Category: Public Media

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‘It’s interesting times’ – how AI is changing the search for information in NZ

Source: Radio New Zealand

More people are using AI to search for information, but what does it mean for companies trying to get their attention? File photo. 123rf

As AI changes how we find information, New Zealand businesses are feeling the impact.

Over the past 20 years, search engines like Google replaced the Yellow Pages and changed the way information and services are found.

But AI overviews and chatbots are now ready to answer anything from “best time to travel to Japan” to “good local plumber”.

To Kiwi businesses, the change has not always been positive.

This audio is not downloadable due to copyright restrictions.

Greg Whitham – general manager for market engagement at Datacom – has decades of experience in digital communication.

He has watched the online presence of companies growing from a minor part of its strategy to something critical in capturing customers, and he is also familiar with how tech evolutions can affect businesses.

“We’ve definitely seen a dip in traffic coming onto our site, and I would imagine that there would be very few businesses or brands out there that haven’t sort of seen a significant drop off in traffic coming all the way through to their website.”

Greg Whitham is the general manager for market engagement at Datacom. Supplied

Whitham said the company’s website traffic changed dramatically this year, and they quickly adjusted to get AI’s attention.

“We’d certainly also seen an uplift in what we call zero-click impressions, so people were still seeing our content, but they were seeing it as it was being presented back to them by their AI agents. The new focus is almost less around servicing the customer and servicing the customer’s agents because it’s the customer’s agents that are effectively going to be presenting your brand, presenting your content back to what will hopefully become your end customer.”

Grant Johnson, chief executive of website company Rocketspark, said traffic from ChatGPT more than tripled this year.

It was growth that corresponded to the shift in how people seek information.

Grant Johnson is the CEO at Rocketspark. Supplied

Johnson said in the age of AI-driven searches, online reputation was more important than just having the right keywords to get into Google’s top search results.

“What the LLMs are doing is they’re aggregating from so many different sources to build up a picture about you. It’s almost like, what’s your online reputation? Are you inviting your customers to leave reviews? Do you just provide a great service and a great product?”

He said reviews and recommendations in online discussions were playing an important role in AI-generated answers.

“It seems platforms like Reddit get referenced quite a bit in the AI summaries. So in some ways I feel like it’s leveling the playing field. If you’re a good business, it’s like the cream rises to the top.”

MoneyHub head of research Chris Walsh said his site was benefiting from artificial intelligence, as click rates grew.

“I don’t think this is taking anything away from us. I see the percentage month on month grow. But also, I’d say they’re quality visitors. I mean, they’ve gone to the AI, they’re engaged, and now they want to learn more and they’re probably going to spend about 10 minutes on our website.”

Chris Walsh is the head of research at MoneyHub. Supplied

In September, links from AI tools sent more than 3000 visitors to the MoneyHub site – about one percent of their total traffic.

Walsh said while the percentage was low, the growth was promising.

Bret Gower – director of law firm Smith and Partners – said it was working to be quoted in the AI overview when people ask Google a legal question.

“We’ve done our own research into how Google’s AI overview references legal questions, and I’ve seen evidence of it citing our articles as a source of the basis of their answer. So I think that’s what we’re expecting. We’re going to continue to be doing it, hoping to be the cited source so that those clients that need a fact-specific answer or some certainty or even representation, they will be coming through to us as the provider of their answers in the first instance.”

Bret Gower is the director at Smith and Partners. Supplied

Some other uses of AI were also causing other problems for businesses such as travel agents.

Travel Agents Association New Zealand chief executive Julie White said AI-generated travel plans or recommendations could ruin holidays.

Julie White. Hospitality NZ

“Just make sure you are well-informed and double-check and re-check the information that you’re getting (from AI) is correct. The White Lotus is a great example of people getting caught out booking through an AI. So they travel all the way to Thailand, they turn up for this magical experience to live the White Lotus experience, only to find out that the accommodation doesn’t even exist.”

And as Gower said, the trend towards AI DIY solutions was also causing headaches for lawyers.

