A low pressure system is expected to bring rain to many parts of NZ later this week. File photo.123RF
New Zealand’s temperatures are getting into summer territory, but a low pressure system is expected to bring rain to many areas of the country later this week.
Maximum temperatures were expected to rise above 20°C in many areas today, with Napier forecast to reach 29°C – nearly 10°C higher than the average November maximum – and Hastings predicted to hit 31°C today.
Tuesday’s weather should also be fine for Cup Day in Christchurch, with clear skies expected over Canterbury.
But wet weather was expected to start moving down the country on Wednesday, with a low pressure system over the north Tasman Sea due to move southwards onto the North Island.
MetService said that was likely to bring warning amounts of rain in Northland, Auckland Coromandel Peninsula, and Bay of Plenty on Wednesday.
There could also be downpours in Waikato, Taupo, northern Gisborne/Tairawhiti, and Taranaki Maunga, and MetService said northeast winds could reach severe gale strength in exposed places of Northland and Auckland.
By Thursday, the low pressure system is expected to move southeastwards over northern and central New Zealand, bringing rain to many areas, including Bay of Plenty, Taupo, Gisborne/Tairawhiti north of Gisborne City, Taranaki Maunga, Tasman District west of Motueka, and the northern and eastern ranges of Marlborough.
The low pressure system should moves to the east of the county by Friday, with a front over the Tasman Sea then moving quickly over southern and central New Zealand.
The forecast for the weekend is looking clearer, with a ridge of high pressure following the front onto New Zealand.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
A wall of smoke from the Tongariro National Park fire is providing a spectacular but worrying vista for a central plateau village.
The blaze has burned through up to 2500 hectares and is 20 percent contained.
Whakapapa Village was evacuated on Sunday, and the fire has forced the evacuation of trampers and closed lodges. All tracks and huts within the Tongariro National Park are closed, and State Highway 48 leading to Whakapapa Village and State Highway 47 at the intersection with State Highway 4 at Waimarino are also closed.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Centre Yanni Wetzell returns to Tall Blacks for games against Australia.Supplied
The Tall Blacks’ path to the 2027 FIBA World Cup begins against familiar foes.
At the end of the month the Tall Blacks will resume their storied rivalry with the Australian Boomers in a home-away series of two World Cup qualifiers.
Coach Judd Flavell has turned to three bigs – centre Yanni Wetzell, centre Tyrell Harrison and forward Sam Mennenga – who will all pull on the black singlet for the first time in 2025, to bolster the roster.
“Two world-class centres at the top of their game, and both big pieces overall,” Flavell said.
“Not just in want we do on the court, but I also like those two (Harrison and Wetzell) and the characteristics they have as people as well, they’re going to add a lot to the culture of the Tall Blacks as well.”
Wetzell is currently plying his trade in the Japanese B-League for the Akita Northern Happinets where he averages a tick over 14 points and 7.8 rebounds per contest.
“Yanni is one of the most mobile centres you’re going to see worldwide. His ability to run the floor, that’s certainly the way the Tall Blacks have played for a while now. He’s just an unselfish guy, who leaves it all out there.”
One of the stories of the Australian NBL season has been the form of Brisbane big man Harrison, who has routinely been tallying double-doubles for the Bullets en route to averaging 16.6 points and 9.7 rebounds per game at an efficient 67 percent from the field.
“Tyrell has quickly become, certainly a guy in the NBL, who has become one of the best big men in the league. What he gives us, obviously, true size and length. He’s a presence around the basket and also someone who runs the floor as well. It’s going to be fun to have him join us again.
“We’ve got Sam Mennenga playing great basketball right now too. It’s going to be his first camp in a while, certainly his first with me.”
Mennenga will join the national team for the first time since the Tall Blacks final 2024 Olympic qualifying game against Slovenia.
The core guard rotation from August’s Asia Cup squad remains intact, with Taylor Britt, Flynn Cameron and Mojave King back from the team’s fourth place finish in Jeddah.
“Asia Cup was such an important piece for us. Not only about the tournament itself, but laying down the foundation of what this Tall Black team looks like in the next few years, and those three, great performances. Carried a lot of the weight of the team in different areas, they’re going to be big pieces for us.”
