Category: Public Media

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Fletcher Building to sell construction arm to Vinci

Source: Radio New Zealand

Fletcher Building headquarters in Auckland. Fletcher Building

  • Fletcher Construction to be sold for $315.6m, potentially rising to $334.1m
  • Sale includes Higgins, Brian Perry Civil and Fletcher Construction Major Projects
  • The deal is subject to regulatory approvals.

Fletcher Building has reached a binding agreement to sell its construction division to major international firm Vinci Construction.

The initial sale price was $315.6 million, but could rise to just over $334m depending on the outcome of key contract negotiations.

The sale of Fletcher Construction Holdings included its New Zealand business units, Higgins, Brian Perry Civil and Fletcher Construction Major Projects.

“Over the past year, we have been clear that Fletcher Building’s future lies in being a focused building products manufacturer and distributor, supported by a strong balance sheet and disciplined capital allocation,” Fletcher Building chief executive Andrew Reding said.

“The sale of Fletcher Construction is a significant step forward in delivering that strategy, while continuing the work underway to simplify the portfolio, lower debt and improve shareholder returns,” he said.

Reding was confident the sale to Vinci would be the right transaction for shareholders, Fletcher Construction itself and the broader New Zealand construction industry.

“I believe Fletcher Construction will find a strong home with Vinci, whose strengths are well aligned with the business, and which has a proven track record of successfully delivering major infrastructure projects globally.”

The deal was subject to regulatory approvals, including from the Overseas Investment Office and the Commerce Commission.

Fletcher Building also expected to set aside $55-$65m for probable future claims relating to legacy construction contracts retained following the divestment.

However, it did not include any allowances for potential legal liability relating to the NZ International Convention Centre project.

The decision to sell Fletcher Construction followed a strategic review of the wider Fletcher Building business in 2025.

“Following our strategic review in 2025, we received strong inbound interest for the construction business,” Reding said.

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Springboks legend won’t hold grudge if Tony Brown chooses All Blacks

Source: Radio New Zealand

Tony Brown. photosport

Former South Africa captain Jean de Villiers says he will not hold a grudge should Tony Brown decide to exit the Springboks and return to New Zealand ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

Following Scott Robertson’s shock departure as All Blacks head coach last week, New Zealand Rugby are searching for his successor midway through a Rugby World Cup cycle.

Jamie Joseph has been touted as the favourite to take over and that has linked Brown to a position within the next All Blacks coaching group, despite being the Springboks’ assistant coach.

Speculation is rife that Brown and Joseph will once again combine ahead of the global tournament in Australia, with the pair long-time colleagues having coached together at the Highlanders and in Japan.

It would be a huge blow for the Springboks should that happen with Brown playing a significant role in their development since the 2023 World Cup triumph.

Brown is contracted to South Africa Rugby and has confirmed to The Post that he has no out-clause with the Springboks that would allow him to coach the All Blacks in the wake of Robertson’s sacking – and nor has he been tapped on the shoulder by NZR.

“I’m obviously contracted,” Brown told The Post. “I don’t have an out of my contract, so I’m back in South Africa [until the Rugby World Cup].”

It raises the prospect of NZR needing to pay a huge break-fee to SA Rugby if they want to pursue Brown.

De Villiers told the Boks Unpacked podcast the conundrum Brown faced is “an extremely difficult one”.

“It’s an interesting one. As a human being, I absolutely only have praise and respect for Tony Brown, I think he’s a fantastic guy,” de Villiers said.

Former Springboks captain Jean de Villiers. PHOTOSPORT

“I had the pleasure of playing one season with him at the Stormers and I’ve spent some time with him since he’s been back in his coaching role, and he is just a top person.

“You go in and you become a coach, and you want to be successful in that role as well. He’s been fantastically successful with the Springboks with what he’s added.

“If you can potentially be in the situation where he is closer to his family, it makes more sense for him in his personal capacity and for his family, and maybe financially etc. Can we hold it against him? I don’t think you can.

“But is he the kind of person who will just leave a project halfway through? I don’t think he will either, so it’s an extremely difficult one.”

