Category: Public Media

Source: Radio New Zealand

People addicted to vapes will soon have help to quit, with Medsafe’s approval of New Zealand’s first vaping-specific nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) product.

The Asthma and Respiratory Foundation welcomed the move as “an important step in the fight against New Zealand’s vaping epidemic”.

Foundation Chief Executive Letitia Harding said while the product had been on the market for years for smokers, this new indication recognised that NRT was not just for smokers who wanted to quit, but also for those struggling to quit vaping.

“Nicotine dependence from vaping is a real and growing problem, so having clinically validated support to quit is important.

“Medsafe’s approval of this product is a welcome development.”

Figures from the Foundation’s nationwide 2024 youth vaping survey found that 20 percent of Year 12 students and 26 percent of Year 13 students reported vaping in the past seven days – a significant increase from previous years in this age group.

The Foundation was advocating for stricter laws around vaping, Harding said.

It wants to see the government halt the establishment of further Specialist Vape Retailers, ban the sale of vapes in general retailer stores, invest in educational programmes, and re-examine the prescription model.

“While a cessation product is helpful for those already dependent, it doesn’t stop young people from starting in the first place.”

Harding said the Foundation met with Associate Health Minister Casey Costello to request financial support for running its workshops in schools and other programmes, but was turned down.

“We are proud of our ongoing community education initiatives, but they are reliant on the generosity of our grant providers and donations.

“Luckily, these communities do care what is going on in their own backyards, and are prepared to back this mahi.”

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

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

• From 1 February, specialist GPs can diagnose adult ADHD and prescribe stimulant medicines
• Patients under 18 can now be diagnosed and treated by nurse practitioners working in paediatric services and child and adolescent mental health services
• Psychiatrists and paediatricians will continue to prescribe as previously
• Costs to patients will vary
• No government funding for training health

GPs and nurse prescribers will be able to diagnose attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults from next week (1 February) – but they will not be funded for it.

Those working in the sector are warning it will not be as simple – or as cheap – as booking a 15-minute appointment, and it will take time for services to scale up to cope with the backlog of demand.

Tauranga entrepreneur Freddie Bennett was not diagnosed with ADHD until his mid-30s.

• Do you have an ADHD story? Get in touch at iwitness@rnz.co.nz

“I spent my life thinking I was broken. I found myself stressed, depressed, addicted, really unfit, [with] really bad mental health issues, attempts to take my life and everything – and then once I got my diagnosis I finally found the answers.

“I found if I really leaned into my neurodiversity, then I could discover my strengths.”

Harnessing those strengths has allowed him to cross the Sahara Desert on foot, run across the Arctic to the North Pole and win a place in the Guinness Book of Records for the fastest marathon while dressed as a fisherman in gumboots, waterproofs and carrying a tackle box (four hours and 37 minutes) and build a successful career as a business coach.

Initially diagnosed with ADHD by a psychologist, Bennett then had to go to a private psychiatrist to be assessed and prescribed medication.

Wider prescribing rights – but at what cost?

Since GPs were stripped of their authority to prescribe stimulants in 1999 (due to concerns the drugs could be abused), only paediatricians and psychiatrists have been permitted to diagnose ADHD and prescribe drugs.

College of GPs president Luke Bradford said the lack of capacity in the public system has forced adult patients to go private.

“We’ve got people doing telehealth consults for people they’ve never seen, and then not following through on the treatment and just handing them back to the GP to initiate, titrate (adjust the dose) and manage without having actually done the work in the first place.

“So it was not best service for patients, it was becoming overly expensive and overly commercialised.”

The decision to widen prescribing rules was signed off by Pharmac and Medsafe last year, with cross-party support from MPs wanting to see faster access to assessments and treatment.

Under the new rules, there are no government requirements for accreditation for GPs and nurse practitioners wishing to provide ADHD services – and no additional government funding for training – but they are expected to do so.

Professional bodies have developed training packages, with about 600 GPs registering for a recent series of eight online seminars.