Not only will the Tall Blacks have the services of those three, but they also welcome back the Wellington Saints backcourt duo of Shea Ili and Izayah Le’afa, who between them combine for over 100 Tall Black appearances.
Ili has missed the start of the NBL season with Melbourne United with a hamstring injury but is expected to get game time this week.
Shea Ili playing against Australia in May.PHOTOSPORT
“Having Shea’s presence is going to help boost everybody. We have a genuine world-class defender, and somebody that plays the Tall Blacks way, which is just all out – every single possession.”
“We welcome Izayah Le’afa back with open arms. A combo guard, somebody who can slide to the point guard. Ball-handling, also gives us defence.”
With five genuine starting level guards, minutes in the rotation will be hard to divvy out.
The squad also sees the return of Melbourne United forward, Finn Delany, who will captain the side during this opening FIBA World Cup qualifying window.
These two games will mark the fourth and fifth times the Tall Blacks and Boomers have battled this year. It was an incredibly rare occasion in the current international basketball landscape to play the same opponent five times in one calendar year.
In May’s Trans-Tasman Throwdown the Australians picked up two wins at home in Adelaide and Gold Coast, while the Tall Blacks survived a late surge to outlast their rivals in Hamilton in the Throwdown’s conclusion.
Game one of the qualifiers is in Hobart on 28 November and the return leg is in Wellington on 1 December, with the Boomers visiting the capital for the first time in 10 years.
Tall Blacks squad for the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers – Window 1
Taylor Britt (44 games), Canterbury Rams & New Zealand Breakers
Flynn Cameron (39 games), Franklin Bulls & Adelaide 36ers
Max Darling (18 games), Canterbury Rams & New Zealand Breakers
Carlin Davison (15 games), New Zealand Breakers
Finn Delany (55 games), Melbourne United, captain
Tyrell Harrison (11 games), Brisbane Bullets
Shea Ili (73 games), Wellington Saints & Melbourne United
Mojave King (9 games), Tauranga Whai & Cairns Taipans
Izayah Le’afa (28 games), Wellington Saints & New Zealand Breakers
Sam Mennenga (7 Games), New Zealand Breakers
Tohi Smith-Milner (78 games), Canterbury Rams & Brisbane Bullets
Listed property company, Kiwi Property Group, is set to sell a large-format retail property next to its Sylvia Park complex in Auckland for $90 million.
The buyer will be a yet-to-be established fund, Mackersy LFR Fund, a large-format retail investment fund managed by Queenstown-based commercial property investor, Mackersy Property.
Kiwi Property chief executive Clive Mackenzie said it would continue to manage Sylvia Park Lifestyle, and the sale would provide capital for new developments and strengthen its balance sheet .
“By retaining a significant stake in the LFR Fund, we can continue to leverage our retail management and leasing capabilities to drive the performance of the asset on behalf of both Kiwi Property and LFR Fund investors.”
The deal is subject to Mackersy LFR raising the required funds by mid-December.
Kiwi Property has agreed to buy 50 percent of the units and underwrite another 25 percent, giving it up to 75 percent of the fund, while receiving between $52.9 million and $65.3 million cash for the sale of the property to the fund.
Mackersy chief executive Hamish Wilton said the new fund would suit wholesale investors to invest in large format retail, which tends to be resilient in all market conditions.
“Our valued relationship with Kiwi Property has meant we have been able to secure Sylvia Park Lifestyle as the initial seed asset for the fund.”
Sylvia Park Lifestyle covers 16,500 square metres and houses major retailers such as Animates and Spotlight.
Kiwi Property Group also invested in the parent company, Mackersy Property in November 2024, and expects this to convert to a 50 percent stake in December 2025.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
The owner of a lodge near Tongariro National Park, says areas of the land have been reduced to ash by a raging wildfire spreading more than 2500 hectares.
The fire began on Saturday and was just 20 percent contained. It had led to the evacuation of trampers, lodges, the Hillary Outdoor Centre and Whakapapa Village.
The owner of Tongariro Crossing Lodge, Louis van Wyk, said he had walked past the area where the fire first started shortly beforehand and was shocked by how different it now looked.
“By yesterday I could see the areas we’d walked through were now just ash and burnt.”
It was devastating, van Wyk said, as it was a very sensitive and biodiverse area.
He’d spent his Sunday helping fill the planes that were dousing the flames with water and said on Monday his main job now was managing inquiries from guests trying to decided if they wanted to cancel their bookings or still come.
Firefighters continue to battle the Tongariro National Park wildfire.Fire and Emergency
“We’re hoping with the rain now things are going to settle down and once the fire is out they can see what the condition is like on the tracks.
“I’m looking forward to hearing what the results are and whether anything will be open later on in the week for people to come and view.”
Sam and Kaz Clarkson, who owned the Skotel Alpine Resort spent last night in Waimarino after Whakapapa village was evacuated.
They were hopeful they could return on Monday given the wet weather.
Sam Clarkson said he felt “relaxed” about the threat as beech trees by the village provided a “natural defence line”.
Meanwhile, Hillary Outdoors safety manager Graeme Swift can’t work today due to closure of State Highway 47.
He said schools had cancelled their visits for Monday while they waited for more news.
Gillian and John Visser, owners of the Adventure Lodge and Motel, said they had no cancellations on Monday.
They worried though about the effects on business if the Tongariro Crossing was closed.
“They’re unsure about coming here because they think they’re going to find a wall of fire and every road closed,” Gillian Visser said.
“I’ve just been telling them that there are roads open because they’ll find something lovely here.”
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Te Pāti Māori co leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi announce the MPs’ expulsion.RNZ/Samuel Rillstone
Te Pāti Māori’s decision to expel two of its MPs leaves it with further decisions to be made.
The decision taken by the party’s National Council overnight means Mariameno Kapa-Kingi will remain as MP for Te Tai Tokerau, and Tākuta Ferris remains for Te Tai Tonga – both as independents with no party affiliation.
Appeals
Under the party’s constitution, the MPs can appeal the decision to end their membership.
The Constitution sets out that the National Council can cancel any membership if it no longer believes the person meets its requirements of:
Working to support Te Pāti Māori kaupapa and tikanga
Acting within the party’s constitution
Abiding by decisions made under the constitution
Completing official membership forms and paying the appropriate membership fee
Not being a member of a competing political party or organisation determined to be incompatible with the party
The decision is officially made final at the party’s next national hui – its AGM set down for 7 December – which is also where the MPs can seek to have the decision appealed.
File photo. Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, who will remain as MP for Te Tai Tokerau, confirmed she would appeal the expulsion.VNP / Phil Smith
Kapa-Kingi on social media confirmed her intention to appeal. Ferris called the decisions “illegal” and said he rejected them “in the strongest possible terms”.
Also worth noting: co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer confirmed leaking of details to the media was being investigated.
Members found to have broken a ban on sharing information with the media relating to a party dispute process can also be found to have brought the party into disrepute.
A member found guilty off misusing party funds could also be immediately expelled.
‘Waka-jumping’
The party could also seek to invoke the so-called “waka-jumping” or “party hopping” legislation to have Kapa-Kingi and Ferris removed from Parliament entirely.
The leaders on Monday said using the provision had not yet been considered.
Doing so would require the party leaders to write to Parliament’s Speaker Gerry Brownlee to say they believed the MPs were distorting the proportionality of Parliament.
They would need to provide reasoning to justify their claim about the distortion, as well as getting at least two-thirds of the party’s MPs to agree and giving the rogue MPs 21 days to respond – as well as following any relevant party rules.
Because the party’s constitution sets out the process for members’ removal, the requirement to get two-thirds of the party’s MPs to agree to sending the letter does not include Kapa-Kingi or Ferris.
File photo. Tākuta Ferris, MP for Te Tai Tonga, called the decisions “illegal”.RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
This means – presuming the MPs are ejected at the AGM – the party would be able to use the waka-jumping provisions with support from just three of its four remaining MPs.
Alternatively, Kapa-Kingi or Ferris could choose to invoke the legislation themselves, by writing to the Speaker to notify him of their resignation from the party.
Whaitiri retained her seat as an independent despite announcing her intentions to support Te Pāti Māori. She subsequently lost her Ikaroa-Rāwhiti seat to Labour’s Cushla Tangaere-Manual in the 2023 election.