On Monday, South Africa head coach Rassie Erasmus took to social media by posting a meme of Brown, captioned, ‘I’m not leaving’, but there will concern among Boks fans that he will want to go back to their historic rivals.

“Either way I think the right thing will happen. Throw in Rassie Erasmus’ name there and I’m pretty sure his contract with Tony Brown will have been watertight,” de Villiers said.

NZR is in the early stages of the recruitment process, with chair David Kirk saying last week they would “cast the net wide”.

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Italian fashion designer Valentino Garavani dies at 93

Source: Radio New Zealand

Italian fashion legend Valentino Garavani, whose elegant evening gowns were favoured for decades by some of the world’s most glamorous women, has died at 93, according to his foundation.

Born in the northern town of Voghera, Italy, in 1932, Valentino – who was popularly known by his first name – learned his trade in the haute couture ateliers in Paris before founding his own line in Rome in 1959.

Early on, he became known for his red dresses, in a rich scarlet shade that became his signature colour to the extent that it was known within the industry as “Valentino red”.

In 1960, he met his long-time business partner (and, for 12 years, romantic partner) Giancarlo Giammetti, then a young architecture student. Together, the pair turned Valentino SpA into an internationally recognised brand.

One of Valentino’s first famous customers was the actress Elizabeth Taylor, whom he met while she was filming Cleopatra in Rome in the early 1960s.

Other glamorous followers – and buyers – of Valentino’s work in the early years of his career included Begum Aga Khan, Queen Paola of Belgium, the actresses Audrey Hepburn and Joan Collins and Jacqueline Kennedy, who even wore a Valentino gown to wed Greek shipping giant Aristotle Onassis in 1968.

His popularity would continue as the decades progressed.

Valentino spent much of the 1970s in New York, surrounded by a wide circle of friends that included the artist Andy Warhol and Vogue editor Diana Vreeland. In the 1990s, he became a favourite of the decade’s supermodels, including Claudia Schiffer and Naomi Campbell.

His creations also featured regularly on the red carpet.

At the Oscars alone, noteworthy Valentino ensembles over the years have included the heavily-beaded gown Jane Fonda wore in 1981 when she accepted the Best Actor prize for her father, Henry; the vintage black-and-white gown Julia Roberts wore in 2001; the pastel mint caftan-style gown Jennifer Lopez wore in 2003 and the sunshine yellow gown Cate Blanchett wore in 2005. (Both Roberts and Blanchett won Oscars in those respective years.) At the 2002 Academy Awards, Anne Hathaway walked the red carpet in an ornate Valentino gown, accompanied by the designer himself.

In more recent years, Zendaya, Carey Mulligan and Gemma Chan have been among fashion plate Oscars attendees wearing the label to much acclaim.

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Prime Minister Christopher Luxon confirms h’es about to announce 2026 election date

Source: Radio New Zealand

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is expected to announce when this year’s election will be held tomorrow.

The first National Party caucus of the year gets underway on Tuesday afternoon in Christchurch, where Luxon is expected to announce the date of the election at the end of the retreat on Wednesday.

“It’s a chance to bring our team together and align on the year ahead,” Luxon told Morning Report on Tuesday.

While Luxon was tight-lipped over who was speaking at the event, he said he would be announcing the election date.

“I will announce the election date, and that’s just because that’s been a strong convention in New Zealand, I think it gives everybody clarity,” he said.

“Once announced, we get back to the job of getting on with the show and getting the country sorted.”

If announced at the National Party’s annual retreat, it would continue the tradition in recent years of setting a date at the start of the political year.

The decision of when to hold the election is up to the prime minister, who can pick any date at any time, as long as it’s called before the end of the current three-year parliamentary term.

The last possible legal date for this year’s election to be held is 19 December.

Several pundits are picking the election to be called for after the American mid-terms set for 3 November, which will be a key indicator for how US President Donald Trump’s remaining two years in office will fare.

Saturday, 7 November has been mentioned most frequently as a likely date.

Every general election for the past 30 years, since the introduction of MMP in 1996, has been sometime between September and November, except for one.

It comes after Luxon delivered his State of the Nation speech, hosted by the Auckland Business Chamber, on Monday.

