Category: Public Media

Source: Radio New Zealand

A Tongariro local who leapt into action at the weekend did not sleep for the first 30 hours of the devastating wildfire in the area.

The blaze torched almost 3000 hectares in the national park, with numerous volunteers supporting firefighters and the department of conservation.

Bubs Smith – from hapu Ngāti Hikairo ki Tongariro – told Checkpoint that after the fire was doused from the air, firefighters wanted to create a firebreak.

He said local digger operators, who understood the importance of the whenua, were tasked with the job.

“It was a tough decision when you’ve got a world heritage park that’s recognised for both its natural and cultural values, to get a 40-tonne digger and bulldozer to put those in.”

Combined Fire and Emergency and Department of Conservation (DOC) crews were continuing to dampen down hotspots today.

Smith said DOC rangers were happy today after finding far fewer hotspots than expected.

“That was really, really positive.”

The Tongariro Alpine Crossing and tracks in the vicinity of Whakapapa Village remain closed until at least Monday next week.

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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 police officer who wrongly labelled the accusations against Jevon McSkimming as “false” still works for police, but no longer has anything to do with the handling of evidence or interacting with victims of crime, says the police commissioner.

A damning report by the Independent Police Conduct Authority, released yesterday, found serious misconduct at the highest levels of police over how they handled accusations of sexual offending by the former Deputy Commissioner Jevon McSkimming.

Some of those heavily criticised in the report are still employed by police, while others have been able to resign. Former Police Commissioner Andrew Coster has been placed on leave from his role as chief executive of the Social Investment Agency, following the release of the report.

Three staff members highlighted in the report still work for police, and Police Commissioner Richard Chambers told Checkpoint that he had appointed a King’s Counsel to oversee the employment process involving those three people.

“They are still on active duty and we’ve worked through that process to make sure that’s the right decision.

“There’s a process to follow, and we need to let it take its course.”

‘Officer B’ – who labelled the allegations made by McSkimming’s accuser as ‘false’, according to the IPCA report – still worked for police, but no longer dealt with the handling of evidence or interacting with victims of crime.

He would not rule out the possibility of further criminal prosecutions over the “residual” issues raised in the report, but stressed that it was still very early in the process.

“There are other matters that are under investigation that relate to credit card transactions and various other things. But the primary matters that were brought to our concern have been resolved.”

Chambers said the actions described in the IPCA report were “incredibly disappointing”.

“It’s a kick in the guts for New Zealand Police, and frankly for our country, because New Zealanders deserve better.

“We had very sound systems and processes in place to deal with those types of complaints, that was not followed, they departed from it and they took control of it themselves. Group-think and self interest were issues here.”

He said he was keeping an “open mind” about compensation being paid to the victim.

“I have reached out to counsel to express my apology on behalf of NZ Police, I did that yesterday afternoon, he was happy to hear from me and I see that no doubt there would be a further conversation because I would like to personally apologise to his client.”

He said there were still some “outstanding” senior leaders in New Zealand Police.

“I look forward to having some new deputy commissioners, some new assistant commissioners and I look forward to steering NZ police in the right direction.”

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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’s report found serious misconduct at the highest levels of police over how they handled accusations of sexual offending by former Deputy Commissioner Jevon McSkimming. National Crime Correspondent Sam Sherwood reveals who some of the senior leaders are that we’ve been able to identify.

The Independent Police Conduct Authority’s 135-page report – released on Tuesday, found serious misconduct at the highest levels of police, including former Police Commissioner Andrew Coster.

Only two of the staff criticised in the report were named: Coster and former Deputy Commissioner Tania Kura.

RNZ has approached several staff, former and current, it understands are some of the others implicated in the report.

Former Deputy Police Commissioner Tania Kura

The IPCA said Kura failed to make “sufficiently robust enquiries” in relation to allegations posted on LinkedIn in May 2023, relying “too readily” on McSkimming’s account.

The IPCA commended Kura’s acceptance of responsibility for the failure to refer allegations to the NIU and the IPCA.

“However, her failure in this regard was compounded by her subsequent actions; after Commissioner Coster tasked her with overseeing the response to Ms Z’s emails, there were several points at which she could, and should, have made it clear to staff … that there was an explicit expectation that the allegations should be investigated. “

The IPCA acknowledged that Kura did appoint Officer B to deal with the matter, and expected him to exercise judgement in terms of how to deal with the reports.

“We accept, therefore, that Deputy Commissioner Kura did not act with the intention of stopping an investigation into the allegations at that point.”

