Category: Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

A lot has happened since the Independent Police Conduct Authority released a scathing 135-page report into how police handled allegations of sexual offending against former Deputy Commissioner Jevon McSkimming. National Crime Correspondent Sam Sherwood explains the latest.

Just days after RNZ revealed former Commissioner Andrew Coster had resigned, an interview aired between Coster and TVNZ’s Q+A.

The biggest thing to come from the interview was Coster claiming he had briefed both former Police Minister Chris Hipkins and current Police Minister Mark Mitchell about the allegations against McSkimming before they say they were made aware.

Both men have strongly denied Coster’s claims.

This is important because after the IPCA’s report was released one of the big questions was who knew what, and when they were told.

Mitchell has said he was not told until 6 November last year. Hipkins has said he was never briefed during his time as Minister of Police or Prime Minister.

So, what exactly is Coster saying?

During his interview with TVNZ’s Q+A Coster said he told Hipkins that McSkimming told him he had an affair with a “much younger woman” and that the relationship “soured badly” and she was now emailing “all sorts of people with allegations about him”.

He said the briefing was in 2022 in the back of a car while the two men were travelling in the South Island.

He said he was unable to prove the conversation occurred.

“It’s simply my account.”

He said a big reflection for him was to take better notes, adding he wrongly assumed people would not “run for the hills”.

As for Mitchell, Coster says he also told him.

“There is no way I was only just telling him about this in my last couple of weeks in the job,” he said.

“We had discussed this informally through 2024…”

He did not have the exact date, but said it was an “informal conversation” in the same terms as his conversation with Hipkins.

Asked why Hipkins and Mitchell would deny that, he said: “you would have to ask them”.

“All I can say is no-one wants to be close to this.”

Further pressed on why he should be trusted, Coster said: “I acted honestly, I acted in good faith, my judgements were wrong and I accept that”.

How have Mitchell and Hipkins responded?

Well, Mitchell’s response was stern.

He said it was “disappointing” that following his apology after his resignation, Coster was “trying to deflect and relitigate matters”.

“I firmly stand by all my statements and facts presented in relation to the IPCA report. Mr Coster’s recollections are wrong.

“I want to make very clear that Mr Coster never briefed me, either formally or informally, about Jevon McSkimming and Ms Z prior to 6 November 2024. I would note his recollections of disclosures in the IPCA report were often found to be inconsistent and unreliable.

“If Mr Coster’s focus is on relitigating matters, there are legal recourses available to him and if he truly believes what he is saying, nothing prevents him pursuing those.”

He also confirmed the IPCA informed the Public Service Commission they were assessing information in relation to McSkimming in October 2024, but said he was not given any information around the nature of it.

Hipkins also denied Coster’s allegations.

“I was never briefed on Jevon McSkimming’s relationship with Ms Z during my time as Minister of Police or Prime Minister. Had I known what has now been detailed in the IPCA report, Jevon McSkimming would never have been appointed to the role.”

What about these emails?

The IPCA report mentioned that Ms Z was charged in May last year with causing harm by posting digital communication in relation to more than 300 emails she allegedly sent to McSkimming’s work email address between December 2023 and April 2024. The emails included abusive and derogatory language directed towards McSkimming and other people.

The summary of facts, obtained by RNZ, said multiple emails had also been copied to Coster, Deputy Commissioner Tania Kura, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Mitchell.

The day after the IPCA’s report, Mitchell revealed 36 emails containing allegations about McSkimming were sent to his office, but he never saw them.

A protocol had been put in place for police staff in Mitchell’s ministerial office to forward the emails directly to then-Commissioner Andrew Coster’s office, and not share them with Mitchell or his political staff, he said.

Coster told TVNZ’s Q+A the first he heard of the allegation was after the IPCA report was released.

“I had absolutely no knowledge of that whatsoever. I can’t validate whether that was, in fact, a protocol that was in place, but what I can say is there’s no way in the world that agency employed staff in a minister’s office are able to prevent the minister or the minister’s staff from seeing email coming in on the minister’s email address.

“The role of the agency staff is to have emails given to them by the minister’s own staff to prepare responses for the minister through the agency, there’s just, there’s just no way that police staff in Minister’s office could, could somehow intercept.”

Coster said he had seen a file note that was prepared by police in recent weeks, which said there was a conversation between the head of ministerial services – who is not in the minister’s office – and the director of Coster’s office about emails that came through in late 2023 and early 2024.

“It was ‘there are these emails. What do I do with them?’… the file note says the direction was send them through to Deputy Commissioner Tania Kura, who was overseeing the process.”

Coster did not know why the “retrospective note” was created.

“I imagine there will have been some concern across more than one Minister’s office about … where did all these emails go, and who saw them and and I assume that this paperwork was created in response to those conversations.”

Police’s chief operating officer Andrea Conlan then released a statement which said police could confirm a handwritten file note was made at the time of a discussion with the director of the office of the former commissioner on 17 January, 2024, regarding the processing of emails to Mitchell’s office.

The manager of Ministerial Services was asked to speak with the minister’s office staff on 11 November, 2025, to outline how the emails sent to the office were handled.

“The handwritten file note was typed up by the manager after that conversation (and some detail added from memory). This was to make a digital record in parallel with the email the manager was asked to provide the minister’s office confirming the earlier conversation (and the process followed) in writing.

“Nobody asked for the file note to be prepared, but a confirmation email was requested by the minister’s office following the conversation on the morning of 11 November.

“Following the 17 January, 2024 conversation, at the request of the director of the office of the (former) commissioner, the manager of Ministerial Services provided hard copies of the emails to the (former) commissioner’s office.”

The manager also spoke to the staff member in the minister’s office to convey the director’s instruction.

“This was not included in the file note, but these actions corroborate what was documented in the manager’s original handwritten file note.”

What’s happening with McSkimming?

McSkimming pleaded guilty in the Wellington District Court last month to three representative charges of possessing objectionable publications, namely child sexual exploitation and bestiality material knowing or having reasonable cause to believe that the publication is objectionable.

He will be sentenced next month.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

A Coroner has made wide-ranging suppression orders, preventing the media from identifying the man stabbed to death in Auckland’s Mt Wellington last week.

A 21-year-old man has been charged with murder and was due to appear in the Auckland District Court on Monday.

Police previously said the injured man was in an “altercation” with people in a car before he was stabbed on Friday.

He turned up at a medical centre in Mt Wellington with critical stab wounds, having previously been involved in a fight.

The 33 year-old later died in hospital.

The police went to the Coroner seeking an urgent suppression order, preventing the media from reporting the dead man’s name and other details.

Duty Coroner Errin Woolley made the order without the media being given the opportunity to be heard.

The order remained in place until at least December 22.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Police have charged a 20-year old man after a person was shot and injured in Papakura on Saturday morning.

Enquiries began after a man sustained a gunshot wound at Maadi Place at around 2.30am, on 6 December.

Detective Senior Sergeant Simon Taylor, from Counties Manukau South CIB, said the victim remained in a serious but stable condition at Auckland City Hospital.

“Police believe the victim and the offender in this matter are known to each other,” he said.

“Police carried out a search warrant at a Papakura address and recovered a sawn-off shotgun believed to have been used,” he said.

The offender was arrested on Sunday and is set to appear in the Papakura District Court on Monday.

“The 20-year-old man has been charged with wounding with intent to grievous bodily harm,” Taylor said.

“I hope news of this arrest brings some reassurance to the community.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

A boil-water notice in a Bay of Islands holiday hotspot has been lifted.

Residents in Paihia – as well as nearby Waitangi, Ōpua, Haruru and Te Haumi – were warned last Thursday to boil their tap water for at least a minute before drinking it or using it for cooking.

A Far North District Council spokesman said the notice has now been lifted because tests three days in a row came back clear of E. coli bacteria.

The council is investigating what caused Thursday’s test result showing bacteria above the permitted level.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

About 45 firefighters and two helicopters are battling a gorse fire near the Waimakariri River in North Canterbury.

Crews were called to the vegetation fire off the end of Poyntz Road about 5.10am on Monday.

The fire measured roughly 300 by 200 metres and was a flare-up from a fire on Sunday, Fire and Emergency said.

Eleven appliances were at the scene.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Hastings is set to hit 34 degrees today as the region swelters under a heat alert, following a hot weekend.

Health New Zealand is warning residents to keep cool and hydrated over the next week as the mercury soars on the East Coast.

Temperatures between 26 and 34 Degrees Celsius are forecast out to Thursday in Hawke’s Bay.

Its been a scorcher of a day, with new maximum December temperatures provisionally set in Tauranga and Whitianga.
Whitianga was particularly notable, smashing the previous December record of 28.8°C, which was set in 1998, by 2.1°C! pic.twitter.com/SwnV1Lypqc

— MetService NZ (@MetService) December 7, 2025

Hawke’s Bay’s Medical Officer of Health, Dr Matt Radford, said while kiwis may welcome a run of hot weather, the heat can affect everyone and overheating can be fatal.

“It’s especially important to stay out of the sun where possible, avoid extreme physical exertion and ensure pets and people are not left alone in stationary cars.

“While we are all vulnerable to hot temperatures, some people are particularly at risk. This includes the elderly, infants and children, women who are pregnant, people suffering from chronic, acute and severe illness,” he said.

On Sunday in Tauranga and Whitianga new maximum December temperatures were set – Whitiangaclimbed ot 30.9 degrees, smashing the previous December record of 28.8 degrees which was set in 1998, by 2.1 degrees celsius. And Tauranga reached 31.2 degrees celsius. Rotorua also had its 4th hottest December day on record, of 28 degrees.

A heat alert from MetService has been issued for Hawke’s Bay, warning residents to take care – especially babies, infants and older people.

“International research shows that extreme heat and heatwaves can cause illness and death, but effective planning and actions can readily reduce its effects on health,” MetService said.

Tips for managing in hot weather events

[L1]If you feel dizzy, weak or have an intense thirst or headache you may be dehydrated.

[L2]Drink water and rest in a cool place. Seek help if symptoms persist.

[L3]If you are experiencing painful muscle cramps, your body may need electrolytes as well as fluid.

[L4]Drinking oral rehydration solutions or zero sugar sports drinks may help.

[L5]Seek medical advice if heat cramps last for more than one hour.

Keeping yourself and others safe in hot weather

[L1]Drink plenty of water – try to drink two litres per day

[L2]Stay out of the sun

[L3]Have plenty of cold drinks

[L4]If you need to be in the heat, stay in the shade where possible

[L5]Avoid drinking alcohol, caffeine, and hot drinks

[L6]Use sunscreen and wear a hat

[L7]Dress yourself and children in light clothing, cool cottons and natural fabrics are best

[L8]Avoid extreme physical exertion

[L9]People and pets should not be left in stationary vehicles

[L10]Take a cool shower of bath

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

How to shop for your kids this Christmas, in the wake of the asbestos-contaminated sand, toy recalls, and children’s products failing safety tests

After a string of headlines about toy recalls, including kinetic sand contaminated with asbestos, shopping for the kids this year seems harder than ever.

And with the cost of living sky-high, it can be tempting to turn to cheap international e-commerce sites. But Gemma Rasmussen, Consumer NZ’s head of research and advocacy, has one piece of advice on that: don’t.

“We would say don’t buy from these cheaper online marketplaces like Temu and Shein. I get that cost of living is really tough and there might be other things you want to buy from there, but when it comes to kids’ products, don’t do it.

“There’s a really high failure rate in safety testing and we don’t think it’s worth the risk.”

But as we’ve seen with the asbestos-contaminated sand from Kmart, just because it’s purchased in New Zealand doesn’t automatically mean it’s safe.

“There is a massive trust model in New Zealand and how effective that is, is questionable,” says Rasmussen.

“We are relying on the honesty of suppliers and a lot of our standards are voluntary.”

There are various laws in New Zealand to protect consumers: The Fair Trading Act, the Consumer Guarantees Act, and “we have specific mandatory product safety standards for higher risk product categories, and this is things like toys, children’s nightwear, cots, things like that, and that’s because there has been this historic risk in this space.”

But when it comes to actually enforcing some of these standards, products can fall through the cracks.

“Often it’s that the enforcement and recall is happening once something’s landed on our shelves, so we’re sort of in a model where until something goes wrong there’s not really a lot that’s happening and that’s quite a dangerous model because it means potentially someone is getting hurt.”

“In short our government hasn’t prioritised putting the resources into ensuring that we actually have a system that is really reflective of the retail experience in New Zealand.”

She says the EU is the leader in this space.

“They’re sort of trying to create a marketplace where the guardrails are on and there’s the assumption that the shopper can really shop with safety.

“They have things like government certification schemes, they’ve expanded what chemicals are regulated, they have a greater focus on imports and online marketplace surveillance and they really have a focus on traceability.”

She says that means when a product that has a problem is identified, it’s easily trackable and can be recalled.

“I think that we [in New Zealand] really do need to be taking it far more seriously. I see risk on our horizon with the way that our marketplace is now operating. I think in the instance of the asbestos sand, it is disappointing to see that the buck has been passed a little bit.”

Beyond the laws, reputational damage and the resulting economic risk may be a bigger force for keeping retailers in line.

“It’s not good business practice for a retailer to do whatever they want because of the reputational risk they face if something does go wrong.”

“With this kinetic sand asbestos issue, what really surprised me was that it was a retailer like Kmart because often these really big retailers have quite rigorous systems because they know that the reputational and economic risk is so major to them.”

While it’s impossible to completely avoid risk, Rasmussen says that products like slimes, sands, dough and face paints are likely to carry more risk. (Consumer NZ has previously tested face paint, which contained lead.)

In this episode of The Detail, Rasmussen explains the laws designed to protect us, and why they’re not fit for purpose, and Mareta Hunt from Safekids Aotearoa spells out the ‘Six S’s’ to look out when shopping for toys – size, surface, string, supervision, sound and swallow.

Check out how to listen to and follow The Detailhere.