There were also no policy announcements during the speech, though Luxon repeated National’s pledge to raise the default KiwiSaver contribution rate if re-elected.

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When will Election Day be, and how is it decided?

Source: Radio New Zealand

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is expected to announce the 2026 Election Day soon. RNZ / Marika Khabazi / Photo illustration / 123rf

Explainer – Only one person can decide when Election Day 2026 is. How is it picked, and when is it likely to be?

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is set to announce a date this week, continuing the tradition in recent years of setting a date at the start of the political year.

It’s the starting gun that fires off a year-long sprint to determine the next Parliament, but how does the PM make this decision? Here’s how it works.

Who decides when the election will be?

It’s all down to the prime minister’s call.

The Cabinet Manual which guides central government states that “the Prime Minister alone” has the right to advise the governor-general to dissolve Parliament and call a general election.

However, in the current National-led coalition government, Luxon would definitely be consulting partners New Zealand First leader Winston Peters and ACT leader David Seymour before announcing any date, said Massey University professor of politics Richard Shaw.

“The decision won’t be one that the leader of the National Party takes without having had extensive conversations with the leader of the two coalition parties,” he said.

“The prime minister will front this, but it will be an announcement on the part of the government.”

Luxon on Tuesday morning would not be drawn on the exacty date, but confirmed to RNZ he would be announcing the date this week.

“I will announce the election date, and that’s just because that’s been a strong convention in New Zealand.”

When are they required to make that call?

They can pick a date any time, but an election has to be called before the end of the current three-year parliamentary term.

The last possible legal date for this year’s election to be held is 19 December.

What can we expect? When could it be?

Several pundits are picking the election to be called for after the American mid-terms set for 3 November, which will be a key indicator for how US President Donald Trump’s remaining two years in office will fare.

Saturday, 7 November has been mentioned most frequently as a likely date.

“My money is on” that date, Victoria University of Wellington professor of law Dean Knight said.

Every general election for the past 30 years since the introduction of MMP in 1996 has been sometime between September and November except for one.

Christopher Luxon and family watch election returns on Election Night 2023. Supplied / National Party

How does a PM make that decision?

The date of an election is a symbolic beginning for the months of electioneering and campaigning ahead.

It’s not required that election days be on a Saturday, but that’s the longstanding convention which allows for greater turnout.

When choosing a date, prime ministers want to avoid things like public holiday weekends, major central bank decisions, the start of Daylight Savings Time or other major events. In 2011, Key made sure to pick a date after the Rugby World Cup final which was hosted in New Zealand.

“You narrow things down,” Shaw said. “It’s an art as much as a science.”

“There are very few rules for how all this happens. It’s largely vibes-based, really.”

Are elections always about the same time?

It’s pretty typical now for an election date to be named for Spring and to be announced early in the year.

While it’s not required, Knight said that at this point, the early call is quite bedded in.

“I have no doubt that the practice that the prime minister announce the election date well in advance, in the first or second month of an election year, has now crystallised into a constitutional convention.”

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced on 19 January the 2023 election would be on 14 October, and in 2020 she announced on 28 January an election for 19 September.

Jacinda Ardern celebrates on Election Day 2020. Getty Images

Back in 2017, Prime Minister Bill English announced on 1 February the vote would be 23 September, while in 2014, Prime Minister John Key didn’t announce until 10 March the 20 September election date. In 2011, Key announced the election on 2 February, and it wasn’t held until 26 November.

“The rhythm of parliamentary terms means a general election for a full-term Parliament usually falls in October/November; an announcement in January/February gives folk 9 or 10 months’ advance warning – unlike the old days when it was often only a couple of months’ advance notice,” Knight said.

Prime Minister Helen Clark tended to call elections later – not until June, July and September in 2002, 2005 and 2008, respectively. But that seems to have gone out of vogue.

“An early announcement, as seen in the last five elections, is no longer merely a good idea but is now obligatory and would be met with political heat if ignored,” Knight said.

“You generally get a reasonably early announcement for all kinds of reasons, some of which have to do with stability and predictability,” Shaw said.

