Category: Public Media

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Govt providing money for West Coast settlement to upgrade wharf

Source: Radio New Zealand

A view of Jackson Bay in South Westland. Kennedy Warne

The government is providing $2.31 million for the West Coast settlement of Jackson Bay to upgrade its “severely deteriorated” wharf.

Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson said the deep-water wharf was accessible in all weather, making it a lifeline in natural disasters.

“This upgrade secures the wharf as a vital access point during disasters and supports the fishing industry by ensuring efficient seafood transport and supply chains.”

The money from the Regional Infrastructure Fund would be topped up with $990,000 from Westland District Council.

The upgrade included structural work, and new digital surveillance and signage so the council could enforce launch fees to pay for ongoing maintenance, he said.

Parliamentary Under-Secretary to the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries Jenny Marcroft commended the fishers and industry leaders, who she said worked tirelessly to secure the upgrade.

“The wharf is in a severely deteriorated state, so this upgrade is critical to keep it safe and reliable for all users.”

The government said the Jackson Bay wharf upgrades were the final component of a programme to upgrade West Coast ports.

Earlier this year ministers announced a $5.5 million loan from the Regional Infrastructure Fund to upgrade Westport Port and Greymouth Port.

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Tākuta Ferris alleges ‘despicable’ treatment of dying MP Takutai Tarsh Kemp

Source: Radio New Zealand

The late Tāmaki Makaurau MP Takutai Tarsh Kemp was subjected to “the most despicable behaviour” by Te Pāti Māori leadership, expelled Te Tai Tonga MP Tākuta Ferris claims.

Takutai Tarsh Kemp, who died in June, underwent treatment for kidney disease in the first half of this year.

In an extended interview with RNZ’s Mata programme, published on Tuesday, Ferris claimed the leadership of Te Pāti Māori was trying to oust Takutai Tarsh Kemp from her seat in the months leading up to her death.

In response to this and other claims Ferris made in the interview, Te Pāti Māori president John Tamihere declined to comment on what he described as “any matters based on hearsay, innuendo, accusation or insinuation”.

Alleged treatment of ailing MP

In June, Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer served out a two-week suspension from Parliament’s debating chamber as punishment for performing a haka.

Ferris said the co-leaders were completely absent from Parliament in this period, leaving the remaining four MPs to take on the full weight of the party’s responsibilities.

In that period, the MPs agreed an intervention was needed to raise their concerns with the coleaders, but Kemp passed away before that could happen, he said.

And when Kemp passed, a decision was made to take her body to the West Auckland marae, Hoani Waititi, without her parents knowledge. Instead, Ferris said, they learned about it via the radio.

A spokesperson for the Te Pāti Māori co-leaders said “hearsay or speculation” should be directed to Tamihere for a response.

Tākuta Ferris MATA

Bullying allegations

Ferris claimed the leadership had shown a pattern of bullying his female colleague.

After Kemp’s death, Oriini Kaipara won a byelection to replace her as Tāmaki Makaurau MP. Ferris said it had been agreed with Kaipara she could bring her own team onto the Tāmaki Makaurau electorate committee if she won the byelection. But that has not happened – a reflection of the existing committee “bullying” and “standing over” her, Ferris said.

He claimed the current committee was undermining Kaipara’s credibility as an MP in order to retain the voting power of Tāmaki Makaurau.

Ferris said a “reset hui” was staged on a day that Oriini Kaipara and her whānau should have been celebrated.

‘Ceasefire’ hui went awry

According to Ferris, at a three-hour meeting where a ceasefire was called, everyone agreed except the president John Tamihere. He claimed Tamihere instead threatened the Kapa-Kingi family with utu.

Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, who earlier this months was expelled from the party, called the hui for the six MPs to work through issues, Ferris said. But days before, the makeup of the hui changed and the executive council attended, including Tamihere.

Takutai Tarsh Kemp Supplied/ Te Pāti Māori

Expulsion, aftermath and the future

Ferris said he learnt about his expulsion when he was at a tangi and called the leadership a “pack of mugs”.

