Category: Public Media

Source: Radio New Zealand

A Christchurch reserve with views of the Southern Alps has been selected as the preferred location for the long-awaited National Erebus Memorial, commemorating the 1979 Antarctica air disaster.

Cashmere’s Cracroft Reserve has been identified by the Ministry for Culture and Heritage as the best site for the memorial, almost 46 years after the Air New Zealand scenic flight crashed into Mt Erebus, killing all 257 people on board.

Families of the victims have endured an excruciating wait for a national memorial, with some saying they had given up hope of seeing one in their lifetimes.

Two Christchurch sites were formally offered by the council as potential locations this year – Cracroft Reserve in Cashmere and the banks of the Avon River – after an aborted plan to build the memorial in Auckland.

Ministry for Culture and Heritage secretary Leauanae Laulu Mac Leauanae said Cracroft Reserve was a fitting place for the memorial.

“Cracroft Reserve has panoramic views over Christchurch and out to the Southern Alps,” he said. “It’s a space where both quiet moments or group gatherings can take place, it’s tranquil, green and has a beautiful outlook.

“It’s been almost 46 years since the Erebus disaster – Aotearoa’s worst civil accident. A memorial is long overdue and what I know for certain is that Erebus families deserve a memorial as soon as possible.

“Avon riverbank is also a very strong site, with many positive attributes. I’ve made the decision to retain the Avon riverbank as an alternative site in the event that we are unable to progress Cracroft Reserve.”

Leauanae said the memorial would be a place for Erebus families, members of Operation Overdue – who were involved in the recovery mission – New Zealanders and international visitors to gather, remember and reflect on those who lost their lives.

The government committed to building a memorial in 2017, but the project has been mired in controversy, protest and delay ever since.

A plan for a memorial at Auckland’s Dove Meyer Robinson Park in Parnell faced major pushback, with objectors claiming it would change the tone of the gardens.

The plan was ultimately abandoned in 2023, after cyclone damage meant the land was unsafe to build on

In July, three potential Christchurch sites were shared with the Erebus families, via online workshops – two council-owned options (the Cracroft Reserve and Avon River sites) and the St James’ Church grounds in Harewood.

Sixty-five percent of people who responded to a survey supported building the memorial in Christchurch, with nine percent conditionally supportive and 26 percent opposed to building it in the city.

Some Erebus families preferred building the memorial in Auckland.

Leauanae said the ministry had explored 50 different sites for the memorial in the greater Auckland area over the past two years, none of which were suitable, and was recently advised that Takaparawhau in Auckland was no longer a potential location.

“I have been heartened by Christchurch’s warmth, generosity and support through the process of identifying potential sites,” he said. “Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei is fully supportive of the memorial being located with Ngāi Tūāhuriri and the people of Christchurch.

“I am confident that Christchurch’s warm welcome to Erebus families, and the city’s experience and understanding of the importance of remembrance will provide the right space for this national memorial.”

Air New Zealand and Qantas began offering sightseeing flights to Antarctica in 1977. By the time the flights ended – Air New Zealand’s at the time of the Erebus disaster and Qantas in February 1980 – more than 10,000 people had taken the trip.

The livestream will start at approximately 1pm.

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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 Christchurch reserve with views of the Southern Alps has been selected as the preferred location for the long-awaited National Erebus Memorial, commemorating the 1979 Antarctica air disaster.

Cashmere’s Cracroft Reserve has been identified by the Ministry for Culture and Heritage as the best site for the memorial, almost 46 years after the Air New Zealand scenic flight crashed into Mt Erebus, killing all 257 people on board.

Families of the victims have endured an excruciating wait for a national memorial, with some saying they had given up hope of seeing one in their lifetimes.

Two Christchurch sites were formally offered by the council as potential locations this year – Cracroft Reserve in Cashmere and the banks of the Avon River – after an aborted plan to build the memorial in Auckland.

Ministry for Culture and Heritage secretary Leauanae Laulu Mac Leauanae said Cracroft Reserve was a fitting place for the memorial.

“Cracroft Reserve has panoramic views over Christchurch and out to the Southern Alps,” he said. “It’s a space where both quiet moments or group gatherings can take place, it’s tranquil, green and has a beautiful outlook.

“It’s been almost 46 years since the Erebus disaster – Aotearoa’s worst civil accident. A memorial is long overdue and what I know for certain is that Erebus families deserve a memorial as soon as possible.

“Avon riverbank is also a very strong site, with many positive attributes. I’ve made the decision to retain the Avon riverbank as an alternative site in the event that we are unable to progress Cracroft Reserve.”