Parliament typically runs for the entire three-year term, but there’s actually no law requiring the election to wait until the term ends. An election can be called even earlier – what is known as a “snap” election. Perhaps the most famous snap election was Robert Muldoon’s call in 1984 for a vote that was held one month later.

Robert Muldoon’s snap election in 1984 was one of the most surprising election calls of the past 50 years. Alexander Turnbull Library

The only election in recent years that came far earlier than expected was the one Helen Clark called in 2002 for 27 July. Clark called that election in mid-June, after Labour’s coalition with the Alliance party fell apart.

Once the election is called, it’ll still be some time before the regulated period for election advertising begins – it runs the three months before the election date. Before the election, Parliament must officially dissolve and on Writ Day, the governor-general will issue formal direction to the Electoral Commission to hold the election.

This year, the election will take place under changes in the new Electoral Amendment Bill that passed Parliament just before Christmas. Among other things, it requires people to enrol at least 13 days before the election and ends same-day voter enrolment. The government said the bill would improve the timeliness, efficiency and integrity of elections, but the opposition said it would suppress voting.

Do other countries decide election dates like this?

It’s fairly common in many parliamentary democracies, unlike places like America where the date of Election Day is always the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November (typically, around 2 to 8 November).

Australia, the UK and Canada all have similar processes where the PM must call an election before their term ends, or earlier if they want a snap election – sometimes to confirm a new leader’s power base.

Last year, when long-standing Canadian PM Justin Trudeau stepped down, his replacement Mark Carney called a snap election for the very next month, which he easily won. Japan’s new prime minister Sanae Takaichi, who just took office in October, has also called for a snap election as soon as February.

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Price of meth at new low, cocaine demand growing according to Drug Trends Survey

Source: Radio New Zealand

Methamphetamine seized at the border in March 2025. Supplied / Customs

The price of methamphetamine is the lowest it has ever been in New Zealand according to new research.

The average price of a point, or 100 milligrams – a standard dose, is now $74.

The price of a gram halved within eight years – from $563 in 2017 to $334 in 2025 – or $253 when adjusted for inflation.

The Drug Trends Survey found that consumption had also doubled within a year.

More than 8800 people took part in the latest survey, conducted by Massey University’s SHORE and Whāriki Research Centre between 9 May and 6 October 2025.

Leader of the drug research team Professor Chris Wilkins said the increase in the use of methamphetamine was a concern.

He said methamphetamine used to only come from Myanmar, but Mexican drug cartels were increasingly identified as trafficking the drug to New Zealand.

Researchers also found there were more people using cocaine in New Zealand than ever before.

Wilkins said it was an emerging drug, as the use remained low compared to methamphetamine.

More than 40 percent of users said the drug was easy to obtain, compared to less than 20 percent in 2018.

The price remained high, although the average cost was unknown, and was disproportionately used by those with a higher income.

Wilkins believed the increase was also linked to Mexican drug cartels.

Vaping had declined recently the survey found. 123RF

It also found a decline in the use of alcohol, as well as smoking and vaping.

“We tracked a sharp rise in vaping from 2020 to 2024, but more recently this has declined, perhaps reflecting stricter regulation of retail vape outlets and greater social controls, particularly for youth,” Wilkins said.

Wikins said there was also a decline in the use of MDMA and LSD, which was a surprise, as there was a growing interest in these drugs for therapeutic use.

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Person critically hurt after assault in Taranaki

Source: Radio New Zealand

Police were called to Ihaia Road in Ōpunake at around 10.15pm on Monday. RNZ / Marika Khabazi

A person has been critically injured in an assault in Taranaki overnight.

Police were called to Ihaia Road in Ōpunake at around 10.15pm on Monday after reports a person had been seriously assaulted.

The person was taken to hospital in a critical condition.

Police said cordons are in place and Ihaia Road is closed as officers work to determine the circumstances of the assault.

Ihaia Road is expected to remain closed for several hours. Members of the public are advised to avoid the area.

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Health survey shows attitudes to sun protection, skin cancer slipping

Source: Radio New Zealand

The slogan ‘Slip, slop, slap and wrap’ seems to have been forgotten. 123RF / Sosiukin

Public health researchers say more than a decade of underinvestment in skin cancer prevention has resulted in a “lost generation” largely unaware of the risks of sunburn, and ignorant of the once-popular slogan ‘Slip, slop, slap and wrap’.

