Category: Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Travellers across New Zealand faced six-hour queues, cancelled flights, missed family events and last-minute scrambles for alternatives – as the global grounding of Airbus A320 aircraft rippled through airline schedules on Saturday.

While the software recall affects airlines worldwide, in New Zealand’s airport terminals, passengers described a morning of confusion, contradictory information and mounting frustration.

Birthday plan ‘out the window’

One Wellington-bound passenger said their day began with a text message at 9.30am, warning of Jetstar delays, but this didn’t prepare them for the scene inside Auckland Airport.

“I walked into a line that we could have been waiting another couple of hours for, so yeah, it wasn’t great,” they said.

By the time they reached the counter, every remaining Jetstar flight to Wellington was fully booked.

“I had a birthday plan for my daughter today and now that’s out the window,” they said. “I’m going to try and get a flight on [Air] New Zealand today… otherwise, I’ll be waiting until tomorrow morning.”

They said Jetstar had not offered compensation so far.

“Basically, I’ll pay money for a flight that I’m not even going to take at the moment.”

Six hours in line

For Christchurch-bound traveller Miguel, the delays were even longer.

His 8.25am flight was initially pushed back by 30 minutes, then an hour, before being cancelled altogether.

“I’m not so happy, definitely,” he told RNZ, adding he has been queuing for “maybe six hours”.

Jetstar eventually booked him onto a mid-afternoon flight, leaving him waiting in the terminal for most of the day.

‘Five different staff told me five different things’

Another passenger, April, said the experience was overwhelming, especially as she was travelling solo and visiting Auckland for the first time.

Her 11.50am Jetstar flight was rebooked, cancelled, then rebooked again, before she received conflicting instructions about whether she could board.

“I had five different staff tell me five different things,” she said.

“My boarding pass was cancelled and I didn’t know if I could still get on. I was really lost.”

Jetstar eventually re-issued her flight for a later departure – but she abandoned it altogether.

“I ended up rebooking with Air New Zealand instead, because I was just so confused. I’ll just get a refund from Jetstar.”

She said staff were kind, but the queues were impossible for her to manage.

“I’ve got chronic pain, I can’t stand in that queue. Someone said they’d been waiting two-and-a-half hours, another said six hours.

“I couldn’t do that at all.”

Overseas travellers caught in chaos

A group of friends from Blenheim, returning from a long multi-stop trip through Asia, said the Auckland cancellation was just the latest setback.

“We’ve had about eight flights so far, and every single flight has either been cancelled or delayed,” one said.

Their flight from Melbourne to Auckland arrived late and the onward domestic flight was cancelled shortly before boarding.

“We were at the back of the line – too many people. We missed our chance to get a flight… now we’ve been pushed back to tomorrow morning.”

After three changes to their onward connections, they abandoned their plan to fly home to Blenheim.

“Instead of doing that, we’re just flying to Christchurch and driving.”

Why is this happening?

The widespread disruption stems from an urgent software recall affecting a large portion of the global Airbus A320 fleet.

Airbus said intense solar radiation may, in rare cases, corrupt data inside a flight-control computer known as the ELAC – the system that translates pilot inputs into elevator and aileron movements.

The fault was linked to a 30 October JetBlue incident, where a sudden uncommanded altitude loss injured passengers.

Regulators have ordered airlines to update or revert the software, before affected aircraft can operate again.

Some updates take about two hours, but aircraft requiring hardware changes may face longer delays.

Air NZ, Jetstar responses

Air New Zealand has said all A320neo aircraft will receive the software patch before their next flight, but is allowing other A320 flights to continue until 1pm Sunday, with cancellations expected across the fleet.

Jetstar passengers told RNZ they received limited information beyond repeated delay notifications.

Despite the chaos, some passengers said staff were doing the best they could.

“They’ve been really helpful,” one stranded traveller said. “It’s out of their hands – it’s a global crisis.”

More disruption likely

With thousands of A320s worldwide affected, delays and cancellations are expected to continue throughout the weekend.

