Category: Public Media

Posted on

More than 700 Education Ministry staff to try win back lost pay following partial strike

Source: Radio New Zealand

NZEI spokesperson Conor Fraser says the union sought an injunction last year to stop the deduction but failed. RNZ / Quin Tauetau

More than 700 Education Ministry staff who work with disabled children will try to win back the pay they lost during a partial strike last year.

The Educational Institute Te Riu Roa (NZEI) said members working in the ministry’s learning support area lost 10 percent of their pay because they refused to take on new cases or work beyond their contracted hours for about three-and-a-half weeks.

NZEI spokesperson Conor Fraser said the union sought an injunction last year to stop the deduction but failed.

She said the penalty did not feel fair.

“It was just such an over-reach by the ministry when we’re just trying to look after ourselves and do the best we can in our jobs,” she said.

“They were saying we were refusing to do our contracted duties but the reality is for a lot of people working in learning support at the moment we are so far over our capacity and it’s not fair when we feel like we’re not doing the best in our jobs because we’re just over-worked and people are burning out.”

Fraser said NZEI would on Monday ask the Employment Court to order full reimbursement of the deducted money so that its members were not out-of-pocket.

“For some people it was a really significant amount… to lose 10 percent of your pay, it just had a real impact and the stress on some people was really unwarranted at a time when we were really trying to be vocal for how much help we need to fix this system so that our kids have a better time in education,” she said.

Fraser said the affected staff included speech language therapists, physiotherapists and special education advisors.

She said their refusal to take on new cases allowed NZEI members to focus on the children they were already working with and did not result in members working less than their contracted hours.

Fraser said its members’ collective agreement had still not been settled.

The Education Ministry said it was not appropriate to comment on the substance of the case while it was before the court.

However, it said new partial strike provisions provided for deductions to be made from pay, and the Ministry applied the standard 10 percent deduction provided for in the legislation.

NZEI said the hearing was scheduled for four days.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Posted on

WorkSafe to revisit Mt Albert Aquatic Centre after two hydroslide injuries

Source: Radio New Zealand

Mt Albert Aquatic Centre. Supplied / Community Leisure Management

WorkSafe says it intends to revisit an Auckland aquatic centre after two people were injured on a hydroslide.

It said it was first notified after a man was injured at the Mt Albert Aquatic Centre in late December.

Less than a week later, a 12-year-old boy was hurt.

WorkSafe said improvements had been made when its inspector visited the centre two days after the man was injured.

A spokesperson said an inspector would go back to the aquatic centre this month.

Auckland Council said the slide had been inspected twice within the last six months. Head of service partner delivery, Garth Dawson, said the council would continue to work with operator Community Leisure Management and the slide manufacturer to ensure it was safe.

Community Leisure Management’s director Kirsty Knowles said it was improving signs at the hydroslide.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Posted on

District Court Judge Ema Aitken denies shouting during disruption of NZ First event at exclusive club

Source: Radio New Zealand

District Court Judge Ema Aitken at the Judicial Conduct Panel on Monday. Finn Blackwell / RNZ

A lawyer has told a Judicial Conduct Panel removing a judge is done to protect the judiciary, as the inquiry into acusations a District Court Judge disrupted a New Zealand First event begins.

Judge Ema Aitken was appearing before a Judicial Conduct Panel in Auckland on Monday, accused of disrupting a function at Auckland’s exclusive Northern Club in 2024.

She was accused of shouting that NZ First leader Winston Peters was lying.

Judge Aitken said she didn’t shout, didn’t recognise Peters’ voice when she responded to remarks she overheard and didn’t know it was a political event.

Presenting the allegations of misconduct to the panel, Special Counsel Tim Stephens KC said the panel was responsible for reporting on the Judge’s conduct, finding the facts, and ultimately recommending if the Judge should be removed.

Special counsel Tim Stephens KC (left) and Jonathan Orpin-Dowell (right). Finn Blackwell / RNZ

He noted it would not be up to the panel to remove the Judge.