The 2025 National Skin Cancer Survey – a Cancer Society and University of Otago collaboration – asked 2198 adults aged 18 years and over about their attitudes to sun protection.

Its authors said the results, published on Tuesday, revealed high rates of reported sunburn and widespread misconceptions about sun safety, and showed that positive attitudes towards tanning persist.

They said renewed investment and action in skin cancer prevention was urgently needed.

Te Whatu Ora and the Ministry of Health have been approached for comment.

Otago University senior research fellow and lead author Bronwen McNoe said the high levels of reported sunburn were surprising and concerning.

Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of respondents reported at least one sunburn during the 2024/25 summer, with 26 percent reporting a severe sunburn – pain for two or more days, or blistering.

McNoe said such rates had not been seen since 2010.

“It’s quite high, given that sunburn is an important risk factor for melanoma [skin cancer] development.

“Particularly concerning is the rate of sunburn in young people,” McNoe said, with the rate among young women “very, very high”.

The survey found 18-24-year-olds reported the highest rates of sunburn at 82 percent, with 87 percent of females reporting they’d been sunburned at least once last summer.

Half of all 18-24-year-olds reported severe sunburn.

McNoe said the results could be attributed to a lack of investment in national skin cancer prevention and sun protection campaigns over the past 15 years, in addition to the rise of social media influence.

“Not all young people even know what the slogan, ‘Slip, slop, slap, wrap’ is, which is reflective of that lost generation, if you like.

Sunburn stats painted an alarming picture among adults aged 18-24. Public Health Communication Centre

“The other thing that’s happened is that we’ve got global influences influencing that younger population.

“The likes of TikTok, we’ve got a real problem this summer with young people… particularly young women, following that trend with the high UV index [and wanting] to go out and tan, which is really concerning.”

McNoe said the survey showed myths and misconceptions about sunburn and sun protection also persisted.

The report found a third of respondents believed a cap provided adequate sun protection and thought SPF50 didn’t need to be re-applied as often as lower ratings.

“A quarter of New Zealanders believe a suntan protects you against melanoma, which it certainly doesn’t,” McNoe said.

She said sunburn damaged cellular DNA, which could result in skin cancer down the line.

“Tanning is just your body’s defence mechanism to protect you from that DNA damage, so it’s really just a sign that your skin is damaged.”

She said there was latency period between sunburn and skin cancer, and if current trends continued, a spike in skin cancer rates could be expected in 20-30 years.

According to the report, close to $495 million is spent on skin cancer treatment in New Zealand every year.

McNoe said skin cancer was highly preventable, with more than 90 percent of the 100,000 annual diagnoses linked to excessive sun exposure and, therefore, prevention was worth investing in.

She said campaigns raising awareness about the harm of sunburn, as well as policies around providing sun protection and shade in workplaces, schools and public spaces, could help turn around New Zealand’s skin cancer rates.

She said Australia had invested in such campaigns over the past 40 years and, unlike New Zealand, was now seeing a decline in skin cancer rates, particularly in younger populations.

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A fisherman’s yellow leggings helped save them after capsizing at Tolaga Bay

Source: Radio New Zealand

Three men spent six hours in the water off Tolaga Bay before a major search and rescue effort reached them. Supplied / NZDF

Yellow leggings and fuel tanks helped three cray fishermen who were in the water for about seven hours after capsizing near Tolaga Bay be rescued.

The men were found off Tolaga Bay on Wednesday, after their commercial boat Sidetracked capsized suddenly when it got tangled in a craypot line.

On board the boat were skipper Nicholas Destounis, second skipper Blake Powell and third deck hand Aaron Bastion.

Destounis said after the line got tangled they quickly got washed onto the reef, with breakers then coming over the boat filling it up with water and rolling it over.

As a commercial boat, he said they had lifesaving gear onboard, but the boat flipped so quickly they didn’t have time to grab it.

“We eventually got clear of the reef and picked up some flotation devices, which were two fuel tanks.”

