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Electricity Authority lodges formal complaint against Genesis

Source: Radio New Zealand

The authority said Genesis did not comply with dispatch instructions in respect of its Huntly power station, or immediately advise Transpower why it could not. RNZ

The Electricity Authority has lodged a formal complaint alleging Genesis did not adequately comply with a request to deliver power into the grid.

It says the company breached the Electricity Industry Participation Code over an incident in January last year and could be liable for a penalty of up to $2 million.

The authority said Genesis did not comply with dispatch instructions in respect of its Huntly power station, or immediately advise Transpower why it could not, on 26 January 2024.

The dispatch instructions are given by Transpower to generators to provide more electricity generation when required.

The authority said compliance with them was critical to maintain the stability, reliability and efficiency of the power system, to ensure sufficient electricity supply to meet demand at all time sand to ensure fair and transparent operations, avoiding the risk of price distortion.

“If generation is suddenly unavailable (for example, through an unexpected outage), this can have a flow on effect such as a localised cascade failure of the power system and regional loss of supply.

“The code requires generators to comply with dispatch instruction and to communicate with the System Operator if issues arise.”

The authority said the reported breach had a moderate level of severity overall but Genesis had a history of alleged non-compliance.

“There was a potential security impact from a shortage of generation provided due to non-compliance with a dispatch instruction because the shortage of generation may have had an impact on frequency keeping stations to the top end of their frequency keeping band, limiting their capacity to provide frequency keeping services and support in case of an under-frequency event.”

The complaint will be assessed by the rulings panel, which as the power to make remedial orders.

Remedial orders include pecuniary penalties, compliance orders, compensation orders, and private and public warnings or reprimands.

The liability limit applying to industry participants is a pecuniary penalty not exceeding $2 million and a further amount not exceeding $10,000 for every day or part of a day during which the breach continues.

In a statement, Genesis said it endeavoured to comply with the Electricity Industry Participation Code and had worked closely with the Electricity Authority regarding the alleged breach.

“While we are disappointed that a complaint has been escalated to the Rulings Panel, we will continue to work through the process to a resolution.”

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2025: The year of the naked dress?

Source: Radio New Zealand

The year’s biggest trend was barely there. It crested Margot Robbie in slim strands of beads and rhinestones; it draped Julia Fox, Sandro Botticelli-style, in little more than strands of brunette curls; and, through an empire waisted layer of sheer white mesh, it revealed Sienna Miller’s new pregnancy to the world.

We’re talking, of course, about the naked dress.

In 2025, countless actors, musicians and influencers appeared on red carpets in naked dresses – dresses with fabric so sheer or minimal that the wearer looks as if she’s wearing nothing, or dresses designed to create a trompe l’oieil appearance of nudity.

Actress Julia Fox was a repeat offender in 2025 when it came to the sheer dress.

NEILSON BARNARD/JOHN LAMPARSKI

Why did so many designers make these dresses this year, and why do celebrities continue to reach for them?

Designers say they are expressions of freedom and our changing relationship to nudity. Critics say they are an indulgence of the male gaze. Are naked dresses the parable of the emperor’s new clothes come to life, or a dream-come-true for body positivity?

Liberté, egalité, nudité?

“Any style that comes into fashion is going to be overdetermined, to use a psychoanalytical term – it’s going to be caused by a lot of things,” said Dr. Valerie Steele, the director and chief curator, The Museum at FIT. “There’s no one thing, like the conservative mood sweeping the world politically, or a new form of sexual liberation. Big world historical events are often in the background, as are individuals, like a particular actress. But in between is where you find most of the catalysts for changes in fashion, and that means the world of craft or lifestyle.”

Designers are constantly looking at each other for ideas, noting what peers or rivals make that generates publicity – and this past year, that meant the guaranteed virality of the naked dress, Steele said.

The designers behind many of the most popular variations say they have one goal in mind: to celebrate the power of the woman zipped (or thinly veiled) within.

“The naked dress has never been about exposure for me, it’s about liberation,” LaQuan Smith, the New York-based fashion designer behind several stand-out naked dresses at this year’s Met Gala, wrote in an email. “It’s about a woman choosing to show up exactly as she wants, in full control of her presence. When I design pieces that reveal the body, I’m thinking about confidence as an energy, not a flash.”

Actress Halle Berry arrives for the 2025 Met Gala in New York.

ANGELA WEISS

Smith’s Met Gala dresses demonstrate his modus operandi: for Halle Berry, he created panels of alternating black liquid-y bugle beads and sheer stretch mesh that fanned into a glorious, lengthy train; and for Ciara, he placed swags of crystals between an hourglass of black matte silk. With their mix of hard lines and softer materials, you could hardly say the women looked vulnerable (or cold).

Marcelo Gaia, who perhaps invented the contemporary form of the naked dress in 2019 when he launched his New York-based brand Mirror Palais, considers the gowns a celebration of femininity, spurred on by models’ reactions in early fittings to dresses made of one layer of fabric, without lining. “A woman’s body is just so beautiful. It’s like, the most perfect creation,” Gaia said. “If you want to make something beautiful, you really don’t have to do that much – you’re just showing what’s there.”

Still, naked dress designers say that provocation is part of the point. Christian Cowan’s crystal T-shirt dress, made in collaboration with designer Elias Matso as the finale look in his Spring-Summer 2026 show, became a sensation when actress and cultural lightning rod Sydney Sweeney wore it to a Variety party in late October. Some on social media criticized her braless, busty appearance as vulgar. “I loved that it was a bit controversial, and it sparked conversations,” said Cowan. “I think anything worthwhile upsets some people.”

Actress Sydney Sweeney in Christian Cowan’s crystal T-shirt dress.

MAYA DEHLIN SPACH

Designers sense that women care most about how they feel in a garment, rather than what others may think. “I’m like, what male gaze is there?” he said. “For the most part, I don’t think women are dressing for the male gaze.”

Or, if the male is indeed gazing, he’s doing so uncomfortably. Lily Allen wore a form of the naked dress by Colleen Allen to the CFDAs in early November, coasting off the success of her new album “West End Girl,” widely considered to be a post-mortem account of her estrangement from husband David Harbour. The ensemble undoubtedly carried an attitude of vengefulness, suggesting outrageous confidence and an assurance to anyone watching that she’s doing just fine: she showed the ex-lover who scorned her what he’s missing out on, and invited her sympathetic fans to cheer on her fantastic post-breakup appearance.

Writer and editor Tish Weinstock, who got married in a sheer vintage John Galliano dress, said she hardly feels undressed in naked dresses. “I don’t feel naked at all, because I’m literally wearing clothes. And not just any clothes, but these beautiful, historical relics from the 1930s, eroded over time, or iconic Galliano or Dolce gowns from the 90s,” she said. “For me, it allows me to become a character. I feel more like an apparition than standing there completely starkers”.

In other words, the naked dress allows designers and wearers to challenge our assumptions around a woman’s appearance. “I love the questioning of, why is this taboo?” said Cowan. “A part of a woman’s body shouldn’t be taboo. It should be completely her decision of what she does with that, and then everyone else should be fine.”

The emperor’s new GLP-1

Of course, the wearer, her loyal observers and her ex-boyfriend are not the only people seeing the dress – and no single dress, as Steele points out, has a fixed meaning.

“You cannot put a unifocal interpretation on it, because the same style can mean diametrically different things on one person,” she said. “Meaning is not inherent in the dress. It is created and recreated each time by the wearer, the designer and the viewers as they all try and figure out what it means.”

Steele points to Marie Antoinette popularizing the chemise, the 18th century’s answer to the naked dress, as an instructive example. “It was caused in part by the fall of the old regime and the revolution,” she said, plus the new availability of cotton through the growth of the American slave trade, and a trending interest in Grecian gowns that promoted liberty as a core social value.

Nonetheless, it is impossible to see the rise of the naked dress as extricable from the boom in GLP-1 usage, even if designers like Allen, Gaia, Smith, Cowan and Dilara Findikoglu, the maker of Fox’s Botticelli dress, have been making these dresses since the heyday of the body positivity movement (even if that was only three years ago). Modern body-skimming dresses first emerged in the 1920s and 1930s, when designers like Madeleine Vionnet and Coco Chanel created bias- cut gowns that clung to the figure, with shorter hemlines that showed off the legs. In the background, fascism was beginning its ascent across Europe, and the oppression of liberal values and a focus on the newly slim, physically disciplined body seemed to play off each other.

Actress Zoë Kravitz attends the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscar Party.

NEILSON BARNARD

As conservative ideals once again take hold and the figures of celebrities seem to shrink, the body seems to risk becoming a fashion trend unto itself, rather than any clothing style or silhouette. Even as many of the naked dress’s designers put a range of body types in their clothes – and in fact, the designers discussed here are some of the few who remain committed to body diversity in their runway casting – those who most often wear naked dresses tend to be thin.

Gaia believes that the prevalence of thin women in such dresses is not only due to GLP-1s, but the expense of creating and marketing plus size clothing through fitting and ecommerce imagery. (Gaia offers up to a size 18/20.) “It’s very complicated, and it’s not just Ozempic that is playing a role,” he said. “One hundred percent, white supremacy, thinness, its adjacencies – like that is playing a role. But it really also comes down to money.”

Is the naked dress here to stay? Perhaps that depends on how you interpret the year’s most naked dress of all: the scrap of nude nylon worn by Bianca Censori at February’s Grammys. You had to squint to the see the lines of the dress itself, and nearly every outlet ran pictures of her at the event blurred.

Kanye West and Bianca Censori, moments before she dropped her coat to reveal a sheer dress.

Frazer Harrison / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

“The relative nakedness of the female body can either be perceived, and/or intended as liberating, or perceived as objectifying,” said Steele. “Some of the girlfriends of famous people who appear semi-nude next to them on the red carpet, you kind of go, I think she is presenting herself as a sexual object for her partner. In other cases, you think, she is so in charge of what she thinks she’s doing.”

Was Censori merely a sexual prop for a public eager to see female nudity while purporting to revile it? Or was she so in charge? The naked truth may be both.

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

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UK singer Chris Rea dies at 74, days before Christmas

Source: Radio New Zealand

British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, best known for the 1980s festive hit ‘Driving Home for Christmas’, has died at the age of 74, his family announced on Monday (local time).

“It is with immense sadness that we announce the death of our beloved Chris,” a spokesperson for his wife and two children said in a statement shared with UK media.

“He passed away peacefully in hospital earlier today following a short illness, surrounded by his family.”

A post on his official social media channels added: “Chris’s music has created the soundtrack to many lives, and his legacy will live on through the songs he leaves behind.”

No further details were immediately provided.

The musician, born in 1951 in Middlesbrough, northeast England, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and had his pancreas removed in 2001, and in 2016 he suffered a stroke.

He first found fame in Britain in the late 1970s with ‘Fool (If You Think It’s Over)’, following up in the 1980s with ‘Let’s Dance’ and ‘The Road to Hell’.

Known for his gravelly voice and slide guitar-playing, he recorded 25 solo albums – two of which topped the UK albums chart – while he also earned a Grammy nomination early in his career.

His 1986 track ‘Driving Home for Christmas’ became synonymous with the festive season, often reappearing in the British singles chart in December.

In recent weeks it had reached number 30 and also featured in the Christmas advert for supermarket chain Marks & Spencer.

The song “tells the story of a weary traveller making his way home, a moment of warmth, humour and holiday spirit that’s never lost its magic”, according to Rea’s website.

In interviews, he has revealed he wrote the song during a difficult period eight years earlier when his manager had left him, he had been banned from driving and his wife was behind the wheel.

“I’d look across at the other drivers, who all looked so miserable,” he previously said.

“Jokingly, I started singing ‘We’re driving home for Christmas…’ then, whenever the street lights shone inside the car, I started writing down the lyrics.”

His hometown football club, Middlesbrough FC, posted on X that it was “deeply saddened” by news of his death, calling him “a Teesside icon”.

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

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‘Only takes one spark’: Fireworks banned at multiple holiday hotspots

Source: Radio New Zealand

Fireworks have been banned in several locations over the holidays. Robert Smith/RNZ

The private use of fireworks has been banned at multiple holiday hotspots over the holiday period due to high fire risk.