“Whether to remove the Judge is a decision for the acting Attorney General and not the panel,” Stephens said.

“But the attorney is only able to remove the judge if the panel concludes that consideration of removal is justified in the panel’s opinion.”

Stephens said the removal of a judge was not a disciplinary matter.

“It’s not a punitive or disciplinary measure,” he said.

“Rather, its function is protective, it protects public confidence in the judicial system, it protects the impartiality and integrity of the judiciary.”

It came down to a matter of fitness for office, Stephens said.

The Judicial Conduct Panel, (right to left) Hon Jillian Mallon, Hon Brendan Brown KC and Sir Jerry Mateparae. Finn Blackwell / RNZ

He spoke about the legislative history and grounds that formed the basis for considering removal of a judge, including existing legislation from Australia.

“My overall submission in terms of the law is that the panel may form the opinion that consideration of removal is justified,” Stephens said.

“If that’s met, the panel may form that opinion, if the attorney, acting lawfully and in accordance with the purposes of the Act, could conclude that removal was an available outcome.”

Late on Monday, the panel heard argument from Judge Aitken’s lawyer David Jones KC, who took issue with what he described as undisclosed evidence, which took the panel through to the end of the day’s hearing.

“The conduct to date has shown that as far as the end result is concerned, and if that’s a brief of evidence, so be it, there could be other material that qualifies that evidence,” he said.

“And that is something that needs to be disclosed in the interests of a fair hearing and natural justice for someone who is fighting for their judicial career.”

The panel and counsel were expected to visit the Northern Club as part of a site visit on Tuesday.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Posted on

Doctors recommend pregnant women avoid retinoids. What’s the evidence?

Source: Radio New Zealand

Being pregnant comes with a minefield of advice from doctors, midwives, well-meaning friends and family, not to mention social media and other mums.

There are foods you’re recommended to avoid, and medications that aren’t approved. But skincare is less clear: some products are fine whereas others are not recommended.

The family of ingredients known as retinoids, for example, are booming in popularity in skincare products but there is conflicting advice on their safety for pregnant women.

Retinoids are commonly used to treat acne.

Barbara Krysztofiak/Unsplash

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

Posted on

Waioweka Gorge reopens with guide vehicles in place

Source: Radio New Zealand

One of the slips that blocked SH2 through the Waioweka Gorge following torrential rain. Supplied

Traffic’s on the move again though the Waioweka Gorge – slowly – via a single lane and with a guide vehicle.

The chunk of State Highway two between Ōpōtiki and Mātāwai has been closed for more than two weeks, with 40 worksites along the road including eight spots with severe damage due to slips and flooding.

From Monday, a convoy is operating three times a day in both directions; that is Gisborne bound and Ōpōtiki bound.

Pilot vehicles are leading the way and controlling the speed.

NZTA’s warning its only for people who need to travel and the highway could close at short notice if conditions change.

Waioweka Gorge resident, farmer Anne Redpath hasn’t been unable to go far with the road largely off limits.

She told Checkpoint the convoy was good news.

“It means it’s quite safe and we are not going to interfere with any work that’s being done.”

She has been travelling by tractor, foot and her push bike.

“I have to push [the push bike] through the mud,” she said.

Redpath has not had a car for two weeks due to damage to road access, alongside many others.

She has lived on the farm for 40 years and said she just accepted the slip and flood damage as part of life.

“That’s all about you can do and in this situation, no building were damaged, no people were hurt, just farm roads and tracks and fences and that sort of thing.”

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Posted on

Dirtbike dangers raised as 3yo suffers facial injuries after father crashes in Northland

Source: Radio New Zealand

Dirt bikes have become a menace on some New Zealand streets. Photo / File Coopersgrl / Reddit

A three-year-old child has suffered severe facial injuries after his father crashed while doubling him on a dirt bike in Northland, police say.

