Category: Public Media

Source: Radio New Zealand

Auckland’s mayor has hit out at the government’s rates cap, saying the strategy “won’t work” .

The government is setting a target range of 2 to 4 percent increases – with councils having to appeal to a regulator if they want to go higher.

The cap would take effect from 1 January 2027.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown took aim at the policy.

“How else does the government think we’re going to pay for what Auckland needs and for things like the City Rail Link – which were the result of decisions made by previous governments and councils?

“Councils are faced with making decisions that involve significant investment and should not be restricted by government telling us what we can and can’t do,” Brown said.

He said imposing a rates cap on councils ignored the insight local government had on their own budgets and infrastructure needs.

“I’m an advocate for getting value for money for Aucklanders. That means knowing the problem we’re fixing before we fix it. Putting a cap on rates isn’t going to solve anything. It will just defer it for a couple of years then ratepayers will be paying even more,” Brown said.

The mayor’s criticism came on the back of his proposal for the 2026/2027 Annual Plan, which included a 7.9 percent residential rates increase, calculated primarily, Brown said, to fund the operation of the city’s new City Rail Link (CRL).

“The main reason rates will go up next year is because we have to pay for the City Rail Link – a project the government is jointly responsible for. If they want a rates cap, we’ll end up with a CRL with no trains or drivers,” Brown said.

He said the cap would inhibit council’s ability to adjust rates in response the tri-annual property revaluations.

“A better solution is for government to provide us with the ability to transition in rates increases or decreases resulting from rating valuation.

“Or perhaps the government could start paying rates on their own properties,” Brown said.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Christchurch parents are horrified after their children ate a contaminated meal from the government’s free school lunches programme.

The School Lunch Collective told RNZ it was investigating a “food quality issue” after mouldy mince was served up to students at Haeata Community Campus on Monday.

The Collective represents Compass Group, who were contracted to provide government-funded lunches for the Christchurch school.

The school, which had students from Years 1 to 13, said a teacher noticed Monday’s lunch was off after they had been distributed to a number of children.

Parent Kalah Balir said her 12-year-old daughter ate half of the meal before realising it was bad.

“She said I was hungry, so I got through half of it, and it was yuck, so I threw it away.

“I’m angry, I’m disgusted, it’s just sick that was served to children. It’s dangerous.

“I don’t hold any fault with the school, as soon as they were alerted to the problem, they did try to fix it, of course, but the meals are sealed for safety reasons.

“The government just needs to do better, our kids do not deserve this.”

Rebecca McKenzie’s daughter also stopped eating the meal because it “tasted disgusting”.

“I was annoyed, disgusted, and disappointed that this could happen to our kids,” she said.

“I have four kids at home, two of them go to Haeata. We as a family rely on those school lunches, but I’m actually very hesitant about letting them eat them from now on.”

“A lot of parents rely on school meals to help them out, because rent is sky-high, food is sky-high. To have this happen is like a kick in the teeth, really.”

She said the lunches had overall been a let-down this year, but Monday’s had been the worst yet.

“They’re not very nice at all. Some of them I wouldn’t even give to my dog.”

Both parents said their children did not feel sick after eating the meal, but they were watching for food poisoning symptoms.

Earlier this year, the principal of the Christchurch school asked to get out of a contract with Compass Group following several weeks of problems and “disappointing” service, but this was denied by the government.

Compass Group was not included on a list of providers chosen by the government to provide school lunches in 2026.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Coroner has found the death of a driver who crashed into school bus could have been prevented had he not driven while tired.

Scania Rangi Te Whare, 27, was driving from his home in Te Kuiti on Halloween 2022. He had left home at about 7.30pm to start his night shift at BidFood in Hamilton.

He typically worked night shifts from 9pm to 7am.

The Coroner noted Te Whare would sometimes sleep in his car or at a friend’s house rather than driving home.

As he drove home at about 7.30am the next morning, Te Whare crossed the centre line of the road and hit a school bus travelling in the opposite direction.

Te Whare died at the scene, while the bus driver suffered minor injuries.

None of the students on board the bus were injured.

