Category: Public Media

Source: Radio New Zealand

Warning: This story discusses sexual abuse, which some may find disturbing.

Jevon McSkimming’s sentencing on Wednesday should serve as a wake-up call to how common sex abuse images have become – and to help perpetrators stop accessing them, according to a child protection charity.

The ex-deputy police commissioner pleaded guilty last month to possessing objectionable publications, including child sexual exploitation and bestiality.

Seventeen other police staff had been under investigation in relation to “misuse and inappropriate content” as a result of a subsequent audit. Among six stood down was an experienced detective who allegedly also possessed objectionable material.

The cases have brought home to people how prevalent accessing extreme content is “at every level”, said ECPAT Child Alert national director Eleanor Parkes.

“People are surprised when they hear about this happening – and it is completely outrageous and horrific, but it is not a surprise to us. And if there’s one, there’s more. We really need to step up our efforts around the prevention space and not be waiting until someone is found out for the types of content that they’re searching for online, which are deeply harmful to children.”

Some perpetrators realise they need help to stop them getting into more serious images or offending, she said.

“If we’re waiting until someone has fed that need and that desire and they’re well down the line of the extreme types of content that they’re seeking – that is much more difficult to help those people.

“We need to be making sure people who are starting to become concerned about their sexual preferences can get support in the early days. There is strong evidence that some of the programmes that we have in New Zealand for people to seek support in those early days are effective.

“And I can completely understand why members of the public take a more black and white approach and just say ‘harsher sentencing’. But that really isn’t what is going to be keeping our children safe.”

She stressed that the content is not pornography, but demand-fuelled sexual abuse of children. “The people who are accessing these images and these videos are doing real harm. They shouldn’t think of the perpetrators as being elsewhere. They are perpetrating this harm.”

McSkimming told a colleague that over the years he had needed different types of imagery to “make him feel anything, and it just kept escalating”.

Of the sessions police analysed, 880 objectionable images included 812 of adult bestiality and 68 of child sexual exploitation material. The remaining 2065 photos and videos showed bestiality (63 percent) and child sexual exploitation (37 percent). His searches included AI material, and computer-generated images.

As well as being deputy commissioner, McSkimming was appointed chief security officer for Police in March 2021. His membership of the Security and Privacy Reference Group gave him knowledge of information security controls applied to internet use.

McSkimming pleaded guilty to three representative charges of possessing objectionable publications, and would be sentenced at Wellington District Court on Wednesday.

Help for perpetrators

Online pictures and videos accessible worldwide depict the sexual abuse of more than 300 million children a year, according to university researchers.

Last week, Australian police revealed what they claim is an international ‘satanic’ child sex abuse material ring operating in suburban Sydney.

“One of the ongoing challenges in this area is that many people who experience concerning sexual thoughts or behaviours simply don’t know that specialist support services exist, or that these services can be effective,” said ECPAT’s Parkes.

“People in this situation often feel alone, ashamed, and unsure where to turn. Because the experience is highly secretive and stigmatised, secrecy itself can become a barrier that prevents early intervention. Even when someone does know that help is available, taking the first step can feel extremely difficult. People can worry about repercussions, especially if they have viewed harmful material.”

Worrying that family or partners would find out and fear of their reactions – being judged or rejected – was a significant emotional hurdle, she said, as well as concerns about legal consequences.

Specialist organisations such as WellStop, STOP, and SafeNetwork provide early intervention and treatment for concerning or harmful sexual behaviour.

“They work on preventing sexual harm before it occurs and providing early support for children, young people, and adults through specialist pathways, combining therapy, risk management, education, and when appropriate support for the wider whānau or community around the person,” she said.

“Referrals for children and young people often come through family members, schools, or community professionals, and the support extends beyond the individual to include the people in their lives who may need guidance and reassurance. These services can be very effective.”

People who completed specialist programmes had considerably lower reoffending rates than those who did not. “The services don’t work perfectly for every individual, but the overall evidence is clear that they significantly reduce sexual harm, especially when accessed early and when properly resourced.

“Demand for early intervention and specialist treatment is growing, and sustainable funding is essential if we want these services to remain accessible, visible, and properly supported.”