“Anecdotally, we’re seeing a lot of clients coming to us with their own AI generated answers, I suppose in the same way that doctors were facing the Dr Google situation where the clients are turning up with a prior assessment of what their situation is.

“It’s making the work of advising clients more complicated because rather than them coming to us with an outline of what they think their issue is, they’re quite often coming to us now with an outline of what they think the solution is going to be as well. It’s interesting times.”

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New Zealand’s track record of racial equality under review at the UN

Source: Radio New Zealand

Tina Ngata. Supplied/Sarah Sparks

Māori leaders have told the UN Committee on Eliminating Racial Discrimination (CERD) that racism against Māori has escalated under the current government.

New Zealand is signed up to the UN’s International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD). This requires the government to take action to eliminate racism and racial discrimination and promote understanding between all races in Aotearoa.

Under CERD, the government is required to regularly report on its progress at eliminating racial discrimination and supporting indigenous peoples, ethnic and religious minority groups to enjoy their rights and freedoms.

The government is presenting its report to CERD this week in Geneva, the committee will then publish draft findings and recommendations before the end of its 116th session, which concludes on 5 December 2025.

The session was opened by Minister of Justice Paul Goldsmith who told the committee that improving the lives of all New Zealanders, regardless of background, is the government’s priority.

He said he is confident the coalition government’s focus will build a strong economy which will benefit all New Zealanders including Māori.

“It’s the priority of the government to improve the lives of all New Zealanders including Māori and a key focus for this is the government using data, evidence and best practice to deliver social investment on the basis of need.”

Presenting on behalf of the National Iwi Chairs Forum Pou Tikanga and the Peoples Action Plan Against Racism, Tina Ngata told the committee that racism against Māori has escalated under the coalition government.

The Iwi Chairs Forum is one of around twelve organisations who have submitted shadow reports to the committee.

“For our report we’ve really highlighted what we have called the treaty assault, or hostility towards the treaty and that includes the Treaty Principles Bill, the Regulatory Standards Bill, the Treaty Clause Review where they have looked to remove a number of treaty clauses from legislation,” Ngata told RNZ.

The forum also raised concerns that affect other minorities, including the ban on puberty blockers, she said.

“One of the other key issues that we’ve raised is the way in which this government has inverted the language of racism. So an example of that is how David Seymour in a number of his submissions and in public communications has called treaty policies or treaty clauses forms of racism.”

Ngata said there is no one fix to these issues, but it is important to address it on as many fronts as possible, from your own whenua, to the UN, the courts and at select committee.

“The combination of our wānanga, the combination or our occupation, the combination of our hīkoi and our international work that together creates this pressure for government’s to either change how they are or to step to the side.”

Darlene Marks is part of the Kāhui Rangatahi of the Peoples Action Plan Against Racism, there to understand more about the processes at the UN and CERD and to give a young person’s perspective on the issues raised.

Marks told RNZ the removal of the requirement for school boards to give affect to Te Tiriti is one issue they are focused on.

“The first line for our rangatahi is our education system… so making sure that our first experience of Te Tiriti in action is actually upheld by not only our kura, our school boards but also by the government.”

Marks said young people are feeling the onslaught as every day brings a new issue.

“If these institutions can’t hold our government to account it’s hard to think of what else they can do, but it’s also important… making sure that if we don’t have these spaces to talk about these issues this this government is just going to continuously change the rhetoric of what is good and what is wrong in our country at the moment.”

A complaint presented to CERD this week by Māori Health leader Lady Tureiti Moxon is not part of the ordinary reviewing cycle.

Moxon is seeking for CERD to use its Early Warning and Urgent Action procedure, something it has only used once before for New Zealand.

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Police continuing to investigate 17 over ‘misuse and inappropriate content’

Source: Radio New Zealand

123rf.com

Three police staff investigated in relation to “misuse and inappropriate content” have been cleared of any wrongdoing.

Last week, police confirmed 20 police staff were being investigated, three of whom were facing criminal investigations. In total, six staff had been stood down.

On Wednesday, Acting Deputy Commissioner Jill Rogers told RNZ police continued to make inquiries in relation to 17 staff identified in a rapid review of police’s information security controls.