“I’m just going to sit here and see how long I last,” April said. “That’s pretty much all anyone can do today.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

A building is on fire in an industrial area of the Upper Hutt suburb of Trentham.

Fire and Emergency were called to the scene on Dante Road, just after 4pm Saturday.

Fire and Emergency understand one person has been injured.

Crews from Trentham, Remutaka, Silverstream, Avalon, Wellington City and Thorndon are attending.

The fire was well alight on arrival and was escalated to second alarm.

Five firetrucks and three support vehicles are working to extinguish the fire, which is measuring 30-by-20 metres.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The NZ government says it is not considering a ban on wet wipes containing plastic, despite recognising concern over the environmental and infrastructure impacts they cause.

The United Kingdom has announced England will ban the sale and supply of wet wipes containing plastic, a huge cause of pollution and sewer blockages, with the changes coming into force in early 2027.

The announcement comes as public concern about the state of the UK’s waterways and sewage grows.

In New Zealand, flushed wet wipes cause expensive headaches for councils across the country.

Despite this, Minister for the Environment Penny Simmonds said the government was not considering a ban.

“We recognise the concern about the environmental and infrastructure impacts caused by wet wipes, but our approach is to focus on practical, evidence-based solutions, rather than blanket bans,” she said.

“Wet wipes are part of the broader issue of plastic waste entering the environment, and there is still work to do in addressing blockages and microplastic release.”

Simmonds said some manufacturers were already working to reduce or remove plastic from their products, “which will help limit the release of microplastics into the environment”.

She also pointed to the Australia New Zealand Flushable Products Standard (ANZ standard), developed by industry in 2022, which set out criteria for determining if products were suitable for flushing down a toilet.

The standard provided guidance and requirements for labelling products likely to be flushed, Simmonds said.

“The government’s priority is to ensure any changes are well-considered, manageable, and do not impose unnecessary costs on businesses or households, while still protecting New Zealand’s environment.”

In 2021, the previous Labour-led government said it expected more work on how to phase out certain types of plastics, including wet wipes.

Labour did not answer RNZ’s questions about how far these investigations progressed, before the government changed in 2023, but environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking acknowledged wet wipes were causing issues.

“Disposal of wet wipes into sewerage systems is a problem here in New Zealand – and it’s certainly something we’re open to working constructively with the government on addressing.

“It’s clear work needs to be done on public education to not flush wet wipes.”

Water New Zealand – the country’s largest water industry body – said it would support a ban.

Chief executive Gillian Blythe said wet wipes containing plastic were “a major problem” for water utilities.

“They are extremely damaging to sewers and to the environment, because they clog the sewers, causing effluent overflow into the environment. As well as a problem for the environment, blockages caused by wipes are a multimillion-dollar cost to ratepayers, as councils and utilities have to invest a lot of time and money unblocking pipes.

“Several years ago, it was estimated that the cost of damage caused by wet wipes amounted to $16 million a year, but we believe it is now likely to be more, as costs have escalated.”

Wipes often mixed with other non-flushables in pipes – such as fats, oils and grease – to form ‘fatbergs’.

“We urge people to only flush the three Ps – pee, poo, [toilet] paper,” Blythe said.

“However, there are now some wipes on the market that do meet the Australian and New Zealand flushability standard. We would urge anyone who feels they need to buy wipes to check the label – look for the logo and check the standard AUS/NZS 5328:2022 on the packaging.”

Blythe said the problem would escalate, because the “multi-billion-dollar” international wipes industry was growing.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Leukaemia and Blood Cancer New Zealand welcomes the government’s expansion of stem cell transplant services.

Health Minister Simeon Brown announced it had increased funding by $27.1 million to reduce the waitlist.

In September, RNZ reported some patients had died or relapsed, while waiting for bone marrow transplants.

On Friday, Brown said the investment would allow between 27-38 percent more patients to receive treatment for blood cancers and related conditions, increasing the number of treatments from 115 to 160 each year.

He said the money would be used to recruit 79 new full-time staff across the three transplant centres in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, and would increase inpatient bed capacity at Auckland City Hospital and Wellington Regional Hospital, as well as upgrade infrastructure at the latter.

“By reducing wait times, expanding specialist capacity and upgrading critical infrastructure, we’re ensuring that more New Zealanders receive lifesaving stem cell transplants when they need them.”

Leukaemia and Blood Cancer New Zealand chief executive Tim Edmonds told RNZ the investment was much needed.

“It’s incredibly distressing for patients waiting for their chance at a cure, knowing that delays increase the risk of their cancer returning and can mean more toxic chemotherapy.”

Haematologist Peter Browett, also a professor of pathology and director of the Centre for Cancer Research at the University of Auckland School of Medicine, said it would take some time to reduce the waitlist.

“This is going to require recruitment of staff, training of staff, building of new facilities, so it’s going to take months to years to address the problem, but this is the only way that it can be done.”

Browett said New Zealand was behind other countries in standard of care and patients were often forced to go offshore for treatment, such as CAR T-cell therapy.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A person has died following a “water-related incident” at Glenbrook, Canterbury, on Saturday morning.

Emergency services were called to an area near Falston Road about 8.40am, after someone was pulled unresponsive from the water.

Despite attempts to revive them, they died at the scene.

Police said the death would be referred to the coroner.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Four people were injured in a crash on Auckland’s Southwestern Motorway on Saturday.

Four Hato Hone St John ambulances attended the two-vehicle crash on State Highway 20, near the Waterview Tunnel, around 10.45am.

Police and Fire and Emergency were also in attendance.

One person was in a serious condition, while three others sustained moderate injuries.

All were transported to Auckland City Hospital.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

By Gwenaёlle Chollet, journalism student

Eight young New Zealanders will soon travel in the wake of great polar explorers, sailing from Argentina to Antarctica across the notorious Drake Passage on the historic tall ship Bark EUROPA.

The group of 18 to 30 year olds will set sail in January for a month-long voyage alongside record-breaking sailor Lisa Blair, as part of the Antarctic Heritage Trust’s inspiring explorers expedition.

Wellington global studies graduate Meleki Schulster, 21, said sailing, living and sleeping on a ship would be an entirely new experience.

“It looks like it’s out of the Pirates of the Carribean, it’s so cool. It feels like a crazy adventure and I’m always keen on an adventure,” he said.

“I honestly can’t wait to do it all. I still don’t know how I made it, but I’m so grateful, so honoured and feel so privileged to be in this spot.

“Our ancestors used to use the stars and used to go on voyages with even less crazy boats. It’s going to be a really cool experience to be able to tie it back to them and just inspire people to jump on board.”

The group would learn to sail the ship, with shifts of four hours on and eight hours off, before exploring the Antarctic Peninsula for just over a week.

The Drake Passage was known for its contrasting conditions – the Drake Lake or the Drake Shake.

Blair said the Drake Lake was a calm and quiet sea, while the Drake Shake saw storms thousands of nautical miles wide trying to funnel through the narrow passage.

“It’s luck of the draw. You could be there in a high-pressure system, which is no wind, calm seas, or you could be out there in 10-metre breaking seas. Everyone’s going to be seasick in those conditions. Cold, wet, maybe snowing, like brutal climate so we don’t know what will happen,” she said.

Blair said the Antarctic Heritage Trust aimed to inspire a spirit of adventure by providing opportunities for young people to follow in the footsteps of explorers who traversed the continent more than 100 years ago.

“Part of the inspiring explorers programme is that explorer’s mindset. So fostering their curiosity, their innovation, talking to teamwork, building their resilience and just really structuring their mind to go through challenges that they might face after this,” she said.

Blair holds eight world records, including being the fastest person to sail solo, non-stop and unassisted around Antarctica in 2022.

However, sailing a tall ship would also be a new experience for her and she would have to remember the names of different ropes and 24 sails like everyone else.

Blair said she understood what the group would go through, given she did not start sailing until the age of 25.

“I still really remember my first experience with it and how I struggled in certain things, so just trying to bring that to them and make them feel supported,” she said.

“I really think there’s so much incredible value for us, as a global world, in making sure that the next generation of people coming through can have forged a connection with Antarctica because we don’t protect what we aren’t connected to.”

Captain Robert Falcon Scott and Sir Ernest Shackleton journeyed to Antarctica on tall ships like the Bark EUROPA.

Bark EUROPA was built in 1911 in Germany as a floating lighthouse on the Elbe river before being converted into a fully-operational sailing ship.

As well as learning to sail the ship, the group would participate in Bark EUROPA’s collaboration with the Polar Citizen Science Collective to gather data such as microplastic sampling and log bird and whale sightings.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

One person is dead after a vehicle crashed into water in the Hawke’s Bay town of Wairoa.

Police were alerted just after 4am on Saturday.

It happened at the intersection of Carroll Street and River Parade.

The National Dive Squad will inspect the vehicle, but it was not believed anyone was unaccounted for.

Cordons were in place while emergency services staff worked at the scene.

Motorists should avoid the area if possible, police said.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Labour Party faithful are upbeat as they rally in Auckland’s viaduct, roughly one year out from the next election.

The mood has been energetic off the back of recent polling that has Labour tracking ahead of National on almost all issues, including the cost of living.

Already in campaign mode, Labour leader Chris Hipkins took a swipe at Te Pāti Māori in his opening remarks to the membership on Friday.

“I recently saw a whakataukī quoted in the media with reference to a different political party in New Zealand.

“He tōtara wāhi rua he kai nā te ahi – a tōtara that is split in half is only good for firewood. Well I can assure you that our waka is made of a very solid tōtara.”

There were lots of cheers and a series of standing ovations as the party’s leadership presented a united front at the top of the conference.

“We are energised, we are focused and we are determined to make this a one-term government,” Hipkins said.

Deputy leader Carmel Sepuloni said the coalition government’s policy programme had put people through so much.

“We now have a health system that is falling over right before our eyes. We’ve seen the cancellation of thousands of state housing builds and infrastructure projects, increased unemployment and skyrocketing cost of living.

“A tax on our education system and teachers, a tax on workers wanting a fair deal, a tax on women with the scrapping of pay equity, attacks on our rainbow community.

“And where do we even start with the attacks on Māoridom and Te Tiriti?

“We must keep fighting. We need to support each other, to keep the light burning. We have to retain hope and we have to believe that we can win.”

Sepuloni, like many other speakers, remarked on the varying views held in the Labour Party and pitched them as a good thing.

“We don’t all look the same in the Labour Party. We are a very diverse bunch. This is probably no starker than when looking at your leadership. You have a Sharkies-wearing ginga leader from the Hutt and an Amazonian Pasifika pulatasi-wearing deputy leader from West Auckland.

“We look like we come from different worlds. Have we always agreed over our 17 years of working together? Hell no.

“But do we share the same values and care enough about the same things to make it work? Abso-freaking-lutely.”

‘Doesn’t it feel good to see those numbers rise?’ – Labour president

Party president Jill Day said it was encouraging to see public support for Labour rebuilding.

“Now I know the only poll that matters is the one on election day, but doesn’t it feel good to see those numbers rise?” she said, as members cheered.

“To see those numbers rise, to feel the tide turning, to know that New Zealanders are putting their trust back in our party, our caucus, and our leader, Chris Hipkins.”

Day said it had been a tough couple of years.

“Every time we think this National government has gone too far, it pushes a bit further.

“It’s exhausting, it’s frustrating and it’s heartbreaking because behind every decision National makes, a real person is paying the price.

“We see that in the mum, working two jobs, having to choose between petrol and kai for her kids, kaumatua waiting weeks for a GP appointment and teachers buying classroom supplies from their own pay.”

Day said the party was busy organising ahead of the election and told members every call, leaflet and conversation mattered.

“Our LECs are growing stronger, our volunteers are knocking on doors, our branches are welcoming new members, and we’re selecting candidates who know their communities, who are grounded in the issues and who will not back down from the hard work ahead.

“Election 2026, will be won in the same way Labour has always won: by being visible, by being organised and by showing up, especially when it’s hard.”

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