Category: Public Media

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Dame Prue Leith is leaving The Great British Bake Off

Source: Radio New Zealand

Dame Prue Leith is set to leave The Great British Bake Off after nearly a decade as a judge on the show.

The 86-year-old, who replaced Dame Mary Berry in 2017, said in a social media post that “now feels like the right time to step back”, describing the show as “a fabulous part of my life for the last nine years”.

“I have genuinely loved it and I’m sure I’ll miss working with my fellow judge Paul, Alison and Noel, and the teams at Love Productions and Channel 4,” she wrote.

Dame Prue also stepped down from Celebrity Bake Off in 2024.

Tributes followed from her co-stars. Noel Fielding called her “an actual national treasure”, praising her energy, humour and “colourful fabulousness”, while Alison Hammond said she would miss her. Paul Hollywood shared photos of the pair together, writing: “You’re the best, Prue!”

Former contestants also posted messages of thanks in the comments.

In a statement, Love Productions thanked Dame Prue for her “much-loved presence”, highlighting her expertise, encouragement of bakers and “innocent innuendos” that often reduced the tent to laughter.

Channel 4’s chief content officer Ian Katz said she had left “an indelible mark on the show and all its bakers”.

“We will miss her wry, gentle judgement but look forward to working with her on new projects.”

A replacement judge has not yet been announced. Dame Prue said she was looking forward to enjoying her summers.

“Whoever joins the team, I’m sure they’ll love it as much as I have. I feel very lucky to have been part of it.”

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Mauao campground landslide: Several people missing after slip in Mount Maunganui

Source: Radio New Zealand

Several people are unaccounted for following a slip near a campsite in Mount Maunganui. Shirley Thomas

Several people are missing after a landslide came down on several structures at campground at the base of Mauao, Mount Maunganui.

There are sniffer dogs at the scene as emergency services try to find anyone trapped in the slip at the Beachside Holiday Park,

The slip came down around 9.30am, hitting campervans, cars, tents and a toilet and shower blocked.

A witness, Nix Jaques, was about to walk up the mountain when she heard an incredibly loud noise.

“I turned around and I could see the land coming down onto some structures,” she said

“There were some vehicles that were moved. It came down on an ablutions block – I believe there were some people in the showers – and it shifted a campervan, there was a family with a campervan.”

She spoke to a couple missing a child and tried to help in the early stages but said emergency services arrived quite quickly afterwards.

St John declared a major incident and there police, firefighters and ambulance workers at the scene.

Fire and Emergency’s shift manager Paul Radden said 40 firefighters, including urban search and rescue team, were responding.

The slip was in the south-eastern corner of the holiday park.

The Mount Maunganui Surf Life Saving Club was being used as a triage centre and evacuation point.

The rest of the campsite has been evacuated.

Bay of Plenty MP Tom Rutherford confirmed there were people unaccounted for.

He asked members of the public to keep those impacted in their thoughts – and not to come to the area to allow clear access for rescuers.

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‘Warzone’:East Coast flooding damage comes to light

Source: Radio New Zealand

Te Araroa on the East Coast. Supplied

Pictures have emerged of damage in Te Araroa on the East Coast.

The Emergency Minister Mark Mitchell told RNZ the area was “like a warzone”, and a group of seven were rescued from a roof in Hick’s Bay.

It remained cut off by road, with State Highway 35 is closed from Tolaga Bay to Opotiki. Okitu to Tolaga Bay has been reopened, but people are being warned to avoid any unnecessary travel.

Images from Punaruku show washed out roads, houses inundated with woody debris and brown flood water, and cars and fences buried half a metre or more in mud.

There are more than 300 homes on the East Coast without power. Supplied

Police said seven people trapped on a roof in Te Araroa were rescued by FENZ and were being evacuated by helicopter for medical assessment.

Maree Brownlie, who ran the Twilight Coffee Garden in Te Araroa, told RNZ it was a family nearby – including their small children – who were rescued after being up on their roof for hours.

