Category: Radio New Zealand

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Documents reveal Health NZ knew IT job cuts would risk patient care, hospital resilience

Source: Radio New Zealand

Health NZ knew cutting data and digital staff would increase risks to patient care and hospital resilience. Unsplash / RNZ

Health NZ knew cutting data and digital staff would increase risks to patient care and hospital resilience, and require one-off investment to mitigate, according to a newly released internal document.

The report, titled End user impact of digital change – consequences – was written in April 2025 and details the likely impact of a restructure which would cut hundreds of IT positions. It was released to the PSA union under the Official Information Act.

It said many of the risks could be mitigated by investment and keeping key staff in service desk, support and training roles – but long-term risk remained.

“The long-term forecast for these risks (i.e, with fewer people and less knowledge; and with an ageing IT ecosystem) is that the risk rating will almost certainly elevate as technical debt becomes unsustainable and the modernisation/transformation required to meet the future needs of the sector is delayed,” the report said.

Those risks would need to be mitigated further down the track, through further investment.

Health NZ said because of the report, it had built targeted mitigations into its plans for change.

The changes came as part of a push from the government to increase efficiency and cut wasteful spending across the public sector, with departments ordered to make savings of between 6.5 and 7.5 percent.

In April last year, Health NZ confirmed sweeping cuts to a third of IT roles.

That would take data and digital roles from 2000 to 1460.

There are currently 200 vacant positions.

Health NZ said before the change process began in May last year the total number people employed was 1412.

But, that did not take into account the roughly 600 roles that were already vacant and not being filled.

In the past two months, there were a number of major IT outages – a six-hour outage in the lower North Island in mid January, a 12-hour outage at Auckland and Northland hospitals in late January, and another for those same hospitals in late February.

According to the report, the proposed changes would leave the system vulnerable.

It already had low baseline resilience due to a lack of business continuity plans, and “minimal” “hot failover” mechanisms – that is, systems which automatically took over when a system failed, without the input of a person, the report said.

“It is important to note issues and risks attributed to Digital Services are already present in our environment due to legacy technologies, fragmentation and increasing pressure from external threats, such as cyber,” it said.

Despite the intent of the change being to save money, the report said one-off investment would be required to mitigate the risks cutting staff would create. The report did not say how much that might cost.

Regional and isolated sites, such as Rotorua, Gisborne, New Plymouth, Whanganui, Masterton, Nelson, Greymouth and Timaru, would be left more vulnerable than others, due to losing staff who performed multiple jobs.

Service desk calls had already progressively increased over the past six months before the report’s writing “due to staff attrition and the pause on hiring”.

“This trend is expected to tick upwards post restructure with an estimated average wait time of approx. 2 minutes per caller. Call abandonment times (i.e., staff hanging up), are also anticipated to increase from a current rate of 15 percent to 19 percent post-restructure, under the current proposal.”

Due to the reduction in staff resolving incidents and service requests, total call numbers were expected to increase under the proposal, exacerbated by an increase in callers checking on the status of their requests.

The report said a number of Hauora Māori organisations, community services and NGO sites would be left unsupported, as they currently received outreach and support from Health NZ Digital Services, but did not have formal agreements in place – for example, Te Puia Springs in Tāi Rāwhiti.

“Post-change Digital Services will not have ability to flex services to meet the needs of these types of stakeholders,” it said.

PSA says more outages and data breaches will follow

PSA national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

PSA national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said the document was a crystal-clear warning that reducing people would lead to increased clinical risk – and that was ignored in the restructure.

Health NZ and the minister ignored internal warnings about how the impacts of the downsizing, she said.

“In recent months we have seen the consequences of this rushed, ill considered drive to meet the government’s arbitrary funding cuts at a time when public health was already facing a funding crisis,” she said.

“Make no mistake, the risks to cuts in data and digital were well understood by Health New Zealand and should never have occurred.”

Health NZ says it is managing the risks

In response to questions from RNZ, Health NZ’s acting chief information technology officer Darren Douglass confirmed the report had identified that any reduction of that scale would carry risks if not actively managed.

“That is why targeted mitigations were built into the final proposal, including prioritising critical clinical systems, retaining additional operational support roles, strengthening regional digital leadership, and adding funded transition roles to support frontline services,” he said.

Health NZ was still transitioning to the new ways of working and was still making changes to risk management, he said.

The organisation had many different systems working in different parts of the country so did sometimes experience “technical issues”.

“Fortunately, the majority of incidents are resolved quickly. We also have well-established contingencies in place to manage issues when they arise, to ensure patients continue to get the care they need.”

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How Auckland sex workers are keeping their STI rates down

Source: Radio New Zealand

When Wellington-based sex worker G is with a client, her use of condoms is akin to how an ER doctor might use latex gloves.

Most sex workers, like G, who asked to be referred to by her first initial, know a thing or two about STI prevention. STIs are a major workplace hazard for sex workers, similar to a builder avoiding a fall on a construction site or a doctor following protocol to limit contact with infectious diseases.

That diligence is paying off for rates of chlamydia and gonorrhoea transmissions amongst some sex workers in Auckland.

A new study published in the New Zealand Medical Journal on Friday shows that cisgender-female sex workers – so not male or transgender-female sex workers – who were tested at the Aotearoa New Zealand Sex Workers’ Collective (NZPC) clinic in Auckland had lower numbers of positive gonorrhoea and chlamydia results than females who attended a nearby general sexual health clinic. This mirrors similar results from overseas studies that looked at the sexual health of sex workers.

Know how and when to use and replace condoms for sexual health protection.

akz/123RF

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Uncertainty over the fuel that drives our economy

Source: Radio New Zealand

Experts say in this environment, it’s near impossible to predict where the prices will land. RNZ / Dan Cook

It doesn’t matter where we get our oil from – in a globally connected world, New Zealand is at the mercy of wildly fluctuating prices as long as the Iran conflict continues

Where is the price of petrol heading?

Who knows.

“The market is so volatile, and so uncertain. I’ve never seen changes at the speed that is occurring currently,” says the AA’s fuel expert Terry Collins.

Brent crude is going up and down with every development in the Iran war, every utterance from the US president, and every move by oil-producing nations to either increase supply – or hoard it for themselves.

At the start of this week pundits were predicting we’d be paying $3 a litre for 91 at the pump, and that hit on Thursday afternoon.

Today on The Detail we speak to two people keeping an eagle eye on developments about what the drivers of oil prices are, how it gets into the country, and how secure our supply is.

Collins says in this environment, it’s near impossible to predict where the prices will land.

“Unpredictability means that oil companies have to price in risk as a premium. They actually don’t know what they’re going to be paying for their fuel in the coming weeks, because on one day it could be – as in the case between Friday and Monday – a $30 difference for a barrel of oil, which is about 30 cents retail at the pump.

“What we do know is we’ve got plenty of fuel in the country, and we’ve got plenty of fuel on the way.”

The key issue is that around 20 percent of the world’s oil passes through the narrow Strait of Hormuz, which is effectively closed because of the war in the Middle East.

We don’t directly buy the crude oil that goes through the Strait – we get a refined product from Asian countries including Singapore and South Korea. But the oil those countries buy to refine passes through the Strait. And when other nations find their supplies constricted through war, they will be bidding for petrol in the same market as we are.

“And there’s other things that are making the market jump around,” he says.

“One minute the Americans are talking about releasing some of their strategic fuel reserves – okay that will only be for America but it will reduce demand globally.

“They’re talking about lifting sanctions with Russia, which would allow more Russian oil to come back on.”

The International Energy Agency (IEA) yesterday announced it would release 400 million barrels of oil, the largest such move in its history, to try to rein in crude prices – New Zealand, as a member of the IEA, will contribute just under 1.6 million barrels, according to Associate Energy Minister Shane Jones.

“So every time an announcement’s made, the market seems to jump around, and until these things are settled that’s a very uncertain time.”

Collins still thinks petrol will be more expensive next week than this week, but says there’s no need to panic buy.

He also points out that it’s not petrol, but rather diesel, that drives our economy, especially at harvest time when all the rural farm machinery is in action … but diesel is in use for everything from bitumen to plastics manufacturing, and also of course for truck deliveries, including to our supermarkets.

And to all those people lamenting the loss of the Marsden Point oil refinery, Collins doesn’t believe keeping it in action would have made a difference – he explains why in the podcast.

The chief executive of Waitomo Group, Simon Pareham, advises drivers to shop around when it comes to petrol prices, and there are a couple of apps on which you can do that.

But he also says this isn’t a supply crisis.

“What we’re seeing … is that geo-political risk is being priced in,” he says.

Pareham says there’s no need for government action on prices yet, but if the crisis goes on for long it could always slice excise taxes and replace that funding with the extra GST income.

“The government’s asked the Commerce Commission to keep a watchful eye on the situation so we welcome that,” he says.

“High fuel prices are not good for anyone, and especially [as] we’re on the cusp of this economic recovery in New Zealand.”

Check out how to listen to and follow The Detail here.

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Wattie’s a big name reminder of pressure on NZ manufacturers

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Wattie’s factory in Christchurch. Nathan McKinnon / RNZ

Big names like Heinz Wattie’s closing their doors are high-profile reminders of the pressure many businesses are under, one economist says.

Heinz Wattie’s announced this week it was planning to close some of its manufacturing operations.

The company said about 350 jobs were expected to be affected.

It outlined plans to axe the sale and production of a number of its products and brands, including frozen vegetables and Gregg’s coffee.

It would also no longer produce dips sold under the Mediterranean, Just Hummus and Good Taste Company brands.

Simplicity chief economist Shamubeel Eaqub said it seemed as though every recession or downturn took with it a big-name business.

In recent years, Cadbury has closed its Dunedin factory, several mills have closed, James Hardie shut its Penrose factory and Unilever closed in Petone.

“[Heinz Wattie’s] sounded like electricity prices and the cost of labour were the things they were really struggling with,” Eaqub said.

“Labour issues have always been a thing for New Zealand manufacturing. We can’t compete with Asian countries that have much lower wages,” Eaqub said.

“More recently, we’ve had the pressure of energy costs from various sources from electricity to gas that have made it harder for some processes. It’s partly because a lot of our manufacturing capacity is aged, so they’re not as efficient and effective as what’s available globally.”

He said big manufacturers and “old school” firms were under pressure, but there were also a lot of small manufacturers doing well.

“Sometimes that is a bit hard to see because they are quite small specialised businesses, not necessarily always visible to the rest of us.”

But he said traditional manufacturing was struggling.

“There’s no denial that the hollowing out is not new. It’s been happening for a number of years. Every time there’s a recession, it feels like we lose another bunch and then it’s smaller again. It happens in waves every time when all these pressures mount, these businesses that have been just managing to scrape by just don’t anymore.”

Business NZ chief executive Katherine Rich said the decisions being made were tough.

“From time to time, businesses do have to make changes and respond to markets and I think that’s what’s happened here. That many of the challenges that that company faced have been faced by a lot of food manufacturers, increased costs, increase in all costs, and of course, changing market conditions.”

Some of the Heinz Wattie’s brands, such as Greggs, had been picked-up by other producers and would continue.

“I think it was really a matter of time. You can’t continue to make really significant losses over many years and expect businesses to keep a footprint here, but it is a challenge. Now, over a period of years, we’ve lost a number of the major fast-moving consumer goods manufacturers,” Rich said.

“You think of the large-scale factories such as Unilever, Colgate, Arnott’s, Cadbury, when it was owned finally by Mondelez. Many of them have made similar decisions to reduce their footprint. I think it’s a factor of globalisation and the fact that this is a very high-cost market to try and manufacture in.”

But Rich said she was still confident about food manufacturing in New Zealand generally.

“If you’re looking at some of our manufacturers who export more in the commodity space, they continue to thrive serving markets in Australia, Asia, and across the globe.”

She said there were also entrepreneurs starting businesses with a good idea and pitching them to supermarkets.

“I’m really confident about the future of food manufacturing generally because we’re such a great place for high-quality ingredients. And we do have a growing market, we’ve got 5 million mouths to feed. But the main thing we have to do is not take our eye off the ball when it comes to trying to reduce the costs of doing business here,” Rich said.

“That’s why the work of the Ministry for Regulation and some of the government reforms to reduce business costs and make it easier to do business here are so important.”

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And best drama goes to… this year’s totally unhinged award season

Source: Radio New Zealand

With both the Seattle Opera and the Music Center in Los Angeles announcing they launched discount codes like “TIMOTHEE” and “CHALAMET” for their upcoming fine arts performances, an undeniable question is begging to be answered: How in the world did we get here?

Between Timothée Chalamet’s now totally out-of-control “balletgate,” drama over his fellow Oscar nominee Jessie Buckley’s feelings about cats and a terribly handled incident at the BAFTAs involving a racist slur – not to mention a wide-open and extremely late Academy Awards ceremony still to come this Sunday – the 2026 award season has been, in a word, messy.

RNZ will live blog the Oscars on Monday, 16 March kicking off with the red carpet then into the awards show with plenty of witty banter and entertainment intel.

Irish actress Jessie Buckley accepts the award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role in a Motion Picture for Hamnet.

VALERIE MACON

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Decorated East Coast fencing champion chases three-peat at Rural Games

Source: Radio New Zealand

Against the clock, reigning champion Tim Garrick stays calm under pressure. supplied

Tim Garrick could win his third New Zealand Speed Fencing Championship at the Rural Games in Palmerston North this weekend.

The Gisborne fencing contractor competes in the lesser-known sport of speed fencing which he likens to its higher-profile cousin, competition shearing.

With the Golden Shears recently in the spotlight, Garrick said he could only dream of the recognition the top shearers received.

But he was seeing a rising interest in speed fencing.

“I guess in a lot of ways it’s similar to shearing. It’s what the country is built on and it’s quite physical,” Garrick said.

“Especially competitions like the Rural Games where it’s very public and livstreamed. It’s quite cool because a lot of people get to see it and it gets a lot of exposure.”

The sport showcased strength, speed, and precision with competitors racing to build a fence before officials made their final deliberations.

Strong, agile athletes are seen racing around the field carrying posts, and using heavy machinery and wires to construct a fence in less than 15 minutes.

The boring machines are roaring as the competitors dig holes in the ground for heavy posts, set diagonal stays, and string the fence.

Sheep dog trials are also on the schedule and will take place in The Square, Palmerston North. Megan Ellis

Going in as the two-time defending champion, the adrenaline rush would carry him through the competition.

“It’s one of my favourite comps of the the year. You have 10 competitiors whittled down to the three that compete in the final,” said Garrick, who also won the Golden Pliers at Fieldays in 2024.

Garrick had been rushed off his feet recently in the hill country working on sheep and beef farms around the Gisborne region.

The work was flowing freely with farmers putting their rising red meat returns into fences. He was booked solidly for the next six months.

“The biggest influence lately has been the good stock prices, the phone’s been ringing non-stop,” he said.

“Farmers are feeling good about themselves and willing to spend a lot of money.”

And the demand for fencing was so great he had to be “careful” he did not take on more than he could handle.

And as a bonus, his work on the farm kept him in tip top shape for the competition stage.

The Rural Games kick off in Palmerston North this weekend with shearing, timber sports, sheep dog trials and even gumboot throwing.

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NZ Warriors star Roger Tuivasa-Sheck eyes 150th game for NRL club

Source: Radio New Zealand

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck will bring up 150 games for the Warriors this week. Andrew Cornaga/Photosport

NRL: NZ Warriors v Canberra Raiders

Kickoff 8pm, Friday, 13 March

Go Media Stadium, Auckland

Live blog updates on RNZ

The rollercoaster rugby league ride of Roger Tuivasa-Sheck may be nearing an end – or not – but it takes one more twist, as he brings up 150 games for NZ Warriors.

After bringing up his ton during Covid incarceration, the former Sydney Rooster forsook the 13-man code to chase his All Blacks dream, a move that seemed to slam the door shut on that chapter of his decorated career.

“Going to rugby was awesome, I enjoyed it and was lucky I got to do it,” he reflected. “I got to don the black jersey, the Blues jersey and the hoops [Auckland] jersey.

“I didn’t expect to come back. I was all set to go to Japan and was looking forward to that transition, but sat down with the current coaches here and leaned in, when they started talking about rugby league.

“Now I’m stoked I’m back and no regrets.”

Tuivasa-Sheck was already a complete player, when he arrived at Mt Smart, after 84 games for the Roosters, winning Dally M Winger of the Year in 2013 and then Fullback of the Year in 2015.

He helped Sydney to the championship in 2013 and became an international superstar with the Kiwis.

A knee injury curtailed his first season in Auckland after just seven games, but the following year, new coach Stephen Kearney named him captain.

“We didn’t start too well in 2016, had a bit of success a few years after that, then Covid hit and now we’re here playing finals footy, so we’ve been all over the place and I’ve enjoyed every minute,” RTS recalled. “Pretty stoked to be here now.”

“I think I’ve grown massively. I came over as a marquee signing, I was still 22, 23 and got thrown into captaincy … I’ve grown a lot.

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck heads for the corner flag against the Roosters. Andrew Cornaga/Photosport

“I felt like I matured over the years and learnt a lot. So many lessons I’ve learnt at this club and I think it will make me better for the future and for my own family.”

After his two-year hiatus in union, Tuivasa-Sheck, 32, tried to re-invent himself in the midfield, where he had played for the All Blacks, but has settled back onto the wing, where he began his career.

When he runs out onto Go Media Stadium on Friday to face Canberra Raiders, he joins select company as the 13th to log 150 appearances for the Warriors.

“We joke around, because he’s the oldest in the team now,” revealed teammate Chanel Harris-Tavita. “He doesn’t look like it, but we do joke around.

“He’s a legend of the game, he’s done everything there is and, personally, I’ve looked up to him my whole career. He was a fullback when I debuted and to rub shoulders with him this week is pretty special.”

Harris-Tavita plays on the same left edge as his idol and was the beneficiary of some deft playmaking for a try double against the Roosters in last week’s season-opener.

“As an edge, we like to compete for everything and the ball’s never dead,” he said. “My first try, the ball went to the ground, he capitalised on the opportunity and I was there to pick up the scraps.

“The same happened for my second try, which was nice.”

Tuivasa-Sheck hoped those around him might return the favour this week.

“That’s the plan,” Harris-Tavita grinned. “It doesn’t always go to plan, but we’ll try and get him one for his 150th.”

Tuivasa-Sheck’s future with the Warriors is uncertain, with his current contract ending this season and no extension in sight, as he considers a possible switch back to union for the rebel R360 competition, now delayed until 2028.

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck at Warriors training. Andrew Cornaga/Photosport

Last month, he insisted he wasn’t thinking about what came next, just the here and now. Coach Andrew Webster went on record as saying he hoped his star never left the club.

“I think his journey is unbelievable,” Webster said. “He started as a young local boy in the area, obviously he went off and progressed, learnt his trade and came back to captain the club.

“He’s done almost everything in the game, became an All Black. He’s come back and added so much value … the amount of times he’s won Player of the Year, the energy he brings, the experience he brings and just the workrate as well.

“I’m really happy for him – a local boy getting to play 150 games for the club where he grew up is awesome.”

How many more games did Tuivasa-Sheck think he had for the club, tested the reporter.

“We’ll find out, eh,” he winked. “We’ll see how this body goes.”

He didn’t bite.

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Super Rugby preview: Rivalry round, Love returns

Source: Radio New Zealand

Tensions have reached boiling point between the Blues and Moana ahead of their clash at Eden Park on Sunday afternoon. Brett Phibbs / www.photosport.nz

It’s rivalry round, and shots have been fired before kick off.

The weekend sees a trio of rivalries, two traditional grudge matches, and one burgeoning beef.

Moana Coach Tana Umaga has unleashed a tirade against the Blues before the two Auckland based sides go to battle at Eden Park on Sunday.

Tensions between the two teams are at boiling point, after Moana picked up a stunning upset win over the Blues in 2025.

However, they will be without the Albany crowd and their inspirational leader Ardie Savea, who drove the victory with one of the greatest individual performances in Super Rugby history.

It was another rough week for Moana, who were soundly beaten by the Chiefs in Hamilton with Damian McKenzie returning to run the show in Hamilton.

They head across the bridge to Eden Park to meet a resurgent Blues side, fresh off a decisive victory over the Crusaders.

Beauden Barrett also made a timely return for the Blues, immediately asserting himself in the 10 jersey.

Auckland bragging rights go on the line at Eden.

Elsewhere we have the iconic southern derby and the classic NSW vs Queensland showdown.

Jamie Joseph put the disappointment of missing out on the All Blacks job in the rear with a quality Highlanders win over the Force, but face a tough task as they prepare to meet a wounded Crusader’s side in Christchurch.

Rob Penney’s men have been clearly hurt by the Blues loss, with two of their players almost coming to blows at training this week.

They will again have their most lethal attacking weapon in Will Jordan back at fullback, the Hurricanes continued their dominance over the Waratahs last weekend, picking up their ninth win on the trot to shoot back up to third and kick off round four against the Force in Napier. The Chiefs sit the week out with a bye.

Selection notes

The big news out of Hurricanes camp is that All Blacks Ruben Love and Tyrel Lomax will make their comebacks in Hawke’s Bay. Former All Black prop Atu Moli will make his Moana Pasifika debut at prop while Malachi Wrampling has been named for a potential Blues debut off the bench.

Chay Fihaki will play his 50th match for the Crusaders.

Injury ward

Ngane Punivai was scratched from the Hurricanes 23 after sustaining a hamstring injury in training. Moana are still without both Jimmy Tupou and Solomon Alaimalo. Stephen Perofeta injured his calf in last week’s Blue’s warm up and will sit out the week while Patrick Tuipulotu still recovers from shoulder surgery. Jamie Hannah will need two weeks to recover from a knock to his hip while no word yet on when Cullen Grace may return for the Crusaders. Highlanders utility Jonah Lowe’s shoulder will keep him sidelined for at least a round.

Key stats

The Hurricanes have lost only one of their last 14 games against the Western Force.

The Brumbies have won all six of their encounters with the Fijian Drua.

Caleb Tangitau has scored 10 tries across his 11 Super Rugby Pacific games since the beginning of the 2025 season.

Caleb Clarke has scored five tries across his last two Super Rugby Pacific games after not scoring any in his previous 13 games.

Team lists

Hurricanes vs Force

Kick-off: 7:05pm Friday 13 March

McLean Park, Napier

Live blog updates on RNZ

Hurricanes:

1. Pouri Rakete-Stones. 2. Jacob Devery. 3. Pasilio Tosi. 4. Caleb Delany. 5. Isaia Walker-Leawere. 6. Brad Shields. 7. Du’Plessis Kirifi (cc). 8. Devan Flanders. 9. Cam Roigard. 10. Callum Harkin. 11. Fehi Fineanganofo. 12. Jordie Barrett (cc). 13.Jone Rova. 14. Bailyn Sullivan. 15. Josh Moorby.

Bench: 16. Asafo Aumua. 17. Xavier Numia. 18. Tyrel Lomax. 19. Warner Dearns. 20. Brayden Iose. 21. Jordi Viljoen. 22. Ruben Love. 23. Riley Higgins.

“We had a draw with them last year, went to golden point and weren’t good enough to get across the line, so we know it’s going to be a tough challenge.” – Hurricanes coach Clark Laidlaw

Crusaders vs Highlanders

Kick-off: 7:05pm Saturday 14 March

Apollo Projects Stadium, Christchurch

Live blog updates on RNZ

Crusaders:

1. Finlay Brewis. 2. Codie Taylor. 3. Fletcher Newell. 4. Antonio Shalfoon. 5. Tahlor Cahill. 6. Ethan Blackadder. 7. Johnny Lee. 8. Christian Lio-Willie. 9. Noah Hotham. 10. Rivez Reihana. 11. Sevu Reece. 12. David Havili (c). 13. Braydon Ennor. 14. Chay Fihaki. 15. Will Jordan.

Bench: 16. George Bell. 17. George Bower. 18. Seb Calder. 19. Will Tucker. 20. Xavier Saifoloi. 21. Kyle Preston. 22. Leicester Fainga’anuku. 23. Dallas McLeod.

“As a team, as a group, we’ve got some really good strategies around trying to nullify their strengths and expose our strengths as often as we can.” – Crusaders coach Rob Penney.

Highlanders:

1. Ethan de Groot. 2. Jack Taylor. 3. Angus Ta’avao. 4. Tomás Lavanini. 5. Mitch Dunshea. 6. Te Kamaka Howden. 7. Sean Withy. (cc) 8. Lucas Casey. 9. Folau Fakatava. 10. Cameron Millar. 11. Jona Nareki. 12. Timoci Tavatavanawai (cc). 13. Tanielu Tele’a. 14. Caleb Tangitau. 15. Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens.

Bench: 16. Soane Vikena. 17. Daniel Lienert-Brown. 18. Rohan Wingham. 19. Oliver Haig. 20. Nikora Broughton. 21. Veveni Lasaqa. 22. Adam Lennox. 23. Reesjan Pasitoa.

“Highlanders-Crusaders games are traditionally fairly tight. Typically it comes down to discipline, a few moments. It’s a close competition, so every match matters and the Crusaders in Christchurch is always one of the season’s biggest challenges.” – Highlanders coach Jamie Joseph.

Blues vs Moana

Kick-off: 3:35pm Sunday 15 March

Eden Park, Auckland

Live blog updates on RNZ

Blues:

1. Ofa Tu’ungafasi. 2. Kurt Eklund. 3. Marcel Renata. 4. Josh Beehre. 5. Sam Darry. 6. Anton Segner. 7. Dalton Papali’i (c). 8. Hoskins Sotutu. 9. Sam Nock. 10. Beauden Barrett. 11. Caleb Clarke. 12. Xavi Taele. 13. AJ Lam. 14. Codemeru Vai. 15. Cole Forbes.

Bench: 16. James Mullan. 17. Mason Tupaea. 18. Sam Matenga. 19. Laghlan McWhannell. 20. Malachi Wrampling. 21. Taufa Funaki. 22. Pita Ahki. 23. Zarn Sullivan.

“We were really pleased with the effort against the Crusaders, but the challenge for us now is to back that up. There’s good energy in the group this week and some extra players have an opportunity to take their chance.” – Blues coach Vern Cotter.

Moana:

1. Tito Tuipulotu. 2. Millennium Sanerivi. 3. Atu Moli, on debut. 4. Tom Savage. 5. Allan Craig. 6. Miracle Faiilagi (c). 7. Semisi Paea. 8. Semisi Tupou Ta’eiloa. 9. Augustine Pulu. 10. Patrick Pellegrini. 11. Glen Vaihu. 12. Lalomilo Lalomilo. 13. Tevita Latu. 14. Tevita Ofa. 15. William Havili.

Bench: 16. Mamoru Harada. 17. Monu Moli. 18. Lolani Faleiva. 19. Veikoso Poloniati. 20. Dominic Ropeti. 21. Joel Lam. 22. Ngani Laumape. 23. Tuna Tuitama.

“We’ve got nothing against the playing group, nothing against the staff that work there. But the people that make decisions have made it very hard for us to survive over here. That’s why they (the Blues) are our greatest rivals because they want us to see us not do well, not thrive. I struggle with that when rugby’s in a place where we’re at.” – Moana coach Tana Umaga.

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Beef, lamb, onions and wine: Kiwi dinner time staples in huge demand offshore

Source: Radio New Zealand

RNZ

Five years after Who’s Eating NZ, this series revisits where our food goes but this time through the lens of Kiwi breakfast, lunch and dinner staples. We track how much of what we produce is eaten here, and who has a seat at our global table during meal times. Today, it’s dinner time.

American fast food consumers, elderly health-conscious Japanese, and middle-class Chinese families all have one thing in common: a taste for New Zealand beef.

Foreign consumers, as a group, buy about 89 percent of the beef from Kiwi farms. It’s good business – in the past five years export earnings have increased 36 percent from $3.6 billion in 2020 to $5b in 2025.

China’s burgeoning middle class saw it grow to become the number one buyer – in 2019 it bought 46 percent of New Zealand’s beef exports. That has eased to 18 percent in 2025 and a new 55 percent tariff suggests that’s unlikely to bounce back. The tariff only applies to exports beyond a quota amount, however, and New Zealand has supplied less than that amount in recent years.

Tariffs are also part of the picture in the US, another big buyer of our beef.

The US imposed a 10 percent tariff on New Zealand beef in April 2025, which it raised to 15 percent in August. In November it dropped the tariff to 1 percent. Despite the chaos, the US still accounted for 43 percent of export earnings from beef last year.

Outgoing Meat Industry Association chief executive Sirma Karapeeva said domestically US beef production was at a 70-year low as consumption was climbing.

“This has resulted in North America overtaking China as our largest beef market. New Zealand is a complementary trading partner, being an important source of lean beef that is mixed with US domestic grain-fed beef to produce burger patties.”

Infometrics chief executive Brad Olsen said cattle numbers in the US are low and there are biosecurity concerns related to the screwworm parasite, which has limited cattle coming in from Mexico.

“They’re having to look overseas. New Zealand’s got beef and the Americans are willing to pay some top dollar for it.”

Demand from overseas can push prices up at home, said Olsen. Farmers want top dollar for their produce and will sell to whoever is paying the most.

“Our prices have to trend domestically in line, to a degree, with international prices.”

It’s not a case of being fair.

“It’s economically rational. You find me a business that would say, ‘Well you know what, I’m going to leave a whole lot of money on the table by only selling domestically and ignore the international money’.”

The demand for dairy, which saw butter prices rise in 2025, is levelling off, but Olsen believes international demand will continue to grow for protein, such as beef.

A trend in healthcare for aging populations is a greater focus on protein, with countries like Japan suggesting older people eat more protein rich food. He thinks suppliers will struggle to keep pace with this demand.

The price of sirloin steak increased 27 percent last year, and mince by 17 percent, he said.

“New Zealanders will continue to face high protein costs.”

If you imagine New Zealand’s lamb meat as a plate of 10 meatballs, Kiwis would get to eat half of a meatball. If the meatballs were mutton, the amount left for Kiwis is even smaller, just 2 percent remains here and 98 percent is exported.

So who is gobbling all the meatballs off our plate? For many years, the United Kingdom was the biggest buyer. But since 2013, China has been top, increasing its spending from $119 million in 2010 to a high of $2b in 2021, when it was eating half of the lamb meatballs on our metaphorical plate. This has since dropped to approximately $1b – two-and-half of those meaty morsels. The US is now second, buying the equivalent of one-and-a-half of our 10 meatballs, ahead of the UK.

Just as they sit unassumingly on the plate of many Kiwi dinner go-tos, the hardy onion is a quiet achiever of New Zealand’s primary produce export earners. Their long shelf life, coupled with an opposite season to the northern hemisphere makes them a valued item on the other side of the world.

In 2025 we sent around 80 percent of our onions offshore, leaving just 20 percent to be eaten in Aotearoa. This amounted to 167,000 tonnes of onions exported, earning $143m.

Unlike other exports, where one country will often account for almost a third of all earnings, buyers for onions are more evenly spread. Indonesia and Malaysia are big onion buyers, along with Germany and the Netherlands, however in 2025 Taiwan took top spot.

If Kiwi onions are a sleeper hit with foreign diners, wine is the rockstar. For every 10 glasses we could fill, nine of them are sipped offshore.

The US, UK and Australia are the biggest buyers, though China’s spending on New Zealand wine has slowly increased.

Exports are down slightly from a high of $2.24b in 2022 to $2.17b in 2025.

NZWine’s latest annual report labels exports “sluggish”, citing a slow global economy and weak wine markets exacerbated by tariffs in the US and taxes in the UK.

The report identifies emerging markets, such as China and South Korea, as areas with the strongest growth.

Where the data came from

Beef: Beef + Lamb New Zealand from September 2019 to September 2020 and StatsNZ trade data for items with a harmonised system code between 201100000 to 202331999.

Sheep: Beef + Lamb New Zealand from September 2019 to September 2020 and StatsNZ trade data for items with a harmonised system code between 204100000 to 204431000.

Onions: Onions New Zealand Inc and StatsNZ trade data items with a harmonised system description containing “Vegetables, alliaceous; onions”.

Wine: NZ Wine and StatsNZ trade data items with a harmonised system description containing “Wine”.

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KiwiRail hopes to have stricken Kaiārahi ferry sailing by next week after technical fault

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Kaiārahi has been out of service because of an intermittent technical fault. Interislander

KiwiRail hopes to have a stricken Interislander ferry back in service by the end of the weekend.

The Kaiārahi has been out of service since an intermittent technical fault recurred on Tuesday night when the vessel was berthed in Picton.

On Thursday, afternoon sailings on the Connemara ferry owned by rival company Bluebridge, were also cancelled but resumed in the early hours of Friday.

Interislander said engineers had identified the cause and a replacement component from overseas was due to arrive on Friday.

It said operating with one vessel was challenging, particularly during a busy period, but the company has managed it before.

KiwiRail spokesperson Taru Sawhney said eight additional sailings of the Kaitaki would be put on, on Sunday and Monday, when the vessel was due for a scheduled layby.

Foot passengers on the cancelled sailings of the Kaiārahi had been accommodated on Kaitaki sailings, mostly on the same day.

Sawhney said around 1300 private vehicles were affected by the Kaiārahi outage and those customers were being offered a full refund, the opportunity to rebook at no additional cost and compensation for reasonable costs incurred as a direct result of the outage.

While Kaiārahi was out of service, Interislander was prioritising urgent freight that could not travel across the Cook Strait any other way.

“We have offered passengers booked on Kaitaki an incentive to rebook at a later date, to create more space for that freight. Some passengers have taken this offer up.

“We are actively monitoring capacity and working with all of our customers to move as many passengers and as much freight as we can as quickly as possible.

“Once again, we assure everyone we are doing all we can to minimise the disruption as much as possible and thank all our customers and passengers for their patience.”

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