Ejecting Kapa-Kingi and Ferris would trigger a by-election for the MPs’ electorates.
A by-election would not be held if the MPs are removed less than six months ahead of a general election (or of Parliament’s three-year term ending), but this also requires three quarters of all Parliament’s MPs to agree not to hold the by-election.
If the by-elections went ahead, any party could contest the MPs’ seats.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Property Investor Chat Group NZ administrators said they had no warning from Meta.NIKOLAS KOKOVLIS / AFP
The country’s biggest property investor chat group has become another casualty of Facebook’s sweeping suspensions.
Property Investor Chat Group NZ had 73,000 members when it was suspended last week.
Its administrators said they had no warning.
“We are quite strict in regulating content to stay on topic,” one of them, Nick Gentle, said.
“Avoid fights. Post approval to remove anything fishy, and members report anyone sharing dodgy links and those profiles get blocked, so I’ve no idea what rule we broke.”
‘Sometimes Facebook will say ‘we have removed content that went against our community guidelines’ but you can never click in to see what it was to adjust your settings.”
He said they were having trouble reaching someone at Facebook to find out what to do next.
If they could not save the page, they would have to start again, he said.
Group founder Graeme Fowler said it seemed the decision was made by AI.
Alex Sims, a University of Auckland professor in the department of commercial law, said people using tech platforms were generally at their mercy.
“Lots of people and groups get removed from Facebook with no warning. One reason can be Meta’s use of AI, with no human in the loop reviewing the decision. [It] was a real issue earlier in the year, and the issue may still be occurring. There is an appeal process which should be initiated ASAP.
Alex Sims.Supplied
“Given the issues with Meta unilaterally removing groups, it might be a good idea to move to another platform that is not so trigger-happy and also has better privacy protection… The issue is that those other platforms are often not as user-friendly as Facebook and not so familiar for the group’s members, so may be a steep learning curve for the admins and group members. “
Tens of thousands of people around the world signed a petition advocating for affected users, who said they had been silenced by Meta’s “broken AI enforcement systems”.
The average home value in Manawatū District is now $618,000.RNZ/Calvin Samuel
Property values in Manawatū District have dropped sharply since the last ratings valuation three years ago.
According to Quotable Value, which carries out valuations on behalf of councils, residential property values have shrunk by 7.6 percent since August 2022.
The average home value is now $618,000, while the corresponding average land value decreased by 12.3 percent to $279,000.
QV lead valuer Jason Hockly said while values had reduced, most markets in the Manawatū District had actually been “stable” since mid-2023, with the biggest slide in prices happening in the 12 months prior to that point.
“The Feilding residential market had variable value changes, with the lower-valued residential properties showing slight increases from 2022 compared to higher-valued properties showing moderate decreases since 2022,” he said.
“Some larger residential land parcels, primarily within the northern area of Feilding have shown some large decreases in the land values.”
Commercial and industrial property have seen slight increases (1.6 percent and 6.4 percent respectively), and dairy farms have largely held their value – but other rural properties have taken a hit.
Pastoral properties decreased 10.5 percent, horticultural properties were down by 8 percent, and forestry properties 19.3 percent.
“Lifestyle” properties were also down 10 to 15 percent since 2022, while land values were down 10-25 percent.
New rating values were posted to property owners from 5 November, 2025.
Those who disagree with their valuations can appeal them before 12 December.
The worlds of art, scent and Māori storytelling have come together in Journey of Scent – a new six-part series exploring memory and identity through perfume.
The kaupapa, launched on Monday, follows scent artist Nathan Taare (Ngāti Porou) and perfume enthusiast Whitney Steel (Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki, Te Ātiawa) as they create bespoke fragrances inspired by the lives of well-known Aotearoa creatives.
Each episode sees Taare craft a perfume for a different guest – including Te Rongo Kirkwood, Troy Kingi and Ana Scotney; acclaimed poet Tayi Tibble; award winning chef Kia Kanuta; and te reo Māori expert Dr Anaha Hiini – drawing on their memories, emotions and connection to place.
Supplied
The idea for the series came unexpectedly.
