind using council staff for civil defence jobs.

“There are challenges with staff personal circumstances and the human factors as well, with asking, say a person employed to be a librarian – to then come in and work in an emergency coordination centre,” he said. Lennan said finding people who were willing and able to pick up civil defence shifts could be tough, for example they may have whanau or animals they need to look after, or childcare challenges.

“It’s not only that we couldn’t find people for overnight, but also that we wanted to be a bit strategic with our rest period, send people home so we could get them back early the next day,” said Lennan.

Whittington asked Lennan whether the issue of finding enough civil defence staff was a persistent issue that had never been solved.

“It’s been a continual known challenge in Hawke’s Bay and across the country,” said Lennan.

Lennan was also questioned about a conversation with Hawke’s Bay area commander Inspector Lincoln Sycamore, in which he requested extra army unimogs to be sent from the New Zealand Defence Force’s Linton base.

Whittington said this conversation took place on Sunday, 12 February, but Lennan said he doesn’t recall it.

“I only remember talking to him once on a Friday, nothing on the Sunday.”

Whittington said Sycamore wanted extra unimogs in the region in case the cyclone struck with greater intensity than forecast.

Sycamore’s witness statement said Lennan told him that it was not necessary.

“I would like to think I was not dismissive to the head of police in Hawke’s Bay… doesn’t sound like the type of person I’d like to be,” said Lennan.

In his evidence, Lennan stated that Civil Defence was not authorised to deploy police resources.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

A huge wildfire in Tongariro National Park is expected to have significant impacts on biodiversity.

The large fire on the Central Plateau broke out on Saturday afternoon, triggering evacuations of trampers and residents, including Whakapapa Village.

Firefighters have been battling the fire for three days, which has since grown to over 2800 hectares.

Here’s how it unfolded in pictures:

Pictures from Saturday, 8 November

Pictures from Sunday, 9 November

Pictures from Monday, 10 November

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

A “game-changer” immunisation that could save thousands of babies from a potentially deadly lung infection is sitting in the hands of Pharmac, according to respiratory health experts.

Pharmac’s Immunisation Advisory Committee met last week to discuss the funding application for nirsevimab to prevent respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in infants, as well as one for Arexvy, which is already licensed RSV vaccine for adults aged 60 and older.

Asthma and Respiratory Foundation chief executive Letitia Harding said the potential approval of nirsevimab could be “a game-changer” – particularly for Māori and Pacific communities.

“This is the progress we’ve been waiting for.

“RSV hospitalises thousands of children every year, and this treatment has the potential to prevent many of those admissions.”

But Pharmac needed to act quickly to ensure it was ready for next winter, she said.

“We can’t afford delays if we want to save lives of some of our most vulnerable.

“We’re urging decision makers to prioritise funding so that New Zealand infants can benefit as soon as possible.”

Another preventative medicine (Palivizumab) is already available for high-risk babies and young children but requires monthly hospital visits for injections.

Nirsevimab can be given by GP clinics, pharmacists or midwives and a single injection protects against RSV for five or six months.

gives protection over the entire RSV “season”.

It is a monoclonal antibody, which gives passive immunity rather than stimulating the immune system to make its own antibodies, like a vaccine.

Foundation medical director Professor Bob Hancox said the opportunity to introduce a more effective and accessible RSV immunisation was “a critical step for child health”.

“RSV is one of the most common and serious respiratory infections in infants, and it places enormous strain on our hospitals every winter.

“This new treatment could dramatically reduce hospitalisations and health inequities,” he said.

RSV immunisation is used in 40 other countries, and data shows it can cut RSV hospitalisations among babies by up to 90 percent.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

The New Zealand Transport Agency has discovered and revoked 440 fake commercial driver licensees.

NZTA said they discovered false or altered documentation that converted overseas licences to New Zealand licences.

The discovery was made in an audit during the “conversion process” in July 2025.

“We have systems in place to identify, investigate and respond to suspected fraudulent activity and we will act swiftly when we find it by holding people to account,” deputy director of land transport Mike Hargreaves said.

NZTA is in the process of contacting the individuals involved.

Providing false or misleading information as part of driver licence application is an offence under the Land Transport Act 1998, punishable by an infringement fine of up to $750.  

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

People living near the Tongariro National Park fire are being warned to take extra precautions to protect themselves, young children and the elderly from smoke.

The Asthma and Respiratory Foundation said residents should close windows and doors if staying inside, and wear a properly fitted N95 or KN95 masks outdoors.

Its chief executive Letitia Harding said bush fire smoke contained “tiny particles” which could irritate the lungs and airways.

That could be particularly risky for children, older people and those with pre-existing respiratory conditions.

“For people with asthma, COPD or other lung conditions, smoke exposure can trigger flare-ups, which in serious cases may require hospitalisation,” she said.

“It’s important to limit exposure and keep medications like reliever inhalers on hand.”

Meanwhile, those travelling in the area should keep car windows closed and set the ventilation system to recirculate air.

Everyone in the wider region should stay informed about smoke conditions, plan activities carefully and take practical steps to protect their lungs, Harding said.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand