Category: Radio New Zealand

Posted on

Should Marsden Point refinery have been saved? Shane Jones and David Seymour can’t agree

Source: Radio New Zealand

Currently the country has about 52 days worth of fuel supply either in country or en route. RNZ

Shane Jones is continuing to make a case for why the Marsden Point refinery should have been saved, but his coalition partner David Seymour says the economics don’t stack up.

The debate over whether the now-defunct refinery would have left New Zealand less vulnerable to supply chain issues played out extensively in Parliament on Thursday.

It comes after government ministers met on Wednesday night to discuss the country’s fuel security as the ongoing war in Iran puts pressure on supply.

Currently the country has about 52 days worth of fuel supply either in country or en route.

Jones, the associate energy minister, first blamed the previous Labour government for allowing oil companies to give up storing fuel here in favour of a ‘just-in-time’ model relying on multiple import sources, in an interview with RNZ’s Morning Report on Thursday.

Responding to that criticism, Labour leader Chris Hipkins said Jones is being dishonest by blaming the previous government for current fuel resilience woes.

Hipkins told RNZ the closure of Marsden Point was a business decision, made by its private owners, and not a government decision.

“Ultimately Shane Jones is being very dishonest in the way he’s presenting that.

“Marsden Point refinery was processing oil that was imported from offshore. To say by importing the oil already processed, that somehow fuel security in New Zealand is less because of that, is just wrong.”

But Jones has doubled down saying the previous government fatally wounded the country’s fuel security in its decisions around Marsden Point, and says a 2021 Cabinet paper proves it.

The paper, which RNZ has a copy of, shows the Labour government considered providing a loan to Marsden Point but ultimately the then-Minister of Energy Megan Woods said there was not a strong case.

Hipkins says if Marsden Point would be useful as a storage option then “the tanks are still there and [the coalition] can have that conversation”.

It’s unlikely to get wide support at the coalition cabinet table however, with Act leader David Seymour declaring it a bad idea.

Seymour used to work at the refinery and his grandad helped build it in 1962.

“Let’s get a few things straight, first of all the shareholders chose to close it down. It was a commercial decision because it was costing more to refine there than elsewhere.”

To justify subsidising the refinery now to have it open would require a public benefit, he said.

“Once you go through the arguments it doesn’t actually stack up.”

When RNZ put to Seymour that it was his coalition partner, Jones, who was making the arugments to keep it open, he responded: “Well look, economics is not a gift given to everybody”.

Jones, however, has pointed to the 700 million litres of storage capacity at the refinery and the benefits that would bring if it was available today.

On Seymour’s criticism of his economic credibility, Jones said, “the leader of the Act party can say what he likes”.

“Sadly I was unemployed when that decision was made for the closure, and it would never have happened if me and my leader were around.”

Finance Minister Nicola Willis, who is chairing the ministerial group overseeing fuel security, said there was no question if Marsden Point was up and running today it would make the country more resilient.

“That’s a simple fact.

“Now the circumstances under which it closed is for the previous government to answer to, they were in the hotseats at the time,” she said.

Recommissioning it now isn’t an option, according to Willis.

“I’m focussed on what we can do here and now, not looking back in anger, but of course those who observe we’d be more resilient if it was still up and running, they’re right.”

‘Hard to say’ – fuel supply expert

Consultant Andreas Heuser, a fuel supply expert at Heuser Whittington, helped author a fuel security study last year, which found reestablishing the refinery would bring only a little more resilience at a very high cost.

“The study did conclude that re-establishing Marsden Point was by far and away the most costly option, and the resilience benefits that it did offer were relatively small compared to other resilience options, such as increasing tankage, transitioning to EVs, improving the fleet of fuel trucks that drive around the country.”

Heuser told RNZ it was “hard to say” whether it would help much now even had it remained open, given the refinery processed Middle Eastern crude.

“It might be marginally more secure. But also, given that it processed a lot of Middle Eastern crude, there’s definitely a case to say we’d be less resilient.”

Heuser said Jones did have a point that the refinery would have given New Zealand a “larger crude storage buffer”.

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

Heritage advocates warn shifting to higher seismic zone will damage Dunedin’s economy

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Octagon in Dunedin. RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King

Heritage advocates are warning shifting Dunedin to a higher seismic zone will damage the city’s economy and put its iconic heritage buildings at risk.

Under the proposed new earthquake prone buildings bill, Coastal Otago – including Dunedin – will shift from a low to a medium seismic risk area.

But on Thursday, the Transport and Infrastructure Select Committee was warned of the harm this could do to a city known for its historical architecture.

The bill’s aim was to target buildings that posed the greatest risk to life in medium to high risk zones, including concrete buildings three storeys or higher, and those constructed with unreinforced masonry.

Southern Heritage Trust trustee Jo Galer told the committee that Dunedin’s ornate heritage buildings were a big drawcard for travellers.

But she said the city’s iconic buildings were already in the firing line – a pre-1900 church and a 1820s landmark home near the Octagon were recent casualties.

The promise of common sense changes to the seismic rules was welcome, but she said they had been left bitterly disappointed.

“The legislation risks unintentionally accelerating the loss of the very buildings that give Dunedin its character,” she said.

“Instead of making it easier to repurpose and restore buildings, developers and people in the business of knocking down buildings for carparks will have a field day.”

Southern Heritage Trust trustee Jo Galer. Supplied

Building in Auckland, along with Northland and the Chatham Islands, would be removed from the system entirely as they were deemed as lower seismic risk areas.

If Dunedin remained at a low seismic risk, Galer said it could be a lifeline for heritage buildings – if there were cost effective solutions offered.

Instead, she told committee chairperson Andy Foster that the new rules would make things worse.

“It’s tough enough and the costs are already sky high and they’re going to get even worse and I can not see how building owners can maintain their buildings in that environment, in that legislative environment. It’s just wrong for Dunedin.”

The bill said the shift from low to medium zone reflected the greater understanding of seismic hazard in that area.

That meant about 150 earthquake-prone buildings would remain in the system and more could be identified.

But councillor Russell Lund told the committee that figure was actually much higher and it was one of several flaws in the reports used as the foundation for the bill that made him question why Dunedin’s risk level was being increased.

“Dunedin has 323 earthquake prone buildings. There is a total of 6500 buildings that are going to be classified and there is still 3700 yet to be classified

He was one of six councillors calling for Dunedin and coastal Otago to remain a low-risk seismic zone, saying a change would pose a real economic risk to businesses and property owners.

The shift to a higher risk zone would take a toll on Dunedin, he said.

“Dunedin council has confirmed it’s unknown how many three level unreinforced masonry buildings there are in Dunedin. But they have confirmed that two levels plus a basement will be considered a three-level building and this is a critical point,” Lund said.

“Because under the new legislation, a three level unreinforced masonry building must have a full retrofit. There’s no partial or just facade securing, it’s full.”

Tourism contributed roughly $379 million to the city’s GDP last year and the city relied on its heritage look and feel to attract visitors, he said.

Dunedin already had many under-utilised heritage buildings due to the cost of remediation and this bill was expected to add even further cost and complexity, Lund said.

“As a heritage building owner and building contractor, I understand this intimately. It’s expensive and risky to do strengthening. Old buildings are frustrating. They’re not plumb, level or square. There’s often rot and decay uncovered during the work.

“They consume vast amounts of labour hours and supervision time. I have the scars and the job cost to prove it.”

They also advocated for Ōamaru and its wealth of heritage buildings to be exempted, saying the lower risk town would face significant costs because it was above the proposed small town population threshold of 10,000.

Structural engineer and heritage building developer Stephen Macknight said Dunedin has New Zealand’s best collection of heritage buildings.

“It’s a point of difference compared to other places. We didn’t have in the 80s all our heritage knocked down like many of the cities around the country, and also we had the gold rush at a time when they were building really significant heritage structures,” he said.

Dunedin was lucky to not have more demolition under the current rules as the main streets in some smaller towns had been decimated when earthquake prone buildings were left empty as it was too costly to strengthen them and it viewed as easier to bowl them over instead, he said.

He was left with questions over the proposed rules, and said what the city needed was more certainty.

“Developers who are trying to juggle money and borrow money, and banks and insurance companies, with all this doubt out there it makes it a lot harder to do,” he said.

“Everyone needs a bit of certainty so all these changes or the talk about medium (seismic zone) and so on is just creating a little bit more fear in people and making the easier option to build new rather than work on redeveloping.”

It was not necessarily a bad thing for buildings to be empty for a period, he said.

“It saved a lot of buildings in Dunedin. A lot of Ōamaru just wouldn’t be there if it wasn’t for this kind of pause and wait so if we rush into anything under legislation, we lose things which in the future might be seen as really valuable and able to be saved.”

It was important to make sure the new rules were not used to take the easy option of demolition rather than protecting heritage, Macknight said.

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

Kane Williamson ‘modernises’ protective gear after painful blow

Source: Radio New Zealand

New Zealand cricketer Kane Williamson is behind a new business making protective gear for high-impact sports. Jay Drew

Former Black Caps captain Kane Williamson has a very personal reason to be invested in protective gear in high-impact sports.

In 2012, a Dale Steyn delivery during Test against South Africa in Wellington split Williamson’s box in half and caused the Black Cap to think about how protective gear could be modernised and improved.

“It was extremely painful and it just absolutely dropped me,” Williamson said.

“I was hit, my box split, and that made it pretty clear that the protection players were relying on wasn’t up to the demands of the modern game. That started the idea to create a product which can actually provide the protection required.”

It was an incident which is all too familiar at every level of the sport, right from club cricket, through to international, where Australian Captain Mitch Marsh was last month ruled out of the T20 World Cup after being hit in the box by a fast paced delivery in training.

The moment stuck with Williamson and in the following years he helped assemble a team to bring science-backed design into the sports protection category which has changed very little in decades.

After years of research and development, the company is now releasing its first product: a New Zealand-made premium alloy box, engineered to withstand the extreme impacts of high speed projectiles across multiple hard ball sports including cricket, hockey, lacrosse, and baseball.

Kane Williamson’s box that was split when he was hit by a delivery from Dale Steyn. supplied

Co-founder Jason Low oversaw the initial development and testing of the box.

“We wanted to do this properly, so we took a scientific and data driven approach towards our research and development programme,” Low said.

“For a long time, this space has leaned on tradition rather than proof. In testing, our box has handled ball speeds well over 200 kilometres an hour, while most existing options start to fail at around 100. That margin of safety gives players real confidence when they’re out there.”

The business is backed by a group of investors including New Zealand Cricket, while former Black Cap Grant Elliott is leading the organisation’s commercial programme.

“We’ve put the box in front of a wide range of cricketers, from club cricket through to elite, and the response has been extremely positive,” Elliott said.

“It’s been built with care and rigour, and is for any cricket player, no matter their level. In my view, it’s the best box in the world. It’s comfortable to wear, durable, and does a great job of reducing pain on impact.”

Kane Williamson checks his box after being hit in the groin during the third Test versus South Africa at the Basin Reserve in 2012. Andrew Cornaga/Photosport

Williamson has been wearing the product throughout the summer and says the difference is obvious.

“A few months ago I took a quick one flush in the box and I remember thinking “that should have hurt more than it did”.

“The most important factor is that it gives you confidence,” he said. “When you trust your protection, you can play more freely.”

Cover’s launch is part of Williamson’s long term ambition to leave cricket in a better place.

“For me, this is about helping the next generation. If we can raise the standard of protection, we can improve confidence, performance, and safety for everyone who plays the game.”

More protective categories will follow from the company.

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

Wellington Water apologises for smell after turning fan on at Moa Point

Source: Radio New Zealand

RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

Wellington Water has apologised to south coast residents after some complained of smells coming from its waste treatment plant late last night.

Crews at Moa Point wastewater treatment plant restarted its ventilation system to remove gases and smells from the facility yesterday, causing complaints from locals.

The plant had been forced to shut down in February a catastrophic failure in February, which has spewed tens of millions of litres of untreated sewage into the sea, and shut some south coast beaches for a period.

This was the first use of its fan since the flooding. Wellington Water had not anticipated smells to impact surrounding neighbourhoods.

Portable fans had previously been used to air the facility, with no noticeable odour for the wider community, Wellington Water said, and and the plant itself had been cleaned.

“We apologise for not notifying the community of this activity. We are committed to keeping the community informed of any operational activity that may have an impact on them, and we will do all we can to provide advance notice of any risk of increased odour,” it said.

The organisation warned locals that its odour-treatment systems were not “operational” and that there was an “ongoing risk of a low level of odour”.

“We are doing all we can to monitor odour onsite and mitigate the impact of odour on the community,” a spokesperson said.

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

Fuel costs could drive New Zealand trucking businesses to the ground

Source: Radio New Zealand

More than 90 percent of freight in Aotearoa is moved by road.

Increased fuel costs could drive some trucking businesses under, according to an industry association.

War in the Middle East has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane, meaning oil prices are volatile.

On Thursday, the price of oil again rose to more than US$100 per barrel.

The rise in oil prices could cause the cost of goods to rise as more than 90 percent of freight in Aotearoa is moved by road.

The New Zealand Trucking Association said fuel’s now overtaken labour as the highest cost for trucking companies. It said fuel now accounts for 30 percent of operating costs, up around eight to 10 percent from before the recent conflict in the Middle East.

NZ Trucking Association CEO David Boyce told Checkpoint the increase in fuel was concerning.

“It’s pretty tough out there… For some, this will be the straw that breaks the back, so to speak,” he said.

“But it’s a pretty resilient industry. There will be plenty that will hang on and hope that this is only a short-lived blip on the radar.”

Boyce said there has been a “wild fluctuation” in price, with diesel up 35 percent this week.

He said it won’t take long for the increase in costs to trickle down to consumers.

“Transport operators run pretty lean and mean on their pricing. There’s not much wriggle room for them to absorb costs, so they really have to pass it on to their customers straight away,” he said.

Boyce is confident we won’t run out of diesel, saying there was around 25 days supply of diesel in New Zealand, and another 29 days supply being shipped here.

“Assuming that supply that’s coming here is not interrupted or compromised, we’ll be covered. But if some of those ships get redirected or some untoward act happens, things could change quickly.”

Meanwhile, the Commerce Commission said it is ramping up its monitoring and scrutiny of fuel prices and will react to any pricing behaviours that are cause for concern.

Commissioner Bryan Chappel said the commission won’t hesitate to call out unjustified price hikes at the pump.

He said the commission would provide updates on retail fuel price movements and compare them with changes in the cost of importing fuel on its website.

Chappel said motorists should shop around and use tools like the Gaspy app to compare prices.

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

Police Association and Retail NZ warn dangers of potential changes to Crimes Act

Source: Radio New Zealand

Police Association president Steve Watt VNP / Phil Smith

  • Police Association and Retail NZ warn that people could die if new powers for citizens’ arrests and detaining criminals pass into law
  • Ministerial advisory group chairman says retailers need more powers to protect themselves
  • Supermarket giant worries about weapons.

Politicians considering wideranging changes to the Crimes Act, including widening the powers of citizens arrests and allowing retailers to detain suspected offenders, have received a stark warning.

Some of the proposed changes could result in deaths, the Justice Select Committee was told today.

The Police Association and Retail NZ say that as well as potentially ending in tragedy, this could see retailers in the dock charged with manslaughter.

The proposals stem from the work of the Ministerial Advisory Group for Victims of Retail Crime, whose chairman Sunny Kaushal today made a plea for tougher laws.

‘A licence to assault’

Police Association president Steve Watt didn’t mince words when conveying the organisation’s concerns should ordinary citizens have more powers to detain suspected criminals.

“We’re trained to recognise positional asphyxiation where general members of the public are not, and we still do not get it right every time.

“The reality of the bill passing as it is it could actually result in death.”

When questioned Watt agreed manslaughter charges could be laid.

A law change would raise serious legal questions, too.

“This is seen as giving a licence to assault and a perception of legal protection for risky behaviour, for which an onus would be placed on those using such force to prove that it was reasonable.

“There is little to no understanding amongst ordinary citizens around the legal definition of reasonable force,” Watt said.

At the moment citizens arrests can only be carried out in very specific circumstances, such as when an offence happens at night or when a crime is being carried out that’s punishable by at least three years imprisonment.

More powers needed – Sunny Kaushal

Kaushal was asked by Labour’s police spokeswoman Ginny Andersen about the Police Association’s concerns.

Chairman for the Ministerial Advisory Group for Victims of Retail Crime, Sunny Kaushal. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

“Wasn’t the Police Association concerned for the gang patch law as well, right? Here we need to be sensible. We need to see what works for New Zealand,” he said.

Kaushal was staunchly on-message about why retailers needed more powers to protect themselves, saying retail crime cost $2.7 billion a year.

“In 2019 we had 4000 monthly reports of retail crime. By the end of 2023 there were over 11,000 monthly reports.

“It went from one ram raid every three days to three ram raids every day.

“It leaves behind destruction, trauma and pain.”

Kaushal appeared at the committee alongside Upper Hutt retailer Suraj Parkash Sund to illustrate his point that the law doesn’t favour victims.

Sund slept on the floor of his business to ward off robbers, after his shop was repeatedly targeted, Kaushal said.

“Last month police caught the offenders – a 20-year-old, a few teenagers and a 9-year-old.

“Recently Suraj received an invitation to attend a family group conference. The purpose of the meeting? To see how to best support the offenders who have destroyed his life, not support for him.”

Worries about weapons

Retail NZ chief executive Carolyn Young was until a couple of months ago a member of the ministerial advisory group alongside Kaushal.

Retail NZ chief executive Carolyn Young. Supplied

Even then she criticised the citizens’ arrests proposal, and doubled down on that today.

“Retail NZ members have major concerns that the citizens’ arrest provisions within this bill would expose retailers, staff and their customers to increased risks or physical danger, and could result in serious harm or even death.”

Young said stores weren’t properly equipped to hold people, and there could be problems if police couldn’t immediately respond if an offender were detained.

Woolworths head of safety, health and wellbeing Denva Wren said retail crime cost the supermarket giant $30 million a year.

It was spending millions more than that on improved security measures, such as better CCTV. However, it did not support widening citizens’ arrests powers.

“We do believe that offenders will likely escalate much more quickly with the pre-emptive expectation that, potentially, citizens’ arrests could be used, and therefore they come in greater prepared with weapons.

“We have edge weapons and iron bars, and our team are being threatened by these on a weekly basis – generally about 60 to 70 serious events a year.”

Woolworths was also concerned customers would expect workers to intervene in dangerous situations, even if that was against company policy.

Employers and Manufacturers Association head of advocacy Alan McDonald said allowing retail workers to physically detain someone could cause problems under health and safety laws.

“There’s also another part of the law that says that if you feel you are being unlawfully restrained you may resist and use reasonable force to resist.

“You can see how that’s going to ramp up, because the people, particularly often those underage people who are doing these raids, know exactly what they can and can’t do.”

The Crimes Amendment Bill also includes provisions about tougher penalties for shoplifting and assaults on first responders, as well as coward punches and modern slavery.

The select committee will write its report on the bill, before it goes for its second reading in Parliament.

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

Pre-harvest karakia brings together team at Pukerau kiwifruit Orchard

Source: Radio New Zealand

Ngāti Hine Forestry Trust chairman Pita Tipene (left) inspects vines at Pukerau Orchard, near Kerikeri, after the iwi started expanding into kiwifruit in 2018. Peter de Graaf

A pre-harvest karakia at a Kerikeri kiwifruit orchard reflects growing recognition of tikanga Māori in the country’s horticulture industry, a Northland iwi leader says.

About 100 people – including workers, shareholders and business leaders – are expected at Friday’s blessing at Pukerau Orchard, which has been owned by Ngāti Hine Forestry Trust since 2018.

Trust chairman Pita Tipene said the karakia was a way of giving thanks for the coming harvest.

“I observed it when I was a child. I would see my father take the first fruits of each season and bury some at the foot of the trees, and then utter some words. It’s like Thanksgiving. We stop and we show our gratitude for all of these blessings and the fruits of the harvest.”

Tipene said many people were involved in growing kiwifruit – from pruners to pickers, managers to scientists – but they rarely met.

“Not often do we come across each other. We all go into the orchards at different times, and we don’t really know each other. But we’re all human beings. It’s important that we connect and enjoy each other’s company in the first instance, but also learn about how we can do better.”

The karakia would also help ensure the safety of workers and a good harvest.

Tipene said he had been in contact with the chairman of Zespri, the national kiwifruit marketing body, who was keen to embrace the tradition for all orchards around the country.

Tai Tokerau (Northland) was well placed to kickstart a national harvest karakia, because its crop was the first to be ready for picking.

In future, however, the karakia could be held in the Bay of Plenty or any other kiwifruit-growing region.

Tipene said business leaders who planned to speak at the event included the chair of regional development organisation Northland Inc, Suzanne Duncan, and the head of Northland’s Joint Regional Economic Committee, Geoff Crawford.

Tipene said the gathering would also be a chance to celebrate Ngāti Hine Forestry Trust making the finals of the coveted Ahuwhenua Trophy, awarded each year for the nation’s best Māori farming and horticulture business.

The trust had been diversifying away from pine and now had six orchards in the Kerikeri area, totalling 34 canopy hectares and producing 13-14,000 trays of gold kiwifruit per hectare.

Horticulture firm Seeka was contracted to manage and pick the crop, while Zespri was responsible for marketing and sales.

The trust had also bought two dairy farms in the Maromaku area.

The Ahuwhenua Trophy was established in 1933 by Sir Apirana Ngata and Lord and Lady Bledisloe.

Last year’s winner was Whangaroa Ngaiotonga Trust, which runs a bull-fattening farm near Whangaruru, north of Whangārei.

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

Auckland’s most congested roads and peak travel times

Source: Radio New Zealand

Central Auckland is more affected but the outskirts of the city were not spared. RNZ / Marika Khabazi

Rush hour traffic is a familiar sight to most in the city, but the latest data from Auckland Transport (AT) confirms some roads are more snarled than others.

Central Auckland is arguable the worst spot, but the outskirts of the city, from the North Shore to Manukau, were not spared.

AT’s data – compiled from February – looked at average speeds during the peak times of 8am and 5pm as compared to the actual speed limit of the roads.

It also considered the total travel times and determined Auckland’s 16 most congested roads from February.

All of the roads had either a 50 or 60 km/h speed limit, but during peak hours the average speed of drivers on some roads was at or below 30 percent of the limit.

Experts say the congestion boils down to a constraint in the transport network and road capacity.

AT also reported a spike in public transport use this month with last week being the busiest for buses, trains and ferry services.

Auckland’s most congested roads

Manukau Rd/Broadway and Ponsonby Rd/Newton Rd faced some heavy congestion at 8am with average speed limit sinking to 8km/h.

Raleigh Rd/Lake Rd was at 9km/h in the morning and a total travel time of 8.2 minutes.

The highest speed limit average in the morning was 15km/h on the Albany Highway and St Lukes Rd.

The speed limit average seemed to ease in some areas during the 5pm peak time with Raleigh and Lake roads being at 28 km/h and Meola Rd 34 km/h.

However, some locations were not so lucky, with Ponsonby Rd/Newton Rd still being at a low of 9 km/h and a travel time of 6.21 minutes.

Experts say the congestion boils down to a constraint in the transport network and road capacity. RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly

Why is this happening and what can be done?

University of Auckland associate professor and director of transportation research Doug Wilson said Auckland’s congestion is a classic “supply and demand problem”.

He said it was fundamentally caused by too many cars with low vehicle occupancy trying to use too little road space at the same time.

“Auckland is growing and the existing transport network is currently constrained in both road and Public Transport options especially when also using the same road space.

“This results in capacity being exceeded during peak periods – the outcome being traffic users during these periods – experience significant travel time increases.”

He also said Aucklanders tend to be bad at ‘sharing’ when it comes to using the private motor vehicle and struggle to use alternative options.

But Wilson stressed alternative options cush as public transport or cycling and walking could provide some relief for busy roads and Auckland was in need of more investment into

“Auckland does need more investment in transport infrastructure, funding is however constrained as we will collectively as a country still need to pay for it and not at the expense of other essential utilities, infrastructure and services.”

Wilson said congestion charges could be one of the solutions that would do well to manage the demand for transport and not just the supply

The Land Transport Management (Time-of-Use-Charging) amendment bill to bring in the charges passed its final reading in Parliament last November.

RNZ / Lucy Xia

“Time of use charging is a very important tool to encourage the required behavioural change, but it needs to be implemented equitably. “

He added public transport is improving in Auckland with the promised City Rail Link and on-going improvements in bus rapid transit.

AT director of public transport Stacey van der Putten said they were always looking to optimise the network.

This included looking at public transport routs, adding bus or T3 lanes, different pay schemes or methods and promoting cycleways.

“We’ve done a tremendous amount in terms of uplifting what we call a frequent route in recent years. And with that, making it much more easy for people to access and increasing where things, a particular flow is going.”

The ‘busiest’ time of year

With March Madness also upon us, the congestion is not likely to get better anytime soon.

AT’s data for March so far showed traffic on routes like Manukau Rd/Broadway and Ponsonby Rd/Newton Rd moving at an average speed limit of 9km/h at 8am.

And the top average speed on Great North Rd had been 16km/h in the morning.

Director of transport advocacy website, Greater Auckland, Matt Lowrie told Nine to Noon last month it’s the busiest period of the year on the roads and public transport.

“It’s basically the highest level of transport demand that exists.”

He said there were a number of factors behind the march madness rush including students going back to school and University, people fully back at work from holidays and a drop in sickness compared to the winter months.

Bus fares rose from 1 February, drawing mixed responses. Photo/Auckland Transport

This has also meant a spike in public transport use.

AT said last week had been the busiest time on public transport so far this year with Aucklanders taking 2.217 million trips on buses, trains and ferry services.

“This is more trips than during our busiest week last March when our passengers took 2.174 million trips.”

Last Wednesday (March 4) had marked the busiest day on Auckland public transport since 2019 with AT reporting passengers taking 389,000 trips.

AT’s van der Putten said they were expecting public transport to get busier.

“We know with the rising cost of petrol at the pump, it does impact, you know, families and how they decide to move about.

“We’ve got plenty of capacity available on public transport to be able to support people to get on board.”

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

Christchurch residents told to evacuate after ‘high-risk explosive’ found

Source: Radio New Zealand

The police cordon at Sheffield Crescent in Christchurch. RNZ/Anna Sargent

Residents have been evacuated from a suburb near Christchurch Airport after a “high-risk explosive” was found.

Cordons are in place around Sheffield Crescent in Burnside after police were alerted to the substance shortly before 2.30pm on Thursday.

Police sent an emergency mobile alert to people nearby.

“All members of the public are advised to immediately evacuate the area in the vicinity of Sheffield Cres Burnside Christchurch and surrounding area due to high-risk explosive substance located,” the alert said.

Cordons are in place in the vicinity of Sheffield Crescent, Burnside, Christchurch. Google Maps

Senior Sergeant Craig Ellison said people should avoid the area.

“An increased police presence can be expected as safe removal of the substance is arranged. Cordons will be removed once the area is safe,” he said.

Cordons will be removed once the area is safe, he added.

Some businesses have been evacuated, including Orion and a dance studio on Sheffield Cres.

Kate Limuloa, of Silhouette Studios, told RNZ she left just after 3pm. She said none of her 15 dance students received the alert.

A nearby gym told RNZ that only one client received an emergency alert.

Christchurch Airport has confirmed it was not affected.

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

Kura kaupapa Māori calls for safe crossing to protect tamariki and whānau

Source: Radio New Zealand

A kura kaupapa Māori in Te Tairāwhiti is calling for urgent safety improvements outside its school, saying students, whānau and kaiako are being put at risk crossing a “hectic” and “unsafe” road every day.

Tauira from Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngā Uri o Māui say traffic outside the kura has become increasingly dangerous during peak drop-off and pick-up times, with “near misses daily.”

Student board representative Malea Procter told RNZ the kura decided to speak out after repeated requests for a safe crossing failed to gain traction.

She said tauira regularly witness dangerous situations while crossing the road.

“Sometimes we see our teachers standing in the middle of the road trying to slow the cars down,” she said.

“It’s almost a 50-50 chance that cars will slow down for us.

“It’s hectic, very unsafe. Even for our kaumātua and our parents walking our kids back to their cars- into the school too, its really unsafe.”

She said many drivers did not slow down, even though the road runs directly past the kura.

“Us kids get hōhā with the cars just going way too fast,” she said.

“There’s a school here. There are tamariki here. But it’s almost become normal that we just get annoyed about it.”

Procter said tauira had witnessed numerous near misses.

“Maha – with whānau, with tamariki,” she said.

“We’ve seen many unsafe situations.”

Tumuaki (principal) Jodi Smith said safety concerns at the kura were not new.

Tumaki and tauira from Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngā Uri o Māui tauira say traffic outside their kura has become increasingly dangerous during peak drop-off and pick-up times, with “near misses daily.” Supplied / Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngā Uri a Māui

“In the past we’ve actually had tamariki hit by cars while crossing that road,” she told RNZ.

