Category: Public Media

Source: Radio New Zealand

Hutt City Council is scrapping paid parking on Petone’s main street for Christmas.

The council will lift parking fees on Jackson Street and in the Peel Street carpark from 1 December to 4 January.

Usual time limits will stay in place to ensure fair access to parks.

Mayor Fauono Ken Laban said the move was a way to support local businesses and make Christmas shopping easier.

“Petone is one of our most loved destinations,” he said. “Free parking helps bring people in, encourages them to stay a little longer and supports the small businesses that are the heart of the community.

Laban said the December initiative was part of a wider, long-term conversation about parking.

“We are working with the Jackson Street Programme on a parking approach that supports our local economy and provides fair access for everyone.

“December’s free parking gives us space to keep that work moving, while backing our retailers at a crucial time.”

Jackson Street Programme co-ordinator Hellen Swales said the change would bring shoppers back to the centre of Petone for a crucial trading period.

“We want families to come into Petone, enjoy the festive season and spend time together.

“Free parking makes that easier, while time limits will keep things fair for everyone.”

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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 medicinal cannabis clinic founder says hundreds of thousands of legal users could be affected by new drug-driving laws.

Police will begin testing drivers for THC – the main active ingredient in cannabis – along with methamphetamine, MDMA (or ecstasy) and cocaine in Wellington next month, ahead of the nationwide rollout of new drug driving laws next year.

Cannabis Clinic founder and chief executive Dr Waseem Alzaher told Morning Report he didn’t disagree with the need for drug testing, but wanted to see New Zealand follow countries such as Canada, Germany and the Netherlands that included impairment tests alongside saliva and blood tests.

“The overall move is a good move, but what we need to consider adding into it is impairment, because you could test posititive for cannabis but be entirely unimpaired in your functioning and that’s the elephant in the room we’re not addressing.”

Alzaher said he was advising patients to wait 12 hours before driving – ideally taking medication at night so they would be unimpaired by the morning, however, the sensitivity and accuracy of the tests remained to be seen.

“The question is, how do we manage it when we’ve got people who are being prescribed cannabis safely and are under medical supervision just like they could be for other medicines … you shouldn’t be punished or face consequences as a result of that.”

It’s thought there are around 120,000-130,000 New Zealanders being prescribed medicinal cannabis and around 400,000 using cannabis illicitly, he said.

“Everybody knows someone who’s using cannabis through illicit or legal means, and we’ve known for thousands of years this plant has lots of potential benefits for people.

“We have 60,000 people [The Cannabis Clinic’s] legally prescribed cannabis for who could face negative outcomes by being stood down and potentially fined – which they then have to appeal – even though they’re doing the right thing and have been prescribed medicinal cannabis and that’s going to be an issue for Kiwis around the country,” Alzaher said.

Returning two positive roadside saliva tests could result in a 12-hour driving ban.

Saliva tests would then be sent to a laboratory, where – if levels above legal thresholds were confirmed – would result in an infringement notice, including a $200 fine and 50 demerit points.

If a saliva test was refused or police requested a blood test, the consequences could be more severe.

If a blood sample breached the “high risk” threshold under the legislation, penalties included a $4500 fine, up to three months in prison and a mandatory six-month licence disqualification.

Infringements could be appealed via a medical defence by showing a prescription or ID card from a prescriber, and Alzaher urged medicinal patients to ensure they had one or both.

Australian researcher Dr Michael White, an adjunct senior fellow at the School of Psychology at the University of Adelaide who has researched road accidents involving cannabis, said the tests were nearly worthless when it came to picking up if someone was impaired.

“There’s a lot of research that says regular cannabis users are not impaired even if immediately after taking it so that produces … questions of justice.

“It is a scattergun approach, many people who are regular users won’t be impaired even if they test positive,” Dr White said.

The NZ Drug Foundation warned many medicinal cannabis users could be caught out, given the drug can show up even three days after use.

Others, such as senior biosciences lecturer Dr Catherine Crofts raised concerns about legal users of other drugs, such as those taking ADHD medication containing amphetamine, like dexamphetamine or lisdexamfetamine, which around half of New Zealanders taking ADHD medication currently use.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The family of Tom Phillips say they “welcome” a public inquiry into the handling of the case by authorities.

Phillips died following a shootout with police, when they were called to reports of a burglary in the early hours of 8 September, after 1358 days in the bush with his children.

Phillips shot a police officer several times during the shootout.

On Thursday, Attorney-General Judith Collins announced a public inquiry would be held into the disappearance of the Phillips children.

A spokesperson for the Phillips family released a statement to RNZ.

“We welcome any inquiry that helps ensure this never happens to another family ever again.”

Collins said the inquiry would look into whether government agencies took all practicable steps to ensure the safety and welfare of the Phillips children.

“The decision to establish a public inquiry reflects the significant public interest and concern for the children’s welfare over the almost four years they were missing.

“It is important that we establish the facts and determine whether agencies could take steps to prevent, or resolve similar situations more quickly and effectively in the future.”

The terms of reference had been developed with the privacy and welfare of the children in mind. The inquiry would therefore be conducted in private and without public hearings.

Collins said the inquiry must also respect the independence of the courts and would not include findings on judicial decisions.

The Honourable Justice Simon Moore, KC, has been appointed as the sole member of the inquiry.

The inquiry would deliver a final report with recommendations by 21 July 2026.

An injunction preventing the media from publishing certain details related to the investigation into Phillips remains in place.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Beef mince long seen as the most affordable red-meat option for households is losing that status as prices continue to surge.

RaboResearch senior animal protein analyst Jen Corkran said food prices had risen across the board, but beef mince had jumped far faster than most staples.

New Stats NZ figures showed in the year to October, overall food prices rose 4.7 percent, but the average price of a one-kilogram pack of beef mince climbed 18 percent.

Corkran said mince was now averaging $23.17 per kilo, meaning it was actually slightly more expensive than lamb chops, which sat at $22.27.

She said the price spike came down to global demand for red meat.

“New Zealand exports most of our beef, 80-odd percent, and our biggest market, actually, the most volume is going over to the United States, where their cattle herd is at sort of multi-decade lows.

“As they look to rebuild their herd, they’re short of this lean trim product, which is essentially the same as our beef mince in the supermarket and so our local retailers are having to pay more to get hold of that product because they’re competing against global buyers and that’s really pushing those mince prices up.

“What’s happening with that US beef market at the moment is directly impacting what we’re paying for mince here.”

Corkran said with mince traditionally seen as the go-to budget option for families, its rapid price climb could change buying habits.

She said mince may stay expensive for several years while the US herd recovers.

In the meantime, she expected shoppers to trade to cheaper proteins like pork and poultry, or buy less mince and bulk it out with vegetables to make it go further.

It came as high beef prices were also hitting McDonald’s New Zealand bottom line, a chain usually known for value.

Last year, McDonald’s used 6000 tonnes of locally-sourced beef for sale domestically, and it exported nearly 30,000 tonnes of it, making up around 10 percent of New Zealand’s total beef exports.

McDonald’s New Zealand’s head of impact and communications Simon Kenny said globally the chain served 70 million people a day, using 2 percent of the world’s beef.

He said price swings locally could have a material impact on the operating costs of its restaurants.

“Like everyone’s seen in the supermarkets, beef’s been one of the biggest ones,” he said.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

• Thirty-seven former Lake Alice child and adolescent unit patients negotiate compensation
• They received amounts between $160,000 and $600,000
• Another 105 opted for $150,000 “rapid payments”
• Independent arbiter Paul Davison, KC, says survivors see their lives as blighted by Lake Alice.

Thirty-seven former patients of the Lake Alice psychiatric hospital’s child and adolescent unit have received individual compensation payments of up to $600,000.

The government last year announced its redress scheme for children and teens tortured with electric shocks without anaesthetic or through being injected with paralysing drugs at the unit in the 1970s.

One-hundred-and-five survivors opted to receive $150,000 rapid payments.