“Of the 20 initially identified, three cases were found to involve work-related searches and have been excluded from the inquiry.”

No charges have been laid in relation to the three criminal investigations.

RNZ understands one of the staffers being investigated is an award-winning detective based in the Auckland region.

The detective, and police, have been approached for comment.

It’s understood he has been stood down.

Do you know more? Email sam.sherwood@rnz.co.nz

It follows an audit of staff internet usage sparked by the resignation of former deputy police commissioner Jevon McSkimming who recently pleaded guilty to possessing objectionable publications, including child sexual exploitation and bestiality over a four-year period.

Rogers told RNZ last week the staff that had been stood down were investigated for “serious matters” that ranged from potentially accessing objectionable material, or accessing inappropriate material while also subject to separate misconduct matters.

Some of the staff being investigated may have had legitimate purposes for accessing material, which police would verify through their inquiries.

“Criminal investigations are being conducted into three of the cases.”

Police were not able to disclose the ranks of those under investigation.

Rogers earlier confirmed to RNZ a police officer had been stood down from duty for “inappropriate content on a police device”.

“The officer is under employment investigation for serious misconduct, relating to inappropriate, but not objectionable, material on a police-issued device. The alleged misconduct was uncovered through following recent audits of staff internet usage.”

Police Commissioner Richard Chambers earlier told RNZ the misconduct being investigated was uncovered as a result of the new monitoring measures introduced following the rapid review of the settings for police devices, launched after McSkimming’s resignation.

“I sought that review because of my concern that such conduct was not being detected. This offers some reassurance that we now have the necessary tools to detect potentially inappropriate behaviour.”

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Auckland man taken to hospital with serious injuries, police trying to find offender

Source: Radio New Zealand

RNZ / REECE BAKER

A man has serious injuries after an incident in West Auckland’s Henderson.

In a statement, police said officers were called to Edsel Street, in the main town centre, at 2.40pm on Tuesday afternoon.

The man was found with injuries and has been taken to Auckland City Hospital in a serious condition.

Police are in the area making inquiries and trying to locate the offender involved who left the scene, police said.

“Our inquiries are still in the early stages as to what has taken place this afternoon.

“Anyone with information can contact police on 105 using the reference number P064587277.”

Hato Hone St John said they sent one ambulance, one rapid response vehicle and one operations manager to the scene.

“One patient was assessed at the scene and transported to Auckland City Hospital in a serious condition.”

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Christchurch chef Sumeer Thapa who sexually harassed teen colleagues sacked

Source: Radio New Zealand

Sumeer Thapa no longer works at Lazeez Mediterranean Grill. Google Maps

A Christchurch chef who sexually harassed four teenage workers has been fired, with his former boss saying he would’ve done so sooner had it not been for a “misunderstanding”.

Sumeer Thapa was sentenced in the Christchurch District Court on Tuesday to four months’ home detention after a jury found him guilty of seven counts of indecently assaulting four girls aged between 15 and 18 between 2021 and 2024.

Thapa was a chef at Lazeez Mediterranean Grill, where he continued to work since the employer first became aware of the investigation in December 2023.

RNZ contacted Lazeez Mediterranean Grill for comment after sentencing but the manager was unavailable.

On Wednesday, Lazeez Mediterranean Grill director Varun Kanda told RNZ Thapa was “no longer a part of the team” and his employment had been terminated, effective immediately.

“Our business has a strict zero-tolerance policy on harassment or bullying. When the issue was first (and only once) reported in December 2023, Thapa received a formal warning immediately.

“Shortly after this report the police were involved, and we co-operated fully with authorities throughout the investigation. At no point did we attempt to protect him.”

During sentencing, Judge Deidre Orchard was critical of the restaurant for continuing to employ Thapa, saying they needed a “wake-up call”. She also said the employer had provided a testimonial to the court.

Thapa was allowed to continue working at the restaurant while the case went through the court but Kanda said he warned him that he would lose his job if he was found guilty.