Bradford said however not every GP would have the capacity to offer ADHD assessments, which did not fit into the usual 15-minute appointment slot. A complete assessment took at least 90 minutes, possibly over several sessions, plus extensive questionnaires.

“What we’re expecting is that instead of psychiatrists charging up to $2000 in some cases, we’ll see much more reasonable rates, but acknowledging that one-and-a-half hours of GP time is going to be in the hundreds of dollars.”

Diagnosis just the beginning – advocates

ADHD New Zealand is advocating for increased access to publicly-funded diagnosis and treatment.

Spokesperson Sarah Hogan said diagnosis was “just the first step” – and there were currently no specific services in the public system for people with ADHD.

“But for a lot of people their mental health needs are as a result of having lived with ADHD undiagnosed and untreated and all the spinoff effects of that life and the health consequences of that.”

Psychotherapist Tami Harris from Acorn Neurodiversity, a not-for-profit organisation providing multidisciplinary support for children with ADHD, said while the public system accepted referrals for children, there was “a very high bar”.

“Usually terrible things need to have happened. And so what we see is people not getting a diagnosis and just being called ‘naughty’ or ‘bad’, then that affects their feelings about themselves and they may be more likely to get into addictions or offending behaviours or not be able to learn at school, and then their future potential is really diminished.”

The fact that GPs would have to charge for adult assessments meant those barriers would remain, she said.

“It’s still not an accessible service, it still doesn’t address the equity problems in terms of getting a diagnosis. So it’s really frustrating in terms of how it’s been done.

“It will help down the road in terms of getting it sorted, but it’s not going to be what people expect on 1 February.”

Parents’ struggle

For Freddie Bennett’s son, who is now 11, it took two years to get diagnosed through the public system.

“As a parent I found it really overwhelming and really confusing because I felt my son was having to put his life on hold, and I saw this boy who was creative, talented, energetic, charismatic but he was suffering because he wasn’t getting the help he needed, and we as parents weren’t getting the answers we needed.”

As a result of his family’s experience, Bennett and his wife (developmental paediatrician Dr Sarah Moll) set up an ADHD clinic in Tauranga, Bay Paediatrics.

Many families were asking why it was now easier for adults to get support, while their children were stuck on waiting lists or fragmented care pathways, Bennett said.

“The communications around the change have been really poor, as well. A lot of parents think that on 1 February their GP will be able to assess their child, and that’s just not true.”

Furthermore, he was sceptical that stretched and overworked GPs would be able to provide the wraparound support needed.

“I think they’re facing a neurodiversity tsunami. They’re doing their best to hold back the tide, but it’s an impossible job.”

Meanwhile, those who are diagnosed with ADHD may struggle to get medication.

The new rules were initially slated to come into effect in July 2025, but delayed due to concerns about supply problems for ADHD medication.

Pharmac said shortages were expected to continue throughout this year.

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 Transport Agency (NZTA) says State Highway 35 between Te Araroa and Tikitiki will reopen from 4pm today.

The road was badly damaged by heavy rain last week.

Crews working in the area have mostly cleared large overslips off the road, while other crews continue repairing the road.

Convoys, which have been operating throughout the week, will continue between 8 and 8.30am and again between 11.30am and 1pm, before that stretch of road fully reopens from 4pm.

“That means two lanes of traffic will be open, however, as crews continue the huge cleanup, there will be some sections of this stretch of road still down to one lane, which means people need to drive with extreme care,” NZTA said.

A temporary lower speed will also be in place.

Some parts will be under traffic management, and the roading agency urges sightseers to stay home and people to be courteous to road workers.

It says the area is still very fragile, and short-notice closures may be required to ensure safety.

Te Araroa to Pōtaka will remain closed. The largest slip within the Pōtaka to Te Araroa stretch, the Punaruku Slip, has been a focus of a safety assessment on Thursday and work will begin on developing a track over it in the coming days, NZTA said.

Meanwhile, NZTA crews are working to reopen State Highway 2, which was the main route between Ōpōtiki and Gisborne.

NZ Transport Agency regional transport services manager Mark Owen said crews were working overtime to reopen the section of SH2, but it was a huge job.

