Category: Radio New Zealand

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Crash blocks SH57 in Levin

Source: Radio New Zealand

File photo. A serious crash blocked State Highway 57 in Levin on Monday morning. RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly

A serious crash has blocked State Highway 57 in Levin.

Emergency services were called to the two-vehicle crash on Arapaepae Road about 2.30am on Monday.

The Serious Crash Unit has been advised.

The road was expected to be closed until at least 9am.

Diversions were in place and motorists were advised to allow extra time for travel along the route.

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Black Caps to play rare four-test series in Australia

Source: Radio New Zealand

Kane Williamson with Black Caps fans at the MCG during a test against Australia in 2019. Photosport

The Black Caps will play their first-ever four-test series against Australia when they tour later this year and it will be their first against any opponent in 26 years.

New Zealand’s schedule was released by Cricket Australia on Sunday night, comprising matches in Perth (December 9-13), Adelaide (17-21), Melbourne (December 26-30) and Sydney (January 4-8), making them the main course of Australia’s home summer.

The 25 previous trans-Tasman series have been three tests or less since hostilities began in 1946.

The tour was originally supposed to be three tests but a fourth was squeezed into a hectic schedule for both teams.

The Black Caps host India directly before crossing the Tasman and Australia then are to leave for India almost straight after the series which will be played within a month, with short turnarounds between all four games.

New Zealand won’t have time to play a warmup match ahead of the Perth opener while Australia will come eight white ball matches against England.

Steve Smith reacts as he is caught by Southee off the bowling of Wagner during play on Day 3 of the second cricket test match. ICC World Test Championship, New Zealand Black Caps v Australia, MCG, Melbourne, Australia. Photosport

New Zealand’s last four-test series was their 2-1 win over England in 1999.

Before that, it was a tour of the West Indies, which the powerful host side won 2-0.

Five test series remain off the agenda for New Zealand. They have played in their history but the most recent was against the West Indies in 1972.

History will be against the current world No.5 ranked Black Caps toppling the top-ranked Australians, who have dominated their recent meetings in the longest form.

Trent Boult celebrates the wicket of Joe Burns during the 2nd ICC World Test Championship match New Zealand Black Caps v Australia. Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Australia. © Photosport Ltd 2019 www.photosport.nz

Australia have won seven of their last eight tests, with the other drawn, including a 3-0 series whitewash when the teams last met in Australia six years ago.

Meanwhile, the White Ferns will also be on Australia’s home schedule next summer, playing six white ball matches in February and March.

There are three T20 matches in Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne in late February, followed by three ODI matches in early March.

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RNZ-Reid Research poll: Labour extends lead over National

Source: Radio New Zealand

The latest poll numbers would leave NZ in limbo, producing 60 seats each for the coalition and opposition blocs. RNZ

National has slipped further behind Labour in the latest RNZ-Reid Research poll, falling to 30.8 percent support.

While a better result than the 28.4 percent it recorded in the most recent Taxpayers’ Union Curia poll, it still makes grim reading for Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, who has recorded his lowest personal approval rating yet.

If replicated on polling day, the numbers would leave the country in limbo, producing 60 seats each for the coalition and opposition blocs.

The poll, published Monday, puts Labour in the top spot on 35.6 percent, up 0.6 points from January, while National is down 1.1 points to 30.8 percent.

New Zealand First continues its upward trajectory, climbing 0.8 points to 10.6 percent, its highest score since July 2017.

The Greens are on 10.1 percent (up 0.5 points), ACT is on 7 percent (down 0.6 points), and Te Pāti Māori sits at 3.2 percent (up 0.2 points).

The poll surveyed 1000 eligible voters online between 12-20 March. Half of the respondents, however, were surveyed before 14 March, meaning the result won’t fully reflect the public response to the dispute between Labour leader Chris Hipkins and his ex-wife.

Undecided or non-voters made up 7.1 percent of those polled.

If the results were repeated at a general election, National would win 38 seats, NZ First 13 and ACT nine. On the left, Labour would bring in 44 MPs, the Greens 12 and Te Pati Māori four.

