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‘Just looking for a result’: Scott Robertson on All Blacks’ challenge against England

Source: Radio New Zealand

England v All Blacks

Kick-off: 4:10am Sunday 16 November

Allianz Stadium (Twickenham), London

Live blog updates on RNZ

England have been installed as favourites by some local bookmakers for this weekend’s crunch match with the All Blacks at Twickenham. However, Scott Robertson isn’t reading too much into it as his side prepares for what’s being billed as the biggest game of the end of year tour.

“We’re just looking for a result,” he said when asked if the All Blacks were aiming for a statement performance.

“You look at these games, how tight they are in the margins, and there’s two quality teams both got clear DNA, how they want to play. Discipline, keep trusting ourselves and keep playing is the key.”

Robertson has made several changes to his team, most notably shaking up the loose forwards by bringing back Simon Parker to start at blindside.

“He’s a big body, he’s physical and Wallace (Sititi) will come on obviously…we still have to make our tackles and turn the ball over, whatever the style of game is, he can add to it.”

All Blacks Cam Roigard and Wallace Sititi celebrate at full-time after George Ford of England misses a drop goal attempt at the final whistle during All Blacks v England. Bob Martin/ActionPress

When asked for an assessment of England, Robertson was surprised and amused to learn of the ‘Pom Squad’ nickname that Steve Borthwick’s bench has earned. Props Ellis Genge and Will Stuart, hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie and loose forwards Tom Curry and Henry Pollock will be presumably injected in the second half, in a plan that has been likened to the Springboks’ successful switching of starting players to impact roles in recent years.

“Wow that’s catchy,” said Robertson.

“That’s innovation, isn’t it? The finishing of test matches is critical…(we’ve got to) bring all we need to make an impact.”

Of course, there was the inevitable question about the haka, but in the English media’s defence, the topic of how the home side should issue a response was far more thoughtful than last year’s eruption of controversy.

“We welcome that, respectfully. There’s always rules of engagement around it, but they know what we’re going to do,” said Robertson.

England players approach the New Zealand team as they perform the Haka. James Crombie / www.photosport.nz

England coach Steve Borthwick will be looking to reverse a run of three narrow defeats to the All Blacks, including a dramatic 24-22 result in the same fixture last year. He hinted at a kick-heavy game, having identified that Robertson’s gameplans have relied on Beauden Barrett and Damian McKenzie’s boots a great deal.

“Every game it has spiked how much they have kicked. Last year at Twickenham, they came and the first thing they did is go ‘right we are kicking this ball’,” Borthwick told media this week.

“It is that tactical element of it and it will be interesting to see if that’s what Scott Robertson has asked his team to do.”

Scott Barrett addresses the All Blacks. ActionPress

Team lists

England: 1. Fin Baxter, 2. Jamie George, 3. Joe Heyes, 4. Maro Itoje (c), 5. Alex Coles, 6. Guy Pepper, 7. Sam Underhill, 8. Ben Earl, 9. Alex Mitchell, 10. George Ford (vice-captain), 11. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, 12. Fraser Dingwall, 13. Ollie Lawrence, 14. Tom Roebuck, 15. Freddie Steward

Bench: 16. Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17. Ellis Genge, 18. Will Stuart, 19. Chandler Cunningham-South, 20. Tom Curry, 21. Henry Pollock, 22. Ben Spencer, 23. Marcus Smith

All Blacks: 1. Ethan de Groot, 2. Codie Taylor, 3. Fletcher Newell, 4. Scott Barrett (c), 5. Fabian Holland, 6. Simon Parker, 7. Ardie Savea, 8. Peter Lakai, 9. Cam Roigard, 10. Beauden Barrett, 11. Leicester Fainga’anuku, 12. Quinn Tupaea, 13. Billy Proctor, 14. Leroy Carter, 15. Will Jordan

Bench: 16. Samisoni Taukei’aho, 17. Tamaiti Williams, 18. Pasilio Tosi, 19. Josh Lord, 20. Wallace Sititi, 21. Cortez Ratima, 22. Anton Lienert-Brown, 23. Damian McKenzie

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

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Manufacturing orders up, but employment still a struggle – survey

Source: Radio New Zealand

The survey showed a rise in new orders and production, but a further weakening of employment. 123rf

Manufacturing sector activity expanded in October thanks to higher new orders and improving demand.

The BNZ-Business NZ Performance of Manufacturing Index rose by 1.3 points to 51.4 in October, although it was still below its long-run average of 52.4.

A reading over 50 was regarded as expansion in the sector.

The survey showed a rise in new orders and production, but a further weakening of employment.

BNZ senior economist Doug Steel said the lift to 51.4 from September’s 50.1 was not large, but it had moved the right way.

He says Friday’s result was the fourth consecutive monthly expansion, something that had not happened for three years.