The crash has highlighted the danger of dirt bikes being used on city streets – and an alarming trend of riders taking young children for high-speed joyrides, almost always without helmets.

Senior Sergeant Clem Armstrong, area prevention manager for Mid North police, said the Kaikohe crash involved a three-year-old boy and his father.

The child was seriously hurt and the 22-year-old rider was facing child welfare and driving charges.

Armstrong said the child was being doubled at the time of the crash.

He was unable to say more given that the case was now before the courts.

RNZ understands the child’s injuries included a broken jaw and facial lacerations.

Dirt bikes were a problem in Kaikohe in particular, but there were also regular incidents in Whangārei – including the death of a rider in March last year – and in Auckland, where a group of about 40 bikes sped across fields where children were playing sport on 1 February.

“A big problem is the fact that a lot of these bikes are not warranted. They’re not registered, they’re not roadworthy. The riders themselves are not licensed, and some of the driving behaviour is just dangerous, reckless and unruly,” he said.

Senior Sergeant Clem Armstrong, of Mid North police, says dirt bike riders are putting children in serious danger by taking them joy riding on city streets. RNZ / Peter de Graaf

“There’s no consideration for members of the public and other road users, and it’s just a huge safety concern for us. I’ve seen first-hand people who have been seriously hurt, and the absolute last thing we want is for somebody to lose their life as a result of this sort of stuff.”

An alarming trend involved riders taking young children as passengers.

“A lot of the bikes that we come across, they don’t have brakes, they don’t have tread on the tyres. So there’s just so many risks, ultimately it will lead to more people being seriously hurt.”

A Kaikohe resident, who did want to be named for fear of retribution, said dirt bikes tore past his home frequently.

They created noise and nuisance and the riders put themselves at risk by pulling wheelies in traffic, but it was the danger to small children that made him “deeply, deeply anxious”.

“Parents, mothers and fathers alike, will take a little, tiny baby for a ride down the street, and the child is sitting in front of them, with no restraints,” he said.

“They’re doing at least 50k, if not more, and the child thinks it’s an absolutely wonderful thing. But they have no idea what would happen if they suddenly hit something. They would just go flying like a bag of cement and have to be scraped off the road 20 metres ahead.”

That has already happened with the severely injured three-year-old, he said.

“That still hasn’t stopped them. You still see it. Those small children don’t have an opportunity to say, ‘No, this is dangerous, and I don’t want to do it’. And parents are giving them what they think is a good time.”

Armstrong said no particular age group was involved, and many of the riders fancied themselves as experts.

“A lot of them, in their own minds, believe they’re really good riders, but a lot of the time they’re actually poor. They don’t have the knowledge or experience, and they haven’t gone through any sort of proper learning.”

Armstrong said police took the offending seriously and would hold people to account through the courts, with tools such as CCTV used to identify offenders.

Bikes could be impounded for 28 days up to six months.

Any rider signalled to stop should do so, because fleeing could lead to charges of dangerous driving or failing to stop.

Consequences for those who stopped could be less severe, such as education.

Armstrong said thrill-seeking was often their motivation, and many had no access to bike tracks or other places to ride so they took to streets and footpaths.

“They may think it’s a fun thing to do, but it’s not fun when we’re dealing with seriously injured people, especially kids,” he said.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Posted on

Concerns about increased ‘nangs’ use in Hawkes Bay being aimed at young people

Source: Radio New Zealand

Cartridge of nitrous oxide, also called laughing gas or nangs, can cause serious health problems. AFP/ GARO

A significant jump in the recreational use of nitrous oxide, or nangs, has community leaders worried, with claims big canisters of the gas are being marketed to children.

Nitrous oxide is a colourless gas, known as laughing gas, which is used as a painkiller in medical and dental procedures.

It is also used in catering to make whipped cream.

If inhaled recreationally nangs can have dangerous long-term side effects like nerve damage in the brain and spinal cord.

