Category: Radio New Zealand

Posted on

Should I pay off my mortgage or save for retirement – Ask Susan

Source: Radio New Zealand

RNZ

Got questions? RNZ has launched a podcast, No Stupid Questions, with Susan Edmunds.

We’d love to hear more of your questions about money and the economy. You can send through written questions, like these ones, but even better, you can drop us a voice memo to our email questions@rnz.co.nz

You can also sign up to RNZ’s new money newsletter, ‘Money with Susan Edmunds’.

No matter what mental gymnastics I do in my head and what calculators I use, I can’t work out how to maximise growth as I head towards retirement. Am I better off increasing my KiwiSaver contributions, or should I increase my mortgage repayments to minimise interest and term? It’s probably down to one’s own situation, but are there examples where one might be a better option than the other?

You’re right that it depends a lot on your own situation, and also your personality.

I talked to Rupert Carlyon, founder of Kernel KiwiSaver about this.

He points out that when you pay off your mortgage, you’re guaranteed a five percent taxfree return (or whatever interest rate you would otherwise be paying). As long as you keep paying, there is pretty much no risk that you won’t save yourself pretty significant sums of money in the long run by paying off your mortgage.

“With a KiwiSaver growth fund you may get a return of five percent to eight percent over a 10-year period,” he said.

“The returns from the market may be higher than that – though they may also be lower”.

He said you would also need to manage the downside risk. What would happen if your KiwiSaver fund did not perform as expected or lost money?

“If a member is a long term investor and plans to remain invested for at least eight to 10 years – then the probability of achieving an eight percent to 10 percent return with the KiwiSaver are higher than if they are a short term investor. If they need the money inside that time horizon – there is a significant chance of a market downturn and potentially the investment loses money – that is why the client should be in a balanced or conservative fund, and it is very unlikely that a balanced or conservative fund outperforms the mortgage over the medium term.

“If the person wants to maximise and is able to afford to take a little more risk – then potentially a KiwiSaver growth fund is the right answer. Though it depends on their time horizon and appetite for risk.”

You’ll need to weigh up how much you stand to save by paying off your home loan, what you will do once you’ve done that, and what sort of investment returns you can expect to get over the same period.

I know some people put all their money into clearing their mortgage and then plan to invest afterwards. This does reduce the amount of time you have for returns to compound, and relies also on you having the personality to actually do it.

If you can go into retirement with a mortgage-free home, that’s likely to reduce your stress quite significantly.

Can you advise me, I am getting NZ Super this year and will continue working. Which one should be secondary tax? I pay market rent and am single.

This will depend on how much you are earning from your job.

You should choose a main income tax rate for which ever income source gives you more. If you earn more than you get in NZ Super, you should have NZ Super as your secondary income. But if NZ Super will be more, you should switch your other income to a secondary tax code.

You won’t pay more tax overall for having a secondary tax code, but the addition of extra income will increase your overall tax bill which means more may need to be taxed at higher rates.

Sign up for Money with Susan Edmunds, a weekly newsletter covering all the things that affect how we make, spend and invest money.

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

Posted on

Benefit rules confuse: Employed partner given job search obligations

Source: Radio New Zealand

Unsplash / Anu Priya

A man who was made redundant last year has been left perplexed when his employed partner was told she would need to attend a seminar on gaining employment.

Andy, whom RNZ has agreed not to identify, lost his job last June.

“As I’ve been paying my taxes I thought I would see if I would be eligible for the unemployment benefit, which I wasn’t at that time because my de facto partner of 28 years had full time employment as a chef which she has held for 14 years, fair point so it was left there.”

There are limits on how much a household can earn and still remain eligible for benefits. When someone is on JobSeeker, household income over $160 a week before tax affects eligibility.

But Andy said four months later, her hours had been cut to four days.

“So I wait four weeks, so I can offer four payslips as proof and apply again.”

He said he applied online for his own benefit, and attended an interview.

But then his partner was called in and asked the same questions, despite not seeking a benefit.

“After two hours we’re sent away to await ‘our applications to be processed’ then I get a phone call to confirm that both our applications have been accepted but because my spouse has part-time work, her benefit is classified as her main income – all $51.20 of it – her wage will be classified as her second income and taxed accordingly. She’s employed, she doesn’t want any benefit, it was my application.

“On top of that, because she is now classed as unemployed she also has to attend a seminar about what benefits she’s entitled to claim and advice on gaining employment. But, she’s very happily employed.”

He said it had created a situation where there was an extra benefit application, and she was being forced to take time off work to attend a seminar about getting work.

“We’ve actually cancelled my application because my spouse doesn’t want to be contacted by anyone regarding other employment, who knows how her current employer would react if they thought that she was looking for work. Would they believe us?”

Rena Hona, regional commissioner for the Ministry of Social Development in Northland, acknowledged it was a difficult time for the couple.

“We’re happy to help Andy with his search for employment in any way we can, and we encourage him to remain in contact with us.

“We have a wide range of support available to help people find jobs and employers across the region regularly let us know about new vacancies.”

Hona said Andy’s partner’s 24 hours a week did not meet the minimum standard for full-time employment.