There are more than 300 homes on the East Coast, including Wairoa, without power.

From the air

Meanwhile, RNZ reporter Kate Green took off from Whakatane Airport on Thursday morning to survey the damage from above.

River levels were high, and the water was brown, with some woody debris present, snaking through the land and occasionally overtopping the banks to flood farmland on either side.

Flyover whakatane to Ruatoria. RNZ/Kate Green

According to locals, in these parts, the damage wasn’t as bad as Cyclone Gabrielle.

But conditions meant it had not yet been possible to land in Te Araroa by midday on Thursday.

RNZ hopes to bring you news from the ground in Te Araroa on Thursday.

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Government’s finances in better than expected shape

Source: Radio New Zealand

Finance Minister Nicola Willis, RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

The government’s finances were better than expected nearly half way through the financial year as a fall in expenses offset a lower tax take.

Treasury figures, excluding ACC finances (OBEGALx), showed a deficit of $5.6 billion for the five months ended November, $1.1b lower than outlined in an updated forecast issued in the December half year update (HYEFU).

The deficit including the ACC finances (OBEGAL) was $1.05b lower than forecast at $5.9b.

Treasury said all the main financial indicators were better than forecast.

The core tax take was $200m lower at $49.1b, with company tax about $300m lower, and GST down $200m, which was partly offset by a rise in other individuals’ tax revenue.

State owned enterprises and other crown entities earned more, and strong financial markets boosted the value of the NZ Superannuation Fund and other assets.

Crown spending was more than $1.1b lower than forecast at $59.8b, driven by reduced spending on core government services, health, and a fall in the cost of carbon credits.

However, Treasury said some of the reduced spending was likely to be because of the timing of programmes and might be reversed later in the financial year.

Net debt was $900m lower than expected at $183.1b, about 41.6 percent of the value of the economy.

The December HYEFU forecast an OBEGALx deficit of $13.8b for the year ended June 2026.

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Floods, power cuts, land slips: What is happening in your region

Source: Radio New Zealand

Flooding in Papamoa where a landslide left one person seriously injured and two people are unaccounted for. RNZ/Alan Gibson

There are now no MetService rain warnings in place in the North Island, but people are unaccounted for after a landslide at a Mt Maunganui campsite, the search continues for a man swept away in floodwaters in Auckland and two people are still missing after a landslide in Bay of Plenty.

The National Emergency Management Agency said the number of households estimated to be without electricity had halved from around 16,000 overnight down to about 8400 at 9.20am.

The majority of outages are in the eastern Waikato, and significant pockets in Northland, Coromandel, Bay of Plenty, and Tairāwhiti.

Restoration efforts continue with road access a limiting factor on the Coromandel Peninsula.

State Highway 2 remains closed near Paeroa in the Hauraki District and SH25 is shut in multiple places cutting off Whitianga.

MetService said the tropical low had moved away to the east but some weather warnings and watches still remain in place for the South Island, but rain would ease on Thursday.

Bay of Plenty

A large slip has come down on campervans and a shower block at the campground at Mount Maunganui in Tauranga just after 9.30am on Thursday.

Police said several people were unaccounted for and the campsite at Adams Avenue had been evacuated.

Adams Avenue is closed while emergency services work to locate anyone in the area, police said.

Bay of Plenty MP Tom Rutherford posted on social media that caravans, the toilet block, cars and tents had been affected.

At 10am on Thursday a rescue helicopter and police were at the slip.

Mount Maunganui is fully closed to the public until further notice due to large slips that have made the area unsafe.

In addition to the closure of Mauao, NZTA has also closed the State Highway 2 Eastern Link due to surface flooding.

A landslide at Welcome Bay in Papamoa has left one person with serious injuries, while two people are still unaccounted for.

Emergency Minister Mark Mitchell said a rescue and recovery operation for the missing pair was ongoing.