He still considers himself a member of Te Pāti Māori because the process they used was not robust, he claimed. He said he feels aroha for the party’s staffers who he claimed are burnt out because of underperforming leaders.

Te Pāti Māori was obviously suffering reputation damage, and it needed to stop, he said.

Last week, Ferris said he wrote an appeal to the national council to make space to share his, KapaKingi and Kaipara’s position but it was completely ignored.

It was back in the people’s hands now to save the Te Pāti Māori Kaupapa, he said.

Mata contacted members of the executive council for comment but only received a short response from Tamihere.

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Huge, suspicious recycling centre fire spews smoke over Waiuku

Source: Radio New Zealand

More than 60 firefighters tackled a blaze at Waiuku recycling facility. Supplied

A large blaze that tore through a recycling facility in the Auckland town of Waiuku is being treated as suspicious.

Fire and Emergency (FENZ) said it was called to the incident about 11pm on Monday, and found nearly 5000 square metres of plastic on fire. Six shipping containers were also on fire.

FENZ said 16 fire trucks attended at the peak of the blaze, which was contained as of 5am Tuesday morning.

The fire was now extinguished, and they had returned the site to its owner.

“Thank you to our crews who worked throughout the night to extinguish the fire,” a spokesperson said. “If you are in the vicinity, it is now safe to open doors and windows and go outside without a mask.”

The owner of Waiuku Business Park, Sam Wulff, told RNZ he leased out part of the industrial lot to the plastics recycling company, Future Post.

He was shocked to learn that the fire might have been deliberately lit there.

“It’s gut-wrenching that somebody gets joy out of something as pathetic as that to go and put a match to it or whatever they did.”

He did not know what caused the fire.

FENZ said it would work with police to determine the cause.

Police said a scene guard remained in place and they would examine the scene later on Tuesday.

Residents near a huge fire at a recycling facility in Waiuku on Monday night were asked to stay indoors. Supplied

Wulff said he had been informed it was most likely arson.

“There’s nothing that would naturally have caused a fire.”

He said he first learned about the fire after getting a call from the fire chief at 1:30am.

“He doesn’t call at 1:30am for a chat, so there was obviously something brewing that shouldn’t be.”

He drove up from Tauranga to assess the situation.

He said the recycling facility converted waste plastic into fence posts, and he estimated the materials were worth tens – if not hundreds – of thousands of dollars.

“Now it’s all just turned into ash.”

He said Future Post had been informed about what happened.

Future Posts’ main recycling facility was not affected. The main facility is about 200m from its storage area, which was what caught fire.

Both facilities were at the Waiuku Business Park.

An Auckland auto shop next door to the recycling plant was without access to its property after the blaze.

Sprint R-E Engineering posted on Facebook that the carpark in front of the business park, which was full of plastic fence posts, caught alight.

Residents in the vicinity were asked to stay indoors and keep doors and windows shut. Supplied

“At this stage we have no access to the shop and power is out. Can’t thank the fire crews enough for the amazing work”, its post read.

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‘Precious taonga’: Family mourns 11-year-old boy who died fishing

Source: Radio New Zealand

Jason Paul Wharerau died while out fishing earlier in November. Facebook/Tāmaki Primary School

The heartbroken whānau of an 11-year-old boy who died during a fishing trip in Northland has described him as clever, cheeky, loving and full of wairua.

Jason Paul Wharerau, who lived in Auckland, went fishing at Pātaua South near Whangārei with his brother-in-law Ethan Gordon James Neels on 14 November.

Whānau raised the alarm when the pair failed to return that evening.

The following day their empty runabout was found adrift off Bream Bay’s Hen and Chicken Islands, and Jason’s body was found in the water near Pātaua North.

Police released their names on Tuesday morning.

The search for Neels, who was 23, had been scaled back but was continuing.

Jason’s whānau said he was the pōtiki – or youngest – of his family, “a precious taonga of our whānau, clever, cheeky, loving, and full of wairua”.

Losing him had left their hearts heavy with pouritanga, or sadness.

