Public Media – Page 110

Joel Lam made his Moana Pasifika debut last weekend against the Blues. Alan Lee / www.photosport.nz

Former Crusader Joel Lam is expecting plenty of banter as Moana Pasifika get set to meet his old side.

Lam has been handed halfback duties for Moana in Saturday night’s round five clash, his first start in Super Rugby, against the side he earnt his first cap with.

He anticipates a few verbal jabs to be thrown his way on the pitch.

“I’ve got a a lot of mates in the Crusaders team that I went to the academy with straight out of school, so definitely a lot of familiar faces in that line-up, so, there will probably be a bit of chat.”

It’s been a whirlwind few weeks for Lam, who started the year without a Super Rugby contract.

“I got brought in on a player interim contract for the pre-season block and managed to secure myself a few more weeks after the pre-season. Last year was full of challenges and growth, it was actually quite funny the way it played out.”

Lam wasn’t even playing the same code in 2025, before Samoa came out of nowhere to offer him an international debut.

“I got a bit of a taste of playing hooker at league and said, ‘why not?’ So signed up to the Hornby Panthers, played a few club games there, and then moved over to the ditch to Brisbane and played for Souths Logan Magpies. Then got a call from Manu Samoa and I was back on tour.”

Lam scoring a try for Samoa in 2025. Stephen Parker / www.photosport.nz

The 23-year-old made his Samoa debut in a loss against Tonga last year.

He said the reconnecting with his cultural roots had been special.

“Jack, my cousin, skipper of Samoa. He has been a great mentor to me. Being exposed to Samoa has obviously led me down the path of reconnecting with that side of my family.”

Lam comes from rugby royalty, Pat, AJ, Ben and Jack among the famous names in the game.

“There’s a good chunk of us, 350 plus of us, granddad’s a brother of 21. There’s a lot of us in our aiga, which is pretty cool and special to me.”

After making his mark for Samoa, Moana came calling.

“They had always known I was from the Crusaders region, there’d been a few conversations along the way, they said, ‘we’ve seen and heard about you. We’re really keen to get you in.’ And as soon as I stepped in the door, I’ve just felt welcomed. It definitely feels at home here.”

Lam said his time in league helped sure up his defensive skills.

“It definitely gave me some, I don’t know if I can say this, but it gave me some balls. Making tackles off the back fence.”

Back in union, Lam has already spent more time on the field for Moana, having only played ten minutes off the bench for the Crusaders in 2023.

Lam’s rugby journey began in the Canterbury academy. Chris Symes / www.photosport.nz

Despite limited opportunities, he looks back on his time in Christchurch fondly.

“The standards that they hold is something that I still carry to this day and how I go about my professionalism. I’ve taken a lot from what the organisation preaches.”

But after his time in the 13-man code, the nuggety number nine said his game has evolved.

“Moana Pasifika flair suits me more. The aggression, energy, and collisions.”

Lam gets the chance to unleash that new-found aggression on some old team-mates, who he said will be sure to remind him of his Crusader’s roots.

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

March 20, 2026

Former Wellington mayor Dame Kerry Prendergast admits to having driver licence suspended

Source: Radio New Zealand

Dame Kerry Prendergast had her licence returned last week, with a remaining 60 demerits on it. 123RF

A former Wellington mayor has admitted to having her driving licence suspended after getting caught speeding five times.

Dame Kerry Prendergast told Nick Mills, the host of Wellington Mornings on Newstalk ZB live on air that she had lost her licence for three months before Christmas.

Prendergast admitted it while discussing whether speeding fines should be raised to reduce road deaths.

She told RNZ that she was “shocked” when her licence was suspended as she had not noticed the demerit points adding up over two years,

“Suddenly, you get a letter and you’re not allowed to drive,” she said,

NZTA suspends licences after 100 demerits are accumulated in a two-year period.

Prendergast had her licence returned last week, with a remaining 60 demerits on it, as the points gradually taper off.

“I’ve learnt my lesson and I won’t be speeding because I cannot go through the trauma of losing my licence again,” Dame Kerry said.

She said she struggled with the loss of independence and was upset with herself for speeding.

She had to rely on her husband to get around and walked a lot while she was not allowed to drive.

Her grandchildren were “shocked to find that their grandmother had been caught speeding not just once but five times”.

“They didn’t think it was funny at all.”