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Developer fined more than $48,000 for illegal earthworks on Auckland’s North Shore

Source: Radio New Zealand

COD Crown Projects Limited pleaded guilty to two charges relating to unlawful earthworks. RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly

A developer has been fined $48,750 after admitting to unlawful earthworks.

COD Crown Projects Limited pleaded guilty to two charges relating to two properties on Auckland’s North Shore.

Auckland Council said the works – at Browns Bay and Northcross – led to significant sediment discharges.

The fine was a clear signal for owners and businesses to make sure they were complying with consents and rules, the council said.

The developer was granted resource consent with conditions that included managing erosion and sediment.

But council inspections found ongoing non-compliance despite repeated warnings.

Sediment from the two sites flowed onto neighbouring properties and into waterways.

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Dozens of schools and childcare centres report using asbestos-contaminated sand

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) said people needed to stop using the products immediately. Supplied / Product Safety NZ

The Ministry of Education says nearly 60 schools and early childhood centres have contacted them over possible asbestos contamination from recalled coloured play sands.

Rainbow sand from Educational Colours and coloured sand from Creatistics were recalled because Tremolite – a naturally occurring asbestos – had been found in samples during lab testing.

Head of operations and integration Sean Teddy said schools were told not to attempt to clean it up, but leave the area and close off access to affected spaces.

“We’ve been contacted by around 30 schools and 30 early childhood services from around the country, and we are working with them to validate if the product they have on site is the product that is being recalled, as well as if the product they have is in active use or not.

“We will have a better understanding of the number of schools and early learning services affected by the recall, and how they are responding, by the end of the day Friday.”

Asbestos contamination had been found in similar products in Australia.

Earlier in the week the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) said people needed to stop using the products immediately.

“We urge anyone who has bought these products, either for personal use or potential use in a school or other setting to act immediately,” said Ian Caplin, MBIE product safety spokesperson.

“Stop using the sand, contain it, secure it in a safe place and arrange for safe disposal through licensed professionals, a list of these is available on the WorkSafe website.”

Caplin said people should avoid trying to clean any loose particles themselves

“It’s not a question of hoovering it up and chucking it in a waste bin, call an expert.,”

The sand was sold at Paper Plus, Hobby Land, NZ School Shop, Office Products Depot, Discount Office, Acquire, and Qizzle, Modern Teaching Aids, Creative Classrooms Ltd and ACME Supplies.

MBIE said it may have also been sold online.

RNZ had been in touch with a number of asbestos removal firms who said they had been notified of the product by WorkSafe, and were awaiting further information before formulating plans to address potential contamination.

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New law to allow more pharmacist prescribers will free up GPs’ time, pharmacist says

Source: Radio New Zealand

A law change passed this week means that pharmacists who own or invest in a pharmacy will be able to become prescribers from February next year. 123RF

The chair of the Independent Pharmacy Group says it is unlikely pharmacists will be ready to start prescribing medicines from the moment a new law comes into effect.

Around 100 pharmacist prescribers currently work in GP clinics, hospices, and hospitals.

Under a law change passed this week pharmacists who own or invest in a pharmacy will be able to become prescribers from February next year.

But Clive Cannons, who also owns Clive’s Chemist in Wainuiomata, told Morning Report it was unlikely to be in place on 1 February.

“There will be extra training, there’ll be extra competencies to take on board, so there is going to be a little bit of a lag time,” he said.

Cannons said the law change was a good opportunity for the profession and would free up GPs’ time for more complex cases.

“There are a lot of conditions that can be treated safely in pharmacies, such as strep throat, skin infections, ear infections, things like that that don’t need oversight as much, and then we can refer to GPs when it is beyond our scope,” he said.

GP unsure about 12 month prescriptions

From 1 February New Zealanders would also be able to receive 12-month prescriptions for their medicines, which the government estimated could save patients up to $105 per year in reduced GP fees, although patients will still have to pay the $5 prescription charge every three months.

Christchurch GP and chair of the General Practice Owners Association Dr Angus Chambers said there was a lot more to safe prescribing than people realized, and it wouldn’t always be possible to prescribe 12 months.

“Some [prescriptions] require routine monitoring,” he told Afternoons.

“We’ve got a system where sometimes the patient needs to be reviewed six monthly, yearly, or sometimes even two yearly. But every time you do that prescription, every three months, you’re checking the file,” he said.

Chambers said that could entail checking relevant blood tests had been taken, recall systems and letters that had come in from other sources.

“There’s a lot of housekeeping that gets done each time.”

Chambers was concerned expectations had been built high for the 12 month prescriptions, and that doctors and reception staff would get grief from patients if a 12 month prescription was declined.

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Workshop fire sends smoke billowing across central Christchurch

Source: Radio New Zealand

The fire at a mechanical workshop in the Christchurch suburb of Sydenham earlier sent smoke billowing across the central city. RNZ / Anna Sargent

Firefighters have contained a fire at a mechanical workshop in central Christchurch.