“This means she would need to take reasonable steps to secure employment of at least 30 hours a week if she and Andy applied for Jobseeker Support payments as a couple.”

Hona said Andy’s partner had been told she would not be required to attend a seminar and could have a one-on-one interview instead.

“New Zealand’s social security system is built on the premise that people in a relationship share costs and support each other financially. This is why applying for Jobseeker Support works differently, and the payment rates may differ, if someone is single or in a relationship.

“If someone in a relationship applies for assistance their partner also needs to give us some information. We’re required by legislation to assess both partners’ employment status and their combined household income. We then use this information to determine what they may be eligible for and what their obligations might be. These obligations could include looking for a full-time job and keeping us updated about how that goes.”

When someone was working 30 hours a week, they would not have job search obligations.

“If people need financial assistance because they’re not working full-time, we expect them to take all reasonable steps to confirm suitable full-time employment as soon as possible, so they no longer need financial assistance. This is a longstanding principle which underpins New Zealand social security legislation.”

Sign up for Money with Susan Edmunds, a weekly newsletter covering all the things that affect how we make, spend and invest money.

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

Posted on

Australian college suspends censured NZ teacher, Jason Morgan, after tribunal reveals sex talk with students

Source: Radio New Zealand

Chanel College Queensland, where Jason Morgan now works. Google Maps

A teacher censured for asking students inappropriate questions, including, “How long would you wait to have sex with a dead girl?”, has now been suspended from his teaching role in Australia.

Teacher Jason Morgan made multiple sexual comments to students while working as a boarding house assistant at a New Zealand school in 2023.

The Teachers’ Disciplinary Tribunal was only able to censure him, because he had moved overseas and was teaching at Chanel College in Queensland, Australia.

The tribunal decision said the Queensland College of Teachers (QCT) was aware of Morgan’s teaching background.

A former student of Morgan’s at the time of the incidents told NZME he was shocked to hear Morgan was still teaching in Australia.

“For him to be teaching again is completely unacceptable for a man who has made sexual jokes.

“I highly recommend Chanel College do change their mind as he should be terminated from teaching and any job that involves kids.”

The former student alleged that more comments were made, beyond what was mentioned in the tribunal’s decision, which made students at the time uncomfortable.

However, a Catholic Education – Diocese of Rockhampton spokesperson, who oversees the Queensland school at which Morgan was teaching, has now told NZME that he has been suspended.

“The college has recently become aware of concerns relating to one of our teachers while in a previous role at a school overseas,” the spokesperson said.

“The staff member has been suspended from all duties while the matter is being investigated.”

They said the college had notified the relevant authorities.

“The safety and well-being of our students remain our highest priority.”

A spokesperson for QCT said it could not comment on any individual’s teacher registration or matters of professional conduct.

At the time of the misconduct, Morgan was a teacher and boarding house assistant at a school that cannot be identified.

During Term 1 and 2, Morgan made inappropriate comments of a sexual nature while in his capacity as house assistant, specifically at the end of the day when they shared a “thought of the day”.

The “thought of the day” was a way to wind down students before bed.

The students said comments made by Morgan during these discussions included, “Would you have regular sex with a seven out of 10 or have a one-night stand with a nine out of 10?” and, “Would you sleep with an absolute 10 out of 10 if she was crazy as?”

The decision states he also asked, “How long would you wait to have sex with a dead girl?”

Morgan also engaged in banter and jokes with a student over several days, while other students were present.

During this exchange, Morgan told the student that he would “come on your mum’s back”, the decision stated.

After Morgan made the comment, he apologised to the student.

Later that month, Morgan made inappropriate comments in front of several students when speaking about hunting. He reportedly said, “Be careful you… boys don’t f*** [goats]”.

Morgan voluntarily resigned after the complaint. He has been approached for comment.

– This story originally appeared in the New Zealand Herald

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

Posted on

NRL: NZ Warriors powerhouse Leka Halasima stars in big win over Canberra Raiders

Source: Radio New Zealand

Leka Halasima has the tryline in sight for the Warriors against Canberra. Andrew Cornaga/Photosport

Analysis: Exactly seven days earlier, NZ Warriors coach Andrew Webster sat in exactly this same seat and more or less predicted what would happen.

He was defending his decision to delay the introduction of young powerhouse Leka Halasima off the bench until after halftime of the season-opening win over Sydney Roosters.

“The day will come when Leka will play 80 minutes and I’m looking forward to that day, because it will be awesome, but he doesn’t need to do it right now,” Webster said. “He just needs to own his little time and have that impact.”

A week late, his team needed that performance from ‘Leka the Wrecker’.

Halasima had scored a try with his first touch against Sydney, but a week later, as the Warriors overwhelmed defending minor premiers Canberra Raiders 40-6, he fully lived up to Webster’s faith. Thrust into the starting line-up before kickoff through injury, he went the full distance, producing a try double and making his impact felt all around the park.

“Honestly, we were all just talking in the sheds about how proud we were of Leka,” Webster said. “He got a minute’s notice, knuckled down, scored two tries, but his tackling, his defence, his effort areas were the best parts of his game – and he did it for 80 minutes.