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

March 20, 2026

Du Val property group collapse: Forensic accountants continue to find ‘areas of concern’

Source: Radio New Zealand

Du Val co-founder Kenyon Clarke. kenyonclarke.com

Forensic accountants are continuing to find “areas of concern” as they look into the accounts of the failed Du Val Group.

Statutory managers have released their latest six-month report into the group of about 70 entities that collapsed in 2024 owing more than $300 million to hundreds of people.

Its founders Charlotte and Kenyon Clarke have had their personal assets and passports frozen.

In the latest report, the statutory managers said they could not give many details about their latest discoveries because they did not want to prejudice any formal action that may come later.

The Financial Markets Authority was also investigating the group and had the power to pursue charges if warranted.

Today’s report showed the statutory managers still had many unanswered questions – the Clarkes had refused to be interviewed and had gone to the Court of Appeal seeking the right to refuse.

The managers said extensive forensic accounting analysis needed to continue partly because of the group’s “materially incomplete” accounting records.

“While investigations have progressed and further related issues have been identified for analysis, to ensure that any potential subsequent formal action is not prejudiced, no further information is currently able to be disclosed regarding our ongoing investigations into these areas of concern,” they said.

Broad concerns identified in earlier reports remained, including about GST transactions and the lack of clarity about goods paid for by the company but possessed by the Clarkes.

Since the last report, the debt owed by the group had fallen from $268 million to $226 million.

That was partly because some of its property developments had been sold including the Earlsworth, Sunnyvale and Edmonton residential projects.

None has been sold for a high enough price to cover the debt owing on them.

Investors in Du Vals Build to Rent Fund were likely to receive about 41 cents in the dollar on their investment after the sale of the fund’s residential properties in May last year, the report said.

Work was underway to sell to more developments, it said.

The report also gave an update on a British legal case against some Du Val entities that had wound up in New Zealand’s courts.

The British courts ordered Du Val to pay $1.35m (NZD) in damages and $164,205 (NZD) in costs.

The person awarded the costs was seeking to have the judgement recognised in New Zealand but the statutory managers opposed that in the High Court, the report said.

The judgement was pending.

The statutory managers are John Fisk, Stephen White and Lara Bennett.

They had previously been working under the PWC banner but the company sold its business restructuring arm to the global firm Teneo earlier this year.

The Authority said today it could not provide any update on where its investigation was at for “legal and confidentiality” reasons.

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

March 20, 2026

Analysis: PM Christopher Luxon takes the reins and risk on looming economic crisis

Source: Radio New Zealand

New Zealanders are really starting to feel the pinch from the United States and Israel’s attacks as fuel prices get close to $4/litre at the pump. RNZ / Quin Tauetau

Analysis – An unexpected address from the Prime Minister in Wellington this week spoke volumes about the economic crisis the government is staring down the barrel of.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis and the minister responsible for fuel security, Shane Jones, have been doing the heavy lifting on what the impacts may or may not be for New Zealand’s economy if the conflict in Iran drags on.

Already suffering a cost of living crisis, New Zealanders are really starting to feel the pinch from the United States and Israel’s attacks as fuel prices soar past $3 at the pump and the flow-on effects mean almost everything else – food, services, flights – also climb to unaffordable levels.

It’s an attack on the economy and that’s an issue National has pinned its electoral hopes on in November after promising in 2023 to get the country back on track.

Late last year Labour surpassed National as the party most trusted to respond to the economic challenges, and in the most recent Ipsos Monitor this month the two parties were neck-and-neck on the issue.

Labour is also seen as more capable on inflation and cost of living.

That’s no small concern for the major governing party as it prepares for a tightly-contested election, while simultaneously dealing with an economic shock not of its own making.

Enter Christopher Luxon.

While the foreign affairs’ nuances of the war in Iran are certainly not Luxon’s forte, on the economy he feels more comfortable and has a reputation at least as a former chief executive for knowing what he’s talking about on that front.

But until Thursday he wasn’t doing the talking – Willis and Jones were.

Luxon had tasked the pair with leading the work and then jumped on a plane for four days to the Pacific at about the exact time the situation reports got bleaker back home.

The ministerial advisory group is having online meetings every morning to get updates from officials, and Willis has been doing blanket coverage media interviews and press conferences for the past couple of weeks.