Leauanae said the memorial would be a place for Erebus families, members of Operation Overdue – who were involved in the recovery mission – New Zealanders and international visitors to gather, remember and reflect on those who lost their lives.

The government committed to building a memorial in 2017, but the project has been mired in controversy, protest and delay ever since.

A plan for a memorial at Auckland’s Dove Meyer Robinson Park in Parnell faced major pushback, with objectors claiming it would change the tone of the gardens.

The plan was ultimately abandoned in 2023, after cyclone damage meant the land was unsafe to build on

In July, three potential Christchurch sites were shared with the Erebus families, via online workshops – two council-owned options (the Cracroft Reserve and Avon River sites) and the St James’ Church grounds in Harewood.

Sixty-five percent of people who responded to a survey supported building the memorial in Christchurch, with nine percent conditionally supportive and 26 percent opposed to building it in the city.

Some Erebus families preferred building the memorial in Auckland.

Leauanae said the ministry had explored 50 different sites for the memorial in the greater Auckland area over the past two years, none of which were suitable, and was recently advised that Takaparawhau in Auckland was no longer a potential location.

“I have been heartened by Christchurch’s warmth, generosity and support through the process of identifying potential sites,” he said. “Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei is fully supportive of the memorial being located with Ngāi Tūāhuriri and the people of Christchurch.

“I am confident that Christchurch’s warm welcome to Erebus families, and the city’s experience and understanding of the importance of remembrance will provide the right space for this national memorial.”

Air New Zealand and Qantas began offering sightseeing flights to Antarctica in 1977. By the time the flights ended – Air New Zealand’s at the time of the Erebus disaster and Qantas in February 1980 – more than 10,000 people had taken the trip.

The livestream will start at approximately 1pm.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The body of a pygmy sperm whale, found stranded at the shore of Auckland’s Orewa, has been taken to a burial site.

The Department of Conservation said the whale was about 3.5-4 metres in length and there were no obvious signs of the cause of death.

DoC said Wednesday’s stranding was the third recorded of a pygmy sperm whale at Orewa, with another previously stranding at Whangaparāoa.

The iwi of the Mahurangi peninsula area – Ngāti Manuhiri – said each stranding was significant and treated with care, and the whale had been taken to their whale urupā (cemetery).

“From a tikanga and mātauranga perspective, strandings and whale deaths are understood as tohu – indicators of environmental change or events occurring within our wider realm,” said Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust chairperson Mook Hohneck. “We observe these carefully and with respect.”

He said all bones of a whale were taonga (treasure), and each iwi and hapū had its own tikanga (customs) for caring for and managing the remains.

“For us, the care of a whale is never about one bone or one moment. It is about honouring the taonga as a whole and upholding the tikanga handed to us by our tīpuna (ancestors),” said Hohneck.

“We appreciate the support of our community and partners in ensuring these remains were treated with dignity.”

DoC Tāmaki Makaurau operations manager Olivia Kean said between 10-20 pygmy sperm whales are found stranded each year on New Zealand’s shores.

While they often occur in Mahia, between Poverty Bay and Hawke’s Bay, they also strand all around the North Island and as far south as Dunedin, said DoC.

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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 Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) says Wellington police were justified in tasering an armed man who received a serious head injury after he fell onto the road.

Police were called to reports that a man, who was armed with a blade from a pair of hedge trimmers, had trapped a woman and her baby in a bus-stop on Cockayne Road in Khandallah just after midday on 9 January.

One person who called police told operators the man – referred to in the report as Mr Z – was “out of control”.

“I’ve got a situation at bus stop 4411 on Cockayne Road. I’ve got a bleeding woman with a distraught child. I’ve got a man who’s out of control, he’s violent, he’s tearing up the bus stop,” the caller said.

The authority’s report said “a hacking sound” could be heard over the line as the man struck the bus-stop.

Five police surrounded the bus-stop and the woman was able to slip out with her child as an officer attempted to speak to the man.

As the man tried to follow the woman onto the road an officer fired their taser but the weapon appeared to have no effect.

“[The man] stopped and turned to face the officers, as though he was preparing to confront them. At this point, [he] was approximately three to four metres away from the officers, holding the bladed weapon at a 45-degree angle,” as outlined in a summary of a witness’s cell phone footage.

Officers yelled “Taser! Taser! Taser!” and the footage recorded two loud bangs as two officers fired their tasers at the man.