Where to get help:

• Need to Talk? Free call or text 1737 any time to speak to a trained counsellor, for any reason.
• Lifeline: 0800 543 354 or text HELP to 4357.
• Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 / 0508 TAUTOKO. This is a service for people who may be thinking about suicide, or those who are concerned about family or friends.
• Depression Helpline: 0800 111 757 or text 4202.
• Samaritans: 0800 726 666.
• Youthline: 0800 376 633 or text 234 or email talk@youthline.co.nz.
• What’s Up: 0800 WHATSUP / 0800 9428 787. This is free counselling for 5 to 19-year-olds.
• Asian Family Services: 0800 862 342 or text 832. Languages spoken: Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese, Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi, and English.
• Rural Support Trust Helpline: 0800 787 254.
• Healthline: 0800 611 116.
• Rainbow Youth: (09) 376 4155.
• OUTLine: 0800 688 5463.

Sexual Violence

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

WorkSafe has filed a charge in relation to the death of a Chinese worker who fell from a scissor lift during work last December.

The worker came to New Zealand on a visa to work for an Auckland aluminium company.

The worker fell from a scissor lift while working at the company’s North Shore warehouse last year and passed away in hospital a few days later.

A spokesperson from WorkSafe said the department has filed a charge under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 following an extensive investigation.

The department didn’t identify the charged party as the matter is now pending a first hearing in the North Shore District Court.

It said that a person conducting a business or undertaking had a duty to ensure the health and safety of workers who worked for them so far as was reasonably practicable.

However, in this case, the person conducting a business or undertaking failed to comply with that duty while the worker was “loading aluminium beams into racking above 2 metres”, and “that failure exposed workers to a risk of serious injury or death”.

“Falls from height remain one of the most unforgiving risks in the manufacturing industry,” said Brad Duggan, WorkSafe’s regional manager.

“This case is a stark reminder that working at height demands disciplined planning, the right equipment and controls that are followed on the ground.

“When those basics slip, the consequences can be catastrophic. It’s vital that businesses step up and make sure their people are protected before any work at height begins.”

The worker’s wife said a weight had been lifted off her mind upon receiving the WorkSafe update.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The classic summer festival is the latest loser in the cost of living crisis, with another iconic event announcing its downfall today.

Splore is part of a growing list of struggling festivals, with big names like WOMAD and One Love also on pause.

But with many young people still crying out for a summer experience, some smaller events are hoping they can pick up punters let down by the big festivals.

Splore organiser John Minty announced today that 2026 would be the last year for the festival, which kicked off in 1998.

Minty told Morning Report that shutting down for good was the last thing he wanted.

“We took a year off last year hoping things would pick up but ticket sales haven’t been tracking where we need them to be to feel confident that it’s financially sustainable going into the future.”

With the cost of living biting down hard, a number of people Checkpoint spoke to said they were cutting costs back where they could, and festivals were one of the items getting the chop.

“I want to go to all of them obviously, but you do have to pick and choose, things like Electric Avenue I didn’t go last year, I’m not going this year but everyone I know is going and it’s so expensive,” said one festivalgoer.

Despite wanting to go, others told Checkpoint they were missing out events like Laneway, Rhythm and Vines and Soundsplash due to the costs.

Other festivals to put a pause on things over the past couple of years include One Love and Bay Dreams.

Long-running Taranaki festival WOMAD is also taking 2026 off after a tough few years.

Organiser Suzanne Porter said while it was a hard decision, low ticket sales meant it was the best option.

“We came out of post covid with our costs will have increased by over 30 percent, freight, artists, and at the same time you’ve got a cost of living crisis so you’re trying to keep your ticket price, we didn’t put our ticket price up at all for those three festivals, so it’s just a perfect storm really.”

While she hoped for a successful comeback in 2027, the future remained uncertain.

“We are hopeful that things will improve, we have seen interest rates come down so hopefully people discretionary income has improved slightly.”

Despite all the festival flops, the young people Checkpoint spoke to all agreed that it was worth scraping the money together to ensure they could enjoy at least one festival each summer.

“I think it’s for the experience really, festivals are a fun time and a time to meet like-minded people, and why wouldn’t you want to see your favourite artist even if it is really pricey.

“It’s just something I don’t want to compromise on, it’s the highlight of summer.”

While many big names are struggling to survive, others continue to thrive despite Challenging times.

Christchurch’s Electric Avenue is going stronger than ever after expanding from one day to two last year.

Organiser Callam Mitchell told Checkpoint tickets for the 2026 festival sold out in minutes, and with the demand they could have sold another 50,000.

Mitchell said the festival has doubled in size over the past five years, while ticket prices went up an average of 14 percent from 2025 to 2026.

“Ultimately people still want to do things even during this economic climate, we’ve worked have to make sure we’re at the top of peoples list.”

As the big names pull out, some smaller festival organisers have also remained optimistic, hoping to be a new option for punters left in the lurch.