“He asked for the employment and since he was working here for long, he can follow the recipes and he knew the food so I gave him the employment. At that time I told him ‘if the case goes against you, I will no longer keep you in work’.”

Kanda said there was a “misunderstanding” about the conviction. He said he got a message from police about the convictions in September, but when he asked Thapa, he told him he could carry on with work until sentencing.

“He should of told me the right thing. If he had told me the right thing I would of fired him straight away,” Kanda said.

Kanda said his team received abuse on Tuesday.

“We deeply regret the incident and remain committed to the safety of our staff and customers. We are a small community-based business, and recent harassment calls following the article have caused concern.”

During sentencing, Judge Orchard said Thapa would make flirtatious and improper comments towards the teenagers, such as calling them “hot”, “sexy” and “baby”.

He told two of the girls he wanted to get drunk with them and would buy them alcohol, despite them being underage.

He asked one of the teens whether she would be his Māori wife, and another to send him “hot pics”. He also asked whether one of the girls had sex with her boyfriend.

Thapa would also touch the women on their back, thighs and buttocks when he would move past them.

While Judge Orchard noted the touching was brief, she said on one or two occasions his hands would linger.

She said Thapa was not a good candidate for rehabilitation because he did not accept that he had done anything wrong.

“He needs to come to terms with the fact that his behaviour does amount to sexual harassment – not just the touching, but obviously the way he speaks to young female employees at all is totally unacceptable.

“He needs to adjust his behaviour because if he doesn’t, he will end up taking the consequences.”

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Official cash rate cut to 2.25 percent

Source: Radio New Zealand

Supplied / Reserve Bank

  • RBNZ delivers expected 25 basis point rate to 2.25 percent
  • It says patchy economic recovery justifies cut
  • RBNZ expects inflation to ease towards 2 pct target next year
  • Door left open for possible further cut
  • Monetary committee voted 5-1 for a cut against hold

The Reserve Bank has cut the official cash rate to its lowest level in three years to support economic recovery.

The central bank dropped the rate by 25 basis points to 2.25 percent, the lowest since June 2022.

The bank’s rate setting committee says the economic recovery is patchy and slow but inflation is expected to ease next year, allowing another reduction.

The cut was expected and brings the OCR to a three-year low.

The cut was another split decision, which may be the last in the current cycle.

The central bank’s monetary policy committee (MPC) voted five to one for a smaller cut after October’s outsized 50 point reduction.

But it noted it did not want a delay in getting inflation back into the target band mid-point, and there was “low tolerance” in the achieving that.

“The committee noted that a reduction in the OCR would help to underpin consumer and business confidence and lean against the risk that the economy recovers more slowly than needed to meet the inflation objective.”

It said inflation – which is at the top of the RBNZ’s 1-3 percent target band – was expected to ease back given the spare capacity in the economy.

“Risks to the inflation outlook are balanced. Greater caution on the part of households and businesses could slow the pace of New Zealand’s economic recovery.

“Alternatively, the recovery could be faster and stronger than expected if domestic demand proves more responsive to lower interest rates. “

Door ajar for more cuts

Most economists expect the RBNZ has now finished its rate cutting, which has seen the OCR slashed by more than 3 percentage points from 5.5 percent in just over a year, but generally agreed that the RBNZ would leave itself flexibility if the economy continues to struggle.

The MPC said it looked hard between a cut now and staying on hold.

“Leaving the OCR unchanged at this meeting would provide the optionality to lower the OCR in the future if required.”

But it did not close the door to further easing.

“Future moves in the OCR will depend on how the outlook for medium-term inflation and the economy evolves.”

The next decision is due on 18 February, when the new governor Anna Breman will have taken up her role.

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Regional councils demise: The plans, timeline and thorny issues

Source: Radio New Zealand

RNZ / Eveline Harvey

It’s billed as the biggest shake-up to councils in 30 years, but a lot of questions about how the government’s regional council “reset” will work and what will happen remain unanswered.

The government on Tuesday announced plans to replace regional councillors with boards made up of mayors and maybe some minister-appointed representatives.

The ministers argue local government has lost its social licence and change is needed – but current councillors and opposition parties are questioning whether the solution on offer is the right one.