Crews were called to reports of a car on fire at the workshop on Coleridge Street in Sydenham just before 9am.

Thick, black smoke was seen billowing across the central city.

Fire and Emergency said the fire had been contained and crews were mopping up hotspots.

Police had closed some nearby streets.

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Ed-tech company Kami named EY entrepreneur of the year

Source: Radio New Zealand

Kami co-founders Hengjie Wang and Alliv Samson with their award. SUPPLIED

The co-founders of education technology platform Kami have been named EY entrepreneur of the year, with a fast growing global business expanding in more than 180 countries, except New Zealand.

Kami’s educational products is used by 70 million teachers and students around the world, including 90 percent of US classrooms.

Kami was co-founded in 2013 by chief executive Hengjie Wang and chief operating officer Alliv Samson, after developing their first interactive educational tool while still in university.

Samson said the company was still just getting started, with long-term plans to continue.

“We’re still scratching the surface,” Samson said. “There’s still a lot of classrooms out there that need help, including New Zealand.

“One of the biggest challenges that we see in Education NZ is we don’t have really good structure in ways on how we use technology in the classroom, and we can see how progressive the other countries are, but unfortunately, we’re really lacking here in New Zealand, and that’s something that we would love to see change.”

Wang said he would use the win to discuss the issue with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon who spoke about the importance of technology and entrpreneurship at the annual awards gala.

Kami will be competing with the other country winners at EY’s Global event to be held in Monaco, June 2026.

Category winners

  • Alliv Samson and Hengjie Wang (Kami) Alliv Samson and Hengjie Wang, Kami
  • Kate Gatfield-Jeffries (Moodi), Young Entrepreneur
  • Chris Benham (The Village Goldsmith), Product Entrepreneur
  • Taurus Taurima (Topline Contracting), Services Entrepreneur
  • James Annabell (Egmont Honey), Master Entrepreneur

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Real estate complaints hit record level

Source: Radio New Zealand

The complaints related to customer service, skill and care, disclosure and misleading advertising. (File photo) 123RF

The Real Estate Authority is fielding a record number of complaints about real estate salespeople amid challenging housing market conditions.

The authority’s 2025 annual report noted a 35 percent increase in formal complaints in the year to June 30, to 487.

It said 9 percent of licensees subject to complaints had findings of misconduct or unsatisfactory conduct made against them.

The authority said complaints related to customer service, skill and care, disclosure and misleading advertising.

Poor communication was also a common theme.

But the authority said many did not raise issues that justified strong regulatory intervention.

Chief executive Belinda Moffat said the results indicated that most real estate licensees were maintaining high standards of professional conduct.

“REA is holding to account those who don’t.”

But she said the increase in consumer dissatisfaction needed to be a focus for the industry and said some cases raised complex and serious matters.

“Licensees are expected to maintain high standards and to have the skills to navigate challenging market conditions. Fairness, transparency, skill and care are critical expectations of the conduct regulatory system we oversee.”

She said the increase in complaints highlighted the complexity of the real estate transaction process.

The provision of quality information was important to support good decision-making, she said.

There are 15,692 people with active real estate licenses in New Zealand including 12,300 sales people, 1930 individual agents and 605 branch managers.

But that is almost three times the number of monthly residential property sales.

There were 6346 sales across the country in September, according to the Real Estate Institute.

“We were particularly pleased to see the 18 percent increase in branch managers this year given the important role they play as supervisors of salespeople,” Moffat said.

In 2023, there were 15,870 licences, down from 16,902 in September 2022.

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Seven queen yellow-legged hornets found in Auckland so far

Source: Radio New Zealand

Seven queen yellow-legged hornets have now been found in Auckland. Biosecurity NZ

Seven queen yellow-legged hornets have so far been found in Auckland as efforts ramp up to track others down.

The predator hornets are a danger to local honey and wild bees.

The first was found in Glenfield last month and was the first time a queen has been found here.

The Ministry for Primary Industries says it’s stepping up the number of people on the ground.

“This week we introduced additional teams to methodically check common nesting areas close to where hornets have been detected in Glenfield and Birkdale,” Biosecurity New Zealand north commissioner Mike Inglis said.

“We are stepping up our numbers on the ground to widen the search as required, and have more than 20 focused on enhanced searches and more than 100 staff across MPI involved in this response,” he said.

Traps are being checked each day, but so far no hornets have been found in them.

Five of the seven queens showed evidence of nesting.

MPI said its response included:

  • Setting more than 180 traps in targeted areas where females have been found. Every trap is checked daily. No hornets have been found in traps to date. Additional traps are being added in areas where queen hornets are found, so the number of traps will continue to increase.
  • Introducing protein bait traps alongside existing traps.
  • Establishing a Technical Advisory Group (TAG) of independent scientific experts with expertise in the biology, ecology, and management of social wasps. The TAG has been considering options for ongoing work.
  • Encouraging public surveillance, including sending staff into the community to raise awareness. This weekend, staff will again be at local markets to share information about the hornet.