Jones has taken the lead on the fuel security element and has been very much second in command.

So not surprising Luxon chose to high-tail it down to the Beehive for a face-to-face meeting with his officials on Thursday morning about what the state of play is.

For the seven days prior he’d only been receiving updates via reports and phone calls and was keen to hear the lay of the land from those at the coal face of the government’s response.

It led to a last-minute decision to hold a media conference at Parliament, alongside Willis, where the substance of what the government was doing hadn’t changed but the tone certainly had.

The purpose of the media conference was two-fold: tell New Zealanders they need to be realistic about what might be coming down the line and how bad it might get, and put the prime minister in charge of a looming crisis.

The hope for National is that it can claw back the narrative of being a safe pair of hands when the economy is in choppy seas, but the flip side is that if things do get worse before they get better and things haven’t improved at all for Kiwis’ backpockets come the election, then it’s Luxon and Willis who will wear all of it.

The war coming to an end soon is crucial to their success because even if it does end in the next week or three, the lag effect is such that it will still take time for the economy to bounce back.

With an election just shy of eight months away, it isn’t a lot of runway.

The biggest take-away from Thursday’s update was the work being done to prepare cost-of-living relief for some people if the pain at the pump, the supermarket, and almost everywhere else, continues.

Willis has signalled she’s tasked Inland Revenue with finding the best way to get targeted, temporary, and timely funding to those working Kiwis who will be impacted the most.

The biggest problem she has isn’t how to administer it, but when to pull the trigger on it.

Go too early and the government books end up looking worse for longer, but go too late and voters feel like they’ve been abandoned.

Expect discussions on the specifics of that payment to be high on the agenda at Monday’s Cabinet meeting.

National has talked a big game on being fiscally prudent.

If there’s even a whiff of Willis and Luxon sliding into cost-of-living relief creep to try keep as many voters as possible happy in the months ahead, it will be deputy prime minister and Act leader David Seymour shouting the loudest.

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

March 20, 2026

Isolated communities grappling with rising fuel costs

Source: Radio New Zealand

Town of Waitangi on Chatham Island. Vk2cz / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)

Chatham Island council is meeting this afternoon to try and come up with a way to soften the blow as diesel prices jump a dollar a litre for the isolated community.

Meanwhile, in Waiheke Island, petrol prices are sitting [https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/590158/foodstuff-s-petrol-stations-continue-to-offer-discounts-despite-stores-running-dry close to $4 and the main Waiheke ferry is making some timetable changes to accommodate increasing fuel costs.

Petrol stations across the country are seeing a bump in drivers filling up amid fears over the Iran war and potential shortages, but Chatham’s runs slightly differently.

The islands ship petrol and diesel to the island. It’s heavily reliant on diesel as the main form of fuel to power the island.

Chatham Islands Enterprise Trust chief executive and council interim CEO Bob Penter said diesel was at $2.29 per litre and petrol at $4.50 per litre before the conflict in the Middle East.

He said they have capacity to store 400,000 litres on the island, but the problem will arise when they have to buy more at the current prices.

“Diesel has experienced much greater price increases rather than the increases we are seeing with petrol, so diesel is where we are experiencing most of our pressure at the moment.

“The higher prices are starting to flow through to what we need to purchase to top up our on island supplies, so we will have to consider over the next few days, looking at when we need to announce price adjustments and the price is obviously likely to increase.

“It’s risen about a dollar in purchase cost.”

But Penter is determined not to put that increase directly on islanders.

“The main concern for us is if we are able to soften the blow for Chatham Islanders, rather than the price climbing up a steep faced waterfall, if we can have a bit more of a gentle slope with gradual increases rather than a sudden shock.”

“We will give people as much forewarning as we can of any price changes. It won’t be a price at 11.59pm and another price at 12am and they don’t find out till morning.”

He said because the island had some resilience with storage and stock levels there was hope.

“We can potentially absorb some of the price increases from the new stock coming in as we release the old stock, so its just how we manage that in terms of a timing pathway and ensuring that we are meeting our purchase price that we have to pay.”

Chatham Islands was already the most expensive place to buy petrol in New Zealand before the conflict at $4.50.

He said it had to be that price because it was a expensive and dangerous process to get it.

“Petrol is probably ok at the moment because we do have some reserves… we are watching it really closely… if the current pricing structure we are seeing for petrol in New Zealand continues then I’m afraid inevitable it’s going to flow through to the Chathams and what we are able to price petrol for.”