At 3.50am on Thursday, Defence Force personnel were brought in to rescue several people who were stuck in a car that was trapped in fast flowing water on Waitao Road in Western Bay of Plenty.

Auckland District

Police are continuing to search for a man who went missing after being swept away in flood waters at Mahurangi River, near Warkworth in Auckland.

A police-led operation ran through most of Wednesday after an emergency call was made when he went missing from Falls Road at around 7.41am.

Police said the man in his 40s from the wider Mahurangi community.

Police Search and Rescue are expected to redeploy to the area once water levels have subsided and it is safe to continue searching.

Early on Thursday morning, Auckland Emergency Management said it had received 94 calls since midday Wednesday from people experiencing stormwater and flooding issues, but said the rainfall had not been as severe as in Northland and Coromandel.

Coromandel

On Thursday morning, around 2000 people were without power in Coromandel, but access for crews to assess and repair was limited.

Coromandel Peninsula Civil Defence Emergency Controller Brian Carter said SH25 from Whitianga to Coroglen was open.

However, he urged people not to travel unless they absolutely had to.

Carter said there had been significant damage from slips on both the state highway and council networks.

SH25A is still closed, which has left Tairua isolated because of slips.

He said they would be trying to reopen the road on Thursday afternoon.

Carter said there were no known injuries yet, and he hoped it would stay that way.

Northland

Two dozen homes in Ōakura, in Northland, were evacuated on Wednesday because of the threats from landslides.

Ngātiwai Trust Board chief executive Simon Mitchell told Morning Report some of the landslides got worse overnight, and at least a dozen properties had been flooded.

A number of people were housed at local marae, he said.

NZTA says all Northland highways had reopened on Thursday morning after last night’s heavy rain with the exception of State Highway 10 at Kāeo.

The alternative route is State Highway 1 via Kaitāia.

East Coast

Tairāwhiti Civil Defence said evacuations had been underway up the coast.

Hicks Bay was flooded and the nearby bay of Onepoto was cut off, it said. A slip on the hill above Hicks Bay is pushing water through the motel, with clients moved into the restaurant for safety.

There have been pre-emptive evacuations from some streets in Tokomaru Bay, with two rescued from a Harris Street and taken to the House of Breakthrough Welfare Centre.

There are also power outages on East Cape Road.

Meanwhile, seven people were rescued by helicopter from roofs due to flooding in Te Araroa on the East Cape.

Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell said in the recovery phase, they would identify if there needs to be government support.

“It’s been a very big event for us as a country, really hitting almost our entire eastern seaboard of the North Island. The good news is that everyone responded really quickly, and there was time to get prepared. That helps to mitigate and create a very strong response,” Mitchell said.

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Weather live: Several people missing as slip hits Mt Maunganui holiday park

Source: Radio New Zealand

Follow the RNZ liveblog above.

A person is seriously hurt and two others are unaccounted for after a landslide in Welcome Bay in Papamoa.

Meanwhile, Police say helicopters are being deployed to assist people trapped on roofs due to flooding in Te Araroa on the East Cape.

About 10,000 people were without power on Thursday morning, mostly in the Bay of Plenty, after a night of heavy rain.

Follow the RNZ liveblog at the top of the page for the latest updates.

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Traveller hikes three days with abandoned kitten on Te Araroa trail

Source: Radio New Zealand

A Te Araroa hiker from the UK carried an abandoned kitten through rugged backcountry for nearly three days to get it to safety.

Katie Evans, a cat owner from Cheltenham, had been on the trail since early November when the black kitten appeared in front of her near Lake Sumner earlier this week.

“One kilometre past there in this deep wooded area … this black kitten just popped up and I was like, ‘well, that’s unusual’,” she says.

Lady Bluff, now known as Bluffy, was found near Lake Sumner earlier this week by UK hiker Katie Evans.

Supplied / Katie Evans

The kitten — which she named Lady Bluff — hid among logs and roots, watching Evans cautiously.