“To us, he carried the spirit, curious, brave, and dearly cherished. His sudden passing has left a gap in our whakapapa that will be felt for generations.”

The whānau said they also felt deep aroha and sorrow for the loss of Neels, who was more than Jason’s brother-in-law.

A Coastguard Air Patrol plane searches the sea off Ngunguru, east of Whangārei. Malcolm Pullman

“He was woven into his partner’s whānau through aroha and whānaungatanga. Ethan’s partner has suffered the unbearable loss of both her younger brother and her beloved, in one tragic moment,” they said.

“Their mamae is immense, as they wait with hope to lay their son to rest with dignity, as every parent should be able to do.”

Jason’s whakapapa connected him to Ngāti Tautahi Te Māhurehure, Te Hikutu, Te Waiariki Ngāti Korora, and Ngāti Hau.

His whānau said they were deeply grateful for the aroha, tautoko, karakia and manaaki shown by Te Waiariki, Ngāti Kororā, Ngāti Takapari hapū uri katoa, the wider Pātaua community, Tamaki Primary, whānau members, Coastguard, Search and Rescue, Police, the Royal New Zealand Navy and Surf Lifesaving.

“In these moments of darkness, you have been a light that has held us.”

Ethan Gordon James Neels. Supplied

Jason’s whānau said no parents should have to place their children in the whenua before themselves.

“E kore e tika kia tanu ngā mātua i ā rātou tamariki… We ask that Aotearoa holds our whānau gently in your karakia, in your thoughts, and in your hearts as we navigate this profound loss together.

“Haere rā e ngā rangatira kōtiro, e ngā puna aroha. Moe mai rā i te takotoranga tapu. Haere, haere, haere atu rā.”

His school, Tāmaki Primary School, posted on Facebook saying he “filled our classrooms and playground with laughter”.

“He brought humour, surprises, and positive energy wherever he went, and he will always be remembered with warmth and pride by all of us at Tāmaki Primary School. We hold Jason’s memory in our hearts, and we honour the beautiful way he lived and the happiness he brought into our kura.”

Neels’ whānau also expressed their gratitude to police, Search and Rescue and Coastguard for their ongoing support and assistance.

“Thank you also to all the community and Jason’s whānau for their love and support through this time. It brings us peace that Ethan found love and support from a beautiful whānau.”

Police said Search and Rescue teams, alongside Coastguard, continued to sweep the moana and shoreline in the hope of bringing Neels home to his whānau.

Enquiries into the tragedy were continuing.

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‘Your mum will love you forever and ever’: Children killed in Sanson fire remembered at funeral

Source: Radio New Zealand

Supplied

Three children killed in a house fire in Sanson are being remembered at their funeral.

August, 7, Hugo, 5, and Goldie Field, 1, died on 15 November in what’s being treated as a murder-suicide.

Their father, 36-year-old Dean Field, also died in the fire at the family home. He is suspected of murdering the three children before dying by suicide.

The funeral, held at Crossroads Church in Palmerston North began at 11am.

The children, in brightly coloured coffins, were brought into the funeral home and placed alongside one another.

The family dog Marlo, who also died in the fire, was placed beside them.

‘Motorcycle Drive By’ by Zach Bryan was played, one of the childrens’ favourite songs.

Officiate Aingie Miller began the service saying August, Hugo and Goldie were adored by family and everyone’s hearts are full of love and compassion or everyone grieving.

August James Field, born 27 November 2017. Supplied

Miller described August, also known as Auggie, as a welcome blessing who was cheeky, mischievous and a natural entertainer with speed as his super power.

Hugo, also known as Johnny, liked a bit of “rough and tumble” wit his older brother but they were also kind and caring with each other. His super power was strength.

“Goldie girl” had the super power of happiness.

Reading on behalf on the children’s mother Chelsey Field, Miller started saying “my sweet three beautiful brown-eyes darlings, you are my absolute world”.

Field said August James’ favourite colour was blue and he loved machinery, cars and motorbikes.

He loved music and Field said she spent six weeks of lockdown listening to him sing ‘We Will Rock You’ about 50 times a day.