The IPCA commended Kura for recognising, “albeit belatedly”, the need to investigate the allegations in the emails and 105 reports.

“However, that investigation was tainted by her concern, shared by others, about the implications for Deputy Commissioner McSkimming’s future career and the risk that, if Police “rushed into” an investigation, he would potentially be further victimised.

“This prevented her and others from approaching the investigation as an orthodox sexual assault preliminary investigation.”

Kura retired in July after 38 years in the police. She took leave from late August until 3 November.

Assistant Commissioner A

RNZ understands Assistant Commissioner A is former Assistant Commissioner Paul Basham.

Basham retired in September, two months after Kura.

RNZ approached Basham for comment following his resignation, on what connection it had with the pending IPCA report.

A police spokesperson messaged RNZ and said Basham wanted to pass on his retirement was “unrelated to anything other than it was the right time for him and his family. Entirely personal decision”.

The IPCA’s report said the terms of reference for Operation Herb, which Basham was “directly responsible for”, were “in no way consistent with police adult sexual assault policy and procedures”.

“He was unreasonably preoccupied with ensuring Deputy Commissioner McSkimming was not being unfairly disadvantaged in the forthcoming appointments process for the new Commissioner, for which he knew Deputy Commissioner McSkimming would be an applicant.”

The IPCA said there were several factors that mitigated Basham’s failings.

“He had only come into the role of Assistant Commissioner of Investigations in April 2024, with limited handover and in the context of the roll-out of new gang laws and other high priority matters. As he puts it, his ‘head was spinning’.

“He has acknowledged that if presented with the same circumstances again, he would do things differently, including being ‘unequivocal about the primacy of alignment to ASA policy in the terms of reference’.”

From 2017 to 2024 Basham was the Southern District Commander.

RNZ obtained a copy of an email sent by Basham to Chambers on 15 September under the OIA.

Basham said that week marked 40 years in police.

“It has always been my intention to review my tenure in police on this anniversary and, having reached the 40-year anniversary or milestone, I have decided to retire from police,” he wrote.

“I have had an incredibly rewarding career and intend to retire positively from police – I wish you well as you lead our amazing people who are the New Zealand Police.”

The next paragraph was redacted, but the email ended with Basham asking for Chambers’ permission to “send a short, positive, message” to several teams about his decision.

About two hours later, Basham wrote to some of his colleagues about his departure.

“I remain passionate about the difference police make for people and communities in Aotearoa NZ, the progress we have made as an agency to understand what it means & and why it is important – to have ‘the trust and confidence of all’, but the time is right for me to retire.”

Officer B

RNZ understands Officer B is Detective Superintendent Chris Page. Page is still working in the police.

The IPCA said Page’s failings were “considerable”.

The authority said Kura sought his advice on the best way to make the email harassment stop, and he recommended a District-led criminal investigation into Ms Z’s conduct.

He also failed to act on recommendations to consider investigating the allegations contained in the emails and to refer the matter to NIU and the IPCA.

“As Acting Assistant Commissioner of Investigations and the officer overseeing the prosecution of Ms Z, Officer B was in a position to ensure there were two parallel but independent investigations – one into harassment by Ms Z and one into complaints made against Deputy Commissioner McSkimming.”

The IPCA said it was “driven to the inescapable conclusion that Officer B had no interest in exploring whether there was any truth to the allegations”.

The IPCA also criticised Page for inserting into the summary of facts in relation to Ms Z’s prosecution the word “false” in respect of her allegations, despite knowing they had not been investigated.

“Given Officer B’s role as the Detective Superintendent overseeing that investigation, we find it deeply concerning that he did not read the legal opinion or otherwise turn his mind to whether both the evidential and public interest tests had been met before sanctioning the decision to proceed with charging Ms Z.”

The IPCA said Page’s mindset from the outside of his involvement was “that Deputy Commissioner McSkimming was the only victim, and that there was nothing else to investigate”.

Deputy Commissioner PLC

RNZ understands Deputy Commissioner PLC is former Deputy Commissioner of People, Leadership and Culture Chris de Wattignar who now works as the head of aviation security at the Civil Aviation Authority.

The IPCA said de Wattignar had an obligation to exercise independent judgement and take any necessary action to ensure senior officers were acting in an appropriate way.

“Despite his Director of Integrity and Conduct raising her concerns with him in the clearest language, he clearly failed to fulfil that obligation.”

The IPCA acknowledged his responsibility was “to a degree mitigated” by the fact he sought advice from Coster.

