Category: Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Former Social Investment Agency chief executive Andrew Coster is refusing to comment on the resignation of the deputy chief executive who quit while being investigated over allegations of bullying and harassment.

Social Investment Agency (SIA) deputy chief executive Kylie Reiri left the job last month. Her departure comes after Coster quit in December following a scathing Independent Police Conduct Authority report.

In an Official Information Act (OIA) response released to RNZ, the SIA confirmed there had been two employment investigations over the last 12 months.

“I am also able to confirm that there has been one investigation in response to four formal reports of bullying and harassment. In the interest of privacy, we cannot provide a breakdown as to what each allegation was concerning.”

Do you know more? Email sam.sherwood@rnz.co.nz

RNZ understands the investigation, which is ongoing, relates to Reiri.

“As a responsible employer, SIA takes these matters seriously and all complaints are investigated and followed through to the end. We have robust policies and procedures to manage disclosure of any allegations including protected disclosures (speak safe) and bullying and harassment policies, which provide informal and formal options for staff to raise concerns of serious wrongdoing and bullying and harassment.”

RNZ approached a spokesperson for Coster to see if he had any comment on the allegations faced by Reiri.

In response, they replied: “No, it wouldn’t be appropriate for Andy to comment on SIA employee-related matters. Best any queries are directed to the SIA”.

Within days of Coster’s resignation, RNZ was contacted with allegations that Reiri was under investigation in relation to complaints of bullying and harassment.

RNZ contacted Reiri at the time who said she was on leave due to health-related reasons. She did not respond to requests for comment over the weekend.

Approached for comment in December, the SIA said it did not comment on individual employment matters. Asked why that was and for the status of Reiri’s employment, the SIA treated the follow up questions as a request under the OIA.

Then, in January, the SIA released an OIA which said it did not generally comment on individual employment matters “as the disclosure of information relating to individual employees would involve the unwarranted disclosure of personal information”.

The following month Reiri resigned.

In an email on 12 February, released to RNZ, SIA’s acting chief executive and secretary for social investment Alistair Mason said Reiri had resigned.

“We acknowledge the contribution Kylie has made during her time here. We thank her for her service to the organisation and wish her well for the future,” he said.

“I know you may have questions, however, out of respect for Kylie’s privacy I am not able to discuss this matter.”

A SIA spokesperson said in a statement to RNZ over the weekend they could confirm Reiri had resigned from her role.

About a month before the IPCA’s report was released, Coster sent an email to all staff following a meeting that day.

In the email, seen by RNZ, Coster said it was important for him that the SIA was an organisation “where each one of us feels we can bring our best to our work, in an environment that is positive and enabling”.

“Acknowledging the wider context from the Public Service census (in which we fared well and in connection with which we have an action plan), some comments in a recent Te Rama survey have given me cause for concern. I want to be able to address any issues, to ensure this is a place where everyone feels respected and valued. To do this, I need to understand your experiences and perspectives.

“To that end, I want to make myself available to meet with anyone who would like to talk. If you have something to share, please reach out to me directly. Anything you share will be treated with respect and care. I value your thoughts and insights, and I will only use what you share in a way that aligns with what you are comfortable with. I understand that speaking up isn’t easy but I invite you to feel that I will listen and take action where that is required.”

In December, RNZ asked SIA Minister Nicola Willis’ office for comment on Reiri. They said questions were best put to the SIA.

“Staffing within agencies is an operational matter for which Ministers don’t have responsibility.”

On Monday, a spokesperson for Willis said the minister did not have any comment to make.

“Employment matters within government agencies are for agency chief executives and, if warranted, the Public Service Commission to manage.”

Reiri’s profile on the SIA website, which has since been taken down, said she brought a “unique blend of public and private sector experience to the Social Investment Agency”.

“Her career has been dedicated to improving outcomes for New Zealanders through data-driven decision making and social investment approaches.”

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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 government-led cap on dental school admissions are contributing to workforce shortages for clinics around the country, an oral health expert says.

The New Zealand Dental Association (NZDA) said clinics were going several months short-staffed after it surveyed almost 500 of its members between November and December last year.

The Fees and Dental Workforce Survey 2025, released on Tuesday, showed dental clinics across the country were facing long delays filling vacancies, putting pressure on communities already struggling to access dental care.

On average, it was taking clinics 24 weeks to recruit a dentist, with one-in-four vacancies going over 40 weeks unfilled.

The recruitment barriers were even more pronounced in the regions, where vacancies took close to a year to fill, or even longer.

A recent pop-up clinic offering free dental care in the Hawke’s Bay town of Wairoa was overwhelmed with demand as the township has not had a full-time dentist for five years.

Three-quarters of survey respondents worked in clinics with three or fewer dentists.

NZDA director of dental policy Dr Robin Whyman told RNZ the supply of dental school graduates had stalled.

This was down to domestic intake caps at the country’s only dental school at the University of Otago, he said.

“The number of dentists trained in New Zealand hasn’t really increased since the 1980s. The cap sits at 60 per year at the moment,” Whyman said.

“We think that number needs to rise to keep track with the population.”

The country’s population had increased from over 3 million in the 1980s to over 5 million, but the same number of dentists were being trained, Whyman said.

In 2014, the John Key-led government agreed to increase the number of undergraduate domestic dentistry students at Otago for the first time in more than half a century, from 54 to 60.

NZDA president Dave Excell said the figures pointed to growing pressure on both patients and dental teams.

“Clinics are doing everything they can to keep services running, but when positions stay vacant for months, staff are stretched and patients end up waiting longer,” he said.

“When a town like Wairoa has had no resident dentist for years and a free clinic is overwhelmed, it shows how fragile access becomes when the workforce isn’t there.”

Prolonged shortages took a toll beyond the numbers, Dr Excell said

“These gaps aren’t just operational issues because they also affect people.

“Clinicians want to care for their communities, and patients deserve reliable, ongoing access rather than short-term fixes.”

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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 government should be keeping tabs on the lingering and “deeply concerning” effects of Long Covid around the country, a health support group says.

Newly released data by the Ministry of Health estimated 185,000 New Zealanders experienced Long Covid symptoms in the 12 months ending July last year.

Figures released on Tuesday indicated over 400,000 people had developed Long Covid at some stage, equating to one in 11 adult New Zealanders.

About 12 percent of adults had reported having had Covid-19.

The survey indicated women, Māori and disabled adults were more likely to report having had Long Covid.

Of those who had contracted Covid, about one in six Māori adults (15.5 percent) reported having had Long Covid, compared to about one in nine non-Māori (11.3 percent).

Almost half of those who developed Long Covid were still experiencing symptoms when surveyed.

The Long Covid Support Aotearoa group was renewing its calls for better monitoring of Long Covid by authorities after front-footing the matter last week.

Spokesperson Larisa Hockey said it was surprising it took so long for the data to become public.

“[The] survey suggests about 185,000 New Zealanders were living with Long Covid symptoms at the time of the survey, roughly the population of Hamilton and broadly consistent with the earlier estimate,” she said.

“It also suggests more than 400,000 people may have experienced Long Covid at some stage, about the combined population of Wellington and Hamilton.”

Data from the survey was collected between July 2024 and July 2025 and included more than 9000 people aged 15 and over.

The group said the figures were sobering.

“We’re shocked and concerned that so many people have been underserved by New Zealand’s health authorities,” Hockey said.

“Now that the scale of the problem is clearer, we want to know why there are still no plans to monitor it.”

Long Covid Support Aotearoa nurse practitioner Catherine Appleby said the results were deeply concerning.

“The relatively high Māori prevalence of Long Covid is unacceptable. This significant inequity is an urgent public health issue that deserves government attention,” she said.

About a year ago, public health experts called for the government to protect people from Long Covid, which included the development and implementation of a health response strategy.

At the time, Health Minister Simeon Brown said Covid-19 and Long Covid were being managed as part of a ‘business as usual’ healthcare response, with the primary care sector largely taking the lead in patient care.

RNZ has approached the ministry 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

Global popstar Robbie Williams will play Christchurch’s new stadium later this year.

Williams will be one of the first international acts at the One New Zealand Stadium when he brings his BRITPOP World Tour to the city on 28 November – the singer’s first concert in Christchurch in 25 years.

He would also play Auckland’s Eden Park on 24 November.

“Australia and New Zealand have always had a very special place in my heart. Ever since my first solo tours, you have welcomed me with open arms and made me feel at home. I’m beyond excited to be coming back this November for the BRITPOP World Tour. Can’t wait to see you all there!” Williams said.

Released in January, BRITPOP was a nod to the 90s Britpop era and featured collaborations with Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Gaz Coombes (Supergrass), Black Sabbath legend Tony Iommi, Mexican pop duo Jesse & Joy and Gary Barlow.

“I set out to create the album that I wanted to write and release after I left Take That in 1995. It was the peak of Britpop and a golden age for British Music. I’ve worked with some of my heroes on this album; it’s raw, there are more guitars and it’s an album that’s even more upbeat and anthemic than usual. There’s some ‘Brit’ in there and there’s certainly some ‘pop’ too – I’m immensely proud of this as a body of work and I’m excited for fans to hear this album” Williams said.

The government said Williams was bringing his BRITPOP World Tour to Aotearoa with the support of its $70 million Major Events and Tourism Package.

“It’s fantastic to welcome a showstopper act like Robbie, giving fans the chance to see him entertaining us,” said Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston.

She said the tour had been backed because of its capacity to attract large audiences and international visitors.

“We know concerts like his bring a significant economic injection into our cities and create a real buzz. It’s been calculated that for every dollar spent on live performance, $3.20 is returned in benefits to the wider community and that’s why we’re investing in them.”

Williams has six of the Top 100 best-selling albums in British history, 90 million album sales worldwide, a record 16 UK Number 1 albums and 18 BRIT Awards – more than any other artist.

In 2023, Netflix released a four-part documentary series, Robbie Williams, and in 2024 his Oscar-nominated film, Better Man, was released globally to critical acclaim.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Seven Oranga Tamariki workers are accused of bashing two teens – or failing to stop them being bashed – in a tiny phone room at an Auckland youth justice facility.

Prosecutors said the staff had gratuitously assaulted the boys after the teens had barricaded themselves in the two-by-1.5 metre room for more than an hour.

When the staff eventually got the door open, the six male defendants “stormed the booth in quick succession” and when they emerged, the teens appeared slumped over and injured.

But defence lawyers said the staff were using legal restraint to keep themselves and the teens safe in a high risk situation where the boys were destroying the booth, setting off sprinklers and flooding the unit.

Joseph Kirifi, Tapu Brown, Aidan Va, Quentin Schmidt, Susana Sofara, and two others with name suppression are on trial at the Manukau District Court and today pleaded not guilty to two charges of ill treatment or neglect of a child on 23 May 2023.

The crown told the jury that the charge meant each defendant had either assaulted the young people themselves, or failed to take reasonable steps to stop others hurting them.

Crown prosecutor Katie Karpik said the 16- and 17-year-old boys, who have name suppression, had been refusing to come out of the booth on the day in question, setting off the sprinklers.

When staff were finally able to open the door, the staff were frustrated and “elevated”, she said

“Despite there being only two youths in that small phone booth room they became significantly outnumbered by the defendants, she said.

“All seven defendant were in the room at one stage….and all six male defendants were in it for three minutes with two youths.”

Witnesses in the following days noticed black eyes and other injuries, she said

“The crown suggests such injuries are the result of gratuitous assaults and not necessary and reasonable levels of force.”

One of the defendants, Aidan Va, already had a conviction that for harming a boy at Korowai Manaaki about a month earlier, she said

He had arranged and filmed a one-on-one fight between two boys, she said.

She noted that did not mean he was guilty of the latest charges.

Relating to today’s case, he had sent a text to a friend saying he had “f***ed up” two boys and it was “crack up,” Karpik said.

The investigation that led to today’s charges was not sparked by a complaint from the boys, but other case workers had noticed their injuries.

When asked about them, the boys had lied and blamed them on things like falling off a chair, she said.

“They appreciated snitching was not the done thing,” she said.

No solid evidence, says defence

Each defendant has their own lawyer, and many wanted to make clear each defence was likely to be unique.

But most pointed out that, under law, the justice facility staff are entitled to use force against young people as long as it is reasonable.

They noted their clients were well trained and had used known, safe tactics to restrain the boys.

Joseph Kirifi’s lawyer Rasyad Ismail said his client was responding to a fast past situation that had escalated in the unit.

“Staff had no choice but to force entry into the room,” he said.

“The situation unfolded in a custodial environment where staff are sometimes required to intervene quickly to manage behaviour and to maintain safety,” he said.

Each of the boys had a long history of serious violence, including escaping custody, he said.

Several of the lawyers noted prosecutors did not know what happened in the booth – so, they could not separate who was alleged to have done the assault and who was alleged to have allowed it.

Shannon Withers, defending one of the men with name suppression, said the Crown case was “inferences at best, guesses and speculation at worst.”

He noted there were a lot of small people in a very small space where the boys had been destructive. That meant there could have been accidental injuries.

Emma Priest, for another with name suppression, noted the text messages the Crown was relying on for some of its case should be taken with a grain of salt.