“Unfortunately, there’s been massive damage in there, so again crews are working away, beavering away at each end – they’re doing a full assessment.”

He was hopeful they could provide a timeframe for opening later this week.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Palmerston North City Council is seeking the owner of a spa pool found “smack bang” in the middle of the road.

“Did your spa pool fall off the back of your truck along Flygers Line on Thursday morning?” the council posted on social media on Friday morning.

“Don’t worry, we’ve rescued it from the middle of the road!”

A photo shows the spa pool filled with other rubbish, sitting on a rural road – which, the council noted, made it a hazard for drivers.

While people in the comments noted it was not likely to have been an accident, the council assured them they were working to find the owner.

“Great news – there’s a barcode on there, so we’re reaching out to the supplier to see who this belongs to and we’ll get in touch soon.

“You’ll then be able to collect it when we catch up with you at the courthouse. Lucky you!”

According to the council’s website, there was a $400 fine for illegal dumping.

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

Several families living in the Waioweka Gorge in Bay of Plenty remain isolated, two weeks after dozens of slips came down.

The landslides have closed kilometres of State Highway 2 – the main route between Ōpōtiki and Gisborne and helicopters have been taking supplies to the cut-off locals.

Even before last week’s storm laid waste to North Island communities – families in the Waioweka Gorge were isolated.

On Friday 16 January, torrential rain brought down multiple slips on SH2, trapping around 40 motorists, who had to be evacuated by helicopter.

On the family farm in the Wairata Valley, Rebecca Redpath said the rain was relentless.

“It was just coming down in sheets … you often get heavy rain, but it doesn’t last, and this just lasted, and lasted, and lasted.”

The nearby creek turned into a roaring torrent as boulders came crashing down, she said.

The damage to the gorge road, meant her in-laws Bob and Mary Redpath – who were away – had to be helicoptered to their home.

Bob Redpath said while they had had floods in the past – the damage had never been this extensive, and the bird’s-eye-view from the chopper was sobering.

“We’ve had nothing this complete. Every creek, every little spring has blown out.

“It was just so much rain – 160mm in two hours – and y’know, nature can’t deal with that.”

Mary Redpath said in her 47 years on the farm, she’d never seen anything like it, with streams rerouted 10 metres away from their original course.

“It’s … totally mindboggling.”

She said they were lucky the deluge came at a time when no one was out on the farm and in danger from rushing water and slips.

“Because we would never expect this to happen. Tracks here on the farm – you’ve got to scramble over rocks and debris and trees.

“The whole land has just slipped away in places that it’s never slipped before and washed out all these fences, and it’s like, ‘Where do you begin?'”

Bob Redpath said the ongoing gorge closure, had meant their farmstay operation has come to a grinding halt.

“This is our prime part of the season, so we have had people booked right through … to autumn.

“We’ve had to ring people and say, ‘Look, you’re on standby but it doesn’t look like you’re going to be able to get in here, so very sorry, we’ll have to try that again another day.'”

But, he’s philosophical about it.

“Yeah, it is rough. But hey, you live in a wild place like the Waioweka Gorge occasionally these things jump out and bite you in the bum.”

Rebecca Redpath said the impact of the road’s closure went well beyond her family, and she was just hopeful they would be able to drive out this weekend in time for her children to start school in Hawke’s Bay, next week.

NZ Transport Agency regional transport services manager Mark Owen said crews were working overtime to reopen the section of SH2, but it was a huge job.

“Unfortunately, there’s been massive damage in there, so again crews are working away, beavering away at each end – they’re doing a full assessment.”

He was hopeful they could provide a timeframe for opening later this week.

“The good news, is that we think the road will probably be okay, but we’ve got massive slips that have come down … so we can clear and get a lane but then we’ve actually got to stabilise the hill as well.

“Then once the river recedes we then need to determine whether we’ve got any under-slips where the river may have scoured into the highway,” Owen said.

“Teams are working, we’ve got all the expertise that we need, it’s just going to take some time.”