Under the Psychoactive Substances Act it’s illegal to sell the product for recreational use.

In recent weeks, dozens of the discarded canisters have started turning up in the Hawke’s Bay prompting a crisis meeting.

Stewart Whyte of Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga called the hui and told Checkpoint they were made aware of the issue through a retailer in the area.

“We just got a contact through one of the retailers here that actually works with oxygen bottles for dive supplies and things like that… and he had collected quite a few apple bins [worth] over a short period of time.”

A 1.6 litre cannister of nitrous oxide. Photo / File Supplied

Whyte said the largest canisters they had found had been around the size of a large thermos flask.

“They’re marketed in such a way that they’re very colourful and obviously aimed at young people. They certainly don’t look like industrial canisters for making whipped cream.”

While medical grade nitrous oxide is mixed with oxygen, Whyte said these canisters are purely nitrous oxide, making them extremely dangerous.

“These big canisters, I believe, have about 300 hits within each one.”

Whyte is worried the problem is bigger than what anyone is anticipating.

“It seems to me that it’s gone under the radar for quite a long period of time. I think the use of this particular substance though has spiked. Certainly the evidence of the empty canisters turning up at this company would be evidence of that.”

“There are huge side effects, quite dangerous to people’s health for the use of this product. So it is quite concerning.”

He said with evidence that nangs have contributed to fatalities on the roads, it is clear the gas is already affecting whanau.

“There is impacts already that can evidence people have been seriously hurt, the nervous system’s damaged, people have been blacking out for 30 minutes or longer,”

“While it might be a short-term, 30-second hit for a young person, what we need to do really quite clearly and quickly is to inform our community that these products are out there and at the moment they’re readily available through retail outlets with very little law to protect our young people from the danger that they present.”

A meeting with community leaders was held two weeks ago to discuss the issue.

Whyte said leaders landed on a two-step approach to addressing their concerns.

“One is educating and informing our community of the danger of this particular product. The second one is to try and get our retailers together that are offering this product to see if there’s a willingness for them to not supply it.”

“That would be the best outcome that we could achieve.”

He said they also want politicians to look at the law around selling nitrous oxide, banning it from dairies and vape stores, and making it available only from licensed premises that deal in catering.

“I think that would be the logical next step, but it’s a longer-term project.”

“There’s no reason for them to be in a dairy.”

Whyte said their number one priority is to spread awareness within the community, something that he said he has already seen rising.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Posted on

Homicide investigation launched after ‘much-loved’ grandmother found dead at worksite

Source: Radio New Zealand

RNZ / Nate McKinnon

A homicide investigation has been launched after the discovery of a woman’s body at a worksite in Hawke’s Bay last week.

On Tuesday, police were called to a property on Taihape Road in Omahu, near Hastings after a body was found.

She has since been identified as Sharlene Smith, aged 64, from Rotorua.

“We continue to support her loved ones at this extremely difficult time,” detective inspector James Keene said.

“Our early enquiries have established that this was a tragic and avoidable death of a much-loved mother, grandmother and sister, and we are determined to find answers for her whānau,” detective

inspector James Keene said.

Keene said a committed team were investigating, but was also calling for the public’s help.

Police are appealing for sightings of a white Mazda 3 2005 sports hatch on 30-31 January within the Taihape Road/Omahu Road Fernhill area.

Anyone who may have witnessed any other suspicious activity in the area during that time period are also encouraged to contact police.

People can get in touch through the 105 service, quoting reference number 260203/9739.

You can also share information anonymously through Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Posted on

Watch: Taranaki’s Liquefied Natural Gas import facility expected to save New Zealanders millions

Source: Radio New Zealand

The government says a Liquefied Natural Gas import facility in Taranaki will save New Zealanders about $265 million a year.

Energy Minister Simon Watts on Monday announced a contract was expected to be signed by the middle of the year, with construction finishing next year or early 2028.

Watts told media the facility would provide Kiwi’s “greater security and peace of mind”.