“In response, Mr Z became rigid and fell to the ground. His head hit the tarmac surface of the road. This interaction lasted about five seconds from the moment Mr Z started following [the woman], until he fell to the ground,” the report stated.

Judge Kenneth Johnston KC said police acted out of genuine concern for the safety of the woman and child, themselves and other bystanders.

“The video footage shows that Mr Z adopted an aggressive stance, looking as if he was preparing to fight with the officers. Communication with Mr Z was ineffective. Officers cannot be expected to use open-hand tactics against someone armed with a bladed weapon. Mr Z was using the weapon in a threatening manner. Additionally, Officer B correctly assessed that four metres could be quickly closed and locked by Mr Z, which would put the officers at significant risk,” Johnston wrote.

He said officers wasted no time in requesting medical attention for the man once he had fallen.

“Police radio transmissions record that at 12.07 pm, Officer A informed Comms that Mr Z was tasered.

“Sixteen seconds later, Comms was informed that Mr Z had sustained a serious head injury, and a request for an ambulance was made. Comms informed the officers that an ambulance had already been contacted … and was en route to their location,” Johnston wrote.

Johnston concluded he was satisfied the officers had followed police policies on taser use and were justified in their actions.

In a statement, acting Wellington District Commander Inspector Nick Thom said officers assessed the situation and responded accordingly, to ensure the safety of the public.

“Officers deployed their tasers to stop a dangerous situation evolving into something that could have been much worse. Our officers have made good decisions and the IPCA investigation supports that,” Thom said.

Shortly after the incident, Detective Senior Sergeant Tim Leitch confirmed the child was uninjured and the woman had been treated for a minor injury.

The IPCA report said the woman suffered a deep cut to her thumb when – at some point – she pushed the man’s weapon away from her.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Secondary teachers are voting on a potential settlement of their troubled pay talks.

Information obtained by RNZ showed it included similar pay rises to previous offers, but provided at the start of next year rather than this year and with the removal of some clawbacks.

It would provide a 2.5 percent pay increase in January next year with a further two to 2.1 percent in January 2027 depending on salary scale step.

The offer dropped an attempt to increase the number of “call-back days” when teachers could be required to work outside of term time.

But it would remove teachers’ ability to claim for expenses for call-back days such as teacher-only days held during term time.

It would increase the value of management units paid for extra responsibilities by $500 to $5500.

The offer followed a week facilitated bargaining between the Post Primary Teachers Association (PPTA) and the Education Ministry and Public Service Commission.

A PPTA statement said neither side would comment and the result of the ballot would be known by early December.

RNZ understands the union’s leadership has told members it would remain neutral on whether they should accept or reject the offer.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Hospitals in the Wellington region are waiting up to six months for Health NZ to give them approval to even begin recruitment for front-line roles.

Data obtained by the Public Service Association under the Official Information Act (for March to May) shows 219 recruitment requests took more than two months to be approved, 91 waited more than 20 weeks, and 45 roles applied for in March were still vacant last month.

In some cases, it took up to 30 weeks for management to approve a hiring process for critical positions, including medical imaging technologists who operate x-ray, CT and MRI equipment.

PSA national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said the Wellington data was a “disturbing snapshot” of the nationwide health workforce crisis.

“These figures show that delays in recruitment are a deliberate cost-saving tactic, driven by the government’s failure to fund the health system properly.

“There should be no barriers to filling vacancies.”

The roles requested included doctors, nurses, radiographers, administrative staff, oral health therapists, and healthcare assistants.

“Allowing such long-standing vacancies in so many areas of the health system is a recipe for burnout and eventually, even higher vacancy rates as staff quit for overseas hospitals where their skills are valued,” Fitzsimons said.

Unsafe staffing levels were a key driver for Friday’s strike by 17,000 healthworkers represented by the PSA – including allied health staff, mental and public health nurses, and policy, knowledge, advisory and specialist workers, she continued.

“Workers are sick and tired of being ignored and must again send a loud and clear message to the Government that it must listen to their concerns and make patient care a priority. Enough is enough.”

Health Minister blames Labour

Health Minister Simeon Brown said the data showed Health NZ was recruiting staff, with hundreds more doctors and about 2000 additional nurses employed since the government took office.

“However, Health New Zealand must move more quickly, and my expectation is that front-line vacancies are recruited to at pace.

“Let’s be clear – Labour’s botched merger of all DHBs into one mega-entity in the middle of a pandemic created a centralised, slow, and bureaucratic system.

“That’s why under this government, Health New Zealand is moving decision-making back to the regions, so recruitment and workforce decisions happen faster and closer to communities.”