Ōpōtiki mayor David Moore said up to 30 people were living in the gorge, which ran through both Ōpōtiki and Gisborne districts.

He said the council’s civil defence teams had been working together since its closure.

“There’s people who’ve been in and out for medical appointments. There were some people that were in there that needed to get out and people that needed to get in.”

Moore said Ōpōtiki town was lucky to dodge the severe weather that ripped across the North Island last week, but the damage on the outskirts – especially on the highways – had been significant.

“It’s caused a lot of damage in the Waioweka Gorge, which is our main arterial route, transport route – lifeline for Gisborne.

“[It’s] one of three roads to Gisborne, and all three roads are out now.”

SH35 from Ōpōtiki to Gisborne around the East Coast is closed in sections following torrential rain on 21 January, and SH38 which links the regions via Lake Waikaremoana is also shut.

“There’s a massive monetary cost, but that’s nothing compared to the tragedies that are playing out, the devastation to homes and the community on the SH35.

“The alternative route to Gisborne now is through SH5 – it’s a beautiful drive but it’s a very long drive and will add a lot of time and expense.”

Moore said when the Waioweka Gorge shut on 16 January, the alternative around SH35 added about five hours travel time between Ōpōtiki and Gisborne.

He said trucks took SH5 which added at least three hours to the travel time, joining the East Coast just north of Napier.

Moore anticipated it would be months until SH2 through the gorge returned to what it was, and said once that was done the focus should shift to the future.

“Whether we like it or not these weather events are happening more frequently. I was a beekeeper for 21 years so I do understand the weather.

“I know the Waioweka Gorge very well, so I’ve been in a weather event like that up there and it came out of nowhere.

“This is what’s happening so we have to make these roads as resilient as we can.”

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

A resident of east Christchurch says the council should be communicating better with locals about a putrid stench from the city’s sewage treatment plant.

Offensive odours have plagued Bromley and neighbouring suburbs since a fire at the plant in 2021 but some neighbours believe the pong has become worse than ever in recent days.

The fire badly damaged the plant’s two trickling filters, affecting the quality of effluent flowing into the system.

The stench left people battling nausea, worsening asthma, sleepless nights and deteriorating mental health for months.

Christchurch City Council said recent heavy rain had affected the health of oxidation ponds and the stench could last for at least another week.

Woolston local and community advocate Rebecca Robin told Morning Report the smell was terrible.

“We’ve had to shut all of our windows and pretty much stay inside. For the people who live right next to the wastewater treatment plant, this is what it smells like for them all the time,” she said.

Work had started on a new $140 million sludge plant, with construction expected to take about three years.

“There’s going to be three more years. [The council] could potentially communicate with people more, not just by Facebook, and give the residents some more authority over what’s going on, let them be involved,” Robin said.

The smell could be dependent on the way the wind blew, she said.

“It’s been really bad since the fire. It’s definitely a toxic smell and it should’ve been prioritised a lot faster than what it has been,” she said.

Environment Canterbury said since Monday, it had received 530 odour reports from east Christchurch suburbs, which were likely related to the plant.

The regional council said it was working with Christchurch City Council on odour mitigation measures.

Christchurch City Council head of three waters Gavin Hutchison said the council expected higher-than-normal odour levels to continue for at least another week.

“The recent period of heavy rain has significantly affected the health of several oxidation ponds. Monitoring from this week showed a drop in dissolved oxygen levels across the system. These low-oxygen conditions create an environment where odour is much more likely to be released,” he said.

“This is different from what we’ve seen in the past. During previous wet-weather events, the additional rainfall has generally supported pond recovery, improving overall pond health and preventing odour issues. However, this time the ponds have not responded in the same way. Our staff are continuing to collect and analyse data to understand why these conditions have developed on this occasion.

“We’ve also seen increased loading to the ponds, which also put more pressure on the ponds, increasing the likelihood of odour.”

Hutchison said staff were trying to minimise the odour by using all available tools to improve the ponds’ water quality.

“We know odour impacts are disruptive and we want to reassure our community that reducing them is a priority for us,” 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