Field said August loved sports, being social and fishing trips with his papa.

August would have been 8 on Thursday.

Hugo John Field, born 18 March 2020 Supplied

Hugo John was a snuggly, sensitive mama’s boy from birth, Field said.

He had a “huge obsession” with dinosaurs and Field said she had to learn all the names of them to read dinosaur books to him.

He loved he colour green, riding motorbikes, building huts and was constantly trying to keep up with his big brother.

Field said he was unable to say August at first – calling him Cecil instead.

Goldie May Iris Field, born 6 September 2024. Supplied

Field said Goldie kept her on her toes her entire pregnancy but was the “sweetest little girl” who loves snuggles and sleepy cuddles.

She was a happy, cruisey baby who was used to being out and about with her big brothers’ activities.

She had four teeth, was confidently pulling herself to stand and cruising around the furniture.

Field said she would miss constantly hearing “mum, I’m hungry” and the boys saying “67” constantly.

“I will miss you three so much. You will know your mum will love you forever and ever.”

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Government to end Cook Strait open ocean tug contract early

Source: Radio New Zealand

The government has ended the contract for the MMA Vision early. Maritime NZ

The government has sunk plans to station an open ocean tug in the Cook Strait long term saying the costs outweigh the benefits.

For years local government leaders on either side of the North and South Island had been calling for open ocean tugs after several near miss accidents.

One of these was in January 2023 when the Interislander ferry Kaitaki was sailing into Wellington Harbour with 854 passengers on board and lost power, which resulted in a mayday call.

In April the government contracted the MMA Vision, an open ocean tug, to be stationed in Wellington till June while it came up with a long term solution.

On Tuesday, the government announced that contract will end earlier in February and there would be no replacement for it.

Transport Minister Chris Bishop said cabinet had considered a detailed business case for open ocean tugs in March which would provide a tug which could stabilise a stricken boat and another which could tow that boat in.

Bishop said while Cook Strait clearly had risks, they were too small for the costs associated with the tugs.

He said those costs had escalated from the initial business case to the detailed business case from around $80 million over 10 years to over $259 million over 10 years.

The minister also noted most recorded boating incidents happened outside of Cook Strait.

“While most of these costs were intended to be paid with the establishment of EORC-specific levies, there would still be significant cost pressures on the Crown to procure an EORC solution, and these levies would be passed onto consumers through higher prices.

“Put bluntly, the cost to taxpayers is too high for something that’s unlikely to be needed – and unlikely to be useful even if it is.”

He said cancelling the MMA Vision contract early would save $9 million.

New Cook Strait ferries arriving in 2029 would have better safety features and reduces the need for open ocean tugs, he said.

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ACC focused on getting ‘less serious’ injuries off its books, chief executive says

Source: Radio New Zealand

ACC chief executive Megan Main. Supplied / ACC

ACC says efforts to get long-term claimants off of weekly compensation is not about taking support away from people who need it.

The agency has been instructed to reduce its long-term claims pool, currently the largest it has ever been at almost 25,000 people.

The move is expected to save about $7 billion between now and 2029.

It is part of a suite of changes that, if all were implemented, would save the Crown entity about $25 billion over the same time frame.

ACC chief executive Megan Main told Nine to Noon two-thirds of the long-term claims pool had less complex injuries.

“We know that people with serious injuries are going to need ACC support for a long time, even their lifetime, and we’re here for them.

“Our focus is on people with less serious injuries like sprains and strains, shoulders, hips, backs, who, over the last decade, have been taking much longer to recover, still receiving weekly compensation a year or many years after their injury – and we’ve seen a tripling in that number in 10 years.”

Main said the higher figure was partly due to ACC pulling back on dedicated case managers for lower complexity cases in 2019.

“That is why two years ago, we changed our case management for long-term clients. We invested in 250 more case managers, through savings elsewhere.

“So every one of those long-term clients now has their own dedicated one-to-one case manager to help them get back to being ready for work, or back to being independent, back to living life as well as they can.”

