Category: Public Media

Source: Radio New Zealand

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

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

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

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

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

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

Wairoa’s showcase

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

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

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

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

Club’s impact on youth inspires locals to compete

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mayor supports police decision

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

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

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

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

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

Gang conflict warrant approved to address heightened tensions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

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

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

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

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

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

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

He was also charged with theft.

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

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

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

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

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

A group of patients with advanced breast cancer will be the first to be able to receive a taxpayer-funded medicine in private hospitals.

So-called “transitional access” has been criticised by opposition politicians as “a subsidy for private insurers”, which already cover the cost of medicines newly funded by Pharmac.

However, Associate Health Minister David Seymour, who has championed the change, said it was about making patients’ lives easier and reducing pressure on the health system.

“Subcutaneous pertuzumab with trastuzumab (Phesgo) will be the first cancer medicine available in private clinics,” he said.

The drug, which is used to treat HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, is one of five new medicines to be funded by Pharmac from 1 December.

Cancer patients already being treated with Phesgo in private facilities will now get the drug itself for free, although they will still need to pay infusion costs, if not covered by insurance.

“When Pharmac fund a new cancer treatment, people already paying for that treatment privately are forced to make a very difficult choice: spend their savings to continue private treatment undisrupted, or transfer to a public hospital,” Seymour said.

“Patients told Pharmac the latter was hugely disruptive and caused significant stress during an immensely difficult period.”

From 1 December, Pharmac will also fund:

• Subcutaneous ocrelizumab (Ocrevus SC) for multiple sclerosis
• Faricimab (Vabysmo) for diabetic macular oedema and wet age-related macular degeneration (eye conditions)
• Entrectinib (Rozlytrek) for ROS1-positive non-small cell lung cancer

And fund ongoing access to:

• Bevacizumab (Avastin) for people with eye conditions

Seymour said the new subcutaneous injections were much quicker to administer than current intravenous treatments.

They were expected to save about 7500 hospital infusion hours in the first year, 12,800 by year five, saving the health system $11m over five years.

“This frees up money and health professionals to deliver other treatments. This is exactly what I expect Pharmac to consider.”

Pharmac had also removed the Health New Zealand-only restriction for Faricimab (Vabysmo) to improve access, he said.

“This is another great example of Pharmac listening to consumers. I expect to see more of this.”

At this stage, transitional access funding only applies to newly-funded cancer medicines, although the Minister has previously said he may consider extending it to other funded drugs.

The Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, which represents 6500 senior hospital doctors and dentists, said its members working in oncology and haematology had “significant concerns” the change would widen inequities for patients.

The original eligibility criteria for Pharmac – excluding private patients – was designed to ensure public funding for medicines was prioritised for those in the public system assessed by need rather than ability to pay.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Police have confirmed one person has died following a crash in Whitianga.

Emergency services were called to the two vehicle crash at the intersection of State Highway 25 and Moewai Road just after 10am on Wednesday.

Police said the person died at the scene despite the efforts of emergency services.

One other person was treated for minor injuries.

The road is closed while the Serious Crash Unit conducts a scene examination.

Police are asking people avoid the area or delay travel as there are no diversions in place.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Public Service Association (PSA) says the government must step in to stop Fire and Emergency’s (FENZ) new proposal to cut almost 170 jobs.

FENZ is circulating its restructure proposal to its staff this afternoon but told RNZ it would not release it publicly.

It previously promised not to cut frontline firefighter or comms centre jobs

But thePSA said the proposal amounted to decimating the agency’s front line support staff and would undermine firefighting in a bid to save $70m a year.

“The government must step in and stop these short-sighted cuts – FENZ is telling its workers to do more with less, which will impact FENZ’s ability to deal with emergencies and prevent future emergencies,” said national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons in a statement on Wednesday afternoon.

The proposal included cutting 46 roles in the Operational Response branch central, as well as four wildfire specialists at a time when Tongariro had been hit by such a fire, the PSA said.

It was also proposing to cut 45 roles in the prevention branch that worked to reduce risk and harm before emergencies occur, Fitzsimons said.

RNZ has not seen a copy of the change proposal.

It has previously reported an internal document quoting FENZ as trying to save $50m a year for three years.

FENZ has been approached for comment.

RNZ today previewed the cuts proposal, with FENZ chief executive Kerry Gregory telling staff, “This change is looking at the whole organisation and how we operate, but frontline firefighters and ComCen call takers will not be losing their jobs as part of these proposals.”