Part of the problem, according to the government, is many people don’t even know what a regional council does.

So here’s what we know, and the thorny issues yet to be teased out.

Environment Canterbury’s headquarters in Christchurch. Supplied / ECan

What are regional councils anyway?

New Zealand has various kinds of councils, but the main three types are:

  • Regional councils (11 of these in NZ)
  • Territorial authorities (67)
  • Unitary authorities (6, including Auckland)

They have different roles and responsibilities.

Regional councils look after the environmental aspects of resource management including things like: flood protection, air quality, and pest control, as well as public transport planning and funding, civil defence, and bulk water supply and treatment.

Set up under the 1989 local government reforms, they cover large regions based primarily on water catchments or drainage basins.

These regions usually include cities, towns and rural areas which are in turn managed by local councils – the “territorial authorities” which include city councils and district councils.

As an example, the Greater Wellington Regional Council handles the regional council responsibilities for the Kāpiti Coast, Porirua, Wellington City, Lower and Upper Hutt, South Wairarapa, Carterton, Masterton and part of the Tararua district – each of which have their own city or district council.

The territorial authorities are responsible for meeting residents’ needs by providing services, including roads, water services, waste and recycling collection, parks and libraries, and administering public safety bylaws.

The third category – unitary authorities – basically combine the responsibilities for territorial and regional councils so the area just has one council.

Local Government Minister Simon Watts, left, and RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop at Tuesday’s announcement. RNZ/Mark Papalii

So what’s the government doing?

The proposal revealed on Tuesday by RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Local Government Minister Simon Watts is a two-step process.

The first step is abolishing the elected regional councillors and having the mayors of the territorial authorities in each region taking over their responsibilities as a new group, given the memorable name “Combined Territories Boards”.

There would be 11 of these boards, to match the current regional boundaries, and the government has also suggested its own representatives could be installed on the boards to provide greater oversight from the Crown.

It should be noted that at this stage the broader regional council infrastructure including staff, contracts, and asset ownership would remain unchanged, it’s just the elected councillors who would be replaced by the CTBs.

The second step is to task these boards with developing a strategy (Regional Reorganisation Plan) for how to reorganise council responsibilities in the long term.

The plans could conceivably decide to continue on with the CTBs, or they could come up with something new including amalgamating some territorial authorities, or they could set up regional agencies to take over planning for things like public transport – which often makes sense to plan at a wider regional level.

The plans would need to meet certain criteria set by the government including:

  • Big picture fit: the plan supports national priorities like housing, infrastructure and business competition
  • Short and long term affordability: a financially responsible arrangement to manage rates increases and support them to manage assets well
  • Better services: reorganising local services so they work better and cost less
  • Clear leadership: the plan sets out who does what and who is responsible across councils
  • Local voice: decisions happen at the right local level, and the plan provides fair and effective representation of communities
  • Treaty arrangements: all Treaty of Waitangi settlement commitments including for rivers are managed in accordance with the settlements
  • Realistic: includes details for how to put the plan into action, for example with a step-by-step timeline for establishing a new regional roading agency or setting out how council staff might be restructured

Consultation on the plans will be mandatory, including with local communities, iwi and hapū, and other stakeholders.

Once developed, the plans would go to the Local Government Minister for signoff and the restructuring would take effect.

Chris Bishop at the media briefing. RNZ/Mark Papalii

At that point, the wider regional council infrastructure could be broken up into different unitary authorities, or the territorial authorities may find it simpler to combine into one region-wide unitary authority.

Bishop said the government had an “open mind” about how the councils would be reorganised, but with the changes brought through the RMA reforms “people will see the attraction of unitary authorities”. He said it would be fair to say the reforms would work best, democratically, if it ended up with more unitary authorities.

“With my Wellington MP hat on … the feedback I get from Wellington councils and mayors and actually frankly Wellington regional ratepayers that having Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt and Porirua and Wellington City is pretty nuts – so if this proposal goes ahead Wellington will get the chance to do what they have not done for quite a long time and seize the opportunity for growth.”