You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Wellington’s maritime police are no longer responding 24/7 to help boats in trouble or to respond to crimes on the water.

The team has had a 60 percent cut to their operational hours and will now only be available from 9am to 6pm most days.

Police said it will save money, but critics like Geoff Marsland said it will cost lives.

Marsland has sailed the world and seen all sorts of conditions but said the worst seas to be found weren’t far from his doorstep.

“You leave Wellington you turn right, and you go three miles to the west and there’s Kiroroi rip,” he said.

It was off the southern shore of Wellington when his engine filters failed, and he needed the maritime police.

“It was just getting dark, I had two little kids on board… the nor’ west got up to about 30 knots and by calling the Lady Liz within like twenty minutes they were there and took me into a tow into the wharf. The next day I cleaned the filters, and I was fine,” he recounted.

A version of the police boat Lady Elizabeth, nicknamed ‘Lady Liz’, has patrolled the shores of Wellington and rescued boaties for over 80 years, including finding missing diver Rob Hewitt, brother of ex-All Black Norm Hewitt, who’d been lost at sea for three days before the Lady Elizabeth crew found him in 2006.

Marsland said the decision to pull back the police maritime service was crazy.

“It’s ridiculous, this is Cook Strait and Wellington! Within not long there will totally be casualties,” he said.

Know something about this story? Email libby.kirkby-mcleod@rnz.co.nz

Wellington Acting District Commander Inspector Nick Thom said in the last two years, police had needed the service during the night only once.

He thought the new hours had things covered.

“We looked at a range of data and when the Liz was being deployed to incidents, and the main demand picture has told us it’s that 9am to 6pm time,” he said.

However, a sworn police officer involved with the maritime unit said when they are called it’s usually life or death.

He questioned whether the money saved is really worth it.

“There’re managers within the organisation who go ‘well look, we are willing to wear the risk.’ And it’s like ‘well, are you? Are you going to stand up in front of the media and the public and say ‘yep, that person died because we saved $90,000 this year,’?”

When the maritime police officers were asked for feedback, they overwhelmingly rejected the decrease in hours.

“Staff expressed concern that the proposed changes would negatively impact public safety and erode trust in police,” the decision report said in a summary of feedback.

“The perception that the unit may be unavailable during emergencies could damage its reputation and reduce community confidence,” continued the feedback.

Paul Gubb had been boating around Wellington commercially for 40 years. He said he always felt safer on the water knowing the Lady Elizabeth and her crew were there.

“When you are a water person, and a lot of Wellingtonians are, this is something we pay for and they can cut something else but don’t cut our wharf police,” he said.

Several officers gave feedback that they would consider leaving the maritime unit or the police entirely due to the changes.

“I would acknowledge the submissions raised a range of concerns but ultimately it’s been determined that those concerns are not outweighed by the need to prioritize our resources and where they will have the biggest impact,” said Thom.

Outside of operational hours search and rescue will be the responsibility of Coastguard.

Thom said this comes at a cost to police as if police deploy Coastguard, they pay Coastguard to do that work.

But Thom still believed it was an overall saving for the police, which he put at around $130,000 annually.

“What the data has told us is there have been 1% callouts for the night standby period over the last 12 months which would indicate its going to be a very low callout percentage for Coastguard.”

A Coastguard spokesperson told RNZ they remain on-call 24/7, ready to respond and assist those on the water whenever needed around Wellington with 70 active volunteers and two dedicated rescue vessels – Reremoana and Spirit of Wellington.

“Our crews often leave work, family, study, or other commitments when a call for help comes in, which means our response times may be slightly slower than those of the Wellington Police Maritime Unit,” they said.

But Coastguard was confident it could provide an effective search and rescue response across the region.

John Bryant was in the Wellington police maritime unit for 24 years, nine as an officer in charge.

He saw the change as a cut to frontline policing.

“The history of these constables is that they are frontline police, they wear the blue. They are policeman first and mariners second,” he said.

He thought the Wellington public should be concerned about what they have lost.

“For decades police have [been there], and as a result there are many many people who are alive today because of that level of service.”

The current police officer involved with the unit said the crew did many frontline policing duties on the water.

“It’s not just search and rescue, we work with customs, and MPI, and the defence force and the local harbourmaster; we’ve worked with immigration before, mental health… any kind of incident on a ferry or another vessel that requires a tactical response, other agencies won’t take tactical teams.”

A Coastguard spokesperson confirmed that as a volunteer-powered charity, Coastguard’s sole purpose was to save lives on the water.

“We do not carry out any Police work or act as law enforcement of any kind. In this regard, we cannot provide the same operational scope as the Wellington Police Maritime Unit. While we work closely together, our focus is solely on search and rescue.”

Police told RNZ the decision will be formally reviewed in a few months’ time to see the effect of the changes.

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