Category: Public Media

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Does your self-worth go down when the weather heats up?

Source: Radio New Zealand

Unsurprisingly, summer is peak season when it comes to body dissatisfaction, says science writer David Robson.

To alleviate self-consciousness about not having a perfect “beach body”, it can help to develop body neutrality, he says.

Instead of their appearance, learning to focus on the function of our bodies and how they enable us to do the things we want is key, Robson tells Sunday Morning.

“These anxieties are really shared by everyone, including the people you’d think would be least likely to experience them.” – David Robson.

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Robson is an award-winning columnist in publications such as New Scientist and author most recently of The Laws of Connection, 13 Social Strategies That Will Transform Your Life.

The idea of increasing self-consciousness about our bodies is backed by concrete evidence, he says. One study by the University of Melbourne looked at gay and bisexual men across the globe.

“They found that more than 70 percent reported higher levels of body dissatisfaction during the summer months compared to any other season.

“And it seemed to be that that was caused by the social media pressure to look your best.”

Further studies that made textual analyses of 12 million social media posts confirm this, he says.

“They found that those expressing kind of hatred or unhappiness with the body peaked in July in the Northern Hemisphere and December in the Southern Hemisphere.”

At 40, Robson is thankful to be “not especially self-conscious” in a swimsuit, but does worry about his appearance in general, especially his teeth, he is an advocate for body neutrality as a way of dealing with these feelings.

“Knowing that this seasonal body image dissatisfaction is a phenomenon, can itself help us to be a bit kinder to ourselves, because we recognise we’re not alone in these insecurities.”

Body neutrality stands in contrast to body positivity, he says.

“Body neutrality is just trying to move our attention away from the appearance of our bodies altogether.”

Better to focus on notions such as being lucky to be alive, he says.

“If the body is functioning, if it’s relatively healthy, if we’re able to do the things we want to do with our body, then we just we focus on that rather than the appearance.”

New research from Arizona State University showed that when people viewed body neutrality posts on social media, participants felt less self-objectification than those focused on body positivity, Robson says.

“They actually just started to feel a bit better about themselves. And they took that message on board, they stopped judging themselves purely on their appearance.”

Jameela Jamil views her body as a vessel transporting her brain and spirit through life.

PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA

On the path to body neutrality, David Robson believes it’s worth listening to advocates like British actress Jameela Jamil, who, after a 20-year struggle with anorexia, has come to view her own body as merely a “vessel” for her brain and spirit.

“These anxieties are really shared by everyone, including the people you’d think would be least likely to experience them.”

Where to get help

Help

If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111.

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

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Australian mining giant Santana Minerals granted road mine road access despite protest

Source: Radio New Zealand

Central Otago District Council chief executive Peter Kelly and Santana Minerals chief executive Damian Spring. Santana Minerals / supplied

Central Otago District Council (CODC) has granted road access to an Australian company planning an open-cast gold mine near Cromwell.

Santana Minerals will be able to use two roads linked to the Bendigo-Ophir Gold Project in exchange for an annual payment of about $1.25 million, adjusted for inflation, once gold production begins.

The company submitted a fast-track consent application for the open-cast-mine in November.

Panel convenors have indicated a decision could take 120 working days.

In a message to shareholders on Monday, Santana Minerals described the access agreement as endorsement from the council and said it would deliver multi-generational benefits to the district.

However, Central Otago district Mayor Tamah Alley said the council had not taken a position for or against the project and acknowledged the community was divided.

“This agreement ensures that if the project goes ahead, the Central Otago community receives tangible, long-term benefits, while maintaining transparency and public accountability,” she said.

“Our focus is on ensuring decisions are made objectively, lawfully and with full consideration of the information available.”

Santana Minerals said the agreement covered Thomsons Gorge Road and Shepherds Creek Road – a paper road – including a 20-metre strip on either side of each.

Any future road stopping – where the roads cease to exist as public roads and become private use only – would still require Public Works Act or Local Government Act approval, the company said.

“If any roads are stopped, replacement routes would be built to ensure continued public access,” Santana said.

Santana Minerals chief executive Damian Spring called the approval a material step forward for the project.

“This agreement resolves a long-standing statutory access requirement, provides durable clarity around roading and access arrangements and establishes a transparent framework for long-term community benefit.”

A Wine not Mine event organised by Sustainable Tarras on Saturday. Sustainable Tarras / supplied

Council excluded the public – advocacy group

In a statement, advocacy group Sustainable Tarras said the access agreement was disappointing.

“We believe there are considerable legal pitfalls to granting such access and we have repeatedly pointed these out to CODC and cautioned them to take time to consult, consider the consequences and involve the wider community. Today, in announcing this behind-closed-doors decision, they’ve made it clear that community is secondary to their private negotiations with Santana.