“Happy, super happy.”

To open their 2026 campaign, the Warriors have now put 40 points on two highly rated opponents and, while Webster insisted the Roosters scoreline was flattering, he was comfortable his team had earned every bit of their advantage over these opponents, who had a winning head-to-head historical record against them and had won their last three meetings.

This is just the fourth time the Auckland NRL club has begun a season with back-to-back wins – they have only once strung three together. In 2018, they rattled off five.

“Wins like tonight aren’t a surprise to us, but at the same time, we’ve got to get better,” Webster insisted.

Here’s what else we learned from the win over Canberra:

Best player

Halasima was originally selected to come off the interchange, probably in a very similar role to last week, but all that changed when veteran second-rower Kurt Capewell pulled up lame with a calf strain in warm-ups.

His first try came in the 49th minute, when he chased a kick into goal from halfback Tanah Boyd and dived unopposed for the touchdown.

With just over 10 minutes remaining, he propped off his left foot inside one sprawling defender, brushed off counterpart Noah Martin metres from the line and then tumbled over in the tackle of Kiwis centre Matt Timoko for his second try.

His 35 tackles were only a couple less than team-leading Jackson Ford (37) and he ran for 114 metres. After pacing the Warriors in tries last season with 13, he is already among the competition’s leaders with three in two games.

Supposedly filling in for Luke Metcalf, halfback Tanah Boyd continued to stake his claim for a fulltime role with another outstanding performance, scoring a try, kicking five conversions and a penalty, while providing two try assists.

Webster rated his showing against the Roosters as his best in a Warriors jersey – this was his second best.

Ali Leiataua celebrates his go-ahead try for the Warriors. www.photosport.nz

Front-rower Ford put in another massive effort – he was finally subbed off with five minutes remaining and was his team’s top fantasy scorer with 75 points. He led the Warriors in tackles and run metres last week, and ran for 154 metres this time.

Centre Ali Leiataua showed why he was missed last season, amid the Warriors’ midfield injuries, and may now take some unseating, when Rocco Berry returns from shoulder surgery.

After entering the game early, fullback Taine Tuaupiki was a constant threat on attack, running more than 200 metres and reminding everyone why he was so valued as Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad’s back-up – for now.

Key moment

Leiataua had already delivered a solid first-half performance, highlighted by six tacklebreaks and an assist on Dallin Watene-Zelezniak’s first try.

With the halftime score level at 6-6, he broke the contest open for the Warriors soon after the break, lurking in midfield to pick off hooker Tom Starling’s pass and gallop 50 metres for the go-ahead try.

The Warriors piled on 34 unanswered second-half points to have the Raiders totally demoralised by the closing minutes.

“That was a bonus,” Webster said of the intercept try. “We spoke about how well they offload the ball and just to stay up.

“Ali was up and made his own luck there. Awesome.”

Try of the game

So many to chose from, but how were the delightful soccer skills of lock Erin Clark in the build-up to Boyd’s try near the end?

Already up 30-6, Boyd created the opportunity with a well-taken 40-20 and then, at the end of the next set, put a kick along the ground towards the goal area.

Erin Clark and Tanah Boyd celebrate a Warriors try against the Raiders. Andrew Cornaga/Photosport

Clark overran his chase, but flicked the ball up with his heels, and Boyd was following to gather and score.

By then, everything the Warriors attempted turned up diamonds and more than a few Raiders heads went down after this audacious blow.

Injuries

Webster will be holding breath this week over an injury toll that disrupted this line-up against Canberra and may impact future selections.

Capewell’s departure was followed by five-eighth Chanel Harris-Tavita in the ninth minute, after he knocked himself out in a tackle. Fullback Nicoll-Klokstad moved to the halves and Tuaupiki came off the bench to replace him.

Captain James Fisher-Harris was also pulled from the field before halftime for a concussion check, but passed and returned to play an inspirational role in the result.

Ten minutes from the end, Nicoll-Klokstad also left the field for a test. By then, victory was safe and Webster simply slotted hooker Wayde Egan into the vacancy to close it out.

“We have something organised for every situation,” he assured. “Capey went down in warm-up with calf, so straight away, we knew that Leka was going to start.

“We knew, if we got an outside back or half injury, we would activate Taine, and Charnze would move to the halves or centre or wing.

“We had the plan and then Chanel went down, so we activated Taine, and then ‘Nuck’ went down, so we put Wayde Egan at half.”

The substitutions perfectly illustrated how administrators probably envisaged their new six-man interchange working, with teams now able to utilise specialist replacements, like Tuaupiki, off the bench, rather than playing forwards out of position among the backs.

Previously, Harris-Tavita’s injury may have caused an entire re-alignment of the backline, with Nicoll-Klokstad to five-eighth, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck to fullback, Adam Pompey to wing and Halasima to centre – or Egan stationed in the halves for most of the contest.

Kurt Capewell never made it past the warm-ups for the Warriors. Andrew Cornaga/p

“The best part was the boys were so calm and so clear during adversity,” Webster said.

Harris-Tavita is definitely out next week, so Webster must likely choose between Nicoll-Klokstad out of position or a first-grade debut for Luke Hanson.