“His failing lies in the fact that he simply relied upon Commissioner Coster’s and Deputy Commissioner Kura’s assurances without further enquiry of his own, despite the continued expressions of concern from Officer M.”

De Wattignar’s perception that once he became aware of concerns he lacked the necessary authority was proof of the “inadequate status and independence of Police Integrity and Conduct”.

“While we do not doubt there was significantly more he could have done, the status of Integrity and Conduct within Police no doubt needs reframing.”

A CAA spokesperson said in a statement to RNZ the matters discussed in the IPCA’s report “relate to events that occurred during Chris de Wattignar’s previous employment with New Zealand Police”.

“As this was a police matter and is now the subject of extensive public reporting and oversight, it would not be appropriate for the Civil Aviation Authority or for Chris in his current role to comment.”

The CAA had no involvement in the police investigation or the IPCA’s findings, the spokesperson said.

“We are focused on our statutory responsibilities for aviation safety and security, and we continue to support our people to uphold the highest standards of professionalism and integrity.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Transpower has issued a grid emergency notice ahead of a severe geomagnetic storm and removed some South Island electricity transmission lines from service.

The national grid operator says the move won’t affect the electricity supply to homes and businesses, but will prevent damage to critical equipment if the storm worsens.

Geomagnetic storms can send unwanted currents through electricity circuits, and have the potential to cause serious damage if they reach substations transformers or large hydroelectric dams.

The storms are caused by space weather, when the Sun ejects plasma and other matter in Earth’s direction.

Coronal mass ejections (CME) are rare, and generally aren’t noticed on earth thanks to the planet’s magnetic field shielding the planet from particles, Transpower said.

The University of Otago’s Aurora Australis Alert website rated the chances of Southern New Zealand seeing an Aurora thanks to the increased geomagnetic activity as high.

If the sky was clear, the lights would be visible to the naked eye and clearly visible with a camera, it said.

However, cloudy weather is forecast for Dunedin overnight.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Rainbow sand from Educational Colours and coloured sand from Creatistics has been recalled because Tremolite (a naturally occurring asbestos in quartz) has been found in samples during lab testing.

The Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) said people need to stop using the products immediately.

“We are taking immediate precautionary action, while we establish the extent and risk of the potentially contaminated product,” said Ian Caplin, MBIE product safety spokesperson.

“We urge anyone who has bought these products, either for personal use or potential use in a school or other setting to act immediately. Stop using the sand, contain it, secure it in a safe place and arrange for safe disposal through licensed professionals, a list of these is available on the Worksafe website.”

Asbestos contamination has been found in similar products in Australia.

MBIE said while testing of New Zealand product is ongoing, as a precautionary measure, the company Educational Colours has issued a recall notice.

“Asbestos is a serious health hazard and we are working with Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora, the Ministry of Education and WorkSafe to provide guidance for consumers and educational facilities which may have bought these products.”

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

MBIE said it may have also been sold online.

What to do if you have the sand:

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The head coach of Wairoa Boxing Club says they’re “devastated” police have declined the permit for their fund-raising fight night – in the week leading up to event.

But police said they had identified several people involved – with gang associations – that could lead to confrontations or violence among supporters.

Wairoa Boxing Club’s Jamie Cox said the club had sold 500 tickets – at $120 per head – for the night.

He said cancelling the event would leave them with no funding to support their free boxing programme for local youth and put the future of the gym in doubt.

“They’re pretty much shutting down a local gym that’s been going on for 25 years because they felt there was some risk that they couldn’t manage.

“All the work that we’ve done over the years contributing to our town and contributing to the well being and behaviour of youth – that’s what they’re shutting down – so I feel it was a short sighted decision,” Cox said.

Wairoa’s showcase

Cox said organisers had already invested over $20,000 in the lead up to the fundraiser.

“It’s Wairoa’s little bit of a show case where everybody’s got to dress up.

“It’s not general admission; you have tables and there’s food and platters and there’s a bar and it’s all pretty well behaved.

“We’ve bought food and hired a whole lot of stuff and booked venue’s and booked judges with travel costs so it’s going to wipe out our bank balance basically,” Cox said.

Club’s impact on youth inspires locals to compete

Wairoa local Courtney Hayward had been training for the last three months after putting her hand up to fight for the club.

She said she’d been inspired to take on the challenge after turning up for a few sessions and seeing the impact the club had on local rangitahi.

Hayward said she was one of the last people that would have expected to find herself in the ring.