Another 37 negotiated their compensation.

Independent arbiter, former High Court judge Paul Davison, KC, determined the amounts these survivors received and he has released a summary of his work on Thursday.

The majority received payments between $175,000 and $250,000, but the total band of payments spanned $160,000 to $600,000, as Davison worked within a “fiscal envelope” of $8.39 million.

The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care found that many of the 362 children who went through the Rangitīkei unit didn’t have a mental illness, yet were still subjected to electric shocks or injected with paraldehyde.

The unit’s lead psychiatrist, Dr Selwyn Leeks, moved to Australia shortly after it closed in the late 1970s and died in 2022 without facing justice.

In his report, Davison said survivors had shown great courage and resilience in opting to negotiate their compensation.

“Recalling traumatic events and recounting them for the purposes of the torture redress assessment process has been acutely painful and difficult and serves to underscore how deeply traumatic their time at Lake Alice was for them, and how indelible their memories are of what they were subjected to.”

Davison said in determining the compensation amounts he also took into account solitary confinement and sexual abuse the survivors suffered.

Most survivors were 12 or older when admitted to the unit, but some he’d spoken with were as young as 9 when they were sent there and given electric shocks without anaesthetic or paraldehyde.

Davison said he adopted a “survivor-focused and trauma-informed approach” in generally accepting the survivors’ accounts of what happened to them, while also examining records where available and previous statements from the survivors.

“The survivors quite understandably see their lives as having been blighted by their Lake Alice experiences and how they were ill-treated and tortured,” he said.

“Whatever behavioural, psychological or mental problems led to them being patients at Lake Alice, from their accounts it appears that these problems, rather than being treated therapeutically, were aggravated and compounded by how they were tortured and ill-treated, in what was a cruel and malevolent process.

“For most of them, the opportunity to tell someone in a position of responsibility, willing to listen and acknowledge the authenticity of their account of what they were subjected to and how it has affected them, appears to have been a cathartic experience, at least to some degree.”

Erica Stanford, the lead co-ordination minister for the response to the Royal Commission, said it was important survivors had a choice between negotiation and the rapid payments.

“We know no amount of money can ever undo or fully recognise the harm and abuse survivors were subjected to,” she said.

“No government before now has acknowledged torture or apologised for it happening in New Zealand.

“In July last year, we formally acknowledged that torture occurred at the Lake Alice unit as defined in the United Nations Convention Against Torture. A specific redress scheme was established in December for survivors who were tortured at the unit to serve as an expression of our regret as to the many ways in which they were failed.”

Survivors had also received individual apologies and other support as required.

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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 launch caught fire in Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf this morning, near Browns Island.

Fire and Emergency were called to the incident about 8.15am.

It said the 38-foot-long launch (about 11 metres) was well ablaze, when firefighters arrived on the scene.

FENZ said no-one was injured and about eight firefighters were still working to extinguish the fire.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The government has announced an inquiry into the handling of the Tom Phillips case by government authorities.

Phillips died following a shootout with police, when they were called to reports of a burglary in the early hours of 8 September, after 1358 days in the bush with his children.

Phillips shot a police officer several times during the shootout.

On Thursday, Attorney-General Judith Collins announced a public inquiry would be held into the disappearance of the Phillips children.

“The inquiry will look into whether government agencies took all practicable steps to ensure the safety and welfare of the Phillips children,” Collins says.

“The decision to establish a public inquiry reflects the significant public interest and concern for the children’s welfare over the almost four years they were missing.

“It is important that we establish the facts and determine whether agencies could take steps to prevent, or resolve similar situations more quickly and effectively in the future.”

The terms of reference had been developed with the privacy and welfare of the children in mind. The inquiry would therefore be conducted in private and without public hearings.

Collins said the inquiry must also respect the independence of the courts and would not include findings on judicial decisions.

The Honourable Justice Simon Moore, KC, has been appointed as the sole member of the inquiry.

The inquiry would deliver a final report with recommendations by 21 July 2026.