As for the Hauraki Gulf, ferry company Fullers said despite the rising costs they have no current plans to make changes to the pricing.

It said they will make timetable changes to some destinations so they can ensure a reliable and sustainable service.

Fullers said it will revert to its off peak timetable slightly earlier than planned, starting Saturday.

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

March 20, 2026

Live cricket: White Ferns v South Africa Proteas women – third T20

Source: Radio New Zealand

Follow all the cricket action as the White Ferns take on South Africa in Auckland for their third T20 international match.

The five-match series is currently tied 1-1.

First ball at Eden Park is 2.45pm.

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

March 20, 2026

Winston Peters meets Cook Island PM ‘informally’, but no deal on key issues

Source: Radio New Zealand

Cook Islands PM Mark Brown and New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters held an informal discussion at Peters’ private residence in Auckland on Friday, 20 March 2026 Supplied / Minister of Foreign Affairs

Winston Peters has met “informally” with Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown at Peters’ home in Auckland.

Four days ago, Peters’ office said they had no plans to meet Brown while he was in New Zealand.

In a joint statement, they said they discussed “fundamental challenges facing the New Zealand-Cook Islands relationship over the past 18 months” though there appeared to be no resolutions.

“Political dialogue between the two countries will continue in the coming weeks in order to determine whether these challenges can be resolved in the present circumstances,” it stated.

“In the meantime, the Governments of the Cook Islands and New Zealand will not be providing further comment.”

Christopher Luxon said on Thursday that he would not meet with Brown in any capacity, preferring to keep it between officials.

“I’m confident we’ll get to a good place in the end, we’ve made some good progress recently, but I’m going to let our officials handle that progress,” he said.

Addressing a room of dignitaries on Wednesday, Brown said his country was “growing in influence” globally on its “voyage of statehood”.

“Our desire to pursue our own policies and interests have been reflected in our growing participation on the international stage,” Brown told a room of dignitaries.

“There are times when we must pause and consider whether the conventions and evolved understanding between our freely associated states remain aligned … we find ourselves in such a moment.”

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

March 20, 2026

Moa Point report reveals air bubble may have caused massive failure

Source: Radio New Zealand

The catastrophic failure of the Moa Point wastewater treatment plant may have been caused by air trapped in the pipes, a report has revealed.

The Wellington plant failed last month, flooding the facility and sending millions of litres of raw sewage into the sea each day.

Wellington City Council on Friday released the first report into the ongoing saga.

Wellington Water commissioned the engineering report on 5 February – the day after the failure – to understand how the plant could be operated during the recovery.

Experts from Stantec used software to develop a hydraulic model of the plant, and replicated the likely flow of water running through the plant when it failed.

While the report was not commissioned to identify the cause, it revealed valuable information, Wellington Mayor Andrew Little’s office said.

Wellington Mayor Andrew Little said the report was just one piece of the puzzle. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

“The report found that air can become trapped in the wastewater bypass pipeline, particularly when there is a high flow of wastewater passing through the plant.

“It is possible that trapped air could disrupt the flow of wastewater, pushing it backwards and flooding the plant.”

There was a “significant risk” of the air being trapped in the system, causing a “choke point” the report said.

And if it did happen, it would be “a likely cause of the flooding”.

The bypass system allows screened wastewater to bypass further treatment – like disinfection – and be discharged out to sea when the plant is at maximum capacity.

The experts suggested Wellington Water install additional air release equipment at specific locations in the system.

Wellington Water chief operating officer Charles Baker speaking to media following the release of the report. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

“This is expected to provide some improvement to the issues identified until the design of a new bypass pipeline alignment and connection can be developed and implemented.”

The report was just one piece of the puzzle, Little said.

“There are other areas of interest that require a more detailed investigation, and Wellington Water has commissioned an external specialist to conduct a wider investigation into these other factors.

“It’s natural to want a quick answer, but it’s important that we take the time to uncover all the facts and not draw conclusions too early.

“Wellingtonians deserve assurance that our recovery addresses the root cause and any related factors, so we can be confident we’re preventing this from happening again.”

