Category: Radio New Zealand

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Centuries-old Māori warrior’s cloak returned to Aotearoa

Source: Radio New Zealand

Auckland Museum’s tohunga expert weavers’ advisory group, Taumata Māreikura, is analysing the cloak. Supplied / Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum

The return of a centuries-old Māori warrior’s cloak to Aotearoa New Zealand has brought surprise, intrigue, and an ancestral connection for the traditional Māori weaving experts studying it.

The cloak, a pauku, is one of only seven warrior cloaks known to exist around the world, and it’s the first to return home.

Dr Kahutoi Te Kanawa, pou ārahi, curator Māori, at Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum, said the pauku is a “living treasure”.

“The importance for me is that the taonga is home. It’s home.”

Dr Te Kanawa is co-director of Auckland Museum’s Māori and Pacific textile and fibre research centre, Te Aho Mutunga Kore, where the pauku is on a five-year exhibition and research loan from the Oriental Museum at Durham University, England.

She said it was “intriguing to come so close to the minds and thoughts and skills of our ancestors that left us with these”.

Dr Kahutoi Te Kanawa (right) and Dr Rangi Te Kanawa (left) who said this is the oldest cloak she’s seen in Aotearoa in her 25 years as a conservator. RNZ / Erin Johnson

Dr Te Kanawa and her sister, Dr Rangi Te Kanawa – herself a specialist researcher and conservator of Māori textiles – grew up immersed in the knowledge of traditional weaving, passed on from their mother and grandmother.

They are both members of Auckland Museum’s tohunga expert weavers’ advisory group, Taumata Māreikura, which is analysing the cloak.

The pauku is an excellent example of close twining, with a weave so close it would be impenetrable to a wooden spear, Dr Rangi Te Kanawa said. RNZ / Erin Johnson

It’s the oldest cloak Rangi has seen in Aotearoa in her 25 years as a conservator, and a great example of tūturu Māori, an authentic Māori object, she said.

The cloak was made with a close twining stitch, she said: “So close, it would have been impenetrable to a wooden spear, so thus it became a warrior’s cape.”

Made from harakeke, flax, the pauku has two sections, one of which is constructed of dyed black fibres. Rangi said the dyeing process has caused the fibres to deteriorate.

“From a conservation point of view, we’ve had this great loss of black, the loose threads have become vulnerable.”

Dr Kahutoi Te Kanawa, pou ārahi curator Māori, at Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum, said it’s been “intriguing” to come so close to the “minds, thoughts and skills of our ancestors”. RNZ / Erin Johnson

But that loss has exposed the underlying, undyed fibres which gives more information about the construction, Rangi said.

The group’s investigation of the pauku goes beyond identifying the techniques used – they also intend to revive those skills.

“You can see for yourself that it’s done in chunks and different blocks, and how to manipulate the fibres so that it’s raised and gives that raised and recessed effect with the pattern,” Kahu said.

“Those are the skills that we’re about to attempt to do.”

The pauku is thought to have been made in the 18th century, and through studying the pauku, they are gaining insight to the weaver’s world.

“To do something like this, it would have to be an absolutely skilled kairaranga, weaver,” said Kahu.

The weaver’s focus would have been on making the pauku, and to do that, she would have been supported by other villagers, she said.

“So if the weaver had two or three tamariki, children, they would be looked after by the aunties, they would be fed.

“She would be looked after so that she could focus on her task at hand.”

Such a task would require a great deal of mental stability and focus, Kahu said.

Dr Rangi Te Kanawa said this is the oldest cloak she’s seen in Aotearoa in her 25 years as a conservator. RNZ / Erin Johnson

It is unknown how the pauku came to be on the other side of the world, although investigations are underway to track down its journey, said Rachel Barclay, senior curator at the Oriental Museum.

“The cloak first came to the Oriental Museum in the mid-1960s, from a family called the Trevelyan family who had a large estate in Northumberland, just north of us.

“But then how it came into their ownership has been one of the things that we’ve been struggling with in recent years.”

The pauku is an excellent example of close twining, with a weave so close it would be impenetrable to a wooden spear, Dr Rangi Te Kanawa said. Supplied / Oriental Museum Durham University

The pauku had been at the museum for decades “with no one really understanding how incredible it was until that amazing day when Rangi, and Patricia Wallace, and other people came to visit us,” she said.

While work continues at Auckland Museum to understand how the pauku was made, in the UK, Rachel Barclay is getting closer to solving the puzzle of how it got to Durham.

It looks increasingly like there was a network of women collectors within the British aristocracy, whose histories haven’t been recorded, “that people are just beginning to discover”, she said.

And prior to its arrival on British shores, “all roads lead us back to Joseph Banks and Cook’s first voyage,” she said.

Auckland Museum said Te Aho Mutunga Kore will schedule bookable visits for members of the public to see the pauku to minimise movement and risk to the fragile taonga.

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Do we absorb information better on paper, rather than screens?

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Swedish government recently announced it was moving from the classroom use of digital devices back to physical books. It cited concerns over declining test scores and increasing screen time.

Are these concerns well-founded? And what does the science of reading say about the possible consequences of reading on digital devices versus books?

To address these questions, it’s worth remembering that, although reading might appear to be an easy task, this impression is false. Reading is arguably the most difficult task one must learn – one that requires years of formal education and practice to master.

Reading requires the brain systems that support vision, attention, word identification, language processing and eye movements to operate in a highly coordinated manner.

Michal Parzuchowski for Unsplash

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Wellington tetraplegic man climbs equivalent of Mt Everest in a year

Source: Radio New Zealand

A Wellington man who severely injured his spine and is tetraplegic has climbed the equivalent of Mount Everest in a year.

Andrew Leslie walked to the top of Mount Kaukau 35 times in the past 12 months as part of his rehabilitation.

Six years ago, Leslie injured his spinal cord in a mountain bike accident. He spent five months in hospital and had to learn to navigate life as a tetraplegic.

“Now, when you hear that word, you probably think about someone being paralysed from the neck down in a wheelchair – and I was for a while. But with spinal cord injury, every injury is different and every outcome is different,” Leslie explained.

Andrew Leslie. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

Leslie managed to walk out of Burwood Hospital, but moving his body remained an ongoing struggle.

He described movement as not coming to him automatically, as having to think about it before getting his body to do it.

“I have to make myself move. So I need to use my brain in a different way to be able to take a step. And walking is actually an extremely complicated thing.”

As a result, he has to keep woking on his recovery to understand and train his body. “I’ll never recover from this injury. Rehab for me is about how I optimise what I’ve got.”

To motivate himself through this difficult process, he sets himself yearly goals. The first year after his accident, he walked to the crash site. The year after, he ran 5km around Karori Park. One year, he managed a five-day course with Outward Bound.

His favourite goal was walking the Abel Tasman track with his friend and fellow tetraplegic, George Thompson. He described it as “just an incredible experience”.

Andrew Leslie sets himself yearly goals to motivate him through rehab. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

The pair walked 60km over five days – a huge physical feat that required thorough planning and a crew. “But we did it,” Leslie beamed.

He said it was “extremely satisfying getting over that finish line — actually, incredibly emotional getting over that finish line”.

This year, he chose somewhere closer to home – Mount Kaukau in Khandallah, where he used to trail run before his accident.

“I really wanted to get back into the bush here and the thought of getting back up to the top of Mount Kaukau was just such a hugely motivating goal for me.”

He said this track was not particularly accessible for people with disabilities, and it probably never would be but did not necessarily need to be.

He said: “The things that I find difficult on this track, that able-bodied people wouldn’t find difficult, for example, is how some of the stairs sort of create little trip hazards, or if there’s been some erosion at the bottom of a step and it makes that first step really high. Those are some of the things which can literally trip me up, even just like little rocks that poke up out of the track, that sort of stuff.”

Wellington City Council said, “Mt Kaukau is particularly steep and a challenge for some users – the track itself is a difficult to maintain. When budget allows, we do try and improve it to make it more sustainable to reduce the costs over the long-term.”

The top of Mount Kaukau in Wellington. Wikicommons

It added that it is aware of the accessibility challenges and is working with an accessibility stakeholder group which includes Leslie to consider ongoing improvements for the Southern Walkway on Matairangi.

Raising awareness about accessibility in the outdoors is a large part of why Leslie told his story. He has been promoting guidance about accessibility measures which councils and the Department of Conservation could put in place and has headed Nuku Ora, a national kaupapa focused on helping people move.

“It’s hugely important for anyone to be able to connect with nature,” he explained.

He stressed that “accessibility means different things to different people” and wanted to move away from the single accessible standard track, which caters especially to wheelchair users. He said there were ways of making the outdoors more accessible without going for “full bells and whistles”.

For next year’s goal, he already had his heart set on another Great Walk: Lake Waikaremoana. He hoped that Thompson would join him again.

His rehabilitation has been supported by ACC, whose head of client recovery, Matthew Goodger, said: “We’re proud to see him continue to set and achieve his goals and pleased to have been able to support him in his recovery. We see first-hand the difference sport and recreation can make to people after a life-changing accident, and Andrew’s story is a great example of that impact.”

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Trump, Key, Biden or Luxon? The politicians who are good for your KiwiSaver

Source: Radio New Zealand

RNZ / Quin Tauetau

KiwiSaver members in aggressive funds have done better under Democrat US presidents and National governments in New Zealand.

Morningstar has compiled data showing typical returns in various time periods.

KiwiSaver launched in July 2007, when Helen Clark’s Labour government was in power, and George W Bush was the US president.