In the year to June, 8000 people were exited from the pool, and by June 2026 ACC aimed to have a further 11,675 off.

Advocates for ACC claimants have expressed concern that people who were not ready to return to work were being exited without proper rehabilitation.

Asked if people were being exited against medical advice, Main said ACC case managers used information from medical specialists to make a decision on which of three ‘pathways’ to choose.

ACC Minister Scott Simpson.

“The first is that the person is assessed as being able to return to the type of work they were doing before they were injured.

“The second pathway is if they still can’t work but it’s not longer due to their ACC-covered injury.

“The third pathway is if they’ve been rehabilitated from their covered injury and it’s changed the type of work they can do… then we support them with vocational rehabilitation, vocational job training, to set them up for a different kind of job that they could do.”

Main said ACC did not collect data on what people went on to do once they had exited the scheme.

“There are so many reasons why someone might not go straight back to work after an injury. They’re often personal to the individual and there are other agencies responsible for supporting people to find employment.

“Our job is to make sure people are work ready through these three pathways.”

Main said ACC’s board was considering reduction targets, but there were not incentives for anyone at ACC to cut the number of people they support.

“We do not have targets that people are assessed against. We have targets in terms of what is good practice.

“We recognise that’s different for every case manager, and it’s also dependent on the types of claims people have, but we don’t have [individual] targets…

“We recognise that every client is different and we want our case managers providing good case management support.”

Asked about what ministerial, board or executive instruction she had received to improve financial performance, Main said ACC was doing what was in its control.

“Our minister for ACC has been clear that he expects us to improve performance. We need to make sure that the scheme is on a trajectory to be financially sustainable.

“We’re absolutely committed to that, from our board to me right through to our client-facing teams.

“We need to make sure that we are helping people to be rehabilitated in a timely manner that, in turn, lines up with the way levies are calculated.

“And ultimately we need to get back to a position where the costs of delivering… rehabilitation support for injured people are balanced out.”

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Hospitals to move away from paper records to new digital systems

Source: Radio New Zealand

Health Minister Simeon Brown. RNZ / Mark Papalii

Health Minister Simeon Brown has unveiled a 10-year investment plan to shift hospitals away from paper records to new digital systems.

In a statement, Brown said although more than 65 percent of hospitals were still using paper notes, Health New Zealand also had more than 6000 digital systems as a result of underinvestment and quick fixes instead of proper planning.

The new plan envisages a single digital medical records system for the whole country, as well as remote patient monitoring to support earlier discharge, a national radiology system, and stronger cybersecurity.

These would be rolled in three phases over the next decade: “stabilising critical systems, modernising platforms, and enabling innovative healthcare models that put patients first”, Brown said.

“This is a completely new approach for Health New Zealand, tackling the kind of large, complex programmes that have failed in the past when governments have tried to do them alone.”

The plan’s five core objectives were to:

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  • improve outcomes for patients and families
  • support clinicians
  • stabilise critical infrastructure
  • build foundations for innovation
  • enable data-driven decision-making

    • Brown said Health NZ had already launched its “Accelerate” programme to digitise patient notes in hospitals that were still relying on paper, and upgrade WiFi and device availability to support clinicians across hospital settings.

    The separate HealthX programme aimed to accelerate innovation and use of AI by rolling out “one innovation initiative each month to bring digital tools to the frontline”, including rolling out AI scribes to emergency departments, introducing remote patient monitoring, and speeding up x-ray processes.

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FENZ applies for facilitation to end pay dispute with firefighters

Source: Radio New Zealand

It has been 16 months since the NZ Professional Firefighters Union began pay talks with FENZ. Marika Khabazi / RNZ

Fire and Emergency (FENZ) has applied for independent facilitation to put an end to its long running dispute with the firefighters union.

It has been 16 months since the NZ Professional Firefighters Union (NZPFU) began pay talks with FENZ, in July 2024.

FENZ said the union’s most recent proposal was more than three times its offer and far beyond what it was willing to agree to.