Fire and Emergency (FENZ) confirmed fireworks would be banned in Coromandel from 8am Tuesday until 30 January.

Bans for Central Otago, Lakes and Upper Waitaki areas also come into effect at 8am Christmas Eve until further notice.

Enforced under Section 52 of the Fire and Emergency New Zealand Act, the bans did not extend to approved public fireworks displays.

FENZ Waikato District Manager Daryl Trim said the fire risk across the Coromandel zone remained high.

“We’ve had consistently warm and windy days which has dried out the vegetation. The vegetation in this area is mainly scrub, which is very quick to burn when dry.

“It only takes one spark from a firework for a devastating wildfire to start.”

Two fires had broken out across the Coromandel peninsula, near Pauanui and the other near Port Jackson, over the past fortnight. Both blazes were caused by fireworks.

About 80,000 people were set to swarm to the holiday hotspot over the holiday period.

“We want to make sure everybody knows to enjoy our public fireworks displays instead of lighting their own,” Trim said.

“Let’s all do our part to protect this beautiful part of our country.”

The Coromandel zone was in a restricted fire season, meaning a permit approved by FENZ was required for most open-air fires.

Parts of Otago have moved into a restricted fire season. Supplied/ Mid-South Canterbury Fire and Emergency NZ

Parts of Otago move into restricted fire season

The Queenstown-Lakes district will move to a restricted fire season on Christmas Eve.

FENZ said that brought the district into line with the Central Otago and Upper Waitaki areas who were already in a restricted fire season.

The restrictions, alongside temporary fireworks bans across the region, were part of a bid to lower the risk of wildfires over the summer period.

FENZ’s acting Otago district manager Craig Gold said the restricted areas included several popular holiday spots.

“Every year our firefighters have to drop everything and put out fires caused by people letting off fireworks. This is especially the case at New Year when people bring out fireworks they’ve saved from Guy Fawkes.

“They don’t always consider the fire risk, which is much higher now than in early November.”

Grass and scrub may appear to be too wet to ignite following recent rain, but terrain remained dry underneath, Gold said.

“Once a fire gets going in these conditions, it can cause a lot of damage very quickly, and be very challenging for firefighters to put out.”

A restricted fire season meant most types of outdoor fires, including bonfires and campfires, required a fire permit.

There were a small number of exceptions to the controls, including hangi and umu.

“This year we want to send a very clear message to locals and visitors alike – be a good sort,” Gold said.

“Leave the fireworks in the box. Think ahead if you’re planning an outdoor fire and apply for a permit in plenty of time.”

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Man hospitalised after falling from Paritutu Rock

Source: Radio New Zealand

Paritutu Rock and nearby rock islands in New Plymouth, New Zealand. Jordan Tan / 123rf

A man has been hospitalised after falling off the Paritutu Rock walkway in New Plymouth.

Police said they received a report at about 5:10pm on Monday that a man might have fallen from the top of the steep volcanic outcrop between Back Beach and Ngāmotu Beach.

Police, Search and Rescue, including Surf Lifesaving New Zealand, and a helicopter all helped to search for the man.

About 7pm, the man was found stuck at the base of Paritutu Road, with minor injuries.

He was winched by the helicopter and airlifted to the carpark where he was assessed by ambulance staff.

He was taken by ambulance to Taranaki Base Hospital in a moderate condition.

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

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Hamilton airport is flying after this year’s return of international flights

Source: Radio New Zealand

Hamilton is proving to be a popular spot to fly into, airlines say. Supplied

Hamilton airport expects to wrap up end the this year with its busiest ever month, after a new daily Jetstar jet service between Hamilton and Christchurch started on 1 December 2025.

Air New Zealand returned a jet service along the same route in September, and the airport began welcoming international flights in July, making it a year of aggressive growth.

Added together it expected about 60 percent more travellers through the airport in December 2025 when compared to 2024.

Hamilton Airport chief executive Mark Morgan said the jet services had added 70 percent capacity to the Hamilton-Christchurch route alone (the airport also had flights between Wellington and Hamilton) and had been great for consumers.

“It’s been very successful for us and I think what the low cost carrier option of Jetstar introduces is it brings people back into the market that perhaps were finding the regional domestic airfares quite expensive,” he said.