A post-mortem detailed the injuries Te Whare suffered in the crash, including a severe head injury, a ruptured aorta and lacerated lungs.

Coroner Rachael Schmidt-McCleave found his death could have been prevented had he not been driving in a likely fatigued state.

Te Whare had been putting in large amount of overtime at work in the weeks before his death.

Coroner Schmidt-McCleave made a number of recommendations after his death.

She wanted the public to take heed of advice from the NZTA around driving with fatigue.

“The NZTA advises that fatigue does not just mean falling asleep at the wheel,” she said.

“That is an extreme form of fatigue. Fatigue can also mean tiredness, weariness or exhaustion and a driver can be fatigued enough for it to impair driving long before the driver ‘nods off’ at the wheel.”

Being tired at the wheel could cause a driver to drift in and out of sleep without knowing it, called microsleep, the Coroner said.

“These naps can last between three and five seconds and are the main cause of fatigue-related crashes where the driver runs off the road.”

Coroner Schmidt-McCleave said lifestyle changes should be considered to make sure drivers get enough sleep.

“Measures such as drinking caffeine, getting out of the vehicle to stretch legs, opening the window or turning up the radio volume do not work and will refresh a driver only for a short while,” she said.

“Once fatigue has set in, no amount of willpower will keep a driver awake. The only answer is sleep and the driver should stop for a short nap or seek assistance to get home.”

NZTA said drivers should prepare properly before driving, and plan where to take a safe break, Schmidt-McCleave said.

A short nap of no more than 15 to 30 minutes could also help, she said.

“Not being tempted to keep driving when tired just because a destination is close.

“Many tiredness-related collisions occur close to home because the driver has relaxed, and the body takes this as a signal that it is ok to fall asleep.”

The Coroner noted shift workers were a recognised category of drivers more likely to suffer from driver fatigue, because they were more likely to have their sleep patterns disrupted.

NZTA’s warning signs for fatigue

• Beginning to blink
• Not being able to stop yawning
• Having trouble keeping head up
• Eyes closing for a moment or going out of focus
• Having wandering, disconnected thoughts
• Not remembering driving the last few kilometres
• Missing a gear
• Missing a road sign or exit
• Slowing unintentionally
• Braking too late
• Drifting over the centre line or onto the other side of the road

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

A hearing challenging extensive restrictions that prevents the media from publishing certain details related to the investigation into Tom Phillips is under way.

Phillips died following a shootout with police after they were called to reports of a burglary in the early hours of 8 September.

On 8 September lawyer Linda Clark, acting for Tom Phillips’ mother, went to the High Court in Wellington seeking an urgent injunction.

The injunction – which prevented media, police and Oranga Tamariki from publishing certain details related to the case – was granted by Justice Helen Cull.

A further hearing was held in the Hamilton High Court on Monday.

Media are only permitted to report the fact of the hearing, which continues on Tuesday, and the fact that it involves challenges to existing reporting restrictions including those ordered by the Family Court.

Last week, the government announced an inquiry into the handling of the case by authorities and whether all “practicable steps” were taken to ensure the safety and welfare of the Phillips children.

Attorney-General Judith Collins said the decision to establish a public inquiry “reflects the significant public interest and concern for the children’s welfare over the almost four years they were missing”.

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

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

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

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

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

Police have also welcomed the announcement of the inquiry, saying they “recognise the significant public interest in this matter and the decision that a robust and independent review is required”.

The Honourable Justice Simon Moore, KC, has been appointed as the sole member of the inquiry, with a final report and recommendations to be delivered by 21 July 2026.

Family court injunction

A second injunction was granted in the Family Court in Hamilton on 15 September.

A redacted version of Judge Garry Collin’s judgement was earlier released to RNZ.

Judge Collin said there was a “great deal of public interest in the Phillips’ children”, which he said was reflected in media reports and posts on social media.

“It is not in their short or long-term welfare that their experiences are subject to public curiosity or scrutiny.

“They should not be the subject of speculation, nor is it in their welfare and best interests that any information is released.”