More information about how it could work is available from the Department of Internal Affairs and in the discussion document.

Timeframes

The ministers’ announcement at 5pm was also pitched as the launch of public consultation on their proposal, although for now DIA’s consultation page only said a survey would be published soon and to check back later for further updates.

Consultation closes on Friday, 20 February 2026.

The ministers said they aimed to have legislation drafted based on that consultation in mid-2026, and passed by mid-2027 – which would be after next year’s election.

Bishop would not guarantee the current councillors – elected just last month – would necessarily see out their full term.

Presuming the new government continues on with the proposed changes, the legislation would set up the CTBs, which would have two years from when they were established to produce the Regional Reorganisation Plan.

Complications: Votes and boundaries …

The proposal sounds simple on the surface, but there’s some things which make it all a bit more complicated.

One thing the discussion document seeks further feedback on is how much power each mayor would have on the board, the problem being that it’s difficult to find a solution that’s fair for everyone.

A simple model of giving each mayor one vote means smaller rural populations would have a lot more power, proportionally, through their mayor than those representing big cities. Then again, giving each mayor a number of votes based purely on population would tilt things in the other direction – basically giving the city mayors all the power.

The government’s solution is to primarily use a population-based vote approach, but have the Local Government Commission apportion more votes to smaller districts to balance it out a bit. This would either be left entirely up to the commission or the government would provide it with a set of criteria based on the feedback from the public consultation.

For resource management decisions, a majority of both the population-weighted votes and a majority of board members would be needed, as a way of providing an extra backstop.

The discussion document sets out that Crown Commissioners could also be brought in to “ensure that the national interest is considered in regional decision-making”.

They could either replace regional councillors (instead of having the CTBs), or could be brought in as additional members of the CTBs – with a range of options for how much power they could wield:

  • Observer only: non-voting
  • Veto power: able to stop decisions where they think it’s necessary in the interests of New Zealand as a whole
  • Majority vote: Crown Commissioners hold more than 50 percent of the weighted votes, with the rest distributed among mayors

The document did not give an option for giving the commissioners a minority vote.

Another difficulty is that some territorial authorities are split across multiple regions, for example Taupō District is mostly covered by Waikato Regional Council, but also has areas in Bay of Plenty, Hawke’s Bay, and an apparently unpopulated sliver of Manawatū-Whanganui.

The government says it doesn’t want to change regional or district boundaries, so the discussion document presents two options:

  • Having smaller isolated areas “adopted” into a neighbouring region, with the district mayor given additional voting power in line with the additional population. For example, the roughly 150 people of Taupō district who are in the Bay of Plenty region would be ‘adopted’ by a nearby mayor who gets extra votes on their behalf. The community is not currently expected to be able to vote on which mayor would represent them, but the government is considering that as an option.
  • Having districts with isolated populations represented on all CTBs. For example, the Taupō communities would have a share of the votes on three different regional CTBs based on the population within each region. It’s possible a local ward councillor might represent Taupō district residents in Bay of Plenty, instead of the mayor.

The government proposes to either decide these on a case-by-case basis by the Local Government Commission, or based on some population threshold set by the government.

Hang on, why is all this happening?

The ministers give two main reasons for making these changes: that the coming RMA reforms will shake up regional responsibilities anyway and it makes sense to change local government at the same time; and that the status quo setup of councils simply isn’t fit for purpose anymore.

They argue the two layers of council (regional vs territorial) means costly duplication of services and that each can disagree over how things should be done, slowing down progress.

Shifting to one layer would be expected, Bishop says, to save ratepayers money by putting “downward pressure” on rates increases – stopping them from rising as quickly – and the discussion document says it will make decisions “much more coordinated”.

Bishop on Tuesday pointed to turnout at the recent local government elections as evidence local government as a whole “has lost the social licence, and that New Zealanders have lost faith in local government”.

But while warnings were sounded about low turnout ahead of the recent elections concluding last month, a bump on the last day meant the final turnout at 39.4 percent ended up close to the previous election in 2022.

Voting rates have been falling over the past three decades, but the rate is close to that of the UK, and higher than in the US.