In the period of Bush’s tenure, conservative funds had an average return of 8.37 percent a year. Balanced funds lost 2.36 percent a year, growth funds lost 8.88 percent a year and aggressive funds 14.33 percent.

During the period of Clark’s time in office, conservative funds made 7.54 percent a year, balanced funds lost 4.18 percent a year, growth funds lost 10.87 percent a year and aggressive funds 16.63 percent a year.

It should be noted that this was the period when the global financial crisis was affecting markets, but most people had small balances so might not have noticed the falls so much.

From US President Barack Obama’s tenure on, all funds returned positive per annum returns on average.

Conservative funds returned 5.06 percent a year by Morningstar’s calculation, balanced funds 7.34 percent a year, growth funds 8.35 percent and aggressive funds 8.85 percent.

Good times (for the markets) continued in Donald Trump’s first tenure.

Conservative funds returned 4.79 percent on average a year, balanced funds 8.4 percent, growth funds 10.14 percent and aggressive funds 11.75.

Under US President Joe Biden, conservative funds’ return dropped to 1.06 percent a year, balanced funds 5.64 percent, growth funds 7.93 percent and aggressive 11. 1 percent.

Things picked up again when Trump returned to office. So far, conservative funds have returned 3.97 percent a year, balanced funds 8.13 percent a year, growth funds 10.13 percent and aggressive 12.91.

“There is an argument that Trump has been quite good for markets,” Koura founder Rupert Carlyon said.

“Tax breaks, deregulation all that kind of stuff… the end of his [first] term was impacted by Covid.

“Generally the markets would prefer a Republic administration it’s just really hard to get the data on that because there’s always a crisis, particularly if you’re there for four or eight years.”

University of Auckland senior finance lecturer Gertjan Verdicket said the average aggressive return under Republican US administrations was 3.44 percent a year.

Under democrats it was 9.97 percent. But for conservative funds, the average under Republicans was 5.67 percent and under democrats 3.06 percent.

In New Zealand, Labour governments had a much lower return for aggressive funds than National governments.

Verdicket said: “In the US, under Democrat presidents, the return is significantly higher for the [aggressive funds]. The return on the conservative portfolio is higher under the Republicans. The latter could point to a ‘light-to-safety’ effect, where people shift from equities to bonds. It’s more a risk-off principle. If you are looking for an explanation: increased economic uncertainty and disaster risk – especially over the longer-term.

“If we compare this to NZ, the flip happens when you look at NZ prime ministers. Labour has a significant underperformance in the most aggressive portfolio, whereas the difference between the two in the conservative portfolio is way smaller. This, to me, could also point to a flight to safety, but then toward the different political ideology – relative to the US. Under Labour, they switch from equities to bonds, that’s why you see the increase in returns of the conservative portfolio.”

He said other literature showed evidence of higher market performance under democratic than republican presidencies.

Under John Key’s government, between 2008 and 2017, conservative funds returned 5.39 percent a year, balanced funds 8.14 percent, growth funds 9.32 percent and aggressive funds 10.18 percent.

Under Jacinda Ardern’s Labour government between 2017 and 2023, conservative funds returned 1.53 percent a year, balanced 4.41 percent a year, growth funds 5.84 percent and aggressive 7.44 percent.

So far, under the National government, conservative funds have returned 5.83 percent, balanced funds 11.75 percent, growth funds 14.58 percent and aggressive 18.38 percent.

Carlyon said, with so much of KiwiSaver money invested offshore, New Zealand politicians were largely irrelevant.

The settings they applied to KiwiSaver were more important, he said,

“I’m not a supporter of either party, by the way… but Labour were the ones that brought in KiwiSaver and also set up the superannuation fund.

“John Key under National, they are the ones that then cancelled contributions into the super fund. They’re the ones that also dropped [contributions] from 4 plus 4 to 3 plus 3, got rid of the kickstart, got rid of half the government contribution.

“The last Labour government left it alone and didn’t touch anything. But we’ve seen continual kind of weakening by the National Party. And probably the most damaging thing that the John Key government did for retirement savings, was the total remuneration rules.

“I think they brought that in in 2009, and that was like, that was probably, was the biggest thing that undermined KiwiSaver of all..”

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Opposition MPs say former TVNZ political editor Maiki Sherman ‘hounded’ into resigning

Source: Radio New Zealand

Former TVNZ political editor Maiki Sherman. Aotearoa Media Collective

Opposition MPs say former TVNZ political editor Maiki Sherman was “hounded” into resigning, after a “witch hunt” all while public broadcasters are under “immense pressure” from the coalition.

There has also been an outpouring of reaction from other broadcasters and commentators.

Many were grieving the loss to political journalism, some questioning the support TVNZ gave its reporter and others stating it should not have been a sackable offence.

Others have argued the scrutiny and pressure applied by the media should also apply to its own reporters.

Sherman resigned on Friday following a period of scrutiny over an incident during pre-Budget drinks in Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ office a year ago.

She had used a homophobic slur against Stuff journalist Lloyd Burr in response to “deeply personal and inappropriate remarks”, she said. She apologised at the time and informed her manager.

Stuff journalist Lloyd Burr. Stephanie Soh Lavemaau

The resignation also came after a suspension from Parliament due to breaching parliamentary rules by pursuing an interview with National’s chief whip Stuart Smith, during a period of scrutiny on Luxon’s leadership.

Prior to her resignation, veteran journalists Richard Harman and Audrey Young had both written in support.

Harman told The Post there was a “bit of a public beat-up of Maiki going on at the moment” and that TVNZ should back its reporter.

Young wrote in her column on the NZ Herald at the end of April the level of hate against Sherman was “just incredible” and “clearly goes well beyond journalistic critique”.

The day the story about the incident in Willis’ office broke in a blog written by Ani O’Brien, Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour told reporters if the content was accurately reported, “it’s absolutely disgraceful”.

“But the fact that it hasn’t been a story for nearly a year is in itself a disgraceful double standard, and I think we should all just be glad that one woman with a substack actually made it a story, because we all know that in the same circumstances, a member of Parliament would have got wall to wall coverage night after night after night, don’t we?”

At the time, he suggested Parliament’s speaker should consider Sherman’s access to Parliament.

Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour. RNZ / Mark Papalii

Opposition politicians speak out

Labour MP Willie Jackson said Sherman had been hounded into resignation after she made a mistake.

He acknowledged her as a “trailblazing” wahine Māori broadcaster, and despite a “number of run ins with her over the years” was very proud of her.

“It’s a shame TVNZ let her down so badly, deciding obviously with pressure from this government, that her position was untenable.”

Labour MP Willie Jackson. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

Green MPs Hūhana Lyndon and Steve Abel also spoke out.

Lyndon said the right “came out hard to hunt her down” and suggested considering the context where public broadcasters under “immense pressure and threats” from ministers of the coalition government created a “chilling effect”.

Abel called it a “witch-hunt” and said something was “rotten” in New Zealand with right wing politicians targeting journalists.

He also said TVNZ bosses needed to be questioned, because Sherman’s statement implied she no longer had the backing of her employer.

“Why would the bosses in a public media institution whose duty is upholding the principle of free and independent media not be backing a journalist who has clearly been targeted for political reasons.”

Green MP Steve Abel. RNZ / Angus Dreaver

Te Pāti Māori MP, and former broadcaster, Oriini Kaipara also took to social media, calling Sherman’s treatment “deeply upsetting to witness”.

“Maiki is one of the sharpest political journalists in the country. Intelligent, fearless, composed, and uncompromising in holding power to account.

“Her rise mattered. Not just professionally, but culturally.

“So many Māori, especially wāhine and rangatahi, saw themselves in her. Many only turned the news on or anticipated any political story because of Maiki.”

Kaipara said it felt “personal” and reeked of “foul play”.

Te Pāti Māori MP and former broadcaster Oriini Kaipara. Image courtesy of Te Tari o te Kiingitanga

Voices from outside Parliament

There had also been an outpouring of support, including from Māori broadcasters, and questions about double standards.

Scotty Morrison gave a mihi during Te Karere’s show the day the news broke, acknowledging the loss for TVNZ and the brilliance of Sherman’s work.

Miriama Kamo wrote on social media, acknowledging the pressure of the high-profile job while Sherman juggled being a mother to six kids as well. Kamo also questioned how TVNZ had supported its reporter, and how it planned to “address the vacuum her departure has left”.

Moana Maniapoto said “somewhere someone is raising a glass,” and the resignation was not good news for the public in election year.

Moana Maniapoto. Moana Maniapoto

Former Māori Party chief of staff Helen Leahy wrote the relationship between the press gallery and politicians was never an easy one.

“But you don’t get the breaking news by sitting noho puku [sitting still]. You don’t get a leader opening up and being vulnerable without mutual respect. Maiki would persevere.”

Political commentator Liam Hehir queried a double standard, asking why comments of a prominent journalist at a work-function were “inherently off limits”.

On X, pollster David Farrar wrote the resignation was “sad”.

“I don’t think one regrettable moment should cost you your job. We need less cancel culture, not more.”

Former Prime Minister Helen Clark wrote that at a party in the Minister of Finance’s office, “where one assumes alcohol flowed”, there was an exchange between journalists.

“The aftermath – one was later hounded from her job. The other wasn’t. All in the context of public media being undermined. Shameful.”

Former Prime Minister Helen Clark. RNZ / Diego Opatowski

Former political editor Duncan Garner wrote after nearly 20 years inside Parliament, he knew how the place worked.

“The rules were broken all the time. By journalists. By MPs. By ministers. By people who later got promoted, protected, forgiven, knighted and sent off to cushy jobs.

“So why Maiki?”

And O’Brien – who posted the original blog breaking the story said for years journalists and commentators – including Sherman – had “enthusiastically participated in a culture where politicians and public figures were subjected to career-ending moral scrutiny for comments or conduct less severe than this”.

“The modern media class has normalised the idea that professional ruin is an acceptable and even righteous outcome for personal failings.

“It is difficult now to object when that same standard is turned inward.”

Blogger Ani O’Brien. RNZ / Katie Scotcher

Politik blog writer Richard Harman posted online saying this was the “most hostile environment within which to be a political journalist I have known in my 55 years as a journo”.

“The mob is ruling at the moment. They have tasted blood. Who will they turn on next?”

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Policing Amendment Bill – ‘Massive amount of risk’ of data mismanagement, MPs told

Source: Radio New Zealand

The government has said the Bill would restore police powers rather than giving them new ones. File photo. RNZ / Richard Tindiller

The FBI could get hold of masses of personal information about New Zealanders, a lawyer has warned MPs.

The Justice Select Committee has been hearing submissions on the Policing Amendment Bill, which would extend police powers to gather intelligence and give them expanded powers to close down public places in case of actual or anticipated disorder.

But Lloyd Gallagher – from the Law Association’s technology and law committee – told MPs on Monday that the bill had too few protections around the data, especially with the spread of AI.

“With the collaboration that we’re now doing with the FBI etc internationally, we run a risk of that information no longer being able to be within our control,” said Gallagher.

“Once it’s in the US’s hands under the Patriot Act etc, there’s a massive amount of risk of that data being put into databases and miscommunicated.”

The government has said the bill would restore police powers rather than giving them new ones.

But most of the groups that appeared at the select committee rejected that and laid out fears this was police “over-reach” – that the Bill was too vague and broad; set few limits on collecting data or what the personal information could then be used for; and that it would undermine trust in police, especially among Māori and Pasifika.

“The Bill’s intelligence-gathering powers will have a far greater impact on the privacy interests of the community at large than any other kind of information-gathering power currently available to law enforcement agencies,” Nick Chisnall KC of the Law Society told MPs.

Thomas Beagle listed technologies the Council for Civil Liberties believed police would deploy much more if the bill passed – facial recognition, automated number plate recognition, drones, live surveillance and gate analytics.

“Everything’s allowed by this Bill.

“There are really no limits,” Beagle said. He said there was also no oversight or appeal rights for people targeted.

“The Bill embodies the view police will never misuse or abuse their powers.”

Retail NZ and the Police Association spoke up in support of the Bill’s two parts.

Retail NZ cited rising violence in stores, and the Police Association’s Steve Watt said it gave clarity and the right tools.

“Police will actually have a firmer idea of what and where they can do things as we progress into the future,” said Watt.

The Bill’s second part – which would introduce infringements and arrest powers when places were declared off-limits – would help keep people safe, Watt said.

But prison reformer Cosmo Jeffrey said the Bill lacked a framework to control how police used or retained people’s data – including their photographs, which could be used over and again in facial recognition systems.

He had been in Twizel on his Ducati recently when a patrol officer pulled him over, Jeffrey said.

“He asked for my licence. Within seconds he brought up my history, started talking about something that happened 25 years ago and I was left standing there wondering, ‘Haven’t I done time, shouldn’t I be allowed to get on with my life?’.

“And I’m just wary of collecting information on people that can be called up in seconds and used against them.”

The Bill was put together under time pressure and without public consultation, the documents allied to it said. The consultation of agencies such as the Justice Ministry and Te Puni Kokiri suggested more safeguards.

Māori were not consulted, even though the Bill was designed to give police “certainty” to take images of people in public again. A widespread practice before a 2020-22 investigation ruled it was unlawful and had especially targeted rangatahi.

Shaymaa Arif – from BIPOC Legal Collective Aotearoa – told the committee they must insist on the systemic oversight lacking from the Bill, “before another generation of tamariki end up in a database”.

“The people that are most impacted and affected by this bill are not in this room with us,” Arif said. “They are Māori teenagers, they are children of colour, they are whānau at Friday prayers.”

Police would combine the intelligence gathering and expanded closure powers to turn public gatherings into surveillance areas using facial recognition, she warned.

Anjum Rahman said the Bill was a push towards a US-style over-securitisation that had not worked to prevent gun violence over there, and would not work here. The over-securitisation of New Zealand mosques after the March 2019 did not make them safer, because a shooter could simply target people as they left, she said.

The “powers in this Bill will make that worse” and target political protesters, while other initiatives could build societal trust, she said.

Several submitters questioned why the Bill was so vague in not defining the “functions” and “activities” that police could use to justify taking photos or videos, or for the first time without a warrant being able to gather intelligence in a private place that was not related to why they were there in the first place.

It was “just bad law” to leave it up to junior officers to decide for themselves whether what they were doing was justified on the grounds the intel might come in useful even if only in future, said Craig Clarke of Community Law Centres Aotearoa.

Year 13 Wellington High student Miro Thomas Ireson asked the committee to at least require police to use dedicated surveillance devices and not their Apple iPhones, which he believed might expose people’s data to America’s Cloud and Patriot Acts.

John Gregson of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists called for an across-government assessment of how the Bill combined with move-on orders would impact the most vulnerable people. Mentally ill people would fall foul by behaving like they were resisting the officers who got to make the call on cementing their biometric data into the state system, he said.

Specific safeguards needed to be added, plus a full Te Tiriti assessment done.

However, as it stood, the Bill had “zero protections for tamariki”, he said.

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Students studying on campus at Massey University rising but union leader says sites a’ghost town’

Source: Radio New Zealand

123RF

The number of New Zealand students studying on Massey Univeristy’s campuses is rising after halving over the past 10 years, it says.

Meanwhile, a union leader says the university’s Albany, Palmerston North and Wellington sites feel like ghost towns.

Official figures showed Massey had 12,345 equivalent full-time domestic students in 2025 including 4770 on-campus and 7575 studying remotely.

The number studying remotely was one of the highest on record and nearly 2000 more than in 2016, but the on-campus figure was the lowest point in a steady decline from a high of 9705 in 2016.

The university also had 4040 full-time equivalent international students giving it a total of 16,385 EFTS last year – slightly more than in the previous two years but about 2500 fewer than in the years prior to the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

The university’s annual report showed its Albany and Palmerston North campuses had nearly 2900 full-time equivalent students each last year and Wellington had 1997.

The university recorded a financial surplus for the year and the report said it had reduced its floor space by 23 percent since 2023.

Tertiary Education Union Massey branch co-chair, Te Awatea Ward, said staff were very aware of the decline in on-campus enrolments.

“They’ve noticed. Particularly last year and the year before there was a great concern at how empty our campuses were, particularly the Albany campus,” she said.

“This year staff have got very excited from the orientation day and seeing more students on campus… that lasts for about two or three days, and then it goes back to a ghost town.”

She said there were a lot of theories about what was to blame.

Ward said Massey had emphasised its online courses and staff noticed the contrast with Canterbury University, where domestic enrolments were well up.

“If you want students on campus, you have to provide courses on campus. If you’re wanting to have the maximum number of students qualify or complete with the least amount of financial input you have online courses,” she said.

“There’s definitely a competition for students between the eight universities.”

Ministry of Education figures showed nationally the number of on-campus students grew four percent last year to 104,420, slightly more than in 2016.

There were 13,905 full-time equivalent domestic students studying remotely, fewer than in recent years but 60 percent more than in 2016.

In a statement, Massey University said its drop in on-campus domestic students “reflects a combination of sector-wide shifts and changes in student behaviour – particularly over the pandemic when campus-based students shifted online (which has consistently grown), as well as a move back to campus learning at a time when our portfolio was changing”.

It said the university was “moving into a growth phase” by refreshing existing programmes and introducing new ones.

“We are already seeing positive indicators in our pipeline with new domestic on-campus learners up by 4.3 percent year on year, particularly in the Manawatū,” it said.

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Students question university affordability after government scraps fees-free scheme

Source: Radio New Zealand

Matt (left), Coco, Adam, and Joseph. RNZ / Pretoria Gordon

Some University of Auckland students are questioning whether they can afford to continue their studies, after the government has announced it is scrapping the fees-free university scheme.

“I don’t speak for every student here, but I would not be surprised if a lot of students felt like leaving,” Joseph told RNZ.

“I was hoping it could be free, but I guess I’m more motivated now to make some money again.”

On Friday, Winston Peters revealed it would be scrapped in the upcoming Budget.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis later confirmed that to RNZ.

The scheme covered up to $12,000 for first-time tertiary students in their final year of study.

It was introduced by the former Labour government in 2017 as a first-year fees-free scheme, beginning from 2018, before the National-led coalition shifted it to the final year from 2025.

The announcement has hit current second-year students particularly hard, as many missed out on getting their first-year free and would now also miss out on the final year.

Student Coco told RNZ that she enrolled in university with the understanding that she would get a year for free.

“And then I just also think with the degree that I’m doing, I’d get paid better in Aussie, so it’s just even less incentive to stay here.”

Eve is in her second year of a Bachelor of Arts. RNZ / Pretoria Gordon

Eva, who is in her second year of a Bachelor of Arts, said many students in her cohort felt misled.

“Personally, for me, I was lucky enough where it doesn’t necessarily affect me, but I know so many people that they only made the decision to come to uni based on the fact that they would only have to pay for two years,” she said.

“So the fact that the first year was made third year already eliminated so many people from at least trying to go to university, and then now that it’s just gone completely, particularly with not even being rolled in, it’s just already been taken away from students that were relying on it, is pretty gross and tricked.”

First-year student Najesty believed that was unfair.

“I definitely think they should have waited for the people who were going into that year to finish it.

“I think it would have been fair for them because now they have to figure out a way to pay for it because it’s gone.”

Another first-year student, Samantha, agreed.

“It makes it, like, unaffordable.

“It was like a driving force for, like, you know, getting through university and now it’s, like, an extra cost that we all have to, like, bear.”

First-year students Samantha (left) and Najesty. RNZ / Pretoria Gordon

Speaking to Morning Report on Monday, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the scheme had been “quite a failure”.

But student Matt disagreed.

“It takes away so many opportunities for people who can’t afford it, who need that third year free.

“I personally am not affected because I have StudyLink and I have those options, but it’s still irritating that it’s gonna put extra financial stress on me in the future when this is supposed to be one of the main encouragements for people gaining higher education and for building a better future for New Zealand.”

Student Adam said it sent the wrong message at a time when youth unemployment and disengagment was high.

The NEET – not in employment, education, or training – rate for young people was 14.4 percent in the March 2026 quarter.

“I personally think that it’s quite an unnecessary discouragement of higher education,” he said.

“I think that’s an important part of New Zealand society in general. I think we should pride ourselves on having a good higher education in this country, and I don’t think cutting away third year free tuition is a good idea.”

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

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Police consider new ways to ‘control their narrative ‘ in ‘depleted media landscape’

Source: Radio New Zealand

Police are reviewing the operating model of their media and communications team. RNZ / Richard Tindiller

A proposed restructure of police’s media and communications team is focusing on ways to use their own platforms to “overcome the depleted media landscape”.

An internal document says this gives organisations an opportunity to “control their narrative ensuring the public are exposed to the fundamentals of the organisation rather than the distorted angles sometimes presented by external media sources”.

RNZ revealed last week police were reviewing the operating model of their media and communications team.

Police’s executive director media and communications Cas Carter said the work was not related to the review into how police managed media and communications engagement in relation to the Tom Phillips documentary.

Since then RNZ has seen the design proposal that has been sent to staff.

Do you know more? Email sam.sherwood@rnz.co.nz

The proposal says several roles are to be disestablished including the director of media and strategic communications which is held by Juli Clausen, who the OIA revealed had messaged Dame Julie Christie – the chief executive of a documentary production company – while on board a flight to Hamilton to give her a “heads up” that Phillips had been shot.

The role’s accountabilities would be transferred to a proposed head of strategic and district communications and head of content, channels and media positions. Both roles would report to Carter.

Other roles proposed to be disestablished include the brand and marketing manager, whose accountabilities would be transferred to the head of content and manager of design, content and delivery positions. There is also a proposed reduction in the existing number of senior media advisors.

Several vacant positions are also proposed to be disestablished.

The revised proposal also includes a “strengthened” Auckland media and communications hub, retention of district communications capability and “clear accountability for internal communications”.

The document – sent to staff last week by Carter – follows an initial proposal sent to staff which led to 44 responses.

“The feedback received was comprehensive, candid, and honest, reflecting strong support for the need for change balanced with a desire to carefully consider differing perspectives before final decisions are made,” Carter said.

“I have listened to that feedback and the high-level themes that emerged. This has informed adjustments to refine and improve the original proposal. Today, I am sharing these proposed refinements and initiating an additional two-week consultation period.”

The proposed structure is open for consultation until 22 May.

Carter said the proposed changes were about “the structure and positions, not about the people in the roles”.

“We started by examining how our operating model needs to evolve for the future, and the proposed restructure reflects that shift, not individual capability or contribution.”

She said that since the team structure was last reviewed there had been “many changes in the way we all communicate” including digital transformation and the “proliferation of misinformation”.

“Globally, trust is increasingly fragile, and scepticism is rife as audiences face misinformation and information overload. Trust and confidence is a main driver for New Zealand Police, and our media and communications team work hard to lift public and staff trust and confidence by being transparent, authentic and consistent.

“To do this effectively, we must have an operating model that ensures our ability to do this now and in the future.”

Carter also referred to the media landscape and said the number of journalists had fallen from over 4000 in 2006 to about 1300 with “major cuts across all media outlets”.

“When communities lack vital local information, it gives rise to misinformation. To counter this, many organisations are focusing their communications on their own channels, developing them as trusted sources and providing news releases, video content and longer form stories.

“This gives organisations an opportunity to control their narrative ensuring the public are exposed to the fundamentals of the organisation rather than the distorted angles sometimes presented by external media sources.”

Police invested “significant resources” into responding to media requests, Carter said.

“It is important for this to remain to ensure we continue to be, and be seen as, a transparent and authentic organisation that the public can trust.

“However, there is a balance between this and the opportunity to use modern technology and overcome the depleted media landscape to build our own stories across the country through our own channels.”

The media and communications team was the “single point of truth for our organisation”.

“One voice that provides authentic and honest information tailored to our audiences. We strive to be innovative, ahead of the game, and provide everyday New Zealanders an insight into how we work for them.”

Carter also provided a summary of feedback received saying many supported the “overall intent of the original proposal”.

“Particularly the move to better integration, prioritisation of police-owned channels, and a more future-focused communications approach”.

However, there were also “strong and repeated concerns” that elements of the proposal did not reflect operational realities.

The most common concern was around media capacity and resourcing.

This included submitters saying “media work is inherently reactive, unpredictable and high-risk”.

Reductions in media staffing or hours risked “delayed responses, loss of narrative control, increased stress and burnout, flow on effects to front-line policing”.

Some were opposed to disestablishing the director of media and strategic communications role as it was seen as “essential for senior decision-making, risk mitigation, executive engagement”.

Carter said most of the proposed media team changes were paused pending further engagement with the media team.

Other submitters focused on the importance of local media leadership as well as the need to “clearly protect specialist capability”.

There had also been some feedback regarding changing the name from Media and Communications as it “may no longer fully reflect the breadth of our group’s role, particularly as our work increasingly spans digital channels, content creation, internal communications, and strategic advice”.

Carter said no change to the name was proposed, however she was interested in views on whether the name was “fit-for-purpose”.

“Any feedback provided on this topic will be treated as exploratory and informational only and will not result in an immediate decision or change.”

In response to questions from RNZ on Monday, Carter said proposed changes to the Media and Communications operating model had been shared for “internal consultation”.

“No final decisions have been made.”

Police said they were unable to say how many roles were proposed to be disestablished.

Carter earlier confirmed the media and communications team had been “assessing the way it operates to ensure we are set up in a way that is effective for the future”.

“We are reviewing how we operate which includes if we are resourced in the right places. Any proposed redesign will be shared with the team first for their feedback.”

Carter said it had been eight years since the operating model had been reviewed.

“In that time there have been many changes in communication through digital transformation, shifting stakeholder expectations, changes in media and the proliferation of misinformation.”

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Manufacturers sell off stock as Middle East conflict leads to sharp drop in revenue

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Middle East conflict has led to a sharp drop in revenue for small and medium sized manufacturers. 123rf

New Zealand SME manufacturers have seen a sharp drop in revenue and profits, with diminished inventories as disruption from the Middle East conflict ripples through markets.

The first quarter Manufacturing Health Index indicates small and medium sized (SME) manufactures saw average profit margins drop 31.5 percent, to the lowest point since records began in 2018, when margins averaged 41.3 percent.

The last data compliled by software company Unleashed was based on data from hundreds of New Zealand firms representing a range of manufacturing categories, such as food and beverage, clothing and fashion, and construction.

However, some sectors were doing better than average.

Beverages, electronics, food, energy and industrial machinery sectors saw margins improve over the fourth quarter.

Still, overall sales fell 58 percent on average in the first quarter over the year earlier to $129,653, which was 47 percent down on December quarter sales of $245,758 for in the three months ended December.

Stock-on-hand dropped to an average of $123,626 — the lowest level since 2018 — and well below average levels of $261k, as maufacturers ran down inventory and took a cautious approach to making further investments.

While that was considered low, Unleashed head of product Jarrod Adam said manufacturers learned the lessons of Covid and were much better at managing stock levels, with lead times for restocking down to 13 days on average.

“That’s … lower than it’s been in a long, long time. It’s definitely lower than the 2025 averages,” he said.

“What that means is these businesses are able to take this deliberate approach to see what happens.

“They’ve got confidence that they can reorder and restock when they need to to fulfill orders, and that also just allows them to preserve that cash flow and really be confident with navigating pretty tricky situation.”

Adam said many manufacturers were ensuring they were not sitting on excess cash tied up in inventory, as the value of purchase orders were also down across all sectors.

“It’s been a really challenging five or six years of trading for these businesses, and the way that they’re navigating it and using the stock that they have, and the ability to get this new stock in is really allowing them to hopefully navigate through in a healthy way.”

Manufacturers ordered an average of $154,391 in raw materials in the first quarter compared with $207,198 in Q4 2025 and $268,486 the year earlier.

“The challenge for 2026 is uncertainty. Manufacturers must leverage technology to manage rising costs and mitigate the challenges which are out of their control,” Adam said.

“In such a volatile environment, those who invest in efficiency, data and adaptability will be best placed to protect margins and compete in an increasingly constrained market.”

He said supply chain disruptions as well as energy price increases were eating into material input and eroding margins.

Closer to home, inflation and interest pressures would continue to play a central role.

“The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) has kept the OCR at 2.25 percent as of April but with inflation holding at 3.1 percent, further rate hikes may become necessary if inflationary pressure increases,” Adam said.

“This is very much early days and an evolving dynamic, so we’ll have to keep our eyes on this data and see how how it evolves.”

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