If Nicoll-Klokstad failed his head injury assessment – and Webster had no outcome to report – the spine may include both Hanson and Tuaupiki.

Calves are tricky injuries – and trickier the older you get – so Capewell, 32, may need some time to heal. On the positive side, second-rower Marata Niukore, also recovering from a calf, played for the reserves in the curtainraiser and would be a like-for-like replacement.

Co-captain Mitch Barnett also nears a return from last year’s season-ending knee injury.

Canberra Raiders

The visitors started strongly with the opening try to fullback Kaeo Weekes, but had little else to offer for the rest of the journey.

Coach Ricky Stuart is usually the first to point the finger, if he thinks his team has been treated poorly by match officials, but this contest wasn’t close enough to blame anyone else.

“Disappointed with the result and the scoreline obviously,” he offered. “When you’re on, you’re on and when you’re off, you’re off.

“We had our chances, but they defended very well. You can’t take anything away from their defence – they scrambled well and defended well.

“That intercept, and then we made an error and they scored off that to put them 12 ahead,” Stuart identified the turning point. “With a big home crowd behind them and them on the front foot, it was going to be a big task coming back.”

After needing Golden Point to overcome Manly Sea Eagles in their season opener, the ‘Green Machine’ face another examination next week, when they host Canterbury Bulldogs, who also needed extra time to edge St George Dragons in their Vegas opener, before drawing the bye this week.

Chanel Harris-Tavita is treated for concussion, after knocking himself out in a tackle. Photosport

Tuivasa-Sheck 150th

The veteran wing had a mixed night, not at all helped by the loss of Capewell and Harris-Tavita from his edge.

He had a pass thrown behind him and another that dipped at his feet in the first half, but eventually led his team with 210 running metres.

While he couldn’t find the tryline in his milestone game for the club, RTS was caught off guard, when Boyd tossed him the ball to convert Watene-Zelezniak’s final try.

“Just hit and hope,” he winked. “I was in shock at the time, but all the boys were egging me on, so I took the role on and was surprised it went over.”

Tuivasa-Sheck kept the kick low, with a little right-to-left fade that steered it safely between the uprights.

Webster observed: “If we’d missed the top eight by two points, I was never going to forgive him.”

What the result means

Again, too early in the season to make any definitive difference on the competition table yet – but Warriors are on top and become the first team to record two victories in the new season.

After two big wins, their points differential is comfortable (+58), remembering they finished only +21 for all of last season and never ventured above +36.

[h}What’s next

Warriors travel to Newcastle Knights, who took out the 2025 wooden spoon, but have changed coaches in the off-season and won their season-opener against North Queensland Cowboys 28-18 in Vegas.

Kiwis coach and Warriors assistant Stacey Jones will have a chance to discuss Kalyn Ponga’s impending international allegiance switch with the player after the game.

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

Posted on

Troubles continue at youth justice facility as deadline for improvement looms

Source: Radio New Zealand

Youth on the roof of Korowai Manaaki in December 2024. Peter de Graaf/RNZ

The headlines were grim across 2023 and 2024: ‘Video of MMA-style fighting in youth justice facility‘, ‘Youths climb onto roof‘, ‘Four staff stood down from youth justice unit’, ‘Prison napalm mixture thrown at teenager’, ‘Staff smuggling in contraband‘.

Investigators gave Oranga Tamariki (OT) three years to turn things around at its biggest secure home for teenagers, Korowai Maaaki in south Auckland.

It even called in prison inspectors last year to get their help.

OT says it is on track.

But documents released to RNZ showed that as late as last November, the child protection ministry had had to hit the reset button yet again and was telling the government, “It has been difficult to create long-lasting change”.

The three years is up soon, in September 2026.

Sixty pages of internal documents chart the tug-of-war in plan after plan to try to embed changes to make the 40 or so children in the home safer, including using funding from Budget 2025.

“Previous action plans have brought in new leadership with the capability to demonstrate the required standard, which has often created an uplift, but residential practice, operations and culture have eventually reverted,” Childrens’ Minister Karen Chhour was told last September.

Work on recruitment and better standards had gone on but “in the case of Korowai Manaaki these actions are not driving change at the speed or depth that we want to see”.

A youth throws an object from the roof of Korowai Manaaki in December 2024. Peter de Graaf/RNZ

‘An environment where abuse occurs’

Early this month, the watchdog Independent Children’s Monitor put out its report for 2024-25 saying, “As we reported last year, multiple recent reports, including from Oranga Tamariki itself, highlight the safety issues in residences.

“We visited four of the five youth justice residences. We found that the underlying culture, including poorly trained staff and unstructured programmes, contributes to an environment where abuse occurs.

“Most of the abuse we heard about in our regional engagements happened in youth justice residences.”

It quoted a rangatahi saying: “Staff are inconsistent. Secure is horrible.”

On the plus side, access to healthcare was reported to be good, grievances were down 28 percent – and were not focused on Korowai Manaaki but on a residence at Burnham – and all the homes had youth councils to give the teenagers a voice.

‘A sprint due to the urgent care’

However, the south Auckland home’s problems have proved fairly untractable, the Official Information Act papers showed.