The PSA said the government was deliberately allowing the underfunding of FENZ.

RNZ has approached the government for comment.

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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 million dollar deal has been struck after another sewage overflow hit under-strain oyster farmers north of Auckland.

A power surge tripping pumps at Warkworth sent about 1200 metres of wastewater overflowing, with about half of that thought to have gone into the Mahurangi River.

It meant an almost month-long halt on harvesting and one farmer said he had to dump 60,000 oysters in a week.

A settlement involving short-term relief has been agreed to between Aquaculture New Zealand, the Oyster Industry Association and Watercare.

“This incident has struck at the heart of our oyster farming community,” Aquaculture New Zealand chief executive Tee Hale Pennington said.

“Our farmers have endured immense stress and uncertainty through no fault of their own.”

Aquaculture New Zealand said the deal gives immediate relief but that it would still be chasing financial settlement for total losses, while demanding systemic changes.

“It is vital that Watercare learns from this disastrous incident and takes appropriate actions and decisions that restores confidence, protects livelihoods, and ensures the ongoing sustainability of the region’s marine environment and aquaculture industry,” Hale Pennington said.

The latest sewage overflow, believed to be the year’s biggest, came at the peak of the season.

Local oyster farmers say they have been battling against sewage issues for seven years.

Watercare said the $1m settlement relates solely to the most recent overflow.

“The incident was caused by a unique chain of events – a power surge that was compounded by our alert system and monitoring not operating as intended,” chief executive Jamie Sinclair said.

“We are appointing an external expert to assist us in quantifying the impact on the oyster farmers.”

Sinclair said Watercare knows the disruption came at a very challenging time.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Dunedin City Council’s plan for delivering water services has been given a green light by the secretary for local government.

All councils were required to prepare a plan as part of the government’s Local Water Done Well reform.

The council opted to retain in-house control of its drinking water, wastewater and stormwater, detailing how it will sustainably deliver and fund the services over the next decade.

Chief executive Sandy Graham said the accepted plan would make it easier to coordinate water with the other services the council provided while carefully managing debt levels.

“The accepted water services delivery plan reflects (the council’s) ownership and responsibility for our water infrastructure, while being directly accountable to the Dunedin community,” she said.

Mayor Sophie Barker said it was a significant milestone that reflected the call from the community to keep their water services local and managed by the council.

“I’m really pleased our plan has been accepted, which means we can move ahead with a model that puts our people first and reflects what they’ve asked for,” Barker said.

Most of the lower South Island councils have had their plans for delivering water services accepted.

Last month, the Central Otago, Clutha and Gore district councils’ plan to create the South Island’s biggest joint council water company was approved.

Around the same time the Waitaki District Council – which was formerly part of the Southern Waters partnership – found out its standalone plan had been rejected.

The council has since agreed to accept Crown intervention with former minister Amy Adams appointed to help the council resubmit its plan.

Last week, the Queenstown Lakes District Council received approval for its plan to establish a new council-controlled organisation.

The Invercargill City Council also received a tick of approval to keep its water services delivery in-house.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Only a handful of people remain without power nearly three weeks after strong winds tore through the lower South Island.

PowerNet said electricity had been restored to more than 50,000 people since the October storm.

Chief executive Paul Blue said recovery efforts were still underway and staff were in contact with the few customers who did not have power to understand their needs and ensure they had generators until the power could be restored.

“The network damage we saw in this storm was unprecedented and it’s quite an achievement to have power restored to so many,” he said.

“If there’s anybody who hasn’t heard from us and doesn’t have power, they need to get in touch urgently on 0800 808 587.”

In some cases, he said, power could not be restored quickly due to extensive damage to the service lines on their property.

Most PowerNet staff were starting to return to planned work.

He warned that some damage might not be immediately visible so there could be unplanned outages in the coming months.

“It’s important that we get back to our planned maintenance as quickly as possible to ensure our networks are resilient to future weather events.

“Our customers should be notified by their retailer of any planned outages and they can also keep an eye on our website for information,” Blue said.

“Everyone, from the PowerNet staff, our electricity industry colleagues from around the country, our contractors, suppliers and the entire community, rallied together to get through this and that’s something to be very proud of.”

The state of emergency was lifted for Southland and Clutha last Friday.

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– 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