They could be black humour among friends, she said, noting the use of emojis.

The trial is likely to take several weeks.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Eight fire trucks are working to extinguish a building fire in Palmerston North.

Fire and Emergency said crews from across the city were called to John F Kennedy Drive about 6.30pm.

A spokesperson said the building was well ablaze on arrival.

Police said no injuries were reported and no road closures were required.

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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 humble spag bol dinner may no longer be an option for people on a tight budget, with the price of mince rising to its highest level since records began.

Food prices have gone up 4.5 percent in the year to February, with beef mince up a whopping 23.2 percent to $24.46 per kilogram.

Fruit and veggies also shot up by 9.4 percent and meat, poultry and fish were up 7.5 percent annually.

Checkpoint has also been monitoring the cost of everyday groceries across the different supermarket chains for the past four years, we did the same on Tuesday.

Shoppers were squinting their eyes and shaking their heads as they looked over their grocery receipts outside PAK’nSAVE in Auckland’s Royal Oak.

“Nothing’s gone down, everything else has gone up, milk, meat, fruit and vegetables and cheese [it’s] shocking,” one shopper told RNZ.

“It really has changed things in our everyday lives, especially when you have six kids,” said another.

While another person was concerned about wages not keeping up with inflation. “In the last two years, we’ve had to just gradually step up our groceries budget which has been really difficult cause wages don’t always increase to cover the inflation at the same time.”

The rising costs were also tough for those on pensions. “I’m a pensioner, I live on a fixed income so it’s crazy.”

While another person commented on the lengths some people are considering. “I was looking at this lady walking down one aisle and she had very pink eyes looking at the pet food and I thought I know what she’s thinking, it’s getting too hard”.

Stats NZ data out on Tuesday found food prices were up 4.5 percent in the year to February, with mince recording its biggest ever increase – up $4.60 per kilogram.

Sirloin steak wasn’t far behind, shooting up 21.4 percent over the year to $44.71 per kilogram.

Bad news for chocolate lovers, too, with a 250-gram block up 20.3 percent.

Shoppers told Checkpoint because of the high price of some items such as cheese, they have stopped buying them.

One shopper said “more frozen veggies instead of fresh, if they’re not as cheap.”

While the price of butter was still causing pain. “The butter, it’s crazy, it’s almost doubled.”

Some shoppers said their habits had changed. “I don’t buy red meat.”

And the classic kiwi staple was also raising eyebrows. “I used to buy 500 grams of good quality mince, it used to be 10, 11 dollars, now it’s 14.”

It wasn’t all bad news, though olive oil was down 22.1 percent to $17.62 a litre and eggs saw a 6.2 percent drop to $8.77 per dozen.

BNZ chief economist Mike Jones said international meat prices are at record levels, driven in particularly by a tightening in the United States market.

“Cattle numbers are at the lowest level since 1951 so they are short of beef, and that is pushing the global price up.

“We’re now seeing that reflected more and more in retail prices that we are paying.”

He said it’s a similar story for many everyday essentials.

“Much higher mince and meat prices, you’ve got bread, veggies all going up, in some cases in double digits.

“We’re [also] staring down some pretty big increases in petrol prices, so it is very much concentrated in some of those essential categories.

“So, it’s going to be particularly tough going I think for households that never really got much relief [from] the cost of living.”

Checkpoint has done the same shop every year since 2022 to compare prices at the country’s main supermarket chains.

We did another comparison on Tuesday in light of Tuesday’s Stats NZ data.

In May 2022, Checkpoint’s shop at Woolworths Greenlane cost $238 and was $217 at PAK’nSAVE Royal Oak.

On Tuesday those items at PAK’nSAVE have shot up to a total of $257, an extra $40.

A shop at Woolworths coming out at $293, adding an extra $55.

Compared to our shop in 2022, most fresh fruits and vegetables were more expensive, but overall, most are at least a dollar cheaper compared to last year.

Other items that are cheaper or have stayed the same throughout the years are Wattie’s Baked Beans, tomato sauce, Marmite, Pam’s canned diced tomatoes, a kilogram’s worth of plain white rice and items in the baking aisle such as plain flour and sugar.

But meat and dairy products are clearly hurting shoppers the most, with a kilogram of mince at Woolworths at $21.90 a kilogram, that’s an extra $7.

Other shoppers told Checkpoint the cost of gluten-free products had gone up over the years, and some were buying items such as butter in bulk to cut costs.

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