In the last year it has had the prison inspectors’ visit and two fast-tracked improvement programmes, one after the other, the last one described by the agency as “a sprint due to the urgent care the residence needs today”.

The origins of this were poor performance reports dating to at least 2020.

That led to the $85,000 rapid review by former police commissioner Mike Bush in September 2023 – a year when boys had got up on the home’s roof 15 times – which set the three-year turnaround target that ends in a few months.

Former police commissioner Mike Bush. RNZ / Ana Tovey

Late 2023 also saw 28 complaints over staff conduct to police, charges and 22 staff dismissed. Allegations of inappropriate sexual behaviour surfaced; some staff were said to be just too close to the teenagers.

Independent inspectors emerged from a surprise swoop in February 2024 saying contraband smuggling and physical handling of teenagers were problems.

They were told by staff the home had a “corrupt” operating environment.

After some roof invasions, it turned to the boot camp pilot for help. The papers said it aimed to “apply lessons from Military-Style Academy Pilot” to address the rooftop incidents.

Later in 2024, secure youth residences like Korowai Manaaki – which was the largest of five and housed the oldest teens – became a focus for a new child protection unit set up by OT as a key response to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into abuse in state care.

This unit said it would visit a secure home. It is not known if it has. The unit had not published any reports and OT told RNZ on Friday it would not make the unit’s reports public.

Accelerated action

By January 2025, the agency was busy categorising 134 recommendations over three years about how to make its youth justice residences better and safer.

So it launched an Accelerated Action Plan at Korowai Manaaki.

By March it had turned to the prisons for experience. Police Minister Mark Mitchell had asked how the Chief Inspector’s experience could be used.

While the inspectorate went on to recommend the various homes set standards for inspections, and ways to review complaints, it was not volunteering in that space.

“Oranga Tamariki and the Chief Inspector do not believe there is any value to the Inspectorate also gaining a mandate to conduct inspections or investigations of Oranga Tamariki secure residences, which would necessitate legislative amendments,” said a March 2025 report to Chhour.

Minister for Children Karen Chhour. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

The Prisons Inspectorate has no mandate over youth homes, but was invited in in mid-2025 to come up with ideas.

The inspectors found what a procession of other reviewers had found: recruitment and retention problems so that staff lacked experience, teenagers harming other teens, a ‘secure care unit’ in poor condition and “contraband issues”, among other things.

“They also noted pockets of good practice at the residence, such as good leadership visibility,” said a short report back.

At this point OT had just one year left of the three-year fixit period.

‘Embedding well’

The Inspector’s visit segued into a ‘Reset Plan’ that ran for three months to November 2025.

The home had “ongoing challenges which need to be addressed. Gaps in residential practice and workplace culture increase the level of operational risk at the residence. To address this risk, direct action and clear leadership is needed”, deputy chief executives reported on 11 November.

In December a log list of Reset work completed laid out to Chhour: over 750 staff training sessions – at one point it closed one of its five units so it could do training – two successful rounds of recruitment and stronger systems that had cut down on contraband. Parts of the home were getting painted and new windows.

Staff were stabilising: unplanned absences had dropped 40 percent and long-term leave which was very high had been cut in half, she heard. “Return-to-work support has been a key contributor to these improvements.

“The Reset has delivered tangible improvements in safety, culture, and operational stability, underpinned by strong leadership presence and investment in staff capability. Positive trends across all key metrics indicate that changes are embedding well,” it told the minister.

Three months later the agency told RNZ its youth justice leaders were “monitoring how well the improvements at the residence are embedding, to ensure that the change created by the Reset Plan is sustained”.

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

Posted on

Doping scandal rocks World Rugby

Source: Radio New Zealand

World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Polish President Witold Banka, delivering a speech in Lausanne, Switzerland in March 2024. FABRICE COFFRINI

A major World Rugby and World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) investigation has resulted in anti-doping rule violations being confirmed against six players and one member of the athlete support personnel from the Georgia national rugby union team.

Launched in 2023, the investigation, named Operation Obsidian, looked into claims that players engaged in sample substitution in blatant contravention, outlined in Code Article 2.2 of anti-doping rules.

A report released on Saturday by both bodies reveals five instances where sample substitution occurred, also finding that advance notice of testing was being given to players from the Georgia national rugby union team by employees of the Georgian Anti-Doping Agency (GADA).

It also determined that doping control officers were not observing athletes notified for doping control and not witnessing urine passing, which are clear non-conformities under the rules.

“What has been happening in Georgian rugby is outrageous and will send shockwaves through Georgian sport and government, as well as the global game of rugby,” said WADA President Witold Bańka.

“I also praise World Rugby’s commitment to uncovering the facts and its willingness to work collaboratively with WADA to deliver this strong result for rugby.

“This is not the end of the story as further investigation is now going on deeper into Georgian sport.

“WADA has brought Operation Obsidian’s findings to the attention of the Government of Georgia to address the issues in the Georgian Anti-Doping Agency.

“As the next steps are being considered, clearly, WADA has lost confidence in GADA’s anti-doping program and wholesale changes must now be made by the relevant authorities,” said Banka.