“We do not understand the urgency with which CODC has decided to conclude this agreement with Santana. From the information we have so far, it again excludes the public and local community impacted and fails to take into account what Santana has clearly stated it will do with these roads.”

On Saturday 150 people attended a lunch to raise money to fight the mine, including actor Sam Neill and artist Grahame Sydney.

The Wine not Mine event organised by Sustainable Tarras was supported by 12 local wineries and held close to the proposed mine site.

Neill described the mining plans as ruinous for the region and said a growing community of ordinary, hard working people were joining together to fight a “very large, very powerful, very well-funded Australian mining company”.

Actor Sam Neill speaks at the Wine not Mine event. Sustainable Tarras / supplied

Sydney spoke of the “breathtaking, mystical, pristine and ever-changing” landscapes of Central Otago and urged people to fight against the “madness” of an open-cast gold mine.

Sustainable Tarras said funds from the event would cover expert fees and legal support costs as the group made submissions to the fast-track process.

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

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Former owner of luxury Te Anau lodge thankful fire didn’t completely destroy building

Source: Radio New Zealand

Firefighters at Fiordland Lodge over the weekend. Supplied

The former owner of the luxury Fiordland Lodge near Te Anau is relieved a weekend fire did not completely destroy the building.

Guests were evacuated when the fire broke out late on Saturday night, with crews from across Southland battling the blaze.

Fire and Emergency investigators were examining the cause of the fire although it was not being treated as suspicious.

Former owner Robynne Peacock and her late husband Ron, built the lodge in 2002 and ran the luxury accommodation for years until Peacock and her business partners sold it late last year.

Peacock arrived at the lodge on Sunday afternoon where a fire inspector showed her the damage.

The lodge was still intact despite part of the roof collapsing. Supplied

She said most of the building was intact, despite part of the roof collapsing and damage to the kitchen and conference room, where the fire was believed to have started.

“I did not want to see it burning,” she said.

“It all looks quite fixable and some of the lodge hasn’t been touched at all so we were pleasantly surprised and thrilled to see it’s not catastrophic.

“The fire inspector assured us that the structural integrity of the building was good in most areas.”

Peacock said it was a terrible blow for the new owners and she wished them well as they recovered from the fire.

Owner Vicki Onions previously confirmed no one was injured but all guests were moved to local hotels in Te Anau as a safety measure.

She was grateful for the swift response and support of emergency services, Onions said.

A Fire and Emergency spokesperson said the fire had badly damaged the building.

“However, firefighters were able to contain the fire which prevented some of the structure from being destroyed,” they said.

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

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Auckland Transport chief Dean Kimpton to resign ahead of agency’s reform

Source: Radio New Zealand

Dean Kimpton. RNZ/Calvin Samuel

Auckland Transport’s (AT) chief executive is stepping down from May, after almost three years leading the beleaguered agency.

Dean Kimpton took on the role in 2023, when AT faced a major shake-up.

Board chair Richard Leggat said since then the organisation had put a strong focus on delivering outcomes for Aucklanders, customers and communities.

“We are grateful for Dean’s commitment to AT and Aucklanders over the past three years. I’d like to thank him for his significant contribution and wish him the very best for his future endeavours.

“Under his leadership, we have seen two years of delivering our biggest ever capital programmes, the introduction of new ways to pay on public transport, more frequent services, innovation as we use technology to improve network productivity, and an organisation focused on delivering agreed outcomes for Auckland Council.”

As of next month, reforms mean AT will focus solely on public transport.

Leggat said with the reform, the board agreed this was the appropriate time for a change in leadership.

Auckland Council chief executive Phil Wilson acknowledges Dean’s contribution to AT and the wider Auckland Council whānau.

“I have known and worked with Dean for many years, both in his role at Auckland Transport and prior to that when he was chief operating officer at council and appreciate his commitment to delivering for Aucklanders in all his work. There have been measurable improvements at AT during his tenure.

“We wish Dean the very best and thank him for his work and leadership, and in particular in working closely with us to set transport arrangements up for the future.”

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

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Long-running Wellington fish-and-chip shop Rice Bowl Burger Bar to close

Source: Radio New Zealand

A notice posted to Facebook from Rice Bowl Burger Bar announcing its closure. Rice Bowl Burger Bar / supplied

A long-running hole-in-the-wall fish-and-chip shop in Wellington is closing its roller door for the last time at the end of this month.

Rice Bowl Burger Bar’s current owner, Wawa Shen, said the small kitchen and serving counter – which opens out onto Riddiford Street near Wellington Hospital – had run since the early 1970s.

She said her family had owned the business since 2009, but now the building’s landlord planned to redevelop the site.

A notice posted to Facebook from Rice Bowl Burger Bar announcing its closure. Rice Bowl Burger Bar / supplied

On a notice posted to the shop’s Facebook page, they thanked their customers for their “continued love and support over the last 17 years” .