“It has been really physically challenging but it’s also been so rewarding to see how you could improve. [When] I started off I couldn’t even step with my punches.

“Seeing the kids and the discipline that they had – and [their] growth – just made it so much more motivating,” Hayward said.

Hayward said she had persuaded 30 friends to purchase tickets and the cancellation was “absolutely gutting”.

“We don’t have a lot of events. There’s not enough people [in Wairoa] to sustain the types of access to services that there is in the bigger centres and when you’ve got something that is so amazing.

“And you’ve got opportunities for rangitahi to do something really cool – you’ve got to cherish these things,” Hayward said.

Mayor supports police decision

Wairoa Mayor Craig little said he had been to one of the club’s four previous events and enjoyed it.

But he said he trusted the police perspective that there was the potential for trouble with people who might have attended the event.

“You’ve got to make sure you’ve got all your ducks in a line for an event like this.

“So the police have acted – because at the end of the day the police were responsible to keep everyone safe – and they believe probably that there could’ve been a risk,” Little said.

He said a lot of people in the community were sick of gang activity and incidents in the area.

Gang conflict warrant approved to address heightened tensions

In a statement Tairāwhiti area commander, inspector Danny Kirk said police were investigating two shootings, an aggravated robbery and an arson alleged to have been committed by gang members in the previous month.

He said a firearm and ammunition were also discovered when four gang members fled police last week.

“For this particular event, police identified several people with gang associations.

“As would be expected, contestants are generally supported at these events by their friends, family and supporters, which – in this case – heightens the risk of confrontation and therefore violence either during or after the event.

“I have been in communication with both the Mayor and the local organiser and make no apology for taking this community’s safety seriously.

“In my view an opportunity now exists for police, community leaders and gang leaders to come together for a robust conversation about how the unlawful behaviour of a few can impact pro-social community events like this, and to seek solutions to bring an end to long standing instances of intermittent gang violence,” Kirk said.

Inspector Kirk said a gang conflict warrant had been approved to provide police with additional enforcement tools to bring heightened conflict and tensions between gangs in the area under control.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Several people were injured after a man walked down a West Auckland road assaulting people he came across, police say.

The alleged offender is facing more than 10 charges before the courts after being arrested in West Auckland last night.

Officers were called about 5.24pm to multiple reports of violent assaults on Railside Avenue, Henderson.

A 30-year-old man was arrested shortly after.

Waitematā West Area Commander, Inspector Simon Walker said the man’s behaviour wasunacceptable and did not reflect the standards and values of the Henderson community.

The 30-year-old appeared before Waitākere District Court today where he faced five charges of assault with intent to injure, two of injuring with intent to injure, a common assault charge, two charges of resisting police, and another two charges of obstructing police.

He was also charged with theft.

The man was remanded in custody and was expected to reappear in December.

Walker said the public nearby quickly assisted and made sure others were safe until police arrived at the scene.

“Their actions demonstrate the strength and resilience of our community, and we commend their courage while reminding everyone that the safest course of action is always to contact police immediately,” he said.

Any witnesses or those with information about what happened were encouraged to contact police.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Department of Conservation (DOC) has freed a humpback whale which was entangled in a crayfish pot line south of Kaikōura for more than 18 hours.

The entangled whale was reported Tuesday afternoon but crews were not able to find it.

DOC South Marlborough operations manager Stacey Wren said the whale was found and freed on Wednesday morning.

“The whale was entangled for more than 18 hours and will be extremely tired but appears to be otherwise healthy. We ask that any boats in the area give it space so it can rest and recover,” she said.

“We want to thank the wildlife watching tour operators who helped by reporting the whale’s location to us.”

Wren said people should never attempt to disentangle a whale themselves as it could only be done safely with specialised equipment and training.

“Do not approach an entangled whale or attempt to cut any lines entangling it if you see one while out naturing on the water,” she said.

“Instead, please report it immediately to our 24-hour hotline 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468). If you can do so safely, monitor the whale from a distance and advise our disentanglement teams exactly where it is.”

Wren said humpback whales were inquisitive and had a large tail and flippers, so they were vulnerable to getting caught up in craypot lines.

“People setting cray pots can reduce the risk by minimising floating slack in the line, allowing just enough for tidal movements. Not setting pots during June and July, when most humpbacks are migrating along our coasts, would also reduce the risk.

“The procedure for cutting whales free can take several hours. It follows internationally-accepted best practice and is designed to minimise risks to both people and the animal.”

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