The tanks floated out of the boat after it flipped, which Destounis said he then tied them together with some rope he had on him.

“We were spread apart at first, but we decided to all get together and we frantically tried to paddle in towards Marau Point, but the wind and the tide were against us.”

Destounis said the wind was blowing them down the coast.

“So it was blowing us out to sea and we were trying to paddle against it. But we kept paddling trying to get closer for seven hours and we just end up in a straight line rather than getting blown further out to sea.”

He said they tried to head towards an island but drifted past it, and at the time they were rescued their hope was to end up close to land on the south end of Tolaga Bay.

Three men spent six hours in the water off Tolaga Bay before a major search and rescue effort reached them. Supplied / NZDF

Rescuers spotted overhead

One of the first on the scene was an RNZAF P-8A Poseidon, that morning’s training flight having quickly become a real-life search.

Destounis, who had been wearing yellow leggings, said the men used them to signal the aircraft.

“Once they got closer, [we] waved the yellow leggings in the air, and we were spotted.”

Following the rescue Flight Lieutenant Pilkinton said the bright-coloured object make it easier for the crew to spot them.

The crew then contacted the rescue helicopter, which arrived on the scene in minutes and dropped smoke in the water that the Coastguard was able to see easily.

The men were then pulled out the water by Coastguard volunteers, along with three Surf Life Saving IRBs and taken to Tolaga Beach.

“Once I got onto the rescue boat, I just had to lie down. I found it hard to stand up. My legs were like jelly,” Destounis said.

He said they were greeted by family, friends and rescuers when they arrived at the beach before being whisked to Gisborne hospital.

He said there were a lot of tears and hugs upon returning home.

“We certainly felt as though we were wanted.”

Cost of a capsize

For Destounis fishing on Sidetracked is his primary source of income.

But the last five years had been tough, he said, between Covid, cyclones and issues with forestry slash.

“We’ve had no significant income for five years and we were hoping that we could get something done in this one,” he said. “It didn’t start the way we wanted.”

Sidetracked has since been recovered and Destounis’s focus is on getting back in the water and getting business back underway.

But he said getting the boat rebuilt or replaced would come at a high cost.

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Hurricanes wing Fehi Fineanganofo heading to England after 2026 season

Source: Radio New Zealand

Hurricanes wing Fehi Fineanganofo. Photosport / Patrick Hoelscher

Hurricanes wing Fehi Fineanganofo will be heading to the English rugby premiership following the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific and NPC seasons.

The Newcastle Red Bulls have signed Fineanganofo on a two-year deal from the beginning of the 2026-27 Prem season.

Since signing with the Hurricanes in November 2024, the 23-year-old has made 12 appearances and scored six tries for the club.

In addition to his time with the Hurricanes, the dynamic wing has also played three NPC seasons with Bay of Plenty and was a standout for the All Blacks Sevens between 2023 and 2024, featuring for the side at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

“I’m really excited for this new challenge and opportunity at Newcastle Red Bulls, but my main focus right now is Super Rugby Pacific and the NPC here in New Zealand,” Fineanganofo said.

“I’m super grateful to New Zealand Rugby, the All Blacks Sevens, Bay of Plenty, and the Hurricanes for the chance to achieve my dream of becoming a professional rugby player.

“I’m especially grateful for the support I’ve had over the years, getting me through injuries and back on the field. I want to end this year the right way and chase trophies in both Super Rugby Pacific and the NPC.

“After that, I can’t wait to start a new chapter with Newcastle and the brand of rugby they want to bring to the Premiership.”

While disappointed to lose a player of Fineanganofo’s quality, Hurricanes head coach Clark Laidlaw remains supportive of his decision to head abroad.

“We’ve really enjoyed Fehi’s introduction to Super Rugby Pacific, and we feel there is a hugely exciting future ahead for him,” Laidlaw said.

“Obviously, he’s made his decision to go overseas to Newcastle, and we’ve been in open communication the whole way through it. I understand, respect, and support the decision he and his family have made.

“We look forward to him playing well this year and finishing well in New Zealand rugby, and then wishing him all the best for the future and in his career.”

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