The public are begin urged to report suspected hornets or nests but only if they have a specimen, or a clear photo, or have spotted a possible nest.

How to make a report

  • By going to report.mpi.govt.nz
  • By calling Biosecurity New Zealand’s exotic pest and disease hotline on 0800 809 966.

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What’s fuelling the growing demand for Indian ethnic wear?

Source: Radio New Zealand

New Zealand’s changing demographics in recent years is being reflected in the rising demand for Indian fashion.

The demand has been fuelled by a fast-growing Indian population, which has overtaken the Chinese community to become the country’s third-largest ethnicity, according to the 2023 Census.

Numbering almost 300,000, the Indian community loyally patronises specialist fashion outlets selling sarees, salwar kameez (top and trousers), Patiala suits, lehengas and kurtas throughout the country.

Outlets selling Indian footwear items such as mojaris, juttis and Kolhapuri chappals are also proving popular.

But non-Indian consumers are also bolstering the growing trade in ethnic garments, buying items as part of Indian festival celebrations, corporate events or Bollywood-themed parties.

A number of Indian fashion outlets can be found in South Auckland neighbourhoods such as Papatoetoe. RNZ / Blessen Tom

Not surprisingly, most of the outlets selling Indian fashion and ethnic wear can be found in Auckland, where almost 60 percent of the country’s Indian community resides.

One such outlet is Sona Sansar in the South Auckland neighbourhood of Papatoetoe, which is owned and operated by Harish Lodhia, who is also the honorary consul of Fiji in Auckland.

Naveen Talwar, manager of Sona Sansar, said he had witnessed a shift in consumer purchases as affordability in the Indian community increased.

“Increasingly we are seeing customers demanding designer sarees, and those are made from expensive silk. This is bound to happen as buying power of the community sees an uplift,” Talwar said.

“During the months of September and October, which coincides with Navratri and Diwali, demand for chaniya choli [designs] increases quite a bit.”

Chirag Ahuja, owner of Akarshan RNZ / Blessen Tom

Chirag Ahuja, owner of fashion outlet Akarshan in South Auckland, moved to New Zealand from northern India in 2007.

“I have seen a sea change in customer demand over my time in New Zealand,” Ahuja said.

“We started modestly selling readymade suits. Then, as demand increased, we gradually grew,” he said.

“Today, we have the entire range of Indian ethnic wear, from Patiala suits to Kanjivaram sarees,” he said.

“We also sell imitation jewellery, which has proven quite popular with customers not wanting anything valuable but still desire a smart look.”

TS Batra, owner of Batra’s Fashion Villa RNZ / Blessen Tom

Nearby Ahuja’s shop is Batra’s Fashion Villa, a multiple outlet store selling everything from shoes and jewellery to leather materials and clothing.

“We have been in Papatoetoe for over two decades now. Apart from the usual stuff, we also have a bridal studio that gets quite busy during the wedding season,” said TS Batra, owner of the business.

“We import everything from various parts of India, as every region has its own distinctive taste. We get stuff from Mumbai, Surat, Delhi and, of course, Punjab.

“We also sell Indian palazzos and a Pakistani suit range. We even have ladies’ size 64, which is very difficult to find in any other shop here.

“I would say the main base of our shop is Fiji-Indian customers.”

Mahesh Kumar, owner of Roopdarshan RNZ / Blessen Tom

Mahesh Kumar owns Roopdarshan outlets in the Auckland suburbs of Papatoetoe and Mt Roskill.

“Our family immigrated from Gujarat in India to Fiji, where we had a retail clothing business. Then I moved to Auckland in 1997,” Kumar said.

“Noticing there were no shops here selling Indian stuff, we started with a 60-square-metre space that was open only on weekends,” he said.

“Now with the growth in population and the subsequent demand, we have four stores.”

Kumar also expanded to Melbourne last year.

“Our most-selling items are sarees and salwar kameez,” Kumar said.

“Our low margins and huge variety have generated customer loyalty over the years, which I feel is the reason for our rapid expansion.”

AZA is a fashion store in Papatoetoe. RNZ / Blessen Tom

Indian fashion outlets in Auckland also appeal to Indo-Fijian customers, as well as those in the Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities.

“Other ethnicities are slowly warming up to Indian ethnic wear in a testimony to the country’s multicultural nature,” Ahuja said.

“We see such customers shopping around for Indian clothes during Diwali and Eid, or when they get invited to Indian homes for dinners or celebrations.”

Indian ethnic items were also in demand for people attending corporate events or Bollywood-themed evenings, Kumar said.

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