WADA has also extracted samples collected from athletes of other sports in Georgia, with an expert review of the Athlete Biological Passports related to these samples now underway.

The six players, and the support personnel member, are yet to be named, with World Rugby saying the full disciplinary (results management) process has to be completed firdst.

But in a statement, the organisation says the investigation was triggered when irregularities in urine samples were identified by World Rugby’s athlete passport management programme, covering an extended period of time prior to Men’s Rugby World Cup 2023 in France.

World Rugby alerted WADA immediately and the two bodies worked closely together.

World Rugby said it took all anti-doping matters extremely seriously and was an unwavering champion of clean sport.

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

Posted on

Doors open at revamped Wellington Library after seven years

Source: Radio New Zealand

Artwork by Māori artist Darcy Nicholas in the new Wellington library. RNZ / Mark Papalii

A ceremony will officially reopen the newly strengthened and renovated Wellington Library on Saturday morning after being shut for seven years.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was planned at the site, followed by music and story-telling performances throughout the weekend.

It will be open for normal operations, from 10am.

The library has been closed since March 2019 after it was deemed an earthquake risk.

Civic Square next to the library is also reopening, with new landscaping, seating, play areas and water features.

Wellington mayor Andrew Little said it’s a positive turning point for the central city.

He said as well as books, the library contains a variety of creative spaces, including an area with 3D printers and a CNC machine.

  • First look inside the new Wellington library

    • “The area of town which the library is in has been kind of boarded up and shut down and difficult to move around for some time,” Little said.

    “So with all the hoardings coming down and the library opening up and a place for people to come in their hundreds, it’s really going to make a big difference to that part of town.”

    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

Posted on

Cars the leading cause of reported kiwi deaths across Northland

Source: Radio New Zealand

In Rangitane, near Kerikeri, local residents place crosses by the roadside where kiwi have been killed by cars. RNZ / Peter de Graaf

Cars were the leading cause of reported kiwi deaths across Northland last year, according to new figures obtained by RNZ.

In 2025, the Department of Conservation received 39 reports of the birds being killed by vehicles in the region – up from 26 birds the year before.

Dogs were the next biggest cause of reported kiwi deaths, with 29 killed in confirmed (16) or suspected (13) dog attacks.

That was also an increase on the previous year’s tally of 16 (11 confirmed, 5 suspected).

However, a kiwi expert cautioned that reported deaths may not reflect the actual numbers killed by different causes.

Kiwi Coast Mid North coordinator Andrew Mentor said the bodies of kiwi killed by cars were more likely to be seen and hence reported.

“When kiwi are killed on the road that’s obviously more available and visual, so you’d expect them to be found more easily than those that are killed by dogs in the bush – which might not be found or reported,” he said.

Roadside crosses show where kiwi have been killed by cars in Rangitane, near Kerikeri. RNZ / Peter de Graaf

DOC’s figures showed the hotspots for kiwi deaths by vehicle last year were Whangārei Heads (11), Russell-Ōkiato (7) and Rangitane-Ōpito Bay near Kerikeri (4).

Within Whangārei Heads, most deaths occurred in a small area between the Nook Road turnoff and McLeod Bay.

Rangitane, with its high density of both humans and kiwi, used to be the worst place in Northland for kiwi road deaths.

However, in recent years Rangitane’s kiwi road toll had dropped significantly.

Dean Wright, founder of the Kerikeri Peninsula Conservation Charitable Trust, put that down to greater awareness among local motorists and a highly visible billboard campaign.

Wright said the trust had identified the three worst hotspots for kiwi deaths, then put up roadside signs alerting motorists.

Some signs were lit up at night, when the birds were out and about, while others were updated with the current toll each time another kiwi was killed.

The group also placed roadside crosses anywhere a kiwi had been run over.

“When we first started recording we were at seven [kiwi road deaths] a year, but it’s been on a downward trend. We’re hoping that’s because of our signage and that this year it’s going to drop more but who knows. I guess there’ll be the odd blip, but at least the trend is going the right way.”

Deb Bayens-Wright and Dean Wright with one of the billboards Kerikeri Peninsula Conservation Charitable Trust has put up around Rangitane. Supplied / Dean Wright

One of the problems was that the speed limit in much of Rangitane was 80km/h.

“We reckon that 50km/h gives them a chance, so you’ve got time to brake if they run out in front of you. But not everyone’s going to do that.”

Collecting kiwi corpses was his “least favourite job”, Wright said.

“Someone will call and we’ll go and pick up the body off the side of the road. It’s really sad, you know, because it’s a preventable death. If you take a few more minutes to get to your destination on the peninsula, it could save a kiwi’s life.”

Wright said the reported figures likely understated the impact of dogs and stoats.

“One, the bodies are never found, and, two, if your dog killed a kiwi, what are the chances of you getting on the phone straight away and ringing DOC and telling them? Bugger all, I’d say.”

A kiwi killed in a dog attack near Russell. Supplied

By far the worst area in Northland for dog attacks on kiwi was the Purerua Peninsula in the northern Bay of Islands, with 16 fatal maulings recorded last year – 12 of which occurred in Wharengaere Bay.