She says she was aware of how dearly New Zealanders held wildlife and how roaming cats were considered a threat to the biodiversity in these parts, but, being an animal lover, Evans knew she couldn’t leave it behind.

“I kind of waited about 40 minutes, didn’t seem to be any mum around. It seemed quite nervous.”

After several failed attempts and trekking through logs, Evans finally managed to scoop the hissing kitten up in a towel. Carrying it one-handed, she clambered over fallen trees and navigated a swinging bridge over the Hurunui River to reach the nearest hut, 6km away.

Lady Bluff, now known as Bluffy, was found near Lake Sumner earlier this week by UK hiker Katie Evans.

Supplied / Katie Evans

There, fellow hikers helped her feed the kitten milk powder and dried yoghurt.

The next day, Evans fashioned a better hiking solution for her new travelling companion. The kitten was curled up inside her trusty shoulder bag, and secured with her hoodie to keep it snuggled close.

Keeping a close eye on her friend, Evans hiked over rough terrain for two more days – walking 25km each day.

“The cat mainly slept in there. When it woke up, I just kind of tried to feed it some dry powder milk.”

At the huts, she learned through the logging records that another hiker had previously spotted the kitten but couldn’t catch it.

Lady Bluff, now known as Bluffy, was found near Lake Sumner earlier this week by UK hiker Katie Evans.

Supplied / Katie Evans

After reaching Arthur’s Pass, Evans shared the story in a Te Araroa WhatsApp group, prompting multiple offers to adopt the kitten. Evans says she was cautious at first, wanting to make sure an animal shelter could get it treated and vaxxed.

She eventually met a Christchurch resident who told her they were experienced with stray kittens and already had a vet appointment booked, just in case she agreed.

During that meeting on Wednesday, she learned the kitten was already weaned because of the changes in its eye colour.

“I thought it wasn’t weaned because it wouldn’t take any of my trashy hiker food,” she says, adding that it gobbled down her scrambled eggs at an Arthur’s Pass café.

“[The Christchurch resident] was like besotted … they were like, we’ve actually already got the vets booked, just in case. So I felt confident that they were like they were quite knowledgeable about kittens.”

The kitten — now renamed Bluffy — was given a clean bill of health, though slightly underweight.

Evans is taking shelter from the rain for a few days before continuing her journey south, grateful that her unexpected trail companion is now safe.

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Business owner claims he lost money after Facebook and Instagram accounts banned

Source: Radio New Zealand

* Correction: This story has been updated since publication to clarify ownership and impact to the businesses.

A Wellington man says his business lost money after its Instagram and Facebook accounts were banned. 

Alex Hoang owns the Velvet Nail Room, and is general manager for Pho Viet Street Food.

On 14 January he was notified that the Instagram and Facebook accounts were locked due to sexual content on his page which he completely rejected.

Hoang immediately appealed which resulted in Meta services saying he was permanently banned.

He told RNZ after he was not getting anywhere with the normal process of escalating these issues, he contacted an email address that was not public after seeing an influencer use it who had similar problems.

Following that the ban was reversed on Saturday.

Hoang said his businesses relied social media a lot.

“Social media is really important for those businesses as it is a channel for us to communicate with customers.”

He said it had cost his nail business money.

“A lot of customers very luckily they contacted me, they thought something was wrong with me [or] something was wrong with the business, which is really, really frustrating.”

Hoang was concerned he’d have to wait months for the issue to be resolved and noted he also contacted a Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment mailbox that was set up for people in similar situations.

Small Business and Manufacturing Minister Chris Penk told RNZ around 100 requests had been received through the dedicated inbox since the beginning of October.

“The consistent concern raised by these businesses is the disruption caused by losing access to their accounts. For many small businesses, social media platforms are a primary channel for communicating with customers and promoting their products and services.”

Penk said MBIE continued to engage constructively with Meta and was passing on emails received directly for the company to review in cases where small businesses alleged their accounts may have been incorrectly suspended.

