Category: Public Media

Source: Radio New Zealand

A single vaccine to protect against several diseases would be convenient and according to one study it may also be possible.

Stanford University School of Medicine professor Dr Bali Pulendran is a senior author on the American experiment looking at a vaccine that could protect against the flu, Covid and other diseases.

He told Saturday Morning that the study was still in its early stages, but its aim was to deliver a wide range of protection.

“What the experiments show is that if you deliver this vaccine intranasally, it can induce immunity that seems to be remarkably broad in conferring protection against many different strains of viruses, different strains of bacteria, but also allergens.”

So far, the vaccine was being administered through the nose on mice.

“It’s administered through a pipette into the nostrils of mice and ultimately, we think that as we move forward into translation, that this could be a nasal spray that’s administered to humans.”

Pulendran added it was important that the vaccine be administered nasally.

“Because we were trying to protect against respiratory infections. And if you wish to evoke the kind of immune response in a tissue, in a local site, I think the best mode of delivery is through a route that’s proximal to that site.”

He said if successful, this would be helpful should we encounter another pandemic in the future that is more dangerous than Covid-19.

“So that’s where I think this kind of universal vaccine that could be administered broadly to the population at the very earliest signs of the pandemic could be useful as a sort of a stopgap measure in imprinting immunity on a population-wide level for some period of time.”

He said it could also be useful during non-pandemic times such as the flu season where it can be distributed as a nasal spray.

Historically the way vaccines worked was by teaching the immune system to respond to a bit of a pathogen.

Pulendran said for this immunisation the idea was to “integrate” the innate and adaptive immune system to launch a response that was “broad” and “pathogen agnostic”.

The adaptive immune system was made of antibodies and T-cells. The innate immune system was something Pulendran referred to as evolutionarily “ancient” and was “broader” in its ability to protect against infections.

“Unlike the adaptive immune system, the innate immune system is not very specific. It’s really quite broad.”

“Regardless of the pathogen, whether it’s a microbe or a virus or a fungi, the innate immune system can launch this incredibly broad response.”

Although broad the innate immune system was not very “long lived”, lasting only a few minutes or days, potentially weeks.

“The strategy that we came up with was to leverage the incredible breadth of the innate immune system, but the longevity of the adaptive immune system.”

“So, we could allow the adaptive immune cells in the lungs to teach the innate immune system to keep going for far longer than just a few days or a few weeks and in this case, in mice, up to about six months or so.”

He said mice that had been given the intranasal vaccine and later infected with bacteria, allergens and viruses such as SARS and some coronaviruses were protected for three or up to six months.

“What’s happening now is that we are planning a study in humans where we could test this concept to see if this vaccine is safe and efficacious.”

“If that proves to be successful, I think this would represent a remarkable departure from how we view vaccines.”

Following the testing on mice the next step is a toxicology study on rabbits.

If the toxicology study produces positive results, Pulendran said they would look to do a “dose escalation study” in humans, a process they were fundraising for.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Two people have been injured in a house fire in Christchurch Saturday afternoon.

Emergency services were called to a roof on fire at a property on Wairakei Road shortly before 3pm.

A St John spokesperson says they responded with two ambulances and a rapid response unit.

They treated two patients on the scene – one in a minor condition, and transported another in a moderate condition to Christchurch Hospital.

Fire and Emergency South shift manager, Blair Walkin said about eight firefighters were still extinguishing the fire.

Police confirmed they were assisting emergency services at the blaze.

A police spokesperson understood ambulance staff were helping people at the scene.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Local residents had been growing frustrated by several out-of-control parties at two Mt Albert properties, before a violent incident last night left multiple people injured.

Police were called to Phyllis Street in the Auckland suburb shortly before 10pm after a fight broke out, and four people were taken to hospital.

St John said one person was in a serious condition, while three others were in a moderate condition.

Senior Sergeant John Nicol said police were still working to investigate and establish what occurred.

“Early information suggests that a vehicle was driven toward a group of partygoers, injuring two people – one with moderate injuries and one with minor injuries,” he said.

At least two other people were also moderately injured during the “wider disorder”.

Local Anna McKessar was putting her children to bed just before 10pm when a group of screaming teens came running towards her home.

“I was really worried about the young people that I could see and whether they were trying to get away, and whether they were safe.

“But I didn’t want to go out and put myself in danger or put my kids in danger. Once I heard the police arriving, I felt a little bit more comfortable that the young people who were out there were okay.”

Neighbours on the street are also reporting that partygoers were attacked with machetes.

The party was held at a property which has been listed on several short-stay accommodation platforms, McKessar said.

She said a few hundred people were gathered there before violence spilt out onto the road.