Other reports put that number as high as 20 in Wharengaere Bay alone.

Two dogs were seized for roaming in the isolated bay in January this year.

Last year, three Northland kiwi were reported as being killed by stoats, a drop from four by stoats and one by a ferret in 2024.

Adult kiwi could generally defend themselves against cats with only one kiwi known to have fallen victim to a feline last year.

Other reported causes of death in 2025 included drowning (4), traps (3), natural causes (4), ingesting karaka berries (2) and trauma (4).

Deaths by trauma included being run over by a mower, crushed by a digger, and falling off a retaining wall.

Ten died of unknown causes – usually because the body was too decomposed to establish the cause – compared to 19 the previous year.

The total number of reported kiwi deaths in 2025 was 99, up from 86 the year before.

A Kerikeri conservation group has put up signs around Rangitane with the current death toll, urging motorists to take care around kiwi hotspots. Supplied / Dean Wright

Mentor said the increasing number of kiwi deaths was in part a result of extensive pest control across Northland.

With growing numbers of kiwi in some areas, more were being killed by cars, dogs and other means.

His advice for Northlanders was to take extra care while driving at night.

“Don’t assume it’s a possum on the road, it could well be a kiwi. And please tie up your dogs and be responsible dog owners,” he said.

The kiwi death data was obtained under the Official Information Act.

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

Posted on

Country Life: The Shepherdess Muster heads to Southland

Source: Radio New Zealand

Shepherdess founder Kristy McGregor. Gianina Schwanecke / Country Life

With a seven, five, and one-year-old at home, and another baby on the way, life can be quite chaotic for Shepherdess founder Kristy McGregor. Living rurally on a beef and dairy farm in Horowhenua adds another layer.

It was that and a desire to connect rural women and provide a sense of community that saw her launch the Shepherdess Muster – a rural women’s retreat – first in the remote settlement of Motu in Tai Rāwhiti two years ago and most recently in Tokanui at the bottom of the South Island.

“The Muster is about just taking time for yourself and doing something for yourself,” she told Country Life.

“What you get when you come here is just a chance to have a go, have good food, have food cooked for you. When did you last get a meal made for you?”

Follow Country Life on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart or wherever you get your podcasts.

The Tokanui Rugby Club was transformed into a rural women’s retreat for the second Shepherdess Muster, the first in the South Island. Gianina Schwanecke / Country Life

The weekend included a wide range of workshops centred on everything from women’s health, empowerment, intimacy and relationships, and parenting. Gianina Schwanecke / Country Life

As McGregor explained, the Muster was a chance for rural women to choose for themselves.

“The Shepherdess Muster is three days of women coming together in a rural or remote spot and a weekend of arts, health and well-being and entrepreneurship, business development. Really just spending time together and connecting and taking a moment for yourself.”

The first event to be held in the South Island, the Muster attracted more than 200 women from around the motu to the Tokanui Rugby Club for a weekend of camping, fun and celebrating International Women’s Day.

While there was a wide range of activities on offer – everything from women’s health check-ups, intimacy workshops, beauty appointments, tattooing, Zumba, yoga and craft sessions – none were compulsory.

Tokanui farmer, mum of 4 and Shepherdess organising committee member Emma-Kate Rabbidge. Gianina Schwanecke / Country Life

Tokanui locals Emma-Kate Rabbidge and Julie Keast were both excited to showcase their slice of paradise after nearly two years of planning as part of the event’s organising committee.

For Keast, who lived a few kilometres away from the rugby club, it was about women coming together for themselves.

“It’s really important that we hold that place for each other, and support each other and have a good time together,” she told Country Life.

Rabbidge, who lived even closer to the grounds with her husband and four children, found it odd camping in a tent down the hill over her own bed.

“But like I’ve said to a few women, you know, as soon as you walk back in the door to your home, you’re the wife and you’re the mum and you’re all the things again.

“This weekend is really about stepping away from that and taking the time out. So, yeah, I’m staying away.”

She hoped that attendees might walk away with a reignited passion for being creative or picking up a new hobby, something they could incorporate into their life back home which could help them build connection and community.

Tokanui local Sheila Smith of the Small Prophet Design Shed. Gianina Schwanecke / Country Life

The weekend was a great way to showcase local makers and businesses. Gianina Schwanecke / Country Life

Sophie Green and Louise Patterson enjoy checking out the craft stall. Gianina Schwanecke / Country Life

For “Welsh import” Sheila Smith, who also called Tokanui home and helped start the Small Prophet Design Shed, moving to the remote Catlins was an adjustment at first.

“It was a big move from central London. That was a challenge to adjust to the slower pace – one garage, one school, one shop, and one superb design store, Small Profit Design.”

She and two other women who ran the store travelled all through Wanaka, Queenstown, and Otago doing interiors and art and furniture. She said they were passionate about promoting New Zealand-made goods and doing things themselves.

It allowed her to be more than “a farmer’s wife” and provide an outlet for her creative background. Like many rural women she wore many hats – at the Muster over the weekend Smith could also be found leading the Zumba dance sessions and early morning workouts.

She said despite some of the challenges of moving to the “end of the world”, it was one that had taught her a lot and a “good move”.

She was reminded of this the week before, during a recent burst of aurora – she could see the southern lights from her farm, Aurora Downs.

Dr Helen Paterson with the Women’s Health Bus. Gianina Schwanecke / Country Life

Dancers dress to the theme of sparkles and sequins, enjoying the live band. Gianina Schwanecke / Country Life

Many of the rural women spoken to by Country Life over the weekend spoke of their gratitude to live, and for some, raise their families, in beautiful parts of the country where there was space to play and potter.

But many also spoke of the time pressures and constant juggle which made it challenging to always appreciate this.

Southland sharemilker Allesha Ballard-Conway came to the Muster alone, hopeful she would make new friends and enjoy “some crafts, good food, good vibes” while trying something new.

Nearing the end of the weekend she said she had met women from all types of places doing different things and this would be her biggest takeaway from the experience.

“We literally just sat down and yarned. It was so lovely just to feel connected to women – just being inspired by all the women.”

Southland sharemilker Allesha Ballard-Conway was proud to have set up her campsite all on her own. Gianina Schwanecke / Country Life

Louise Patterson and Sophie Green had an easier time than some setting up their inflatable tent. Gianina Schwanecke / Country Life

A paddock becomes a campground, with tents, trailers and all sorts of temporary accommodation. Gianina Schwanecke / Country Life

Learn more:

  • Find out more about the Shepherdess Muster, here
  • Find out more about RNZ’s new podcast Far From Town 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

Posted on

Country Life: Pick and be merry – harvest time under a big sky

Source: Radio New Zealand

Harvest time at Big Sky Wines begins or ends with friends and neighbours in the vineyard helping to bring in the first grapes of the season.

Husband-and-wife team Kath Jacobs and Jeremy Corban started out 21 years ago, growing mainly Pinot Noir on six hectares in Te Muna Valley near Martinborough, and were both the viticulturalists and winemakers at their certified organic vineyard.

They did most things by hand, and in mid-March, under a shockingly blue sky in 26-degree heat, a clutch of neighbours and friends were lending theirs, snipping the first grape bunches from the vines.

Jeremy Corban and Katherine Jacobs harvesting grapes in their vineyard. RNZ/Sally Round

“I like this kind of ending one chapter and starting the next chapter,” Corban said.

“This is the end of the grape growing and the start of the wine making, so it’s a nice point. I like seeing the fruit come in. That’s six months work, maybe longer, and it’s just gorgeous on days like this. You know, it’s no hardship, is it?”

Follow Country Life on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart or wherever you get your podcasts.

The couple were among 90 percent of New Zealand’s 700-plus winegrowers classified as ‘small’ – producing under 200,000 litres a year. With their own winery on site, they produced about 20,000 litres, although that varied from year to year.

Jacobs described it as a classic family-run operation.

“We try and do all the work ourselves. We’re organic. We’re living on our property. Our children grew up here.

“We love the fact that it’s really simple and compact, and we pick as much fruit in a day as we can, Jeremy and I can, process, so we’ve got a lot of friends who’ve been involved with us since the beginning.”

The pickers were treated to a nice lunch at the end – “A celebration of the time of year,” Corban said.

“We like to either do the first pick of the season or the last pick of the season with that, with friends.”

The bins of grapes are loaded into a large field container before being transported to the winery for chilling, then a light press RNZ/Sally Round

Kate Smith was one of the stalwarts with about 20 years of picking under her belt.

“I’ve known Katherine and Jeremy for a long time. We came to New Zealand in 2005 and they’d just bought the vineyard. We’ve been helping them with the harvest almost every year since. We’re just friends, amateurs who come for a fun day and and it’s just a lovely day.

“There’s usually a good team of people here. And, you know, I always meet people that I haven’t seen before, and we have a nice chat as we go along with vines. You know, there’s a nice communal feeling. We will sit down and have a lunch together at some point.”

Kate Smith, one of the picking team at Big Sky Wines. She’s been helping with the harvest since the wine label’s beginnings 20 years ago. RNZ/Sally Round

The group were picking early harvest pinot noir, with the fruit at lower sugar and higher acid levels, for sparkling wine.

“We really like the human factor of people looking at each bunch, it’s really important,” Jacobs said.

“We’re making the best wine we can, not the most wine we can. So we really appreciate people’s actual eyeballs on the bunches.”

A small group of friends and neighbours have joined in the first pick of the season. RNZ/Sally Round

The buckets went into bins which a neighbour picked up and loaded on the back of the tractor. It rumbles slowly down the rows to the larger field bin at the end, where the morning’s harvest was collected, ready for the winery.

The fruit would be chilled down to 10 degrees overnight then lightly pressed in the morning.

“It’s quite a physical, manual process,” Corban said.

“You get good at lifting 15 kilos a lot of times, thousands of times. It also gives us another chance to make sure there’s nothing going into the mix that we don’t want.”

With a good amount in the bin, it was time for a break and the group headed off for scones, a cold drink and a chat.

“We don’t do all our harvesting like that, but it’s a nice way … at the end of the day, this whole business is about conviviality.”

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