“We’re asking the Employment Relations Authority to provide facilitation to help bring the parties together because of the protracted nature of bargaining and the impact on public safety from prolonged and repeated strike action,” deputy national commander Megan Stiffler said in a statement.

“There’s a gulf between us at the moment. Moving to facilitated bargaining is the next logical step to resolve the dispute and keep our communities safe.”

Stiffler said FENZ had approached bargaining in “good faith with the goal of reaching a fair, sustainable and reasonable settlement”, with its latest offer amounting to a 6.2 percent average increase over three years.

She said the average pay for a senior firefighter had cumulatively increased by 37 percent in the past 10 years.

“We want a fair outcome that recognises the incredible dedication and service of our people and delivers a modern and sustainable fire service,” Stiffler said.

“At the same time, approximately 95 percent of Fire and Emergency’s operations are funded by a levy on New Zealanders’ building, contents and vehicle insurance. With increasing insurance costs, we have to be mindful of cost-of-living pressures.”

A spokesperson for the NZPFU said the application for facilitation had been made in October but was initially adjourned so that another negotiation meeting could take place.

They said the Employment Relations Authority will make a decision later on Tuesday on whether to order facilitation after the most recent meeting.

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What is Black Friday and why is it a big deal in New Zealand?

Source: Radio New Zealand

Retailers around Aotearoa have been promoting their Black Friday sales for weeks. RNZ Illustration / Nik Dirga / 123rf

Explainer – You can’t turn around with seeing a Black Friday advert this week. But where did it first come from?

The shopping sales event – officially taking place this Friday – is an American import that’s picked up speed among retailers since first migrating over here more than a decade ago. But why has it gained ground here?

Events labelled “Black Friday” sales have been going on all month long, as what was originally a single day has ramped up into a long-haul sales opportunity.

“Black Friday has become a really critical sales point in the retail calendar for retailers,” Retail NZ chief executive Carolyn Young said. “You know, you come out of winter and you’ve got new stock in store.”

Here’s some facts about Black Friday you can amuse your friends with as you wait in queues this week.

Where did Black Friday come from anyway?

The phrase “Black Friday” has been around for a long time, used at least as far back as the 1860s to refer to a stock market crash.

But it picked up a shopping link in the early 1960s when, according to many sources, shopping crowds and tourists for a holiday weekend sports match overwhelmed police in the US city of Philadelphia. The phrase took off, although there was an attempt to rebrand it as “Big Friday” by merchants who didn’t like the association with civil disorder.

By the 1980s, the term was pretty commonplace in America to describe big sales, and it’s expanded to include spinoffs like online-focused “Cyber Monday” as well.

In America, it comes the day after the major holiday Thanksgiving, which always falls on the fourth Thursday in November.

Thanksgiving is timed around the autumn harvest in the northern hemisphere and meant to be a day to celebrate blessings and family life, all orchestrated around big feasts of turkey, pumpkin pie and the like. While Thanksgiving is not a New Zealand holiday, some Americans living here do still mark it in their own ways.

Black Friday sales became a bit infamous for big queues and occasional viral brawls at stores in America, although those have largely faded away in recent years with the advent of online shopping.

People get an early start on Black Friday shopping deals at a Walmart Superstore on 22 November 2012 in Rosemead, California. Black Friday has since spread around the world. FREDERIC J. BROWN / AFP

So how did it end up in New Zealand?

We don’t do Thanksgiving, so why do we do Black Friday sales? Blame it on the almighty dollar.

“We are a low wage economy who love a bargain,” said Michael Lee, a professor of marketing at the University of Auckland.

It’s only in the last 10 to 15 years that Black Friday has had a regular spot in the New Zealand calendar.

Google Trends search data shows Black Friday searches first started to spike here around 2010, then began taking off like a rocket around 2017.

“Once retailers saw a bump in sales following Black Friday, they were quick to catch on and leverage it further,” Lee said. “Then things tend to self-perpetuate, like they often do in capitalism.”

“It’s the only four-day holiday in the American calendar, which is why it’s such a big piece in their retail calendar,” Young said.