“That’s when teachers first started to stand in the middle of the road to slow traffic down.”

She said the kura was determined to prevent another accident from happening.

“It’s not about when for us, because as I said, it’s already happened. But it’s about trying to prevent it happening again.”

Smith said traffic volumes were particularly heavy during peak school hours, partly because the kura sits close to other schools in the area.

“We have large trucks coming down that road, and because we’re close to other kura, the traffic volume becomes really high at those peak times.”

The kura serves 240 students from years 1 to 15, with many whānau travelling to the school each day.

“Our kura is growing,” she said.

“And with our Māori tamariki come their grandparents, parents and whānau of all ages who come to pick them up.

“So it’s not just about our students – it’s about keeping our whole whānau safe.”

Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngā Uri a Māui student Malea, 15, and father Raniera Procter pictured beside a raised entry and exit foundation, where they want a pedestrian crossing installed. LDR / Zita Campbell

Procter alongside her father Rāniera Procter, chair of the school board, recently posted a video on social media highlighting the risks students face crossing the road.

The response from the community had been overwhelmingly supportive, Procter said.

“People understand that our main goal is haumaru (safety) for our tamariki and our whānau.”

Smith said the kura, along with whānau, had contacted the council to begin discussions about installing a crossing but had repeatedly been told funding was unavailable.

“At this stage myself and parents have contacted the council to try and start the process,” she said.

“All the replies have come back saying there is no funding.”

Despite this, she said the kura remained open to working collaboratively on a solution.

“We’re even just asking for a sit-down hui,” she said.

“As Māori, he iwi kōrero tātou – we believe in sitting down together and talking things through.

“Our kura would be willing to contribute if that’s what it takes. We just want to work out a plan together.”

RNZ/ Nick Monro

‘We don’t want to wait any longer’

The kura would ideally like to see a marked pedestrian crossing installed outside the school.

“But we would honestly take anything that helps keep our tamariki safe,” Smith said.

“If that means barrier arms or another safety measure, that would still be better than what we have now.

“Something that means our teachers don’t have to walk into the middle of the road to stop traffic.”

Procter said the call for a crossing was not about criticising council spending, but about ensuring the safety of the community.

“Our main goal is haumaru mō ngā tamariki me ngā whānau,” she said.

“We’ve reached the point where we’re done waiting.

“We don’t want to wait until something bad happens again.”

Smith echoed that kōrero, saying the kura did not want another accident to be the catalyst for change.

“We don’t want another incident before something is done…That could be a catastrophe for one of our whānau,” she said.

“And we’re not willing to wait until that happens.”

Ensuring that students and whānau can cross the road safely every day is their top priority.

“Our main goal is haumaru mō ngā tamariki, mō ngā whānau. And I feel council have heard that,” she said.

“We’ve come to a point that we’re done waiting, and we don’t want to wait any longer.”

RNZ/ Nick Monro

Council response

A spokesperson for Gisborne District Council said the council had received five requests for a pedestrian crossing outside Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngā Uri a Māui, but funding constraints meant the project could not proceed at this time.

Journey infrastructure manager Dave Hadfield had previously assessed school safety needs across the district.

“In 2018 council carried out a district-wide survey of schools for safety measures,” Hadfield said.

“Schools were prioritised based on criteria including the size of the school, posted speed limit, traffic volumes and the surrounding environment.”

Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngā Uri a Māui would ideally like to see a marked pedestrian crossing installed outside the school. Supplied / Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngā Uri a Māui

Hadfield said council had undertaken planning work in 2022 and developed recommended safety improvements for the site, including parking changes, a crossing and new footpaths.

However, he said those plans were put on hold after Cyclone Gabrielle shifted regional transport priorities.

“Regional transport funding is now focused on cyclone recovery and maintaining and renewing the existing road network,”

He added that keeping children safe around schools was a shared responsibility.

“Council works to support safe road environments around schools through road design, traffic management and education,” Hadfield said.

“Keeping tamariki safe around school gates is a shared responsibility between schools, the Ministry of Education, police, parents, caregivers, drivers and the wider community.”

“As a result, council is not currently in a position to commit funding toward new crossing infrastructure at this location.”

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