Another reason for the government to step in is cost: council rates have been rising significantly in recent years and the government wants to be seen to be tackling the cost of living.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon last August led the charge on calling for councils to tighten their belts and stop wasteful spending on “fantasies” – a message that seemed at odds with his previous anti-Three Waters campaign promising localism and devolution.

Some councils pointed out the government had continued to place additional demands on them without providing the funding to do so; that laws prevented councils seeking new funding in ways that did not rely on rates; that the rising cost of water services were forcing councils to prioritise spending on that; and that councils’ share of total taxation through rates was about 10 percent compared to central government’s 90 percent.

Reasons not to do it?

Opposition parties seem to agree something should be done to change the structure of local government in New Zealand – but warn the government’s approach could remove expertise and community voice.

They argue it is undemocratic to remove the elected councillors – particularly if Crown Commissioners reporting to government ministers end up with the power – and that it removes environmental protections the regional councils were set up to oversee.

While Treaty of Waitangi settlements will continue to be honoured, the government is also doing away with Māori constituencies and other regional constituencies – potentially erasing those protected minority voices from the democratic process.

The question of unexpected costs from setting up the boards and restructuring things also remains unanswered, though the ministers are confident it will keep overall costs down in the long run.

Finally, another consideration is that the problem of the structure of local government has been looked at before, several times – most recently and comprehensively with the Future of Local Government review commissioned under the previous Labour government.

Rather than building on that work, the coalition essentially binned that review on coming into office.

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Pahīatua homicide: Police continue hunt for Jeremy Robertson six weeks after mother’s death

Source: Radio New Zealand

Jeremy Robertson. Supplied/ NZ Police

Six weeks after a woman was killed in Pahīatua, police are continuing to search for her son who is wanted in connection with her death.

Karen Gilbert-Palmer, 74, was found dead at a home in Arthur Street on 15 October by a friend who had been unable to contact her.

A homicide investigation then began, and her son Jeremy Robertson was identified by police as a suspect.

Gilbert-Palmer’s car was found at the Blue and Green Lakes lookout in Rotorua the following morning. However, six weeks on, Robertson remains missing.

On Wednesday, Detective Senior Sergeant Dave Thompson told RNZ police believe Robertson is likely still in that area.

“We have been making a lot of enquiries to locate Jeremy, and we are planning further police activity in that area in the coming weeks.

“I want to thank the members of the public who came forward with information in the early days of the investigation, including the call that led us to the car within hours of it being parked up.”

Do you know more? Email sam.sherwood@rnz.co.nz

Thompson said work to find Robertson had not stopped.

“Our focus remains on seeing justice served for Mrs Gilbert-Palmer, and finding Jeremy is key to that.”

Jeremy Robertson had been driving a red Mitsubishi ASX, registration QGU91, police said. Supplied/ NZ Police

Mother’s concerns

RNZ earlier revealed Robertson, who is believed to have had a history with mental health services, was planning to leave the home on the day she died and take a bus to Rotorua.

Gilbert-Palmer’s niece, Barbara Evans, earlier told RNZ her aunty, who she called Narnie, would regularly message her talking about her son and his mental health.

Evans, who was adopted at birth, reconnected with Gilbert-Palmer and her grandparents about 30 years ago.

Evans said it appeared Robertson’s behaviour was “escalating” in the weeks before Gilbert-Palmer’s death.

Evans shared a series of messages she exchanged with Gilbert-Palmer.

On 8 October, a week before she died, Gilbert-Palmer messaged Evans and said “I tell u wat, he was better when he was on the drugs and vape, more chilled out. More aggressive now. [sic]”

She said her son was “dead against drugs now”.

The following day, Gilbert-Palmer said her son “has been nice for one day, now back to wat [sic] he was”.

In another message she wrote Robertson “can be so nasty at times”.

Gilbert-Palmer said she wished her niece didn’t live so far away so she could go and spend a few days with her.

Later that evening she messaged that he had “settled down”.

Then, on 12 October, Gilbert-Palmer told Evans that her son was going to Rotorua by bus on 15 October.

