Category: Radio New Zealand

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Two climbers who died in Fiordland named

Source: Radio New Zealand

A police team member on a mountain in Fiordland. Supplied / Police

A search of the route taken by two missing climbers on Aoraki/Mt Cook has turned up no sign of the pair.

Bad weather has hampered the search for the climbers, who have been missing since Monday, but conditions improved enough for a helicopter to go up last night.

They followed the route the climbers took from Pinnacle hut and Linda glacier to the summit, but nothing was found.

The search resumed this morning.

Police have also named the two climbers who died in Fiordland last weekend.

They are 28-year-old Connor Scott McKenzie and 23-year-old Tanmay Shetankumar Bhati, who both lived in Australia.

In November, two climbers, Wanaka-based mountain guide Thomas Vialletet and his client, died on Aoraki Mt Cook after the two fell from the mountain’s west ridge.

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Man admits damaging Wellington mountain bike tracks, formally warned by police

Source: Radio New Zealand

Wellington City Council park rangers looked to install motion-activated cameras in the Town Belt on Matairangi/Mt Victoria after a spate of vandalism that appeared to target mountain bikers. Wellington City Council

Wellington police say a man has been “formally warned” over damage to mountain bike tracks on Mount Victoria near the city’s CBD.

At the beginning of December local mountain bikers said they were “disgusted” to discover logs, stumps and other obstacles had been placed on several mountain bike trails in places which – if hit by a mountain bike rider – could cause serious injury.

At the time, mountain bike instructor and regular Mount Victoria rider Rod Bardsley said the trails had been cleaned up since initial damage was reported but later in the week the trails were vandalised again.

Bardsley said holes had been dug in the ground, and support structures which held the dirt tracks together had been pulled out. One trail had even been fenced off, with wooden beams put up between trees on either side of the track.

Bardsley said the damage to the tracks could be extremely dangerous for bikers who rode at speed.

This week police confirmed a man had presented himself at Wellington Central Police Station and made “full admissions” relating to the damage.

A police spokesperson said the man had been “formally warned for endangering life or safety by criminal nuisance”.

They said any repeat offending would result in charges being laid.

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South Island Māori landowners to get more than 3000 hectares returned by Crown

Source: Radio New Zealand

An agreement has been reached on the long-standing Nelson Tenths case. 123RF

Māori landowners at the top of the South Island will have more than 3000 hectares returned to them in a landmark agreement with the Crown.

In the 1830s the Crown promised Māori in Te Tauihu that if they sold 151,100 acres of land to the New Zealand Company they would be able to keep one tenth. They instead received fewer than 3000 acres.

The agreement to reserve the land was in part-payment for the company’s purchase of the land.

In 2017 the Supreme Court ruled that the government must honour the deal struck in 1839 but efforts to resolve the case outside court since had been unsuccessful.

In Wellington on Wednesday, Attorney-General Judith Collins and Conservation Minister Tama Potaka announced that an agreement had been reached.

Under the agreement, 3068 hectares will be returned to descendants of the original owners, including the Kaiteriteri Recreation Reserve and the Abel Tasman Great Walk.

The agreement also includes a $420 million compensation payment to recognise land that has been sold by the Crown since 1839 and in recognition of the lost earnings and land use.

Collins said the agreement differed from Treaty settlements, which settled historical claims concerning breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi and its principles.

“In this case, we are simply returning land to its rightful and legal owners,” she said.

“The Crown failed to keep its side of the deal but in 2017 the Supreme Court ruled it had a legal duty to the original owners. In 2024 the High Court confirmed that the land, in parts of Nelson, Tasman and Golden Bay, had been held on trust by the Crown and that it had always belonged to descendants of its original owners.”

The case was first brought against the Crown by Kaumātua Rore Stafford in 2010.

He took legal action on behalf of ngā uri, the descendants of the tūpuna named in the 1893 Native Land Court list and the descendants of specific Kurahaupō tūpuna.

The Crown and the owners, descendants of Te Tauihu Māori, have agreed to allow continued public access to land currently used by the government agencies.

Potaka said the Department of Conservation had worked with the owners to ensure ongoing public access.

“The Abel Tasman Great Walk, the Kaiteriteri Recreation Reserve and wider conservation areas will remain open, with all bookings and access continuing as normal,” he said.

“Visitors, tourism operators, and local communities can be assured there will be no immediate changes to access or day-to-day use.”

Potaka said both parties were mindful of the need to balance legal ownership with how the land is currently being used and the desire for certainty.

“Everyone acknowledges that the Great Walk and reserve are important sites, much loved by locals and visitors and that they are of deep significance to the original owners, local business operators and future generations,” he said.

Private property is not affected by the agreement. The Crown had been using some of the affected land for roads, schools and conservation purposes and the agreement transfers the land back to its rightful owners but allows the Crown to lease some of the land currently being used for important public purposes.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said he acknowledged the impact on the customary landowners, who had not had the use of their land for many generations.

The thanked those representing the customary landowners for their patience, for their pragmatism, and working towards this resolution.

“I want to thank our Attorney General Judith Collins, for her leadership, our coalition partners who recognised, alongside National, the need to resolve this and I also say thank you to our team and our negotiators who worked incredibly hard on both sides to bring us to this day.”

Luxon said some of the land being returned included places cherished by New Zealanders.