A Meta spokesperson told RNZ it took action on accounts that violated their policies, and people could appeal to the social media company if they thought it made a mistake.

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Two people missing after major slip blocks road in Tauranga

Source: Radio New Zealand

Welcome Bay Road closed after a slip. Justine Murray

Cars are being turned away on Welcome Bay Road in Tauranga where two people are still unaccounted for after a major slip.

RNZ producer Justine Murray said about eight cars were in front of her with a sign saying the road was closed.

“It’s a no-go zone for cars,” she said.

“[The slip] was about a kilometre away.”

Murray said the area was winding and hilly, with the worst of the slip unable to be seen from the cordon.

Elsewhere, residents were going about their business and the sun had come out.

“You would not think a major slip has happened, the sun’s come out at the moment and people are going about their normal day,” she said.

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Confidence returning to property market, REINZ says

Source: Radio New Zealand

Composite

Christmas brought an early end to activity in the housing market for the year, but confidence is continuing to build, the Real Estate Institute says.

It has released its data for December, which shows the national median price was up 1.4 percent year-on-year to $786,977. Month-on-month it was down 1.6 percent.

Excluding Auckland, the national median price was up 2.1 percent for the year and Auckland was down 1.7 percent in the month.

The national days to sell measure was down two days to 39.

The number of sales was up 8.1 percent nationally year-on-year but down 12.2 percent for the month.

Auckland was down 19.1 percent for the month. Seasonally adjusted, the national decline was 2 percent.

“This time of year, from November through February, can make it difficult to separate normal seasonal changes from genuine market shifts,” Real Estate Institute chief executive Lizzy Ryley said.

“While raw sales counts usually fall from November to December, after adjusting for seasonal trends, it’s clear that the market is holding up.”

There was a lot of other regional variation too.

Gisborne’s median price was up almost 25 percent year-on-year to $730,000. Hawke’s Bay’s was down 6.2 percent to $680,000. A new territorial-authority record was set in Opotiki and Gisborne Districts, recording $765,000 and $730,000 respectively, the highest since early 2022.

Ryley said Canterbury had been a standout. Prices there were up 3.6 percent, and sales up 10 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis, compared to a year earlier.

“Christchurch has rebounded as a city. It’s vibrant, it’s rebuilt and that provides employment, which then provides people with the opportunity to perhaps get more bang for their buck in their properties,” Ryley said.

“As soon as inventory goes down a bit and days to sell go down a bit, then you start to see the more affordable regions leading the house price growth as opposed to the centres that have already had their potential overheating.”

Nationally, there were 4900 new listings in December, up 2.8 percent year on year.

Southland had its lowest number of days to sell since March 2021.

“December is usually a quiet month for the housing market. However, compared to the same time last year, activity appeared stronger in several areas,” Ryley said.

“Attendance at open homes and enquiries around listings were above what was seen at this time last year, suggesting improved engagement despite the typical seasonal slowdown.”

She said first-home buyers and owner-occupiers were the dominant buyer groups in most areas and there were signs of steady and healthy growth in the whole market.

She said buyers were showing less fear of paying too much and, instead, there was more fear of missing out (FOMO).

“I think what you’re seeing with young people is that they’re going okay it’s safe for us to now buy, we’re buying a home, and they’re spreading the money they have to invest across different things than their parents did, which is actually healthy. We’re seeing things coming out from the government in their election run, talking about house prices and the stability in the property market being really critical. So I guess the economics are designed to support that. And that’s what seems to be happening.”

She said while Auckland and Wellington were the areas under the most pressure, they were still inching up.

“Lower interest rates have improved affordability and encouraged more buyers to re-enter the market, while pricing remains relatively accessible compared with previous peaks. At the same time, high levels of available stock mean buyers have plenty of choice, allowing them to take a more measured and confident approach when making decisions. Overall, 2025 closed with confidence continuing to build, setting a constructive foundation for the year ahead. Looking to 2026, the market is expected to see momentum gradually improve as conditions continue to stabilise.”

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