PSA members will walk off the job on Friday for four hours, with pickets and rallies at 30 locations around the country from 1pm.

Fitzsimons said since the previous strike on October 23, the parties had attended mediation through the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment but no settlement has been reached.

“Health NZ’s offer would mean workers go backwards. The health system is currently being held together by these workers’ good will for their patients. It’s not sustainable, not fair on workers, and doesn’t serve patients well either.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Hutt City Council is scrapping paid parking on Petone’s main street for Christmas.

The council will lift parking fees on Jackson Street and in the Peel Street carpark from 1 December to 4 January.

Usual time limits will stay in place to ensure fair access to parks.

Mayor Fauono Ken Laban said the move was a way to support local businesses and make Christmas shopping easier.

“Petone is one of our most loved destinations,” he said. “Free parking helps bring people in, encourages them to stay a little longer and supports the small businesses that are the heart of the community.

Laban said the December initiative was part of a wider, long-term conversation about parking.

“We are working with the Jackson Street Programme on a parking approach that supports our local economy and provides fair access for everyone.

“December’s free parking gives us space to keep that work moving, while backing our retailers at a crucial time.”

Jackson Street Programme co-ordinator Hellen Swales said the change would bring shoppers back to the centre of Petone for a crucial trading period.

“We want families to come into Petone, enjoy the festive season and spend time together.

“Free parking makes that easier, while time limits will keep things fair for everyone.”

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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 medicinal cannabis clinic founder says hundreds of thousands of legal users could be affected by new drug-driving laws.

Police will begin testing drivers for THC – the main active ingredient in cannabis – along with methamphetamine, MDMA (or ecstasy) and cocaine in Wellington next month, ahead of the nationwide rollout of new drug driving laws next year.

Cannabis Clinic founder and chief executive Dr Waseem Alzaher told Morning Report he didn’t disagree with the need for drug testing, but wanted to see New Zealand follow countries such as Canada, Germany and the Netherlands that included impairment tests alongside saliva and blood tests.

“The overall move is a good move, but what we need to consider adding into it is impairment, because you could test posititive for cannabis but be entirely unimpaired in your functioning and that’s the elephant in the room we’re not addressing.”

Alzaher said he was advising patients to wait 12 hours before driving – ideally taking medication at night so they would be unimpaired by the morning, however, the sensitivity and accuracy of the tests remained to be seen.

“The question is, how do we manage it when we’ve got people who are being prescribed cannabis safely and are under medical supervision just like they could be for other medicines … you shouldn’t be punished or face consequences as a result of that.”

It’s thought there are around 120,000-130,000 New Zealanders being prescribed medicinal cannabis and around 400,000 using cannabis illicitly, he said.

“Everybody knows someone who’s using cannabis through illicit or legal means, and we’ve known for thousands of years this plant has lots of potential benefits for people.

“We have 60,000 people [The Cannabis Clinic’s] legally prescribed cannabis for who could face negative outcomes by being stood down and potentially fined – which they then have to appeal – even though they’re doing the right thing and have been prescribed medicinal cannabis and that’s going to be an issue for Kiwis around the country,” Alzaher said.

Returning two positive roadside saliva tests could result in a 12-hour driving ban.

Saliva tests would then be sent to a laboratory, where – if levels above legal thresholds were confirmed – would result in an infringement notice, including a $200 fine and 50 demerit points.

If a saliva test was refused or police requested a blood test, the consequences could be more severe.

If a blood sample breached the “high risk” threshold under the legislation, penalties included a $4500 fine, up to three months in prison and a mandatory six-month licence disqualification.

Infringements could be appealed via a medical defence by showing a prescription or ID card from a prescriber, and Alzaher urged medicinal patients to ensure they had one or both.

Australian researcher Dr Michael White, an adjunct senior fellow at the School of Psychology at the University of Adelaide who has researched road accidents involving cannabis, said the tests were nearly worthless when it came to picking up if someone was impaired.

“There’s a lot of research that says regular cannabis users are not impaired even if immediately after taking it so that produces … questions of justice.

“It is a scattergun approach, many people who are regular users won’t be impaired even if they test positive,” Dr White said.

The NZ Drug Foundation warned many medicinal cannabis users could be caught out, given the drug can show up even three days after use.

Others, such as senior biosciences lecturer Dr Catherine Crofts raised concerns about legal users of other drugs, such as those taking ADHD medication containing amphetamine, like dexamphetamine or lisdexamfetamine, which around half of New Zealanders taking ADHD medication currently use.

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