“As a government we are taking swift and decisive action”.

While Luxon said it would “provide a reliable back-up source.”

“I’m sorry, we are going to be investing in energy and electricity in this country.

“We need to get rid of the dry risk,” Luxon told reporters on Monday.

Watts would not confirm whether power prices would be cheaper next winter.

“I’m not going to guarantee, based on the advice I’ve been given the benefits outweigh the costs.”

The opposition party was briefed on the decision, Watts said.

A factsheet supplied by the government said the infrastructure costs would be paid for through a levy on electricity of between $2 and $4 /MWh.

The facility was expected to cut future prices by at least $10/MWh, and curb an expected 1.25 percent reduction in Gross Domestic Product from higher energy prices.

While an exact location for the import facility was yet to be determined, all the shortlisted submissions were in Taranaki, Watts said.

Procurement started in October in response to the independent Frontier report, which the government largely rejected.

The report said developing an import facility would make no economic sense if it was used only for firming, when generation is low.

Watts said the government would design an import model bringing in “large shipments only when needed”, and would later become a “fuel source for industrial, commercial and residential users”.

The factsheet said modelling from MBIE had shown the LNG import facility would “effectively cap gas prices”.

MBIE also modelled four other options for cost, timeliness, impact on energy prices, flexibility and wider impacts – but LNG imports were found to achieve lower electricity prices at relatively low capital cost.

Options modelled included a new thermal generation plant to run on coal or biomass; a combination of new and converted ‘peaking’ plant, that would run on diesel; a combination of a new unit at the Huntly power station, new and converted peaking plants, and a demand response; or a combination of LNG importation and refurbishing the Taranaki Combined Cycle plant.

“Other options, including renewable projects, were considered but not advanced due to a range of factors such as expected time to construct, feasibility of generating power reliably on the required scale, and effects on electricity market incentives.”

How did we get here?

Luxon in August 2024 said New Zealand was in an “energy security crisis”, with Winstone and Oji Fibre mills blaming power prices as they began consulting on closures, and NZ First’s Shane Jones accused the gen-tailers of profiteering.

He announced “urgent” actions including an independent review of the sector and removing regulatory barriers for an LNG import facility, which Cabinet agreed to consent.

At that time, a timeframe of winter 2026 was expected.

The government largely rejected the recommendations of the review carried out by Frontier Economics, with sector players including Simon Bridges criticising a lack of bold action.

“It would make no economic sense to develop an LNG import terminal to meet just dry year risk as the large fixed costs would be spread over a relatively small amount of output,” the Frontier report said.

“If an LNG terminal is contemplated as a last resort to provide NZ with a secure energy system, this should be considered as part of a wider gas supply strategy for communities and industrial users where gas is the most economic source of energy.”

Watts at the time said the government would begin procurement the following week and expected to have the facility up and running by winter 2027.

An earlier report in July for the four major gen-tailers Contact, Meridian, Genesis and Mercury – as well as gas company Clarus – found it could take three to four years to set up an import facility at costs ranging from $200m to $1b.

RNZ In-Depth’s Kirsty Johnston in November reported the response from “almost every corner – other than the gas industry itself – was a collective groan”, with sector commentators calling it a “band-aid” solution that “doesn’t make logical sense”.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Posted on

Scene guards in place after Christchurch man stabbed

Source: Radio New Zealand

Scene guards are set to remain in place overnight in central Christchurch. RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly

A scene guard will remain in place in central Christchurch overnight as police continue to investigate a serious assault.

Detective Sergeant Caroline Johnson said police were called to a property on Fitzgerald Avenue at around 12:20pm on Monday, where a man was found in a critical condition, with injuries consistent with being stabbed.

“A scene examination, and police investigation, is ongoing.

Scene guards will remain in place overnight – as this occurs, there will be increased police visibility in the area.”

Police also reassured the public that there was not believed to be a threat to public safety.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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