Series creator and co-producer Jessica Sanderson (Ngāti Kahungunu, Te Ātiawa) first approached Taare to create a perfume for her brother’s wedding. However, she did not realise it would spark a whole new kaupapa.
“I asked Nate to create a scent for my brother’s wedding – his wife’s from the States,” she said.
“He asked her where she was from, she shared a few memories, and he put some scents under her nose. She just started crying. She said, ‘That’s my home. How did you do that?'”
That moment, Sanderson said, showed how scent connects deeply to whakapapa and emotion.
“I lost my father when I was young, and scent takes me straight there. To my loved ones of the past.
“I know how important scent is to everyone. Everyone who’s lost someone, everyone who’s felt nostalgia – it’s a universal experience. I thought, oh, this is a show.”
Supplied
Taare, the founder of niche perfume house OF BODY, first gained attention in 2023 for his scent design inspired by Auckland’s Karangahape ‘K’ Road.
Originally working in film and television as a production designer and art director, scent was never part of the plan.
“It started out as a side hustle,” he told RNZ. “Now it’s become what it is.”
Taare said that perfumery is just another way to express creativity.
“I come from a background of sound and music and visual art. So using colour and ways to communicate an idea through visuals or sound – it’s the same with scent.
“These materials just replace those mediums.”
Each episode challenges Taare to translate ideas, memories and emotions into a sensory language.
“It’s about taking those ideas … and translating them into a palette I can compose from.
“There’s a lot of obvious connections between an idea, a colour, a mood, or an emotion, and that connection to a scent material.”
Some ingredients come with deep meaning, he said.
Episode 4 features award winning Chef Kia Kanuta and the creation of his scent ‘HOROPITO’.Supplied
“Te Rongo Kirkwood’s scent was very connected to the spiritual and cosmic realm … it was esoteric, almost fantasy-like, which I love. And Anaha Hiini’s scent connected to Ngāwhāriki and the sulphur of Rotorua.”
Taare tries to weave local ingredients into every scent he makes.
“Perfumery is very Western in its construct, and they tend to take things from Indigenous cultures and remove them from context,” he said.
“So I try to bring something that’s very local to our whenua into every one of those scents. We have some of the best botanicals and rongoā in the world right here.”
He finds joy in “finding beauty in the unexpected”.
“These aroma materials offer me something that feels endless and infinite in terms of possibilities. It’s just this constant loop of learning.”
He hopes more Māori will find their own place in the art of scent-making.
“We already have it through rongoā,” he said.
“Forget the Western construct, forget the top-shelf perfume stores … just focus on what we have here. That’s what makes it special and unique on a global scale.”
Sanderson is the co-founder of production company FOURPLAIT.Todd Karehana
Sanderson, alongside her partner Olly Coddington, founded their production company FOURPLAIT in 2024.
The ingoa, named after the four-plait used to weave a poi, is a reflection of how, like a strong plait, great story-telling weaves together people, perspectives and purpose.
She said te ao Māori naturally informs how she works and the stories she wants to tell.
“What I hope this offering shares is a different version of us.
“You don’t often see Māori perfumers. Whitney and Nate are really good at what they do – and they bring such a unique way of storytelling.”
That unique storytelling runs deep within Sanderson’s whakapapa too.
Her grandfather, Martyn Sanderson, was also a filmmaker, and her nan from Ngāti Kahungunu “had a camcorder in the ’90s and would let us use it”, which she said “was unheard of”.
“She’d let us do skits, edit on the tape. So it came from both sides.”
She hopes Journey of Scent shows that Māori storytelling continues to evolve.
“As Māori, we’re a full spectrum … we’re not all the same. I hope this series just shows another side of who we are.”
In each episode, Taare is tasked by Steel with crafting a bespoke scent for a unique client, including Aotearoa artist Troy Kingi.Supplied
Sanderson also hopes that those watching are able to reflect on their own memories.
“One of the coolest reactions we had at the launch,” she said, “was someone saying, ‘I’m really thinking about what my own scent is, the smells of my own memories.’
“If people have that response, then we’ve made them feel something. That’s all you hope for when you put something out into the world.”
Journey of Scent is produced by Fourplait Productions with support from NZ On Air.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand