Category: Radio New Zealand

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Black Caps v West Indies first test – day three

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Black Caps are in firm control of the first cricket test against the West Indies after a dominant day three in Christchurch.

Centuries for skipper Tom Latham and number four batter Rachin Ravindra helped New Zealand set a solid foundation to reach 417-4 at stumps with a lead of 481 runs.

Close to half of the Black Caps runs came in boundaries on Thursday.

Openers Latham and Devon Conway resumed in the morning at 32 without loss, taking their partnership to 84 before Conway went for 37.

Kane Williamson joined his skipper but just before lunch would send a feather thin edge behind off Kemar Roach to give the Windies a sniff.

Roach then turned villain when he dropped Ravindra at midwicket as Latham brought up a patient half century from 120 balls.

Ravindra got another reprieve on 13, as 12th man Kavem Hodge put down a regulation chance at slip.

Upping the run rate, Ravindra raced to 50 from only 52 deliveries, as he and Latham took their partnership to three figures.

The New Zealand captain brought up his 14th test century right on the stroke of tea, followed soon by Ravindra who needed just 108 balls for his fourth test ton.

The Black Caps were cruising in the last session of the day before Latham was out for 145 off 250 balls very late in the day.

Latham also passed 6000 test career runs with his captain’s knock on his homeground of Hagley Oval.

Ravindra was eventually dismissed for his second highest test score of 176 when he was bowled by Ojay Shields.

Rather than declare with their healthy lead, New Zealand batted out the day with Will Young (21) and Michael Bracewell (6) at the crease.

The first ball of day four is at 11am.

As it happened:

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Michael Bracewell Andrew Cornaga / www.photosport.nz / Photosport Ltd 2025

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Auckland welcomes passengers on inaugural ‘worlds longest direct flight’ from China to Argentina

Source: Radio New Zealand

China Eastern Airlines flight lands at Auckland Airport on 6 November 2023 (file image). supplied / Auckland airport

Auckland has welcomed the first passengers on what has been dubbed the “world’s longest direct flight”.

A new China Eastern Airlines service from Shanghai to Buenos Aires landed in Auckland just after 6pm Thursday.

Auckland Airport chief executive Carrie Hurihanganui said the new route would boost the New Zealand’s tourism and business links.

The flight from China to Argentina was expected to take more than 25 hours, with the return journey taking four hours longer.

The service will run twice each week, with passengers enjoying a two-hour stop in New Zealand before continuing on their final leg.

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Christchurch teenager arrested for aggravated robbery as police see spike in youth crime

Source: Radio New Zealand

Police are working on an increase in recent youth offending incidents. 123RF

A young person has been arrested for a number of recent incidents across Christchurch, including an aggravated robbery earlier this week that left a store worker seriously injured.

The 17-year-old was located on Thursday afternoon in New Brighton and is set to appear before the Youth Court on a number of charges, including burglary, aggravated robbery, and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

Christchurch District Commander Superintendent Tony Hill said police are working on an increase in recent youth offending incidents.

“We continue to work at pace to identify other parties involved in this and other recent youth offending, and hold those parties to account,” he said.

“Police’s operation announced earlier today will enhance our capabilities and resources as we work to tackle this recent increase in offending.”

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Paid firefighters refuse to call off strikes despite pressure from FENZ

Source: Radio New Zealand

Messages written on an Auckland fire engine protesting firefighters’ working conditions. RNZ / Rayssa Almeida

Paid firefighters will continue with strike action and not withdraw their notices as Fire and Emergency is urging them to.

The Employment Relations Authority is referring the warring sides to facilitated bargaining.

FENZ is welcoming the decision and said the union is calling on the Professional Firefighters Union to withdraw strike action, the next of which is for an hour on Friday.

But the union says it will not be doing that.

“It’s a bit rich actually, them asking for that,” NZPFU national secretary Wattie Watson said.

“It’s not going to happen, FENZ needs to get around the table and make some progress with us and we will do so,” she said.

The union said there was nothing to stop FENZ from going into talks or agreeing to dates for them outside the ERA process.

“In fact, it’s probably something that the ERA would expect, that we would do our damnedest at getting around the table and negotiating,” Watson said.

“FENZ is just sitting back on its hands saying, well, now it’s with the Authority.”

Fire and Emergency said the talks over pay and conditions had gone on for more than 16 months.

“Attending independent facilitation with the Authority is the next logical step in coming to an agreement and we will participate in good faith with the NZPFU,” deputy national commander Megan Stiffler said.

“We hope the facilitation process introduces some realism to the discussions.”

FENZ said its latest pay offer was “a fair and sustainable” increase.

The offer amounts to a 6.2 percent average increase over three years which it said is in line with other public sector agreements.

As it called for the union to withdraw its strikes, FENZ said there was no good reason for continuing to put the community at risk.

The union said it was FENZ putting the community at risk with its resourcing and fire trucks and equipment that kept breaking down.

“If firefighters can’t get to the fire or the incident quick enough, then their ability to protect and rescue and to douse a fire is compromised considerably,” Watson said.

“So FENZ every day, every day rolls that dice on community safety, which should not be occurring.”

Watson said facilitated bargaining is “not the magic wand” FENZ thought it was.

The facilitator, at most, can put forward recommendations, she said.

“Either party can reject or accept those recommendations and it would take both parties to accept them in order for them to result in a settlement.”

Last month 60 firefighters marched from their Pitt Street central Auckland fire station to Karangahape Road, protesting over pay and work conditions.

Firefighters protest in Auckland streets last month. RNZ/Lucy Xia

Banners highlighted concerns with the fleet, equipment and staffing.

Firefighter and union delegate Adam Wright had previously said the protest wasn’t just about pay.

He said the fleet was in tatters, with a conservative estimate of 800 fire truck breakdown in Auckland over a 12-month period.

The ERA will next hold a case management conference.

The Professional Firefighters Union has issued strike notices for 5 December, 12 December and 19 December.

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NZ Olympian medley swimmer Lewis Clareburt says Southern Hemisphere must unite

Source: Radio New Zealand

Lewis Clareburt will join a highly competitive medley squad under renowned coach Jolyon Finck at Melbourne’s Nunawading Swimming Club. photosport

New Zealand Olympian Lewis Clareburt says medley swimmers in the Southern Hemisphere will get left behind if they don’t join forces.

That’s why the two-time Olympian is moving from Auckland to Melbourne as he targets a maiden medal at Los Angeles 2028.

Clareburt will join a highly competitive medley squad under renowned coach Jolyon Finck at Melbourne’s Nunawading Swimming Club.

Clareburt, who won the 400m Individual Medley 2024 world title in a depleted field in Doha, has seen men’s medley swimming be dominated by the likes of French sensation Leon Marchand.

Marchand trains in Texas under master coach Bob Bowman, and swept the 200 and 400 medley golds at his home Paris Olympics.

World record holder Marchand also swept the 200 and 400 world titles for a third time in Singapore this year, following his sweeps in 2022 and 2023.

Bowman, the former coach of Michael Phelps, prepared Carson Foster in his Texas University programme before the American took bronze in the 400m at Paris.

Finck was looking to develop a school of medley swimmers able to rival the best in the United States, Clareburt said.

“We’ve been getting beaten by this group of Americans who have all been training together, they swept the podium this year in the medley events and a few of my friends from this side of the world … decided we would come together and create a medley-specific squad and train together and try beat these guys on the other side of the world.”

Clareburt told Checkpoint he needed any edge he could get.

“There’s nothing better in training than just being able to race someone and try and beat them every single day. The whole crowd being together lifts everyone up. I’m gong to make everyone faster, we’re all going to work together but hopefully the goal is to steal some medals off the podium.”

It would be a unique situation to train with athletes that he would ultimately want to beat at the LA Olympics, Clareburt said.

“I think it’s the future of sport being able to train with some of your competitors to uplift everyone in that training group to try and race each other at the end of the day.”

It wasn’t possible to create that kind of environment in New Zealand, he said.

“We just don’t have the same depth as we do overseas so being able to find a training partner that can match my ability in most of the aspects of my swim is quite difficult. The 400 medley is quite a unique event in that you have to be world class in all four strokes so it is quite a difficult even to be competitive in and there’s not many of us that actually do it on the world stage at a world class level.

“Being an Olympic swimmer, being the top 1 percent of swimming is difficult as is and trying to attract that to New Zealand is really difficult, it’s an issue for lots of sports in New Zealand.”

Clareburt said his goal has always been to make an Olympic podium.

“I’m 26 now, there’s only a finite amount of years I’ve got left in swimming so I really want to make sure I use every opportunity that I can to try and be the best, at the moment it’s just not going to happen in New Zealand unfortunately.”

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The Ashes live: Australia v England – second test, day one

Source: Radio New Zealand

Australia sprung a surprise by dropping veteran spinner Nathan Lyon and picking Michael Neser in a four-prong seam attack for the second Ashes test starting in Brisbane on Thursday.

England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and elected to bat first.

Australia lead the five-test series 1-0 after winning the series-opener in Perth by eight wickets.

First ball is at 5pm NZT.

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Australia’s Mitchell Starc AFP / Saeed Khan

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KiwiRail director’s conflicts of interest management affecting efficiency, board chair says

Source: Radio New Zealand

In July it was announced by Rail Minister Winston Peters that Scott O’Donnell was appointed to the KiwiRail board. Otago Daily Times / Luisa Girao

KiwiRail’s board chair says a director of the rail company with a number of links to transport businesses is affecting the governing body’s capability and efficiency.

In July it was announced by Rail Minister Winston Peters that Scott O’Donnell was appointed to the KiwiRail board.

There were several measures put in place to manage his conflicts of interests related to the 10 companies he is involved in – many of them in transport.

Treasury put a plan together to manage these interests, which featured seven measures.

It included eliminating access to sensitive information, the vetting of board agendas and papers before they are sent to O’Donnell, the requirement for O’Donnell to declare if any agenda items pose a conflict before board meetings, and recusal from discussions.

As reported in September by RNZ he was also one of the four directors of Dynes Transport Tapanui, which donated $20,000 to NZ First in July 2024.

Peters said at the time that the donation from Dyne’s Transport played no part in O’Donnell’s appointment to the board and that he was aware of the extent of the conflicts of interest.

Despite the restrictions on what O’Donnell could be involved in, he would be effective in his role, Peters said.

Treasury did not advise against the appointment of O’Donnell, he said.

During a KiwiRail briefing on Tuesday during Parliament’s scrutiny week, KiwiRail board chair Suzanne Tindal said the conflict management that had been put in place had resulted in O’Donnell having to recuse himself from “a number of items on the board agenda”.

“We are due to report how we are managing that conflict management to the two shareholding ministers early in 2026.

“It will become quite evident when we do the amount of time that director has to be recused.”

Tindal was asked by the ACT Party’s Simon Court if it had impact on the board’s capability and efficiency.

“It does have an effect is the answer to that.”

She said “more importantly” that director needed to consider whether they can discharge their duties as required in accordance with the companies act.

When approached by RNZ KiwiRail would not say how many board meeting agenda items he had missed because of his conflicts.

“That information is being compiled as part of the regular reporting to Shareholding Ministers on the conflict management plan, which is due in the first few months of next year.”

Simon O’Donnell has not responded to RNZ’s request for comment.

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New case of measles in Wellington

Source: Radio New Zealand

The measles virus, the US CDC says measles is very contagious and can be serious, and anyone who is not protected against the virus is at risk. Supplied/ US CDC

Another measles case has been confirmed, taking the national total to 28 – 22 of which are no longer infectious.

Health New Zealand said the latest case is in Wellington.

New locations of interest include Dunedin Hospital’s Emergency Department waiting room and triage on the afternoon of Tuesday, 2 November.

Health New Zealand said it’s highly likely that several of the cases confirmed on Wednesday can be linked back to exposure at Auckland Airport’s domestic terminal last month.

Health NZ said people should stay up-to-date with locations of interest online, check their immunisation status, and if need be get vaccinated – especially if planning to travel overseas.

“Two doses of the MMR vaccine (after the age of 12 months) protect about 99 percent of people from getting measles.”

It said people should allow two weeks for immunity to develop following vaccination, and also encouraged those returning from overseas to monitor for symptoms.

Those with measles symptoms, including fever, cough, runny or red eyes, and a rash starting at the face, should contact Healthline on 0800 611 116, or their usual healthcare provider.

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Christchurch police using helicopter to tackle rising youth crime after Opawa dairy owner stabbed

Source: Radio New Zealand

Dairy owner Kamlesh Patel was left with serious injuries after aggravated robbery. SUPPLIED

Police will use the Eagle helicopter in Christchurch as part of a two-month operation to tackle a recent rise in youth crime.

Officers arrested a 14-year-old boy after an Opawa dairy owner was stabbed during an aggravated robbery on Tuesday.

Three people robbed Opawa Discounter dairy in an early morning raid and left owner Kamlesh Patel with serious injuries.

The offenders fled in a car, taking a till and other items.

Canterbury District Commander superintendent Tony Hill said the Eagle helicopter would be temporarily sent to Christchurch on Friday.

“This operation is being launched to disrupt offending patterns, hold offenders to account and deter any further offending,” he said.

“We understand there is a lot of frustration among the community following recent offending, and we hear you.

“We know the impact this has on business owners and their staff. Nobody should turn up to work in fear of becoming the next victim of this violent offending.”

Police said they were also boosting the ‘youth targeting team’ with extra staff.

On Tuesday Hill called for public help to find people involved in the dairy robbery and any sightings of a silver Toyota MarkX with the registration number NRP221.

“We would like anyone who may have seen this vehicle in the Opawa or surrounding areas to please contact police immediately,” he said.

In a post on social media, Kamlesh Patel’s daughter Nidhi Patel said the attack on her father was “shocking and heartbreaking”.

“My dad works 16-18 hours a day, 7 days a week. He pours his heart into supporting his community and genuinely loves what he does. The dairy is not just his work – it’s his home, his safe place,” she said.

Patel said the family had been left shaken and frustrated.

She said her father was in a stable condition but had a long road to recovery.

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No mow trials, recycled bags: Carterton’s push for climate adaption

Source: Radio New Zealand

No mow trials at Carterton’s parks aim to encourage more wild flowers to grow, helping the area’s ecosystems. LDR / Stuff

A Wairarapa council’s climate-change adaptation programme is showing early signs of success.

From no-mow trials in public parks, to soft plastic recycling and addressing water processing issues, Carterton council is adopting sustainable practices across its business units.

The council’s policy and projects subcommittee was updated on the programme’s progress at its meeting on Wednesday.

“We are doing really well,” a spokesperson said.

“There is some great stuff happening. Things like the composting trials, waste-minimisation and progress on our district plan. There are good things in there from a climate perspective.”

A report presented to the committee described climate-adaptation successes in the council’s parks and reserves, water, waste, planning, community development and facilities.

“Climate change, natural hazard risk, and resilience are central themes woven throughout the proposed district plan,” the report said.

“The strategic direction chapter outlines the key matters to guide decision-making and introduces objectives that focus on: climate change mitigation, adapting to climate change, resilience to natural hazards, water resilience and renewable energy.”

A no-mow trial had started in selected parks from September.

This is a land management initiative where areas like parks, road verges, or reserves are left unmown for a time to study the benefits of reduced mowing.

The current trial is at Sparks Park, Carrington Park, Feist Street Reserve, Bird Reserve, Howard Booth Park, and South End Park.

“It’s not the entire park, it’s just a strip of the area – encouraging the wild flowers to grow,” a spokesperson said.

The first two climate community forums, on afforestation and freshwater happened in October and November, with more planned.

Soft plastic recycling was now available through a local supermarket, and community engagement had been encouraged through “plastic free July”, “clean-up” week in September, and similar projects.

The council had switched domestic rubbish bags to ones with higher recycled content, and provided support for Carterton’s community gardens, foodbank and composting initiatives.

“The Waignawa process water project (first stage) was opened in September providing low-cost, non-potable water to businesses within the Waingawa industrial area.

“This will reduce the use of chemicals and power by not using potable water for process water,” the report said.

The council’s climate change strategy – adopted in April – aimed to enhance knowledge and understanding and build a culture of change so that, as an organisation, the council would lead by example.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air

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