That would make a 60-60 deadlock in a 120-seat Parliament, likely sparking negotiations across the aisle to try secure a majority and prevent an election re-run.

The party vote is reflected in the preferred prime minister measure, with Hipkins leading on 20.7 percent, down 0.4 points.

Luxon has dropped 2.1 points to 17.3 percent, while NZ First leader Winston Peters sits at 13.1 percent, up 0.5 points.

More than 19 percent of voters declined to name a preferred prime minister.

Half of respondents – 50.4 percent – say Luxon is performing poorly as prime minister, compared with 29.8 percent who rate him well.

That gives Luxon a net score of -20.6 (down 6.6 points), his weakest result in the Reid Research series since becoming National leader in 2021. (Note: Reid Research did not run any public polls between November 2023 and March 2025.)

Former National leaders, however, received worse scores while in opposition: Judith Collins recorded a net rating as low as -37.9 in mid-2020 and Simon Bridges dropped to -39 in mid-2019.

Hipkins’ net performance score remains stronger, though it too is trending down.

With 35.9 percent rating him well and 35.6 percent poorly, his net rating has slipped to just 0.3 (down 0.6 points), also his lowest as Labour leader.

The poll also shows worsening public sentiment, with 50 percent (up 3.4 points) of respondents saying New Zealand is heading in the wrong direction, compared with 32.3 percent (down 4 points) who think it is on the right track

That gives a net score of -17.7, down 7.4 points from January.

About 16 percent of voters are undecided, while another 2 percent say they do not know.

National supporters are the most optimistic with a net score of +63.1, followed by ACT supporters on +24.1.

NZ First voters are much more pessimistic, recording a net score of -24.6.

This poll of 1000 people was conducted by Reid Research, using quota sampling and weighting to ensure representative cross section by age, gender and geography. The poll was conducted through online interviews between 12-20 March 2026 and has a maximum margin of error of +/- 3.1 percent at a 95 percent confidence level.

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Taxpayers invest $784K to new Rakaia River wetland to try to lure salmon back

Source: Radio New Zealand

The small farming township of Rakaia’s river was once internationally-recognised for its abundant sea-run chinook salmon and other aquatic species, but population numbers have since drastically declined. Steve Terry

It’s hoped a new $1.7 million wetland in Mid Canterbury will improve the once-thriving salmon run in the Rakaia River.

For the past 70 years, Glenariffe Stream – considered a key salmon-spawning site in the braided river – has been diverted to drain farmland.

The stream contributed around 18 percent of the wild chinook salmon that returned to spawn in the river.

For the small farming township of Rakaia, south of Christchurch, its river was once internationally-recognised for its abundant sea-run chinook salmon and other aquatic species, but population numbers have since drastically declined.

Now, three large high country farms have retired hundreds of hectares of land to return the river’s eastern branch to its original course, pre-agricultural expansion.

Forty-four hectares of the wetland habitat have also been restored.

With Fish and Game the project lead, its North Canterbury project manager, Steve Terry, said protecting spawning habitat was one of the few levers available to help the fishery recover.

“Salmon numbers are at historic lows not just in Canterbury but across New Zealand’s East Coast rivers, with unfavourable, warmer ocean conditions among the key drivers of decline.”

He said while the ocean and climate could not be controlled, the efforts would ensure that when salmon do return to the Rakaia to spawn, their offspring have the best possible habitat.

“Glenariffe Stream is one of the river’s most significant spawning tributaries, and for 70 years it simply wasn’t functioning as it should. Getting it back to its natural course is a major step forward for the fishery,” Terry said.

The McIntyre wetland project was named after the late James McIntyre, who bequeathed $550,000 to the project.

Meanwhile, taxpayers fronted $784,000 towards the three-year project under the Ministry for the Environment’s freshwater improvement fund.

Double Hill Station retired 77 hectares of wetlands and waterways, Redcliffes Station stopped farming on 59 hectares of wetlands and native scrub, and a 200-hectare QEII covenant protecting the Hydra Waters for Mount Algidus Station.

Distressed anglers were raising the alarm about the Rakaia’s abysmal fish stocks and degraded river quality and flow, and were currently limited to catching just one salmon.

The Rakaia River. Supplied

For the first time in 40 years, organisers of the annual Rakaia River Fishing competition did not weigh in any fish to allow the fishery to recover.

But Hunting and Fishing Minister James Meager said a range of options to help restore state of the fishery were being considered with Fish and Game.

“We have had some concerns over the stock of the fishery there in terms of sea-run salmon.”

But he said it was all about balancing the economic drivers with environmental outcomes.

Meager said a water conservation order in place here provided guardrails, so farmers could irrigate within safe environmental limits.

He said irrigators had high standards, and he hoped Resource Management Act reform would see consenting for water storage eased.

“It’s all a balance though, of course, because we have to generate enough economic activity in the region, and we know that water is a big part of that in Mid-Canterbury, while balancing that off against the environmental outcomes that we want to achieve,” Meager said.

“So particularly for this project, it reaches a good balance.”

When asked if the economic drivers versus environmental impacts were unbalanced, he said he did not think so.

“If you look at the progress that’s been made over the past 10, 20, 30 years in terms of farming practice, in terms of the awareness of our activity and the impact on the environment, I actually think we’ve come a long way.”

Meanwhile, environmental critics including fish veterinarian Peter Trolove said salmon returns were excellent before the privatisation of public grazing runs, following the High Country tenure review.

Published back at the turn of the millennium, the Glenariffe stream’s tenure review warned that land‑use changes could worsen river sedimentation, water quality deterioration and habitat loss-issues.

The Salmon Anglers Association will hold a meeting about the future of the fishery in Christchurch on Thursday.

The wetland restoration was a partnership with landowners, the Canterbury regional council, Cawthron Institute, Manawa Energy, Rakaia River Fishing Promptions and QEII Trust.

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Shot putter Tom Walsh remains on top of the world

Source: Radio New Zealand

Gold medalist Tom Walsh after the Men’s Shot Put Final at the World Athletics Indoor Championships, Poland, 2026. ANDRZEJ IWANCZUK / AFP

Tom Walsh has retained his World Indoor shot put title to become the all-time record holder in the event.

Walsh kept his best until last, overtaking American Jordan Geist with his fifth effort and then extending that lead with his final throw of 21.82 metres to collect his fourth indoor gold.

He has now won seven indoor medals, a men’s record.

His winning throw of 21.82m was a season’s best.

No other man has won this title more than three times.

Walsh has now equalled Dame Valerie Adams total in indoor gold medals, the two global shot put greats stand alone in their career dominance of the indoor championship arena.

Walsh has previously won gold in 2016, ’18 and ’25, silver in ’24 and bronze in ’14 and ’22.

The 34 year old is also a former world champion (outdoor), winning the title in 2017.

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Misinformation being spread on fuel price app, but intentions unclear

Source: Radio New Zealand

RNZ / Quin Tauetau

Thousands of people seeking to shave a few cents off petrol prices are flocking to a fuel price app – while some are fuelling false information about shortages.

On Sunday morning, the Gaspy app altered its reporting features so people could report shortages directly to the company, and made other changes in an attempt to avoid errors and deliberate misinformation.

The app, which relies on user reports of petrol prices to allow people to compare prices across petrol stations, has gained thousands of users a day as fuel prices surge.

Gaspy director Mike Newton said the app had seen a huge influx of new users in recent weeks.

“We’ve had generally between 6 and 10,000 new users every day for the last couple of weeks – that compares to a baseline level of about 700 every day so it’s a pretty massive uptick in new users. In terms of active users on the app, we normally see between 50,000 and 100,000 a day … for the last week and a half, we’ve had over 200,000 active users every day and a couple of days of over 300,000.”

Newton said the surge in new users meant many people were still getting used to how the app worked, which could see them enter prices in the wrong category.

“With that comes some learning. People are figuring out how to enter the prices and sometimes they’re not getting it quite right.”

But he said there was also people entering misinformation about petrol being $4 a litre – potentially as a way to indicate stations had run out, as there was no other way to do so.

The app had introduced a temporary system to allow people to message them directly about shortages, which would then be checked, Newton said.

The company was working on longer term fixes.

“We’d like to put in a much more robust system for handling reporting of shortages, but that’s going to require some dev [development] work, and so it takes a little bit of time for us to turn that around, test it, and get it out to the users.

“We’re also looking at putting AI measures in place … to make sure that our fuel updates are accurate. It could look at a station and go, well, somebody’s getting the diesel price higher than the 91 price, you know, maybe that doesn’t seem right, we should probably just reject that update.

It had also removed the ability to submit a price update from a distance.

“We’ve actually clamped that right down so you have to be next to the station to update prices at the moment … if there were some bad actors out there – and we don’t believe that there are a significant number, they would actually have to drive to a station to be a nuisance, and I just don’t see people going to that effort,” Newton said.

False reporting was not a “massive problem”, and errors were being picked up quickly because there were so many active users at present.

“It’s unprecedented territory – we’ve been running for 11 years, and we’ve never had to deal with widespread shortages before.”

Newton urged users to keep updating prices and notifying shortages given it didn’t look like the conflict in the Middle East or rising fuel prices would be resolved any time soon.

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4.5 or two-star water? Health labels confuse

Source: Radio New Zealand

Three different water bottles, three different health labels. Supplied

Two bottles of sparkling water. One, a Pam’s product has two Health Stars. The other, a Schweppes brand, has 4.5.

It prompted one shopper to email RNZ and ask: What is going on?

Shouldn’t water with the same ingredients have the same rating? And why isn’t water five stars?

Foodstuffs said in this instance, it was a labelling problem.

“The rules changed in 2020 and plain water is now automatically given a five-star rating, while unsweetened sparkling water gets 4.5,” a spokesperson said.

“We can see why this looks confusing at first glance. Health Star Ratings follow a standard approach across New Zealand and Australia. Most products are calculated, but some, like plain water and unsweetened flavoured water, including sparkling, are automatically given high ratings.

“In this case, the rating on our Pam’s sparkling water is out of date following a 2020 update to the rating system. The product hasn’t changed, but the label hasn’t caught up.

“That’s on us, and we’re fixing it, so customers have clear and consistent information.”

But experts say the water situation highlights some of the confusion that still persists about the scheme.

Health Star ratings are set using a standard system that considers the balance of energy, saturated fat, sugar and sodium, offset against protein and fibre. Points are also awarded for fruit, vegetable, nut and legume content.

Consumer NZ senior research writer Belinda Castles said Foodstuffs was quite late in updating its water rating.

But she said, generally, products were displaying the star rating that the calculator suggested they should.

She said the main issue with the scheme was that it was voluntary. “Only 36 percent of the products that it’s intended for have the rating so that’s not particularly helpful.

“Consumers need to be able to look at the food supply as a whole because the consensus is the Health Star rating is useful. We don’t have time to be looking at all the nutrition information panels on the back.”

She said there was concern that some companies were cherry picking their healthier products to have the star.

“They’re going ‘ok we’ve got this five-star product we’ll put the rating on our fours and fives but we’ll leave it off the ones and twos’.”

She said people should also only use it to compare similar products. “The calculator has slightly different calculations depending on what the product is. Like if it it’s a cooking oil, for example versus a dairy product versus a cereal… use it to pick a healthier cereal, don’t use it to pick a cooking oil versus a cereal.”

She said the intended target was for 70 percent of products to have a rating at the end of last year and it was only halfway there.

But Rob Hamlin, from the University of Otago marketing department, said the regime was ineffective when it came to driving consumer choice.

“This disconnect between our legislative powerhouses with regards to nutritional labels and reality has led to some very unfortunate outcomes.

“The Heart Foundation tick is what’s known as a binary cue… It was an image that communicated by being there or not being there… we do know the Heart Foundation tick was effective because it was much more similar to the pictorial nominal cues that the food industry used to effectively communicate with consumers.”

The Heart Foundation tick was discontinued in 2016.

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Fonterra’s first half expected to deliver despite impacts of war in Iran

Source: Radio New Zealand

The market consensus for the six months ended January was for revenue in the order of $11 billion. 123rf / Supplied images

Fonterra’s first half result is expected to deliver to expectations, but with a murky outlook as the war in Iran threatens global supply chains, along with rising energy and other costs.

Generate KiwiSaver investment specialist Greg Smith said strong demand for dairy products as well as the low value of the New Zealand dollar would help Fonterra through the ongoing volatility, though there could be some disruption to its cheese exports to places such as the United Arab Emirates, as an example.

“So there are some impacts there, and product that potentially will need to be re-routed,” Smith said.

The market consensus for the six months ended January was for revenue in the order of $11 billion, with an underlying profit of $976 million and a normalised net profit of $445m.

The first half dividend was expected to be about 21 cents per share, in addition to a special Mainland dividend in a range of 14-to-18 cps, following the completion of the sale of Fonterra’s Mainland Group of global consumer and associated business to Lactalis for $4.22b.

Where is the growth coming from?

The company was forecasting growth in its ingredients and food services business to fill any gap left by the sale of the consumer business by the year ending July 2028.

“Unlike other company results, I think the focus this time in particular (will be) less on the numbers… and I think that’s principally reflecting the strategic reset that’s underway,” Forsyth Barr senior equities analyst Matt Montgomerie said.

Two key focuses will be on where Fonterra’s debt levels, following the divestment and how the ingredients and food services businesses were planning to fill the earnings gap left by the sale of the consumer businesses.

Forecasts

  • FY26 forecast earnings guidance from continuing operations at between 45 and 65 cents per share.
  • Current season forecast Farmgate Milk Price midpoint $9.50 per kgMS – range of $9.20-$9.80 per kgMS.
  • Target to close Mainland underlying earnings gap of $300m – FY28 to match FY25.

“Delivery and execution and messaging around that target is the key for the next few years,” Montgomerie said.

Who will lead Fonterra?

Fonterra chief executive Miles Hurrell resigned this month following a 25-year career with Fonterra, including eight years as chief executive after the resignation of the late Theo Spierings in 2019, who failed to connect with farmer-shareholders and left the company in a poor financial position, with high debt levels to deal with.

Montgomerie said farmers will want to see someone who operates in a similar mode to Hurrell, who was able to relate to farmers on a day-to-day business and deliver on the turnaround strategy.

“The farmers are looking for consistency and continuity. Obviously, change can bring about new perspectives, but I would be surprised if there are any notable changes in strategic direction with the new CEO,” he said.

“It feels like there’s a strong desire to provide sort of an opportunity for someone internally to continue the strategic direction of the business. But I think the key thing is that reliability and trust from a farmer point of view, but then also Fonterra’s customers all around the world.”

Smith said the next chief executive will have “big gum boots to fill”.

“I’m sure there’ll be a swathe of high quality internal candidates put forward but also no doubt there’ll be a global benchmark process,” he said.

“I don’t really think there’ll be a significant change in strategy, given all the effort that has gone into refocusing and simplifying the business.”

The bigger picture?

Smith said the sale of the Mainland business will give the New Zealand economy a much needed boost.

“The Mainland sale is going to inject potentially around $3 billion, if not more into the Kiwi economy,” Smith said.

“So that’s a positive story for the second half of the year, economically.”

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I do a job where people love to hate me

Source: Radio New Zealand

For 17 years, Lori Davis has been sounding the alarm about the challenges facing SPCA animal welfare inspectors. But the hostility is only getting worse, she says.

“I myself have been threatened, you know, ‘get the F off my property or I will do this’. I’ve had a car driven at me in a driveway, like threatening to be run over, a couple of times. I’ve had a man open the door and holding a knife in his hand,” the Auckland regional manager says.