An injunction preventing the media from publishing certain details related to the investigation into Phillips remains in place.

Family’s primary campsites

Last month, police released several photos of what are believed to be the family’s primary campsites. Police had discovered two large, established and “heavily concealed structures” in recent weeks in dense bush surrounding Marokopa.

Detective Superintendent Ross McKay said inquiries to date indicated the Phillips family moved regularly between these sites, the makeshift camps near Te Anga Rd and other locations around Marokopa.

“For the last few weeks, police have been piecing together information and building a picture of Phillips’ movements.

“What is now clear is that Phillips moved regularly from coast to farm to bush in a complex manner that meant he was unlikely to be stumbled across.”

Local search and rescue staff located the new sites – one to the north of Marokopa, the other to the east – which included partially buried, semi-permanent structures concealed by large amounts of vegetation.

“Approaching Phillips in such circumstances would have been extremely dangerous.

“As we’ve said previously, we knew he had firearms and was motivated to use them.”

Investigators had removed a significant number of items from the camps, all of which would now be forensically examined.

“This is a protracted and labour-intensive exercise that forms part of our ongoing enquiries to identify anyone who may have assisted Phillips.

“We continue to make good progress and believe he was assisted by a small number of people at different stages over the last four years.”

All campsites had been cleared and police would not be releasing their specific whereabouts.

McKay earlier said the vast area in which Phillips kept the children was difficult, steep terrain almost completely obscured from all angles by dense bush.

“At various times during the operation, police specialist units such as Special Tactics Group, Armed Offenders Squad, Search and Rescue and Tactical Operations Group, were used.”

Police also had support from the New Zealand Defence Force.

“Police never stopped trying – thousands of hours were dedicated to the search,” McKay said.

“Intelligence played an important role in informing decisions and planning for possible outcomes.

“We also knew, based on previous actions and behavioural science analysis, that Phillips was unlikely to surrender easily and was prepared to put the children in harm’s way.

“The primary objective was locating and returning the children safely.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

After more than 100 years in museum exhibitions and storerooms, a carving is back at the marae it was taken from.

The tekoteko Hāmama arrived back at Rānana Marae in the Whanganui district in November, after years of petitioning to have it returned.

Dr Rawiri Tinirau helped uncover the carving’s provenance and told Morning Report it was a special day for the marae when Hāmama was returned.

“Given that the craving Hāmama has been absent from us for such a long time, it was a nice way to spend the day with each other and welcome him home.”

Hapū descendants, local iwi and members of the community gathered at the marae to celebrate the homecoming of Hāmama, which was acquired by the Dominion Museum in 1912, and had been part of the national collection for over 100 years.

Tinirau said there was some ambiguity as to whether Hāmama was taken properly.

“There was certainly some ambiguity over the tekoteko’s provenance, and if you have a look at those early records within the museum, it talked about it being a purchase from a J Thompson.

“But other than that, we were unable to uncover who J Thompson was.”

Tinirau said it was by looking through old photos that they could identify the tekoteko and match it with the marae.

Tinirau said his mum was also able to help identify Hāmama during a visit to the Dominion Museum in the 1980s when she saw some old footage of an expedition up the Whanganui River from the 1920s.

Carved in the 1870s-1880s the tekoteko is an example of the unique carving from the Whanganui region.

“Hāmama was one of our ancestors that must have been an important man because he was named as one of the significant ancestors in the Rānana block where the Rānana Marae is situated. And if you have a look at him, he definitely displays characteristics that are unique to Whanganui River carving.

“For example, he has bulbous eyes, he clutches his tongue. He has, four fingers and a thumb on each hand. His knees are slightly interlocking and facing inward. So those suggest that the carvers definitely came from the Whanganui River.”

After Hāmama was identified, Tinirau was involved in petitioning and letter writing to get the carving back to Rānana Marae, and said the museum “didn’t really have repatriation protocols” and couldn’t deal with requests at the time.

“It wasn’t until the last five or six years that we’ve reengaged with Te Papa and really pushed this kaupapa through.”

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