“He decided on hus [sic] own, to much stuff going on down here, having a go at people verbally.”

Gibert-Palmer said she would “fill in” her niece once Robertson was gone. It was the last time Evans heard from her.

In September, Gilbert-Palmer told her niece he was back home living with her as there was “nowhere for him to go”.

He’d previously stayed in Feilding but was “rude” to people there and “out does his stay”, she said.

Evans said she was “absolutely devastated” when she heard her aunty was dead.

“I was going down on the Monday after he’d left. I was intending to go down and spend some time with her.”

She wanted to know what involvement mental health services had with Robertson.

Police say anyone who sees Robertson should not approach him. Call 111 immediately and advise police.

Non-urgent information can be passed to police via 105. Please quote file number 251015/6286.

Information can also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.

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

Posted on

First banks move after OCR cut

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Reserve Bank has cut the official cash rate to its lowest level in three years. RNZ

Just minutes after the Reserve Bank revealed it would cut the official cash rate (OCR) by 25 basis points to 2.25 percent, advertised home loan rates started to drop.

The Co-Operative Bank said it was dropping its floating home loan rate by 31 basis points, more than the Reserve Bank reduction, to 4.99 percent.

Chief executive Mark Wilkshire said it “affirms our commitment to competitive interest rates”.

– more to come

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

Posted on

Golf: Ryan Fox sets lofty goals for himself in 2026

Source: Radio New Zealand

New Zealand golfer Ryan Fox. Matthew Harris / PHOTOSPORT

The holiday is over for Ryan Fox and the Kiwi golfer is gearing up for what he hopes will be an even better 2026.

Fox completed his second full season on the PGA Tour with two victories and a top 40 finish in the 2025 standings.

After that he took a fully deserved two months away from the game, relaxing back in Auckland with his family.

“The year I had let me do that, have a chance to take a break, be a dad, be normal and so I’m buzzing to be back into it this week,” Fox told media in Brisbane.

He didn’t touch his golf clubs for the first month of his break but has been training since then, playing some social golf. He’s now preparing for this week’s Australian PGA Championship in Queensland.

Fox has won in Australia three times, the first was in 2014 and it is a place he enjoys playing.

“Obviously this is the first tour I played when I turned pro and this year it fitted in perfectly (with my schedule).

“I didn’t want to take three months off golf and go back (to the US) early next year and find it (his game) again.

“We’re playing two great golf courses the next two weeks, great fields, and I wanted to be a part of it.”

Ryan Fox of New Zealand lifts the championship trophy after winning the Canadian Open, 2025. Julian Avram/Icon Sportswire

Fox won the Myrtle Beach Classic in May and the Canadian Open in June. So what about 2026?

“Obviously I want to build on it, it’s hard to beat a year like I had this year, other than missing the Tour Championship I ticked every box.”

He does want to make the international team for the first time and play the Presidents Cup against the USA at Medinah in Chicago in September 2026.

“That is something I feel I’ve missed out on the last couple of goes and I’m in a good place, I’m in all the big events next year so I really want to be a part of that team.”

The 38-year-old said he would also love to be contending in one of the major tournaments. He has previously finished in the top 20 at both the the Open Championship and the US Open.

“I know my golf game is good enough to compete with the best players in the world and I give myself a few more chances of that next year.”

So he’ll get back up to speed in Australia over the next two weeks at the Australian PGA Championship and the Australian Open.

“I’m coming in here not playing to keep status which is really nice, but I want to do well the next two weeks.

“It’s a good place to be, my golf game is in good shape at home so I’m excited to test it in tournament conditions again.”

Ryan Fox plays a bunker shot at Oakmont Country Club. 2025 US Open. Matthew Harris / PHOTOSPORT

Fox will play alongside nine other New Zealand golfers this week, including World Tour players Daniel Hillier and Kazuma Kobori.

“Kiwi golf is in a really good place at the moment with a bunch of guys on various tours around the world and to see young guys doing well and it’s cool to see so many of them here,” Fox said.

The Australian PGA Championship runs from 27-30 November at the Royal Queensland Golf Club.

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