The Wellington plant failed last month, flooding the facility and sending millions of litres of raw sewage into the sea each day. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

Air pocket ‘burping’ seen since

The report revealed that Veolia, the plant operator, told Wellington Water at a meeting this week that crews had observed the burping of air pockets during the storm on 3 March when there was a high level of water running through the system.

“The operator … observed burping of large air pockets and large splashes from the outlet chamber during the initial pumping sequences,” it said.

That showed the air release capacity of a vent pipe downstream had been exceeded at times, the report said.

More risks identified

The experts identified other potential risks at the plant and made a number of technical recommendations.

“Wellington Water should address the potential risk of a blockage or debris in the outfall section of the pipe and implement monitoring of operating pressures in the ocean outfall (during the recovery phase at a minimum).”

The company should also review the condition of existing air and isolation valves, and replace them if necessary, the report said.

CCTV from the pipeline showed the polyurethane liner had eroded and cement mortar had potentially degraded in some sections, it said.

“This has occurred due to high velocity super-critical (shallow and fast) flow impacting on the liner.

“This flow regime presents risks to the long-term durability of the effluent pipeline liner and structural steel which warrants additional review and investigation.”

An independent Crown review into the failure is also underway, and its final report is expected in August.

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

March 20, 2026

Empty pumps at two North Island truck stops concern rural transporter

Source: Radio New Zealand

Danniverke Carriers owner Nigel Castles expects further price rises for fuel are inevitable. 123rf

A rural transport company carting stock to the meat works couldn’t get the fuel it needed at two North Island commercial truck stops.

Pumps ran dry in Wairoa and Eltham on Thursday when the Stephenson Transport truck and trailer units from Central Hawke’s Bay were on a freezing works run.

Owner Bruce Stephenson said it’s a situation he’s never faced during his seven decades in the business.

“We had stock trucks on the road obviously all over the place. We couldn’t get fuel in Wairoa and we couldn’t get fuel in Eltham,” he said.

“They were loaded with stock heading to the works, so we had to stretch things out a bit – it gets a bit tricky when you’re doing that sort of thing.”

He fielded phone calls from his concerned drivers wondering what to do next.

“I’m talking about truck stops where we fuel up and where we get our contract prices from. That’s where access is relatively easy for a big truck and trailers with crates on.”

“So we had to go to service stations and find one we could get under the canopy of.”

Danniverke Carriers owner Nigel Castles is also coping with the swiftly evolving situation.

His company also carts stock around the country and he’s concerned about the massive spike in prices.

And his family-owned business can’t absorb the soaring fuel prices alone.

He’s reluctantly passing these increases on to farmers and estimates his fuel bill is up 20 percent from the start of the year.

The company filled its tanks last week, and he hopes the next delivery will arrive in a week.

With no signs of tensions easing in the Middle East, he expects further price rises for fuel are inevitable.

“The next lot of fuel supply is actually going to go up again,” he said.

“Definitely out on farm there’s a lot of worry, and as transporters we certainly don’t want to come to a grinding halt either.”

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

March 20, 2026

‘I go into a Zen space, my body takes over’ – circus star’s rare balancing act

Source: Radio New Zealand

In his La Ronde performance, Adam Malone’s burlesque-inspired feats include a “chaotic” hoop act in which he manipulates fast-spinning blunt objects with his hands.

Less stressful, he says, is pulling off his take on the traditional but rare ‘Washington Trapeze’, which involves balancing on his head.

“I go into a bit of a Zen space, and I balance, and my body kind of takes over for me,” Malone tells RNZ’s Nine to Noon.

Adam Malone is also a renowned hula-hoop artist.

Benji Hardwick

Category: Public Media

‘Will be a bit of chat’: Former Crusader prepares to tussle with old team-mates

Former Wellington mayor Dame Kerry Prendergast admits to having driver licence suspended

Du Val property group collapse: Forensic accountants continue to find ‘areas of concern’

Analysis: PM Christopher Luxon takes the reins and risk on looming economic crisis

Isolated communities grappling with rising fuel costs

Live cricket: White Ferns v South Africa Proteas women – third T20

Winston Peters meets Cook Island PM ‘informally’, but no deal on key issues

Moa Point report reveals air bubble may have caused massive failure

Air pocket ‘burping’ seen since

More risks identified

Empty pumps at two North Island truck stops concern rural transporter

‘I go into a Zen space, my body takes over’ – circus star’s rare balancing act

Fijian circus takes flight