He said the media and “public appetite” must be subject to the children’s right to privacy, their protection as vulnerable young victims, and their ability to integrate back into society “without everyone knowing their story”.

“Their views, and rights to participate in the making of decisions about what is written and said about them, needs to be respected. The children need to be able to do this in private, and in their own time.”

Judge Collin said the court was the “guardian of the children”, and had responsibilities “akin to those of a parent”.

“A responsible parent would resist the publication of private sensitive information unless for good reason they considered it to be advantageous.

“In the modern age, information does not disappear with time. What is published may never be removed and may follow these children throughout their lives.”

He said without the children, “there would have been no more than a passing interest in Mr Phillips”.

“This story is not about Mr Phillips but about his children. They were young children when they went in and were young children when they came out. Currently no child in New Zealand is likely to be more vulnerable than they are.”

He understood no-one in the family consented to any further information about the children being published.

Judge Collin said although there may be jurisdictional issues which were better resolved by the High Court, he made interim injunction orders.

He said there may be an issue as to whether he could grant an injunction when the High Court had already done so, or make a restraining order “on more restrictive terms” than made by the High Court.

“These are not issues I intend to deal with today because I do not have the time, and they are in my view, more rightly determined by the High Court.

“Consequently, I intend to make wide ranging restrictions on publication and leave it to the High Court to resolve any jurisdictional issues that exist when the proceedings are next called, or by way of judicial review.”

He made several orders, including an appointment of the court as the guardian of the children to remain, and an interim injunction.

The injunction included restraining anyone from the publication of any documentary, film, or book that referred to the children.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

A boat has been seen fishing in a marine reserve off the coast of the Abel Tasman National Park as newly released data shows similar offences spike during summer.

The two reserves in Tasman Bay featuring prominently in the data on marine reserve rule breaches.

Motueka-based Department of Conservation (DOC) marine ranger Stew Robertson said a boat was seen off the Abel Tasman coastline on 16 November inside the Tonga Island Marine Reserve.

A member of the public alerted DOC to the black 6.5 metre Stabicraft, with a distinctive blue trim, whose occupants were seen catching fish about 12.45pm.

A 14-metre white launch was also seen anchored in the Horoirangi Marine Reserve, near Nelson on 5 November.

It was detected on a recently installed camera which monitors the marine reserve, anchored for 90 minutes, which Robertson said was unusual and suspicious boating activity in this particular reserve.

Fishing is banned in marine reserves. Taking and damaging marine life, removing natural materials, polluting and feeding fish are also prohibited.

Roberston has urged for the skipper of either vessel to make contact, or for anyone who saw them in the marine reserve to get in touch with DOC. Information can be provided anonymously and is treated confidentially.

He said there were now more people keeping an eye on the two marine reserves, through the launch of a new Coastwatch group comprising staff from several central and local government agencies and local residents.

Anyone who sees or suspects illegal activity in a marine reserve should call 0800 DOC HOT. Information valuable to DOC includes details of any fishers on land, or any boat involved, descriptions of those aboard, where and when it was seen – and the nature of the alleged activity. Any information offered by the public is valuable, including photographs and videos.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The national voice for local councils is relieved that the government is taking a more flexible approach to capping the amount local councils can increase rates.

The government announced on Monday that its long-awaited rates cap law would be a variable target band.

From 2027, councils would not be able to increase rates beyond the upper end of the government’s set range without permission.

The cap was expected to start with a maximum increase of four percent.

Local Government interim chief executive Scott Necklen said it was somewhat reassuring that the government had chosen a more flexible rates model.

But he wanted assurance that the policy would not affect local councils’ ability to invest in core services like roads, bridges and public transport.

“We need a common-sense, fast-track process for exemptions that enables investment in key infrastructure in economic growth in the regions, or when responding to natural disasters.”

Local Government vice president and Gisborne Mayor Rehette Stoltz said keeping rates low was a priority for all local councils.

But she said several councils, including the Gisborne District were rebuilding infrastructure after multiple severe weather events.

“Our community’s expectation is also that we deliver the critical infrastructure and services they rely on in a timely way.

“These are the sorts of considerations we will be working with the government to implement.”

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