Category: Radio New Zealand

Posted on

Why commission-earners are set to receive the ‘lowest hourly rate’ of pay

Source: Radio New Zealand

Submissions have been received on the Employment Leave Bill, which is to replace the Holidays Act. 123RF

A new law that is intended to simplify New Zealand’s rules around leave has the potential to add complexity – and create difficulties particularly for people being paid commission, some legal experts say.

Submissions have been received on the Employment Leave Bill, which is to replace the Holidays Act.

It introduces changes such as annual and sick leave being accrued according to time worked, and a new “otherwise working day” test for public holidays.

But it also says that all leave taken will be paid at an hourly rate – and for those who are not on a set salary, the leave will be taken at the “lowest hourly rate payable for the day on which leave is taken”. Fixed allowances are included, but not things like commission.

Jim Roberts, a partner at Hesketh Henry, said this was potentially a big problem. “In its simplest form, holiday payments are going from being calculated on everything earned to being calculated on the lowest possible rate.”

Roberts said it would not affect people who did not usually get overtime or commission but could be very significant for those who did.

“There are salespeople who are set up on close to, or the minimum wage, as a retainer, and everything else is commission. Their annual holidays will be at minimum wage. There is no incentive whatsoever for those employees to ever take annual holidays. For example, an employee who earns 80 percent by commissions now gets holidays at paid 20 percent. Under the current [Act] they are 100 percent.

“The same applies to salaried and wage earners who work a lot of overtime. These are usually trades, other non-university based qualifications, and unqualified people working in large industry, manufacturing and labouring roles. The latter category, which is the largest, tend to be the lowest paid. They also tend to include people employed in 24/7 occupations, i.e. shift workers, for example at ports, hospitals, airports and any other operations that operate 24 hours a day every day of the year.

“It is the employees with low base rates supplemented with overtime or commissions who are set to lose the most. The overtime group was heavily unionised, which is how overtime payments were achieved in the first place. There is no impact whatsoever on an office-based worker working Monday to Friday on solely a salary.

“The workforce in the centre of towns and cities will be largely unaffected. There is a significant and disproportionate difference between these two groups. The former (overtime and commission employees) would take annual holidays with a significant loss of pay for that period. The latter (salary only employees) would take holidays with no loss of pay at all.”

Matt Harrop, special counsel at Duncan Cotterill, said it was an area that could still be tweaked.

People who were paid bonuses would also be affected, he said.

“For employees who have a large component of their pay that’s dealt with in bonuses, that’s going to be a big change.

“And that is actually for well-paid members of society more often than not. Those who work in the banking space, for example… there will be tweaks, I think, as to those very small aspects of it.”

He said the bill was trying to come up with the most simple system possible without undermining groups of people.

“There are arguments from certain employee groups and unions saying the setting is not right and it has a disproportionate effect on the most vulnerable groups in society because they tend to work the more variable patterns.

“But equally, you have some employers saying that doesn’t work for us as well. For example, when the horticulture and retail sector is saying the costs of having casual employment are going to go up and that doesn’t work.”

He said the calculation would have to change somehow to create a simpler system and that would have flow-on effects.

“It’s a question of do we want a simpler system with the associated effects or do we leave things in the broken state that they are? That’s the ultimate question, I think.

“The way modern work patterns are, there are a lot of inputs and there is a lot of variability. And that’s what the issue is when you lay this out into practical reality, is that people work complicated patterns.

“They have different amounts of pay they earn for different things. And systematising that in a way that can be rolled out at scale is not straightforward.”

Sign up for Money with Susan Edmunds, a weekly newsletter covering all the things that affect how we make and spend money

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Posted on

Who’s got the most disposable income?

Source: Radio New Zealand

123RF

Who has the most disposable income in the country?

RNZ has crunched the data to look at which areas in New Zealand are left with the most in their bank accounts after they’ve covered the essentials.

The exercise is far from definitive, and everyone’s individual circumstances will be different, but it gives an idea of the pressures in various regions.

Looking initially at the main centres, we’ve started with Infometrics’ estimates for the year to December for median household incomes in each area.

We’ve deducted tax as if one person was earning that amount, for simplicity’s sake.

Then we’ve deducted the average rates bill for that area, the cost of servicing a mortgage at 80 percent of the value of the area’s typical home according to Cotality, the median cost of house insurance according to Consumer, a typical food spend according to Stats NZ, and the average local power bill.

We have kept the price of food consistent because data indicates relatively little variation between centres.

By this calculation, Wellington had the most disposable income at $42,211 a year. It had about the same household income as Auckland, and higher rates bills, but the cost of servicing a mortgage on an average value home was $10,000 a year lower.

Auckland’s average disposable income with that calculation was $35,509.49 a year.

Then came Dunedin at $23,708 with the lowest household income of the main centres included in the survey but lower housing costs.

It was followed by Hamilton at $23,503.90 and Christchurch at $21,543.06.

Christchurch was weak by this measure because it had higher costs than Dunedin but median incomes were only a little higher.

According to Cotality, the lowest mortgage costs anywhere in the country were in the Grey District, where a typical new mortgage would cost $24,875 a year to service. Households there were earning $111,981 before tax, according to Infometrics.

Queenstown had the highest typical mortgage cost, at more than $100,000 a year in Queenstown’s data. Affordability measures that compare local incomes to house prices tend not to be representative for this area because many houses are bought by people from outside the region.

Annual power bills were highest in Kerikeri and Porirua had the highest residential rates in the data – although not every council submitted.

123RF

The longest commutes in the country, which potentially means households with the largest fuel bills, were in Mackenzie District, where the median commute was 17.4km, according to economist Shamubeel Eaqub’s data.

This does not reflect all the factors that can go into a household’s budget. People who bought houses a long time ago may face much lower mortgage costs. Renters will be different again. Many households will have two people earning and contributing to their total income, so the after-tax income will vary.

But it shows that the experience of juggling costs is not uniform around New Zealand.

Infometrics principal economist Nick Brunsdon said in reality and in perception, some areas were definitely better off than others.

“This data shows that the biggest factor by far is income – it’s no coincidence that the two areas with the highest disposable income also have among the highest household incomes. But we do need to consider what’s required to achieve these incomes – in the bigger cities, a family might need two people working full time to earn enough to buy an average house. Compared to a similar family in a small town, the big city family might spend more on childcare and have less free time – which is where broader considerations around quality of life come into play.”

He said it was notable there was a much wider range of housing costs than incomes.

“The highest household income area – Wellington City – has a household income more than two times higher than the lowest income area – Buller District. The highest housing cost area – Queenstown-Lakes – has an average house value over eight times higher than the lowest house value area – Wairoa. Unfortunately, the low hanging fruit have been taking advantage of already, so there’s not many high-income areas next to low housing cost areas.”

Brunsdon said there was a lot of pressure on households generally.

“Given mortgage rates are relatively low for the minute, it’s a combination of a tough labour market and high inflation for essentials. With a tough labour market, more people are unemployed, it’s hard to pick up more work, and wage inflation is low. Overall inflation of 3.1 percent isn’t super high compared to the 7 percent-plus peak in 2022, but the cost of essentials like food, rates and energy are all much higher, and it’s hard for households to avoid those cost increases.”

Eaqub said different things would put pressure on in different ways. “Sometimes it’s because rates are increasing, sometimes it’s insurance risk has become higher. Sometimes it’s because you just have to travel a lot. A small town where distances are vast… on the other side you’ve got more affordable housing that provides a counterbalance.”

He said national-level statistics would always hide the experiences of individual communities.

Eaqub said some people were prompted to move to cheaper areas to give themselves more disposable income, but it could involve sacrificing some amenities.

Sign up for Money with Susan Edmunds, a weekly newsletter covering all the things that affect how.

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

Posted on

White Ferns open tour of England with a win

Source: Radio New Zealand

White Fern Jess Kerr Andrew Cornaga/www.photosport.nz

The White Ferns have beaten an England development side by 18 runs at Chester-le-Street to open their tour of England.

After deciding to bat first in the 50-over game, New Zealand were bowled out for 200 in the 48th over.

New Zealand slipped to 49 for four when captain Amelia Kerr and Maddy Green were both dismissed for one.

However, 44 from Jess Kerr, 30 from Flora Devonshire and 22 from Izzy Sharp got the tourists through to a respectable score.

Left arm spinner Phoebe Brett took five wickets.

In reply, New Zealand were able to give most of their squad some game time with nine bowlers used.

Suzie Bates took three wickets and Rosemary Mair and Nensi Patel two each as the development side was dismissed for 182 in the 49th over.

New Zealand and England meet in three ODI and three T20 internationals starting at the same ground on Sunday.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Posted on

A clifftop rescue adds to kākāpō chick numbers

Source: Radio New Zealand

DOC Kākāpō Recovery Programme announced that this year was officially biggest kākāpō breeding season on record. JAKE OSBORNE

Days of tunnelling, an uncertain outcome, a welcome find – it has been high drama on Te Kākahu / Chalky Island as the 2026 kākāpō breeding season comes to a close.

At the end of March the Department of Conservation’s (DOC) Kākāpō Recovery Programme announced that this year was officially the biggest kākāpō breeding season on record.

The final tally of chicks hatched was said to be ‘at least’ 105, which was a somewhat imprecise number for a species that is as intensively managed and closely monitored as kākāpō.

The nest’s front entrance boasted a spectacular clifftop view. Department of Conservation

This was because on remote Te Kākahu / Chalky Island, in Fiordland, a kākāpō mum called Rimu had chosen to nest in a precarious spot. Activity data beaming from her hi-tech transmitter showed she was nesting, but kākāpō rangers were unable to confirm how many eggs she had laid or whether any chicks had hatched.

“She’s built this clifftop fortress that we haven’t been able to access yet”, said Kākāpō Recovery Programme operations manager Deirdre Vercoe in April, on the Kākāpō Files podcast. “It seems very unlikely that her chicks will survive their first foray into the world, but fingers crossed”.

The small entrance to Rimu’s underground nest was on the edge of a 60-metre drop, with a narrow ledge the only way of getting in and out. It was not safe for DOC rangers keen to see whether Rimu had successfully laid fertile eggs, nor would it be safe for bumbling kākāpō chicks when the time came for them to leave the nest.

Petrus Hedman reaching into Rimu’s nest from new back entrance Department of Conservation

For several months the contents of the nest remained a mystery, and egg and chick tallies for the 2026 kākāpō breeding season had an element of uncertainty.

But last week, a significant tunnelling effort by Kākāpō Recovery staff Petrus Hedman and Daryl Eason revealed a happy surprise.

When Hedman’s digging eventually broke through the back wall of the nest, he stuck a hand into the cavity, “fumbled around a little bit and struck something soft”. Further digging revealed a large, healthy kākāpō chick. Mystery solved. The tally of chicks hatched is now a definite 106.

The rangers made the new hole large enough for chick and mum to use, and blocked off the unsafe clifftop entrance.

Rimu and her chick seen for the first time after the digging team break through. Department of Conservation

“We went back the following night and it looked like the chick had already been using the back way into the nest. There was some poo outside and yeah, all seem to be going well there,” Hedman told the Kākāpō Files podcast this week.

After a number of chick deaths from various causes, the tally for this breeding season had dropped to 92 confirmed chicks still alive at the end of last week. This record-breaking number now gets boosted back up to 93 with the addition of Rimu’s mystery chick.

Spot the kākāpō! Kākāpō are perfectly camouflaged with the forest floor. JAKE OSBORNE

Operations manager Deirdre Vercoe remains cautiously excited about this potential boost for kākāpō numbers “I’ve been in seasons before where we’ve got to this point and it’s feeling fantastic, and then we’ve had a disease outbreak or a few deaths in a row, so I carry a bit of tension about what could happen still. But if I can put that aside for a moment and think about it, we’ve had such a fantastic season so far… When I started with the programme [as a ranger, in 2002] we had 84 birds, full stop.”

The total adult population of kākāpō today is 235 birds. The new chicks won’t get counted in the population until they have passed 150 days old and are fully fledged juveniles.

And now, with Hedman and Eason’s help, Rimu’s chick will hopefully make it there too.

Follow Kākāpō Files on Apple, Spotify, iHeartRadio or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

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

Posted on

Noah Berkeley is on a mission to be independent after an accident left him paralysed

Source: Radio New Zealand

Noah says he’s been inspired by the wheelchair rugby players he’s met while in Christchurch and he hopes to get further into the sport. Supplied

A young man paralysed from the chest down in an accident earlier this year says he’s focusing on the positives and working hard to regain his independence, as he comes to grips with his new life.

Noah Berkeley, 16, hit a sand bank as he dove into a wave while swimming between the flags on Riversdale beach on January 2.

The accident damaged two cervical vertebrae, leaving him paralysed from the chest down.

Noah Berkeley was transported by helicopter to hospital following his accident. SUPPLIED

Noah’s drive for independence

After months in the Burwood Spinal Unit and transitional rehab facilities in Christchurch, Noah said he was dedicating himself to regaining as much independence as possible before he returned to his family home in Wellington’s Stokes Valley next month.

“I knew I was never going to walk again but I just wanted be as independent as I could. So that’s my drive – I wanted to just push myself to be independent as fast as I can. Obviously I still need lots of help but I’m getting closer and closer,” Noah said.

Following the accident, Noah was able to move his shoulders and wrists but struggled to use his hands.

Noah Berkeley is working hard to regain as much independence as possible before he returns home after months in the Burwood Spinal Unit and transitional rehabilitation following his accident. Supplied

He said he had been working hard to rebuild strength in his arms and he’d elected to undergo further surgery to try to free up movement in his hands.

“It’s quite nerve-wracking. It’s not promised that you’re going to gain more [movement] but I think it’s in my best interest to take what they’ll offer. It sounds pretty hopeful,” Noah said.

Each day he worked on his recovery. On top of the physical therapy – Noah was also learning new skills to help him move forward once he made it home.

“I wake up. Take some meds. I have to do some cares and that takes a bit longer than it used to that’s for sure.

“Being in the TR [transitional rehab] programme now, I actually have more outings than gym stuff. A couple of times a week we’ll go out, it can be quite busy.

“Once a week I have to cook dinner for the rest of us in TR. We do meal planning on a certain day. We go grocery shopping. It’s really just preparing me for when I get home. It’s quite full on but it also means you don’t get bored,” Noah said.

Noah said he couldn’t wait to head home to be with his family and friends at the beginning of next month.