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

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Mariameno Kapa-Kingi hopes to be back in Te Pāti Māori following court hearing

Source: Radio New Zealand

Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. VNP / Phil Smith

MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi says she hopes today’s court hearing will secure her reinstatement to Te Pāti Māori and pave the way for a reset of the party’s leadership.

Last year, she contested her expulsion from the party and was temporarily reinstalled in an interim judgement. A substantive hearing is now taking place at the High Court in Wellington.

Speaking outside on Monday morning, Kapa-Kingi told reporters she hoped the court could finalise the matter so everybody could move into 2026 “fired up and good to go”.

“I’m hoping that the reinstatement is secure and proper, and then we’ll see what happens from that point. But the reinstatement is key.”

Kapa-Kingi said she was also asking the court to require Te Pāti Māori to conduct a “proper full and open and honest process” regarding its leadership through a special general meeting.

“Good strong leadership is open … it’s about respect. It’s about love. It’s about kindness. It’s about all of those things that that we value as Māori and those things need to be obvious and apparent in the leadership. And I don’t know whether that’s so right now.”

Kapa-Kingi said she had never departed from the party’s kaupapa and was intending on visiting Waitangi for the annual commemorations later this week.

She said she was not sure how the party’s co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa Packer and Rawiri Waititi would be received up north given they had declined to attend a hui called by Ngāpuhi in November.

“We were disappointed and wished that they had turned up.”

Arriving at the court, Te Pāti Māori president John Tamihere said he was feeling “pretty chipper”.

“[Let’s] just see how the game goes,” he said. “There’s a lot of things at play, so let’s just await the finding.”

In an interim ruling published in early December, Justice Paul Radich said there were “serious questions to be tried” on the manner in which Kapa-Kingi was expelled from the party.

He said there were “certainly tenable arguments” that the expulsion was founded upon “mistaken facts and procedural irregularities”.

Te Pāti Māori’s lawyers had argued reinstating Kapa-Kingi was likely to “create extreme tension within Te Pāti Māori’s MPs and leadership”.

They argued the national council did have authority to expel Kapa-Kingi as it was the “primary heavy-lifter of hard decisions” in that context.

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

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Crash closes SH1 in Marlborough

Source: Radio New Zealand

The road was closed between Lake Grassmere and Taimate (file photo). RNZ

State Highway 1 is closed near Lake Grassmere in Marlborough because of a serious crash.

Police said one person was badly injured in the crash at about 7.30am on Monday.

The road was closed between Lake Grassmere and Taimate.

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

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Waitangi Day 2026: What’s open, what’s not, and when you have to pay a surcharge

Source: Radio New Zealand

Shops, restaurants, cafes and other hospitality and retail venues will be open as usual on Waitangi Day, but they can choose to close if they wish. 123rf

Every year on 6 February, the country recognises Waitangi Day, New Zealand’s national day to mark the first signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in 1840.

Waitangi Day falls on a Friday this year, meaning workers are entitled to a paid day off.

But, unlike Easter holidays, Christmas, or before 1pm on Anzac Day, trading restrictions don’t apply.

What’s open?

Shops, restaurants, cafes and other hospitality and retail venues will be open as usual on Waitangi Day, but they can choose to close if they wish – so it pays to check opening hours beforehand.

Supermarkets and malls will be open too, but some may operate with shorter hours.

When do I have to pay a surcharge?

On a public holiday, businesses often have surcharges, an additional charge, to cover the extra costs, such as paying employees time-and-a-half. Employees get paid time-and-a-half and an alternative day off under the Holidays Act when they work a public holiday if it’s a usual working day for them.

Hospitality businesses that decide to open on a public holiday, including Waitangi Day, may add a 15 percent surcharge to their services.

If a business does charge a surcharge, they must have clear signage communicating this to the customer. These can include the display of signs detailing the surcharge, a message on the business’s website, or by verbally letting the customer know at the time of purchase or before they order.

If customers believe they have been misled about a surcharge, they can complain to the Commerce Commission.

What’s on?

Every year, a public festival is held on Waitangi Day at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds in the Bay of Islands. It starts at 5am with a dawn service in Te Whare Rūnanga.

The dawn service on Waitangi Day 2025. RNZ / Jo Moir

For those not at the Treaty Grounds this Waitangi Day, there are still many events across the country.

Government funding has been provided to 29 community events across New Zealand to commemorate Waitangi Day this year. You can find an event near you here.

Councils also tend to organise Waitangi Day events.

Auckland City Council said Aucklanders are encouraged to make the most of the free events, cultural exchanges, great atmosphere, music and delicious kai on offer at Waitangi ki Manukau (Manukau Sports Bowl), Waitangi ki Ōmaru in Glen Innes (Point England Reserve) and Waitangi@Waititi at Parrs Park (West Auckland).