“A lot of international trends do then flow down to New Zealand, much more so now especially with modern technology and communication. Everybody’s wanting to be able to get a part of that.”

Last year, payment provider data showed more than $175 million was spent at core retail merchants during Black Friday weekend.

While online shopping is big, it’s actually not a lot of Kiwis’ preferred way to shop, according to Retail NZ.

“In New Zealand, 85 percent of sales are made in store,” Young said. “So you know, everyone’s not going online to buy. They might go online and do the research and then after that they go into store to purchase.”

Retailers advertise their sales in 2024 in Auckland. Yiting Lin / RNZ

Is it really that big a deal for businesses?

Black Friday – and all the weeks of sales leading up to it – is now neck and neck with Boxing Day as the biggest sale period for retailers, although Boxing Day has the advantage as a single day.

“What we know from statistics from last year that for many stores, Black Friday either challenged or topped Boxing Day sales, which obviously in New Zealand’s environment is a really critical market,” Young said.

“It seems to help them at a relatively quiet time of year,” Lee said.

“It also makes sense that it would outstrip Boxing Day, since the majority of Kiwis still tend to do their Christmas shopping before Christmas, therefore might not have the funds to dive into a Boxing Day sale so soon after their Christmas expenditure.”

Retailers would obviously prefer not to see Kiwis swarming Temu and AliExpress for all their Black Friday details.

Young said buying from New Zealand stores helps the overall picture for the economy.

“If New Zealand consumers buy in New Zealand it’s going to help economic growth in New Zealand because the money will stay here. It creates jobs.”

Some companies have also pushed back against the overt commercialism of Black Friday and what’s being called excessive consumerism.

“Black Friday most definitely feeds into excessive consumption,” Lee said. “If Kiwis really want to support retailers I guess they would pay full price so that businesses could earn more profit, but who is really going to put a business’s bottom line before their own?”

Shops on Auckland’s Queen Street promote their Black Friday deals. Yiting Lin / RNZ

What about the high cost of living? Will that hurt sales this year?

Given the talk all year long about the cost of living and economic worries, Young said retailers are “still a little nervous, to be honest”.

“When you look at the economic climate that we’ve been working in and how difficult trading has been, retailers are looking for reasons to get people in store to get that foot traffic to get people to buy.

“We all know that we’ve been feeling the pinch of prices at the grocery for a number of reasons.”

As for consumers, their confidence is still low, Young said.

“We haven’t gotten into that positive territory of consumer confidence and despite having ongoing cuts to the Official Cash Rate, consumers are still telling us that they are worried about job security.”

Unemployment remains high. A big marker of that is more than 60 percent of Retail NZ members are not hiring additional staff this year for Christmas.

“They’re just rolling up their sleeves and doing more,” Young said. “It’s really unusual.”

“We’re hoping that we will see that flux of people coming into stores.”

People walk past a Black Friday Week Amazon advertisement in Warsaw, Poland, on 21 November 2025. ALEKSANDER KALKA / AFP

Why did it end up becoming “Black Friday month” for many businesses?

Unless you stay entirely away from the internet and media, you’ll have seen Black Friday ads as early as the last week of October. What was once considered a single day of big bargains now sprawls on for weeks.

Businesses are “now stuck in a promotions battle with every other retailer”, Lee said.

“You can absolutely get sales fatigue,” Young said. She said retailers should be careful not to overdo the hype and to deliver what they promise.

“Making sure that whatever it is you’re offering is a unique office compared to other times of the year. Black Friday is seen as a big marker and people are expecting to see significant discounts.”

“It’s critical to have trust and confidence in a retailer and in order to do that a retailer is going to need to make sure that they can back up the statements in their advertising. We know that the Consumer Guarantees Act and Fair Trading Act are there to support consumers so they they can make sure that the deals being offered by businesses are reputable.”

It also pays for smart shoppers to do a little legwork.

Consumer NZ has warned people to be careful not to be too swayed by “hype”.

Shoppers should “start looking online early about what are the products they’re after and what is the price now, and they’ll see what the price is when it goes on sale”, Young said. “Doing that online research is really critical.”

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