This was bringing back consumers who had not been actively travelling because of the cost of domestic airfares.

More competition and options on a route also influenced prices, softening airfares.

“The airlines have more seats to fill, that provides more low-cost fares with Jetstar and perhaps more competitive fares with Air New Zealand,” Morgan said.

When international flights returned to the city in July, it was seen as signalling Waikato as a region of growth.

Jetstar Airways chief operating officer Matt Franzi said demand had been strong on both sides of the Tasman and the company was thrilled with how the first six months had gone on the Hamilton-Sydney and Hamilton-Gold Coast flights.

“It’s clear Kiwi travellers love having more low fares and more choice for international flights out of Hamilton,” he said.

Travellers arriving into the country were also taking full advantage of the new flights.

Hobbiton Movie Set’s general manager of tourism, Shayne Forrest said some travellers were now visiting the Waikato attraction within hours of landing in the country.

“It’s been fantastic to have visitors travelling from Australia be able to arrive straight into the Waikato. When travellers arrive at Hamilton Airport, they are just a short drive away from a variety of adventures the Waikato offers, with our slice of real Middle-earth just 30 minutes away,” he said.

Hamilton airport had to create a new international border for New Zealand for international flights to return. That infrastructure then allowed the jet services to begin, as it included aviation security services and passenger screening facilities.

Franzi said Jetstar appreciated its partnership with Hamilton Airport.

“It’s been great working together to make trans-Tasman travel easier and more affordable for our customers, and we look forward to exploring new opportunities in the future.”

Morgan said the routes have outperformed expectations and the airport had an aggressive growth strategy going forward.

“Our customers have responded very, very strongly to the international routes and we’ve seen record passenger numbers coming through the airport because of that,” he said.

The airport was planning to conduct in depth research in 2026, but Morgan said anecdotally passengers were coming from all over the region, and further afield, to take advantage of the flights.

“Feedback is that the catchment is as wide as we had hoped, so strong support from the Bay of Plenty, from as far south as New Plymouth and as far east as the Hawkes Bay,” he said.

“All in all, we couldn’t really be more delighted.”

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Person hospitalised after incident on Paritutu Rock

Source: Radio New Zealand

Paritutu Rock and nearby rock islands in New Plymouth, New Zealand. Jordan Tan / 123rf

One person has been taken to hospital after an incident at Paritutu Rock in New Plymouth.

St John said it was called to the 156 meter tall volcanic outcrop between Back Beach and Ngāmotu Beach about 5.30pm on Monday.

It said one patient in a moderate condition required hospitalisation.

Paritutu Rock is also a popular summit hike, for its views of New Plymouth’s coastline.

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Why home loan applicants might face an extra wait

Source: Radio New Zealand

Anyone applying for a home loan now could face an extra wait for an answer. RNZ

Anyone applying for a home loan now could face an extra wait for an answer.

Mortgage advisers say a busier-than-usual period for applications, coupled with the impending Christmas break, could mean a wait for some borrowers.

Glen McLeod, head of Link Advisory, said turnaround times were longer than usual.

“Some lenders paused pre-approvals in early December to focus on processing live deals. Recent cashback offers created a surge in refinancing activity, adding extra pressure on lender systems.

“If you apply now, approvals are likely to be scheduled for early 2026.”

ASB said it had received a significant increase in home loan applications over recent weeks.

“The time to approve a loan will depend on a variety of factors, including the completeness of information provided.

“Our triaging process and recruitment drive for an additional 80 home loan specialists earlier this year is helping us deliver for customers and prospective home-buyers during this busy period, across both our adviser and in-house channels.”

ANZ New Zealand general manager for home owners Emily Mendes Riberio said it had encouraged staff to take leave where possible.

“Shortened working weeks, due to public holidays, can mean the loan approval process takes longer.

“This year we’ve seen strong demand for home loans at ANZ over December, and our teams are working through these applications as quickly as possible.

“ANZ’s lending team continues to process lending applications over the holiday season, but we would encourage customers to get in touch and make lending applications as early as possible.”

Westpac said it was seeing high demand for lending, too.