“They shouldn’t have been having this ruckus party.

“But I’m sure most of the kids that were there were just not thinking about the consequences, turning up to a party, just being classic teens. They didn’t come thinking all this would happen.

“They were all pretty freaked out, and I just feel really sad for them that that was what it turned into.

“You can have a big group of people, and only two or three need to come with ill intent to affect hundreds of lives.”

She said locals had been growing frustrated after several parties at the property and a property next door, which were owned by the same landlord.

“We had a spate of parties a couple of years ago where we had real problems. The house was rented for a night or two to some teenagers, and it had just turned into this massive thing. They trashed cars on the street, and neighbours’ fences, and it was terrible. It happened at least twice.

“It’s pretty upsetting for neighbours, and the person that owns those properties has never shown up, never apologised, and shown no remorse.”

Another Phyllis Street resident, who did not want to be named, said she was woken by the sounds of the “violent” altercation.

“There was so many people out there screaming and shouting at each other and they were kicking the gates and fences of random houses down Phyllis Street. It sounded like people were getting really hurt.”

Residents of a nearby property Michael and Susan Wells said they had also seen the gathering and heard the screams.

The number of partygoers swelled, when news of the fight spread, Michael Wells said.

“We noticed more cars piling in, the traffic was quite busy, busier than usual.”

Vehicles appeared to come from around the area, Susan Wells said.

“More cars coming down and doing burnouts at about 10, so people were still arriving at that point to try to check out what was happening and it looked like they wanted to join in”.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Kaikohe has avoided a water crisis, as residents and businesses quickly reduced their usage.

The Northland town was warned on Friday night that it could run out of water if residents didn’t start conserving it.

Civil Defence said reservoir levels have now risen to 64 percent, easing some of the immediate pressure on the supply.

Teams are working to restore the water treatment plant after problems from Thursday’s storm.

The Far North District Council had made a social media post on Friday warning residents that “taps could run dry” unless residents reduced their water use.

“The council is asking all Kaikohe households and businesses to reduce consumption immediately or risk the town’s supply reservoirs running out of treated water tonight.”

Kaikohe residents are being asked to continue conserving water.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Around a third of Gisborne vape stores subject to compliance checks last year were found to have broken the rules.

Of the 18 stores subject to controlled purchase operations (CPO), four failed for selling to minors and three failed for other reasons, including the sale of disposable vapes.

The results, from 1 February, 2025, to 28 February, 2026, were revealed in a Health New Zealand Official Information Act response to Local Democracy Reporting (LDR) questions.

According to the OIA, all 18 controlled purchase operations took place in June last year.

The data did not specify what each store failed for, and some retailers failed more than once.

Retailers told LDR they had since made changes to meet compliance, with one store saying they no longer sold vapes.

Which stores failed?

• Gisborne retailers that failed a vape-related CPO in June 2025:
• Friends Indian Takeaway & Dairy (61 Gladstone Rd)
• Elgin Vape Shop (signposted as Elgin Dairy, 683 Childers Rd)
• Grocery Hutt (384 Palmerston Rd)
• Roebuck Road Superette and Takeaways (141A Roebuck Rd)
• Bridge Store (19 Roebuck Rd)
• De Lautour Road Superette (92a De Lautour Rd)

Of the stores that gave comments to LDR, Pushwinder Kaur of Friends Indian Takeaways and Dairy said failing compliance was a one-off. It had not happened in the 16-17 years they had operated the store.

They had paid their fine and now checked every ID for those who looked like they could be under the age range of 18-25.

Owner of Roebuck Rd Superette and Takeaways, Simranjid Singh, also owned De Lautour Rd Superette. Singh said both of his stores failed because of a lack of staff training and awareness of the rule changes for the sales of disposable vapes.

Singh and Kaur both said they did not sell the fruity flavoured vape products.

Manager of Grocery Hutt, Sidharth Chawla, said they no longer sold vapes but were looking at applying for a licence in the future.

Owner of the Elgin Vape shop, Shao-Qing Li, said, through an interpreter, she believed there was a mistake in the CPO results but had paid the fines.

Vape sales compliance education ‘far more active’ – medical officer of health

Douglas Lush, a medical officer of health in the region, said vapes could be bought at 84 places (not only dedicated vape stores) within Gisborne city.

Lush said a store could be targeted for a CPO if there were any concerns from the public or a reason for suspicion.

Tai Rāwhiti now has a permanent compliance officer, who visits suppliers, educates them on the legislation and ensures they adhere to the rules.

“We’ve been far more active with vape sales than we have been in the past.”

On 17 June last year, intending to discourage youth from vaping, the government banned disposable vapes, which were cheap and had adverse environmental impacts, Lush said.