“I’ve had a man pick up a golf club and threaten to hit me with it. I’ve been cornered on a property in between two males.”

Three quarters of visits by an SPCA officer involve some form of abuse or threat.

RNZ / Angus Dreaver

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KiwiSaver members get human rights warning

Source: Radio New Zealand

Responsible investment platform Mindful Money said investments in companies with exposure to human rights abuses rose 43 percent in the past six months. RNZ / Quin Tauetau

Responsible investment platform Mindful Money warns that KiwiSaver investors are increasingly exposed to human rights abuses – but one KiwiSaver manager says the list of companies to avoid is becoming too long to be realistic.

Over the past six months, Mindful Money said investments in companies with exposure to human rights abuses rose 43 percent, reaching more than $3.5 billion. This has been fuelled by both an increase in the number of companies identified as violating human rights and increased investment in those companies.

It said public surveys consistently showed that avoiding human rights abuses was the No.1 concern for KiwiSaver members.

“These findings highlight a growing gap between what New Zealanders want from their investments in terms of human rights and where their money is actually going,” said Mindful Money founder Barry Coates.

In recent years, attention has increasingly focused on the activities of major technology companies, particularly around surveillance, social media harms and their use in conflict situations, he said. Companies identified as raising human rights concerns included Meta, Tesla, Thermo Fisher Scientific and Palantir Technologies.

“KiwiSaver providers need stronger policies to screen out companies linked to serious human rights harms,” Coates said. “New Zealanders deserve confidence that their retirement savings are not contributing to exploitation or conflict.”

Concerns have also grown over investments in companies linked to the conflict in Gaza, the West Bank and Ukraine. KiwiSaver investments in companies providing weapons, surveillance technology or other support linked to these conflicts increased 14 percent between March and September 2025, reaching $856 million.

Companies receiving increased investment during this period included IBM, Booking Holdings, Palantir Technologies, Motorola Solutions and Caterpillar, but Koura founder Rupert Carlyon said the bar was too high.

“We look at a company like Caterpillar, which is on their list of human rights issues, because they supply machinery into Israel.

“It’s also a company that does a huge amount of good in other parts of the world – it’s extremely hard to measure.”

He said clients were most concerned about returns and fees.

“My very strong view is actually, if you really want to make a difference, then you’re going to make much more of an impact, if you don’t support them as a customer than as an investor.

“Airbnb… you’re going to stop investing in Airbnb, because you think there are human rights issues? Does that mean that, you know what, we’re never going to use Airbnb ever again?”

Pathfinder Asset Management founder John Berry said his KiwiSaver funds avoided those companies.

“Based on the approach taken by Mindful Money, they are taking a values-based approach to human rights and other issues, and I think it’s entirely appropriate,” he said. “They disclose their methodology and the approach they’re taking, and they give the managers the opportunity to respond.

“I think that’s a really well-developed and well-thought-out approach.

“I think it’s good that there’s a range of options for, you know, some fund managers may focus primarily on just making money. Other fund managers, like Pathfinder, focus on putting a values-based lens, really strong values-based lens over our investing.”

He said individuals and fund managers should make their own decisions about what they were comfortable with.

“I think the starting point with thinking about human rights, and thinking about it from a fund-manager perspective and an investor perspective, is to think about what is your mission with investing.

“There are two sides to it. One is you can consider human rights from a values-based perspective, that you care for people, planet, animals and you want to sleep at night with your investments.

“The other side is you believe that companies that comply with human rights will deliver better long-term returns, because they will be trusted, they’re good corporate citizens and they will have stronger reputations, so they’ll be financially better.

“I actually believe both those things are true.”

Coates said avoiding problematic companies would likely be more effective than trying to change them.

“These are major global corporations and New Zealand investors have only a small share of their capital,” Coates said. “It is unlikely that fund managers sending letters or voting a few shares will change their practices.

“If companies are linked to human rights violations, fund providers should respect the wishes of their clients and avoid investing in them.”

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