“To help manage this we have more bankers than usual working over the holiday period. We’ve also rolled out tech improvements over the past few months to help us process applications faster.

“We’re currently processing applications through our own channels within two business days. The turnaround time for new customers through mortgage adviser channels is 10-12 days, however we are prioritising applications that require a decision before Christmas, and with extra staff on board we are working to clear the backlog over the holiday period.”

BNZ said it had a lot of staff working through the festive period and eligible applications could be processed within 24 hours.

But Jenna Broadhurst, BNZ general manager of home lending and private banking, said that might not be the only hurdle for home-buyers, though.

“You need to be mindful that a lot of solicitors are closed during the short weeks, whilst you can obtain a lending approval or pre-approval, it is unlikely that the due diligence process will be unable to be completed if your solicitor is not working during the break.

“It’s also important to be aware that offices and services provided by Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) will have reduced availability or full closures during the 2025/2026 summer holiday period and it would pay to check the LINZ website for those details.”

Mortgage adviser Jeremy Andrews, of Key Mortgages, said this year had been “exceptional” for banks because they had been offering cashbacks for purchases and refinances with good equity.

That has driven high levels of switching during the year as well as normal application business.

“Whether you’d get an answer back before mid-January depends largely on which bank you’re with, and if you’re only planning on going to that bank directly or else via a mortgage adviser or different bank.”

He said ANZ, for example, was not offering preapprovals at present.

“This gives an indication of how stretched bank staff and capacities now are.

“Solicitors typically take close to three weeks’ holidays which is the biggest impact on trying to finalise property purchases over Christmas, because typically both the vendor and purchaser’s lawyers would need to be available. This year I haven’t found a single solicitor starting back at work prior to 12th January.

“A lot of other related industries like real estate agents, property inspectors, valuers, etc. take similar breaks or have skeleton staff and reduced hours too.”

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Weather: Warning to drivers as wild weather hits central New Zealand before Christmas

Source: Radio New Zealand

Motorcylists and drivers are being told to take extra care through State Highway 2 around Remutaka Hill. NZTA

Heavy rain and strong winds are forecast to hit central New Zealand in the days leading up to Christmas.

A front from over the Tasman Sea moved over the North Island on Tuesday, bringing a period of rain and strong northwest winds to central New Zealand.

MetService has issued a heavy rain watch and strong wind watch.

Hills and ranges of Waikato and Waitomo, near the coast from Raglan southwards, are under a heavy rain watch from 11am on Tuesday until 9am on Wednesday.

Tararua Range is under a heavy rain watch until noon on Tuesday.

Parts of Buller and Grey Districts were also under a heavy rain watch but this has since expired.

MetService said there was a moderate chance these watches could be upgraded to warnings.

Wairarapa and Hawke’s Bay are under a strong wind watch from 8am until 5pm on Tuesday and Wellington, also Wairarapa south of Martinborough, is under the watch until 1pm on Tuesday.

The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) is warning motorists in the Wellington region to drive to the conditions.

Driver visibility remains low along State Highway 1’s Transmission Gully, between Paekakariki and Linden.

“Please switch your headlights on, increase your following distance, be prepared for unexpected hazards, and drive to the conditions,” NZTA said.

Motorcyclists and drivers of other lighter vehicles are also being told to take extra care through State Highway 2 around Remutaka Hill.

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Man allegedly bites officer during arrest, threatens police with knife

Source: Radio New Zealand

RNZ

A 30-year-old man allegedly threatened police with a knife and bit an officer during an arrest in Dunedin.

Police were told a man was trying to steal vehicles, and identified a person walking on King Edward Street about 10am on Friday, Senior Sergeant Anthony Bond said.

“Officers verbally informed him he was under arrest for unlawful interference, but when they approached him, he turned around and brandished a knife.”

Bond said the man dropped the knife and was restrained and handcuffed, but began to resist.

“One officer was bitten under the armpit and was taken to hospital as a precaution.”

Police charged the man with unlawfully taking a motor vehicle, unlawfully getting into a motor vehicle, possessing an offensive weapon, resisting police and injuring with intent to injure or reckless disregard.

The man has been remanded in custody and will reappear in Dunedin District Court on Wednesday.

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