Wellington City Council has several Waitangi Day events, such as Te Rā o Waitangi, a free event that includes live music, dance and cultural performances at Waitangi Park.

Christchurch City Council said Waitangi Day activities in the Garden City and Canterbury include the 50th anniversary celebration at Okains Bay Māori and Colonial Museum with hāngī and performances, alongside a family event in Kaiapoi at Trousselot Park.

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

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Concerns raised about possible changes to Commerce Act

Source: Radio New Zealand

Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Scott Simpson. VNP / Phil Smith

A number of concerns have been raised about proposed changes to the Commerce Act which could disadvantage consumers, deter investors and increase the cost of doing business.

Law firm Chapman Tripp said some of the changes to the Commerce (Promoting Competition and Other Matters) Amendment Bill were positive, but others were problematic.

“Setting aside the several changes that we think have the potential to be really positive, for the ones we have concerns about, there are probably two categories,” Chapman Tripp competition and antitrust partner Lucy Cooper said.

“One is that they will add unnecessary uncertainty, time and cost to the Commerce Commission processes.

“And the other one … is the Commerce Commission will get a lot more discretion or power without solid process protections, or the ability to really scrutinise its work.

“I don’t intend that to be a criticism of the current commission at all. It’s more that in general, as you know, proper process is absolutely critical to making sure we can see that the service we are getting from the Commerce Commission is robust and fair.”

Mergers and acquisitions

She said a specific concern dealt with the commission’s ability to retroactively take action against a series of acquisitions that would, in hindsight, be found to have a cumulative effect of lessening competition.

“The focus should remain on the lawfulness of the marginal transaction, rather than allowing the commission to retrospectively impugn earlier transactions that would otherwise be lawful if considered in isolation.

“Allowing the commission to treat a sequence of separate transactions as a single transaction and find them all unlawful on the basis of their combined effect could also undermine investor confidence.”

Cooper said the commission had an existing power to block a transaction, when it had potential to put a company or organisation in the position of becoming a dominant player in a particular market.

“The commission already enforces against serial acquisitions, as demonstrated by successful action against Wilson Parking in local parking markets. We see no evidence that the commission is unable to intervene in serial acquisitions.”

Predatory pricing

Another proposed change would automatically see any below-cost pricing, that lasted for a period beyond three months, in a year, as predatory pricing.

“This is a change to the current position,” it said.

“The current regulation kicked in when a dominant player offered low prices as a means to price rivals out of the market or to deter a new entry.

“We consider that this test should remain.”

The proposed change could also act as a deterrent to pro-competitive low pricing and disadvantage consumers.

“We urge a rethink.”

The closing date for submissions on the bill is Wednesday 4 February.

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

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Auckland Council starts flood research project

Source: Radio New Zealand

Flooding in Auckland in 2023. RNZ / Finn Blackwell

Auckland Council is looking at ways to make houses more resistant to floods.

It has put out a tender to get research done into ways that would specifically work in New Zealand.

“The scope of the research is focused on residential properties,” the tender said.

Property flood resistance (PFR) was a growing market here and overseas. In the UK, for instance, it involved advice to homeowners on how to fit flood proof doors and windows and other measures to help waterproof a house up to half-a-metre or so high.

The deadly Mauao Mt Maunganui landslide has focused new attention on the threat of slips, which claim more lives in New Zealand than any other natural hazard.

Auckland Council said many approaches overseas were not directly applicable here and it aimed to develop a comprehensive understanding of what measures could work.

“PFR is not just about products or approaches, it is a system of people, regulations, behaviours, risks, and tools that must work together. If they do not work together to enhance the whole system, there is a risk of maladaptation,” it said in a statement.

Its project included the Natural Hazard Commission Toka Tū Ake and Building Research Association of New Zealand (BRANZ).

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The Geotechnical Society was updating its advice to home owners about landslide hazards, noting New Zealand had won international attention “as being a country where landslide risk management practices are good”.

It had four lots of work going on into landslides, including on the advice to homeowners, updated landslide risk management and a slope stability project that “has attracted international interest”.

The advice work would help non-specialists assess if there was a risk at any site, chair Emilia Stocks said in a statement.

“This work is intended to help people identify if they might be at risk, gives practical steps to reduce the risk, and simple advice about what to do if a landslide does occur.”

New Zealand would host the first international workshop on landslide risk assessment and education in Queenstown in April.

“We were selected to host this event on behalf of four international societies in part because New Zealand is recognised as being a country where landslide risk management practices are good.”

Also, the existing guidelines on landslide risk management were “generally recognised as being among global best practice” but needed an update as they were hard to read and focused mostly on housing, she said.

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