Along with their mates Finn Geraets and Michael Coutts, Scott Mueller and Rob Newey took a leap and started up Matakanarama last year.

Mueller said what was originally a private Facebook event went from strength to strength, and the three-day New Year’s festival has now upscaled its capacity from 350 to 1500 this year.

“With that comes increases in essentially everything, obviously the budget is considerably higher, but with that come much more impressive artists and much more scope to do these cool little creative things.”

The friends said that being the same age as their audience has helped them figure out how much people are willing to splash out on a summer experience.

“It’s such a tricky thing to have faith that we’re making the right decisions because what sort of feedback you take on, it’s all sort of anecdotal through people we know, I guess one of the fortunate pieces we have being the age we are knowing the crowd that we’re trying to appeal to, we have a complete 100 percent direct understanding of the financial situation of a lot of people.

“In terms of our ticket price, we always wanted to make it competitive compared to our direct and not so direct competitors, and for a three day ticket we’re actually undercutting our competitors quite effectively.”

Despite big competition and uncertain times, the boys were confident they could continue to upscale and create a community that wanted to keep coming back.

“I just hope we’ve built a robust enough system that will allow us to survive through these years and if we can make it through these tougher years then we’ve proved to ourselves that we have a pretty good framework for the better years to come.”

While big festivals going down is daunting, the team believed their small size had helped them out.

“There are definitely nerves, it’s more of a quiet voice in the back of your head than it is this north star, but I think when you look at a lot of the festivals that are struggling at the moment they’re a lot of the huge operations with massive fixed costs and we’ve designed our festival from the ground up to be pretty flexible and scalable.

“Thankfully, because we are in such a relatively early stage of operation we’re not at a point where we’re relying on these massive ticket sales to actually even break even.”

Mueller and Newey said they are confident they can continue to thrive in future years, but at the moment are focused on getting through the next 13 days before the party kicks off.

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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 lobbyist who used to work for Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown is now a critic of the city’s 7.9 percent rates rise.

Josh Van Veen was Brown’s deputy chief of staff just two months ago, but is now publicly criticising his former boss over the proposed rise in rates.

Auckland Councillors approved the mayor’s draft 2026/2027 annual budget – which included a 7.9 percent average residential rates increase – on Monday.

Mayor Brown said the increase was higher than ideal, but the new City Rail Link, set to cost roughly $235 million to run each year, was the primary driver.

Van Veen left his post at the mayor’s office after the October local body elections and is now a spokesperson for lobby group Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance.

The group released a statement today, demanding that the mayor put a specific number on how much of the rates increase was to cover the new rail network.

“I don’t think that he has intentionally misled anyone about the rates increase, but I think that there are questions to be asked about the numbers,” Van Veen told RNZ.

The mayor has previously butted heads with the ratepayers group.

In an email in October, he told the group to “F off” after they asked him to sign a pledge to keep rates down.

Van Veen said his departure from the mayor’s office was not because of any personal issues with the mayor.

“There’s no bad blood. I think the mayor has a very hard job, and he is just one vote around the council table.

“I wear my heart on my sleeve in terms of my politics. I previously worked for the Ratepayers’ Alliance, and now I’m back. For me, it’s all about the policy, not the personalities.”

But he believed the mayor could cut spending more and advised him to ask the hard questions.

“Certainly, a lot of savings were found in the last council term. But the Ratepayers’ Alliance would argue the mayor could have gone a lot further.

“My advice is don’t take at face value any of the advice you receive from council officers. Ask the hard questions, be sceptical, be thorough.”

He said some Auckland councillors had requested that a breakdown justifying the rates increase be available for when the public was consulted on the budget in early 2026.

At the Auckland Town Hall, where councillors met on Tuesday, Brown told RNZ the proposed rates increase was in line with the council’s 2024 to 2034 Long-Term Plan.

He said council staff had worked hard to stay within budget.

“Read the papers, the annual plan has everything in it. You can find out what the cost of a park in Howick is.

“If people are too lazy to get the information, it’s not my job to take them word by word through the process.”

The mayor said the recession, infrastructure costs and rebuilding after flooding had all been costly for the city.

He only had one thing to say to Van Veen’s claim that he had not gone hard enough when it came to cutting council spending.

“He had his opportunity last term.”

The mayor was whisked away before he could answer questions about why Van Veen was no longer in his circle. His advisor said that it was an employment matter.

“It’s nothing. The contract ended,” said Brown.

The mayor’s budget would be open for public consultation from 27 February to 29 March.

Auckland Council has been asked what the dollar amount of the average rates increase proposed would be, but was unable to provide the information immediately.

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