Noah has spent months at the Burwood Spinal Unit and transitional rehabilitation following his accident. Supplied

“I think it’s going to be awesome. It’s not going to be the same obviously but I’m just excited to see my friends. I’d like to pop into school, see my teachers and everyone around school. Pop into basketball see everyone there,” he said.

During his time in Christchurch he’d had the chance to check out wheelchair rugby and he was looking to get into the sport as his strength grew.

“I spend a few nights a week going down to the Canterbury wheelchair rugby training. That’s something I’m really looking forward to.

“It’s such a cool community. I’ve met people from the Spinal Trust, they inspire me. They make me look at how positive they are,” Noah said.

Noah says he’s been inspired by the wheelchair rugby players he’s met while in Christchurch and he hopes to get further into the sport. Supplied

Hoping to share his mindset and inspire others

He said, in the future, he hoped to share his experience and perspective with other young people.

“I want to be able to talk to young people and tell them my story and my mindset. I want to motivate people and inspire people,” Noah said.

On the flip side he was realistic about some of the struggles he faced since his life had changed so dramatically.

“It sucks being 16 and knowing you’ll never walk again. Even just my hands. Life’s pretty hard when you don’t have working hands. No matter what surgeries I get they’ll never be perfect.

“The downs are really just thinking about your past. Thinking about what you could do and how in the future you’re not going to be the same no matter what you do,” Noah said.

Family, friends and community a source of strength

Within days of Noah’s accident, people in the Riversdale community united to raise over $62,000 in one night’s fund-raising.

“In Burwood at the time I watched the whole thing in a video call. It was just amazing seeing what everyone was doing and knowing it was for me. It was awesome,” Noah said.

Noah giving his step sister, Kiwa a ride. Supplied

Noah said his parents, family and friends helped give him the strength to keep looking forward.

“My family, Dad. My little stepsister’s chosen to come down here for her birthday rather than have a birthday party. They’re all my ‘why’, you know, my friends… everyone that gathered around in Riversdale for me. They’re all my ‘why’. A hundred percent.

“I just want to say thank you.

“You sit up at night and you think about it. Everyone’s giving up their time. Dad’s given up his job for over half the year just to come help me. He’s there tucking me into bed. They mean the world to me. I wouldn’t be able to do anything that I’ve done without them,” he said.

Determined, stubborn and looking to the future

Noah out and about in Christchurch. Supplied

Noah’s father, Stu Berkeley said he was blown away by the resilience Noah had found in the wake of the accident.

“To watch him be so determined, so stubborn – dare I say it – in everything that he does. It’s all about looking forward to the future. He does have his moments but 95% of the time – certainly in front of us – he’s super, super positive. All he wants to do is get better, get home and start the next phase of where we go from here. His resilience is just phenomenal,” Stu Berkeley said.

He said the family had a lot of work ahead of them to set Noah up when he arrived back at their home.

“Noah had his accident in the beginning of January. It was very clear right from the early days that he wouldn’t be walking again. He accepted that very quickly and that has fuelled his drive and determination to do what he’s been doing down here. It seems that things take a lot longer in real life in terms of preparing to get back home,” Berkeley said.

He said an assessment had shown modifying the family home to be accessible for Noah would not be possible.

Noah Berkeley is working hard to regain as much independence as possible before he returns home after months in the Burwood Spinal Unit and transitional rehabilitation following his accident. Supplied

“The plan is to convert our garage into his own studio – with his own bedroom, lounge, kitchenette, bathroom and stuff – with the purpose that he can continue to grow his independence but also still be part of the house.

“We want him to be part of the house and part of our family – as he always will be – but also give him that space to be independent and learn what it’s like being back in the real world – for want of a better word – in his chair,” he said.

Shortly after RNZ spoke with the Berkeleys, the family was given approval for a temporary cabin to be put in place on their property to house Noah until the garage could be modified.

Stu Berkeley said he was hugely grateful the cabin had been approved but was awaiting confirmation of when and how the structure would be installed.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Posted on

Small Australian designers giving up on fighting fast-fashion giant Shein

Source: Radio New Zealand

Melbourne fashion designer Klaudia Burzynska has given up on trying to get her designs taken down from Shein.

Since she launched her business, Things You Really Like, on Etsy in 2020, Burzynska said she has found so many duplications of her designs — and even lifted marketing materials — on Shein she has lost count.

“The first time I saw them was when I was going through Pinterest and I got an ad from Shein of my own photos and my own T-shirts,” she said.

Things You Really Like Designer Klaudia Burzynska said Shein was also using her images.

ABC/Supplied

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

Posted on

Rugby convert Paris Lokotui – the Silver Fern who got away?

Source: Radio New Zealand

Paris Lokotui was a starting player for the Tactix. Andrew Cornaga/www.photosport.nz

When Paris Lokotui ran out in last year’s ANZ Premiership grand final, she was on the brink of everything she had worked for – and quietly preparing to walk away from it.

The 24-year-old had just reached 50 domestic matches and would go on to help the Mainland Tactix secure their first premiership title.

Most netball pundits would agree it was just a matter of time before the wing defence broke into the Silver Ferns, but Lokotui chose to pursue a new path in rugby and has quickly progressed.

“I kind of had an understanding of what I wanted to do … even probably a couple of weeks leading up to the final, just in my head, although I didn’t really convey that to other people,” Lokotui said.

The Tactix lost seven players after the grand final, including three stalwarts, who were poached by the Australian league.

“I was finding out where everyone else’s movements were, that kind of gave me a better understanding of you know this was the right decision to make for myself.”

The Tactix had been in two grand finals but a domestic title had agonisingly eluded the franchise for years.

“It was just a whole lot of relief and pride that we could do it, not only for ourselves or the netball community but for Canterbury. It was really special and I don’t think it really hit me until I kind of left that setting, looking back it was definitely one of the highlights of my sporting career.”

Lokotui’s talents were identified early – she was named the 2021 Aspiring Silver Fern and made her first Silver Ferns development squad that same year.

After rupturing her ACL in 2022, she got back on court ahead of schedule when she joined the Tactix midway through the 2023 season. Later that year she was named in the Silver Ferns squad for the first time but didn’t get a debut over that 2023/24 international window.

A year later she was dropped down to the development squad, and two weeks after last year’s ANZ Premiership grand final, just missed out on the 2025/26 Silver Ferns.

Paris Lokotui played in the women’s basketball league. Photosport

In any other era, Lokotui may have become an established Silver Fern by now, but her career coincided with once-in-a-generation player Kate Heffernan.

With Heffernan the incumbent wing defence/centre slide for the Silver Ferns it was always going to be hard to find space for Lokotui, and she also had tough competition on either side of WD.

Lokotui had the ability to cover goal defence, but that was well covered by Silver Ferns WD/GD slide Karin Burger, while rookie Parris Mason could also make that transition.

Lokotui had the potential to be developed into a formidable centre, but that was taken care of between Heffernan and Maddy Gordon.

For similar reasons, despite an impressive 2025 season, there was no room for Magic WD/C slide Georgie Edgecombe either.

Still, Lokotui could have bided her time and found herself in the Silver Ferns after the 2027 World Cup cycle.

Given she was so close to breaking into the Silver Ferns, did that make it harder to walk away when she did?

“Yes and no, I think that I had played netball for a long time at a high performance level, I was in and around that environment for a long time.

“I just think that at the time, you know I had given everything that I could to the sport and I was okay with where I left netball and proud of the kind of adversity that it took to even stay in that Silver Ferns space.

“But I guess when you’ve given everything to the sport and haven’t made it as far as you’ve wanted, it was all right and I’ve kind of just accepted the fact that that’s where my career ended.”

Silver Fern wing defence/centre Kate Heffernan. PHOTOSPORT

Lokotui played several sports when she was younger. By the time she left school she had already represented New Zealand in netball (NZ Secondary Schools), basketball (Junior Tall Ferns) and water polo (New Zealand U16).

The talented sportswoman spent a season playing in Tauihi Basketball Aotearoa in 2023 and could easily have taken that path.

Lokotui said rugby could open the door to several career pathways, including sevens, which has been on the Olympic programme since 2016.

“There are a lot more avenues that you can take for rugby, there’s sevens, if you wanted to go down the league route there’s NRLW. There’s also many competitions outside of New Zealand like in Australia, in England, Japan, so there are a lot of opportunities now for women in rugby.”

It’s not the first time promising netballers have switched to the rugby codes.

Most notably, Portia Woodman-Wickliffe spent a couple of seasons in the former ANZ Championship before becoming one of rugby’s greatest female players, dominating both Sevens and 15s.

In recent years, Grace Kukutai went from ANZ Premiership netball to sevens, to Super Rugby Aupiki, and more recently playing in league’s NRLW.

Lokotui grew up around rugby. Her father is former Tongan lock Tukulua Lokotui, who went to two Rugby World Cups. Her brother Cody Lokotui was part of the Crusaders academy, and played NPC rugby for Wellington last year.

Portia-Woodman-Wickliffe. Kerry Marshall/www.photosport.nz

She started considering a rugby switch about two year’s ago.

“Rugby has just always been a part of my life with my Dad playing professional rugby for many years, my brother and my little sister playing it growing up. But actually leaving netball and switching to rugby was probably something I started thinking about within the last couple of years. To finally be in this position where I’m actually giving it a good crack and succeeding is really special to me.”

Lokotui won’t rule out returning to netball, but for now her focus is seeing how far she can go in rugby.

“At the moment I just really want to give rugby a good shot, whether that’s for a couple of years or 10 years, who knows.”

Her only real rugby experience until last year, was playing sevens for her college in the final two years of school with her mates.

She took her first formal step last year when she turned up to pre-season trainings with Canterbury’s wider domestic squad, and was out of her comfort zone.

“Just being in and around that environment for Canterbury FPC (Farah Palmer Cup) just trained a couple of times, just trying to get the idea of 15s.

“I think the daunting aspect was that you know I’ve never really been in a position where contact was a really big factor. But I’m the type of person who really likes to embrace challenges and this rugby community has really embraced me as well with two hands and that’s really helped me along my journey.”

Because Lokotui grew up watching so much rugby, she already had a pretty good understanding of the 15s game and the rules.

“I kind of got the gist with my brother and my Dad playing it but in terms of just trying to implement structures and the rugby-specific language that they use, that was a challenge. But I know that I’m a really fast adaptor and that’s been an aspect where I’ve tried to take it on with two hands and if I got it wrong, then I got it wrong, it’s about how I can learn from it.”

Lokotui then got her first taste of a sevens tournament format when she was named in one of four squads for the 2025 Ignite7 tournament in Tauranga at the end of last year.

Paris Lokotui was a key part of the ANZ Premiership title winning Tactix in 2025. Andrew Cornaga/www.photosport.nz

Last month, Lokotui was named in the Matatū squad for the 2026 Super Rugby Aupiki season with head coach Blair Baxter describing her as an incredibly versatile athlete, with a competitive edge.

Lokotui said the rugby community had been extremely welcoming – “looking from afar before I transitioned, it was a community that you wanted to be a part of so to be in and around it now, it’s been awesome”.

Lokotui will cover both loose forward and lock for Matatū and said the improvements she had made since showing up to her first practice were huge.

“Over the past six months there’s been a whole lot of learning and just trying to make sure that the people around me can support me but not only that, just knowing how I can be a better athlete.

“It’s been a really hard six months I guess but really proud of the steps that I’ve taken and the want to be a good rugby player not only for myself but for my team-mates.”

Netball blazed a trail when it became the first professional women’s sporting league in New Zealand nearly two decades ago. But other codes have caught up with basketball, rugby, and cricket having their own semi-professional competitions now.

Lokotui said elite netball had set her up well for the Super Rugby Aupiki competition, which is coming into its fifth season.

“Just being professional at a high level, I think netball really instilled that in me quite young and to come from a sport where a lot was given to you, but a lot was demanded of you, it really prepared me for this next step to a completely new sport and that professionalism, that hard work ethic and that discipline has translated over.”

Lokotui has been getting in as much training as she can over the past few months. Matatū begin their pre-season proper this week, with Aupiki kicking off in the middle of June.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Posted on

Police claim man accused of sexual offending is obfuscating investigation

Source: Radio New Zealand

Police allege the man sexually assaulted four young boys during mirimiri. RNZ / REECE BAKER

Police say an investigation into a man accused of sexual offending against four young boys is being hampered by a “high degree of obfuscation” by the defendant and his wife.

The officer in charge of the investigation has outlined concerns the couple have “spread misinformation” and “created a culture of fear” in order to “prevent potential witnesses and complainants from engaging with Police”.

Extensive suppression orders prevent RNZ from being able to publish who the defendant is, where the alleged offending occurred and other details.

A District Court judge’s judgement from March, released to RNZ, said the man faces 18 charges alleging “serious sexual offending” between 2022 and 2024. The man has pleaded not guilty and elected trial by jury.

The judgement related to the man’s application for the continuation of interim name suppression until disposition of the proceedings.

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

Police allege the man sexually assaulted four young boys during mirimiri. Mirimiri is a traditional Māori spiritual massage.

It is alleged in relation to one of the complainants, the defendant’s offending escalated to getting the complainant naked and performing sexual acts on him.

The man’s application for continued name suppression said publication of his name would cause extreme hardship to himself and his family.

The Crown opposed continuation of interim name suppression, submitting there were “positive reasons” for not allowing suppression to continue.

“It is submitted that the suppression of [his] name is impeding the investigation into the alleged offending and is likely impeding additional complainants from coming forward and reporting similar experiences with the defendant.”

They said there was “significant public interest” in his name being published.

The Crown also filed a formal written statement of a detective who is the officer in charge of the investigation who outlined difficulties faced by police in investigating the allegations.

“He has been made aware of a high degree of obfuscation by [the defendant] and his wife in relation to the charges.”

The detective outlined concerns that the couple had “spread misinformation” and “created a culture of fear” in order to “prevent potential witnesses and complainants from engaging with Police”.

One of the complainants and his parents filed written submissions supporting removal of the defendant’s name suppression.

“They express significant concern regarding the spread of misinformation which they believe has been exacerbated by the suppression order, leading to confusion and speculation in the community.”

The judge said the defendant’s lawyer challenged the detective’s statement, submitting it was largely inadmissible hearsay evidence. The judge disagreed, and said a formal statement is admissible for the purpose of any pre-trial application to the same extent as if it were oral evidence.

“The evidence of [the detective] is to the effect that [the defendant’s] current suppression is creating a barrier to the investigation of his alleged offending, and a barrier which the family and supporters of [the defendant] are hiding behind.”

The judge said it was also claimed there was “something of a campaign that the complainants’ allegations are lies and fabricated”.

The detective’s brief also addressed an issue of “bullying behaviour” in relation to those who might speak up for complainants or assist with police.

“It is not possible for me to properly assess the allegations of bullying and intimidatory behaviour without hearing evidence.

“Even if I were to find that such behaviour existed or exists, I would attach little weight to such a finding in terms of whether such conduct could be said to be impeding an investigation.”

The judge said he was able to conclude that the allegations have impacted the community with “various reactions to it, including a polarisation of views”.

“While these may have included assertions of lies and fabrication, I am not told of any specific behaviour that amounts to dissuading witnesses to give evidence or making a complaint – which might give rise to a charge of attempting to pervert the course of justice.”

He said evidence appeared to show some witnesses and potential complaints had not felt able to come forward.

“It is of course in the interests of justice that complainants and potential complainants feel safe to speak about their experiences.”

The judge said there was “significant public interest” in the man’s name being published and the proceedings being open “so that if there are other complainants… they may feel as though they can safely come forward”.

The judge said the threshold for continuing name suppression was not met on any of the grounds advanced by the defendant.

“I am not satisfied that publication of his name will result in any hardship beyond that which is an ordinary consequence of alleged offending like this. The threshold for “extreme hardship” is very high, and it has not been met in this case.”

The judge declined the application for interim name suppression.

The man has appealed the judge’s ruling, with the matter set to be heard in a High Court next month.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Posted on

Fisheries Minister Shane Jones overrode official advice for fines related to leaking fishing boat footage

Source: Radio New Zealand

Fisheries Minister Shane Jones. RNZ / Mark Papalii

Fisheries Minister Shane Jones overrode official advice a $50,000 fine for leaking footage from fishing boat cameras – five times the penalty under the Privacy Act – would be “unreasonable”.

The Ministry of Justice also warned the Minister that trying to protect the footage from reaching the public – including by imposing the fine, barring Official Information requests from accessing the footage, and limiting judicial reviews to 20 days – could breach the Bill of Rights, although the formal vetting of the legislation is yet to be done.

The changes limiting judicial review were not included in the public consultation, but will be consulted on now the bill has gone to select committee, with submissions closing on Wednesday.

Documents released under the Official Information Act show Jones requested such fines – to be levelled against people who received the footage from the Ministry for Primary Industries and shared it – be set at a maximum $50,000.

Jones was unapologetic, saying the high fine was aimed at protecting the industry.

“It’s a figure that I chose to show how dangerous it is for people to manipulate, misuse information that I fear will be exploited to taint and undermine the fishing industry,” Jones told RNZ.

“It’s about ensuring that only the state enforces rules and regulations, not green vigilantes or DIY prosecutors believing that recreational fishing is suffering because of commercial fishing. I’ve had enough of that nonsense.”

He pushed back on the concerns about human rights.

“This is a fishing industry – a legitimate part of our economy – it is now under a type of state surveillance: widespread video camera footage taken of men and women going about their daily lives on a fishing boat.

“I do not accept that that information should be made freely available to anyone other than the state or in rare circumstances, researchers or educators, so I think that it’s a violation of people’s human rights as employees in an industry that state surveillance information should be given indiscriminately to people who will weaponise it.”

The documents show Ministry of Justice officials warned the $50,000 fine would be “unreasonable, and that a maximum fine between $5000 and $10,000 would be more appropriate”, as this would align with the $10,000 fine for failures to comply with the Privacy Act.

The Office of the Ombudsman also “strongly reiterated to MPI that it does not support exempting on-board camera footage from the Official Information Act, noting that “an OIA exemption may curtail fundamental human and constitutional rights to access information without sufficient justification”.

‘Out of whack’

Green Party fisheries spokesperson Teanau Tuiono said Jones’ overall intention was to limit people’s ability to hold the government to account.

Green Party fisheries spokesperson Teanau Tuiono RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

“He’s just protecting fishing companies and their exploitation-laden profits – that seems to be more important than protecting the ocean for our future generations.

“He seems to be more worried about finding people who might leak footage of people breaking the law, rather than the actual law-breaking itself.”

Tuiono said he wanted to find out what justifications there could be for having such a high fine, acknowledging protection of privacy was important, but saying with one commercial fisher fined just $3000 for illegal trawling that the balance was wrong.

“It looks completely out of whack to me,” he said. “You can protect people’s privacy because that is an important thing, but going so far to the other side?”

It should be noted companies can be fined significantly more for breaching fishing rules, with for example Westfleet Fishing fined nearly $70,000 in 2023 for failing to weigh and report coral caught when bottom trawling.

However, that requires a lengthy court process – and Jones last year introduced much smaller on-the-spot fines for breaches by recreational and commercial fishers alike.

Still, Tuiono expected Jones would have to back down through the committee process – something Jones indicated he would be open to.