“Vaping has a small and declining role in helping long-term smokers kick smoking, but has no benefits for rangitahi who become rapidly addicted to the nicotine that is contained in the vapes.”

The National Public Health Service would continue to “investigate, educate and then prosecute retailers who do not adhere to the law”, he said.

The infringement fine is $2000 for each offence, and retailers can be fined for multiple offences.

Infringements ‘very concerning’ – mayor

Gisborne Mayor Rehette Stoltz said it was “very concerning” to see retailers failing to meet compliance checks.

“Particularly where young people may have been able to access vaping products.”

As a response to an increase in young people taking up vaping, the council’s smoke-free and vape-free policy was updated last July to include vaping and the city centre.

According to the council report, results from a 2024 survey undertaken by the Action for Smokefree 2025 revealed that 21.9 percent of Year 10 students in Tai Rāwhiti vaped daily – 63 percent of these Māori.

Stoltz said the policy was “focused on promoting healthy public spaces and taking steps to ensure harmful habits are less visible and less normalised, especially for rangatahi”.

“Compliance and enforcement at the point of sale are matters for health agencies, but as a community we should all expect better when it comes to protecting young people.”

What do schools say?

LDR approached some schools near stores that failed the CPO.

Ilminster Intermediate is near De Lautour Road Superette, which failed. Principal Jonathan Poole said it was concerning that children were able to get hold of vapes with “ease” and how the various flavours available appealed to young people.

“It’s the accessibility that our kids have to these things… they’re either buying them, they’re getting other people to buy them, or they’re just bringing them from home.”

He believed other principals were experiencing the same issues.

Poole said he had seen an increase in vaping last year, but the school seemed to be “on top of it” this year. It was not just at intermediate and high-school level.

“Kids are vaping at a very young age.”

Poole was concerned kids were addicted to their vapes, which is why they were bringing them into school.

“It’s because it’s become a long-term habit already.”

When asking some children last year why they vaped, they responded with: “Oh, we just like the taste.”

“It’s the flavour, it’s like a lolly,” Poole said.

– LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

A Northland community member helping with flood evacuations on Friday night says it was the worst weather he had seen so far this year.

The region has been in cleanup mode this weekend after intense flooding, causing slips and surface damage in communities throughout the Far North and the Bay of Islands.

Though the worst is likely over, MetService is currently forecasting rain and strong winds for Northland throughout Sunday.

Mita Harris leads the Kerikeri Cadet Unit, and with his military-grade Unimog, can access flooded properties that others cannot. A former reservist himself, he has owned the vehicle for around a decade, and has been able to help evacuate households and lift supplies.

He says this week saw the worst floods in the Far North so far this year.

“It was fast, it wasn’t slow, thank goodness for that,” Harris said. “If an event kept going like this for three or four days, we’d be in serious trouble.”

He said he had spent the week preparing the vehicle, following forecasts and keeping in close contact with low-lying areas where he had seen extreme flooding in the past. By the evening they were in the thick of it.

On a crumbled gravel road in a paddock in Waihou Valley, with flattened shrubbery and scattered debris everywhere, Harris said the high tide coupled with intense levels of rainwater had rendered the whole area submerged.

The area began to flood at around lunchtime on Thursday, rising with the tide at around 4pm until 10pm, he said.

“It just looked like a rippling moving desert, it’s ripped up the tarseal and just carried stuff off, it’s a huge volume that came in with a high tide as well which pushed everything out.”

Farming households in the area who depend on those roads were effectively stranded, though Harris was occasionally able to access them on the Unimog. One farming family had been completely cut off after part of their road collapsed into a stream underneath.

“On the Unimog, those levels were up to the bonnet, which is six foot two (1.88m).”

Northland Regional Council said 410 cubic metres of floodwaters were flowing down the Awanui River every second, a record.

In a statement, Regional Councillor Joe Carr credited the upgrade Awanui flood scheme from stopping communities like Kaitaia from an outcome comparable to the infamous 1958 floods, which recorded nearly half as much floodwater.

“This was an extraordinary event with very intense hourly rainfall which tested the scheme to its limits,” he said.

“There was some costly flooding and associated evacuations as stopbanks did overtop both upstream and downstream of State Highway 1 Bridge Waikuruki and in the lower Whangatane Spillway, all of which are works in progress, but overall the $15 million-plus, multi-year scheme upgrade performed very well.”

Harris felt as though there was very little that could be done to future-proof the communities in the actual floodplains.

“The infrastructure has been like this for a long time since they started putting roads in off the state highway in the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s.

“Technology’s giving us some early warnings about when these events are coming, so when to prepare… so families will do that, but the infrastructure, it is what it is.”

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