“Yes,” Jones said, “the Labour member in the select committee felt that it was an egregious figure and said that unless there was some common ground, Labour would not be voting for the bill, National at this stage are determining whether or not the bill can be improved.

“I accept that that figure is an area that select committee members want to readdress.”

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Posted on

Unemployment expected to get worse as fuel crisis impact yet to be felt

Source: Radio New Zealand

A total of 163,000 people were unemployed in the new data. 123rf

An economist is warning the unemployment rate is likely to get worse in the coming months and could reach up to 6 percent due to the Iran War.

The unemployment rate eased to 5.3 percent in the three months ended March, down slightly from the previous quarter.

A total of 163,000 people were unemployed, a fall of 2000 on the previous quarter but 7000 higher than a year ago.

Kiwibank chief economist Jarrod Kerr said Wednesday’s data was “very outdated”, and the full impact of the fuel crisis would be felt in the second or third quarter of this year.

Kiwibank was forecasting unemployment to reach 5.5 per cent, Kerr said, but there was a chance it could reach 5.8 or 6 percent if conditions didn’t improve.

Kiwibank chief economist Jarrod Kerr Supplied / Gino Demeer

“We are hearing of [construction] projects being post-poned, we are hearing of projects being cancelled, we are hearing of forestry crews being stood down because it’s too expensive to cut-down trees at the moment.”

He expected both surging air fares and flight cancellations in the wake of the Iran War to dent the tourism industry, including the regions, which had recently been performing well due to a strong export market.

“Tourism is the one we don’t hear a lot about. It was our largest exporter prior to Covid, more than dairy. Now dairy’s our number one.

“New Zealand’s got such a large tourism sector, so for that to be falling back, it’s a big negative for large parts of the country.”

Kerr noted the numbers of people who were employed but needed to work more hours – the underutilisation rate – which was stubborn at 12.9 per cent.

That wasn’t a good sign, he said.

“Businesses, they cut hours before they cut heads…so you’ve got a workforce, you’ve trained them, in many cases you’ve worked with them for years, and a crisis hits – you cut their hours before you cut their jobs…that’s where the slack shows up first.”

ASB chief economist Nick Tuffley told Midday Report said he expected the unemployment rate to reach 5.5 percent and would briefly stall the employment growth evident at the beginning of this year.

Bay of Plenty unemployment rate ‘surprising’ – mayor

Auckland, Wellington and the Bay of Plenty had the highest unemployment rates in the latest figures, between 6 and 7 percent.

Bay of Plenty’s unemployment rate had increased to 7.1 percent in the March quarter, from 5.7 percent in the previous quarter.

Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell said she was “very surprised” to see the Bay of Plenty’s unemployment rate rise, and would be looking into why it had increased.

“I know that as a region we are actually doing quite well, and I hear from businesses that they are seeking employees as well – so again [I’m] very surprised.”

She said it was concerning to hear families could be struggling.

Some conference and business events in Rotorua were looking at postponing due to the effect of fuel costs, Tapsell said, but in general, tourism in the city was “booming”, and domestic flights hadn’t been cut.

But Tauranga chamber of commerce chief executive Matt Cowley said tourism in the Eastern Bay of Plenty had been “patchy”, forestry was “doing it tough”, as well as some manufacturers exposed to the domestic market.

He cited Ballance Agri-Nutrients decision to end manufacturing operations in Mount Maunganui, and cut 60 jobs, as one example.

“Hospitality has been somewhat contracting due to reasonably tough summer periods,” Cowley said.

Auckland and Wellington’s unemployment rates remain high – Auckland’s increasing from 6.4 to 6.6 percent in the March quarter, and Wellington’s from 5.8 to 6.3 percent.

Kerr said Wellington had been in a “very dark place” over the last couple of years, due to public sector job cuts.

He said surveys consistently showed Wellington businesses were “downbeat”, and Auckland, “not that much better”.

He compared that to Canterbury where unemployment rates were 4.4 percent in the March quarter – up from 3.7 percent in the previous quarter – but the region was generally performing better than the North Island cities.

“I think Auckland and Wellington, they need to do something to drag themselves out of this funk that they’re in.”

Finance Minister Nicola Willis said in any economic recovery, unemployment was the last thing to recover.

“You’re seeing that it is in the cities that that recovery has taken the longest to turn around. What we do see is the signs are there that the recovery is starting to latch on in those cities.”

Willis said some businesses had been expanding, selling more and creating more jobs.

“What we need to do is give them every chance of continuing that in the months ahead, notwithstanding the events in the Middle East.”

Labour’s Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said the statistics were “nothing to sing about,” even though the headline figure had come down.

“If you scratch a little bit deeper, that’s 163,000 people who are out of work, and the unemployment levels being higher in Auckland now than it was 11 years ago, higher in Wellington than it was 12 years ago.”

Sign up for Money with Susan Edmunds, a weekly newsletter covering all the things that affect how we make, spend and invest money.

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