“Visitors have long been driven to the tracks, the huts, the beaches and the bays in the area and by maintaining public access, it will remain a taonga up in which to build a base so that the trust and associated businesses, the environment and the region will flourish.”

Te Here-ā-Nuku (Making the Tenths Whole) project lead Kerensa Johnston said the agreement marks the end of more than 15 years ligitation.

“It resolves longstanding uncertainty for our people and region, upholds the rule of law and property rights relevant to all New Zealanders, and heals rifts that are generations deep. It allows us to turn our focus to the future and how we might achieve wellbeing and prosperity for our whānau and region – the original purpose of the Nelson Tenths agreement,” she said.

She acknowledged the courage and perseverance of kaumātua and plaintiff Rore Stafford, who first raised the issue with the Crown almost 40 years ago.

“For many years we have hoped for a principled and pragmatic resolution to this case. The Crown has worked with us in good faith and by focusing on positive solutions we have achieved this historic milestone,” she said.

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What changes to New Zealand’s foreign buyers real estate ban will mean

Source: Radio New Zealand

The change is expected to apply to $5m-plus houses mostly in Queenstown or Auckland. 123RF

Explainer – In a flurry of last-minute activity before the holidays, Parliament has approved changes to the foreign buyers ban that has been in place for the last seven years.

The changes will allow “golden visa” investors to purchase a home in New Zealand – but there’s a catch. They’ve got to spend at least $5 million on buying or building a home, as well as committing to other contributions to the economy.

So, can foreign buyers once again buy houses here?

Only some of them with pretty deep pockets. The $5 million minimum purchase requirement will keep buyers to pretty small numbers, and they also have to meet other “golden visa” investor requirements.

“If a migrant invests a minimum of $5 million to help grow the economy, passes a good character test, and has acceptable health, they will now be able to buy or build a home,” Immigration Minister Erica Stanford said while announcing the passage.

The change will take effect in early 2026.

Cotality NZ chief property economist Kelvin Davidson told RNZ’s Afternoons the change is quite specifically focused.

“Generally, it’s not an easing of the foreign buyer ban. The foreign buyer ban is as it’s always been. This is actually a different visa category that’s being talked about.”

The foreign buyers ban was passed by the then-Labour-led coalition government in 2018. Figures at the time showed up to 20 percent of homes in some of Auckland’s most expensive suburbs were being sold to foreign buyers.

The only people who will be allowed exemptions are those wealthy investors who are already committed to growing New Zealand’s economy.

“It’s a happy compromise,” Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said in announcing the changes earlier this year.

“We’re doing everything to make sure that it’s not just frothy speculative… driving a property market. It’s actually genuinely about supporting more investment which drives more jobs.”

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, centre, with Immigration Minister Erica Stanford and Associate Finance Minister David Seymour, left, announcing a new exemption to the foreign buyers’ ban in September 2025. RNZ

How is the government trying to bring in foreign investors?

This is all part of the government’s broader goals to attract more overseas investment into New Zealand.

Earlier this year, the government announced a new “golden visa” for investors, the Active Investor Plus, which introduced two simplified investment categories – Growth, requiring a minimum $5 million investment for a minimum of three years, and Balanced, which requires a minimum $10 million investment over five years.

As of 15 December, Immigration New Zealand data shows there had been 491 golden visa applications, covering 1571 people, representing a potential minimum investment of $2.9 billion.

The foreign buyer changes are included in the overall passage of the Overseas Investment (National Interest Test and Other Matters) Amendment Bill, which also now says that overseas investment decisions must be made within 15 working days.

“Under the new law, decisions on all investments except residential land, farmland and fishing quota must be made within 15 working days, unless there is a potential national interest concern,” Associate Finance Minister David Seymour said in announcing the passage. “That compares with a 70-day statutory timeframe for the current benefit test.”

Only a few hundred transactions a year are for homes over $5m. 123RF

So, how many houses would this actually affect?

“The scale of potential foreign investment is pretty small, really,” Davidson said.

“The number of properties that are valued at $5 million or above, which is where these people will be able to purchase, it’s about sort of 5- or 6000 across the country as a whole.”

Rural, farm and “sensitive” land is also excluded.

Davidson said that represents less than 0.5 percent of the housing stock, “mostly focused on parts of Auckland and parts of Queenstown.”

“Of course, for buyers to actually come to buy these properties, they have to be for sale in the first place. There might only be a few hundred transactions a year in that price bracket.”

Stanford has said the change meant to show that New Zealand is “open for business”.

“New investors don’t just bring their capital, they bring skills, knowledge and experience that will drive future economic development,” she said.

Wasn’t this passed rather quickly?

Yes, it was passed late Friday night along with many other bills as Parliament sat in urgency.

Changes were introduced in an amendment paper to the Overseas Investment (National Interest Test and Other Matters) Amendment Bill.

As the bill had already been through select committee, that means the public didn’t get a chance to give feedback on the softening of the foreign buyers ban through typical parliamentary processes.

The real estate news website OneRoof reported that some agents were surprised by how quickly the changes were passed, although Seymour had previously said the changes would come before the end of the year and “be law before New Year’s Eve”.

Property economist Kelvin Davidson. SUPPLIED

So, is this a controversial change?

“I think this is a fairly non-controversial sort of policy,” Davidson said.

The intent is that investors are meant to come here and buy one home to live in for their own use.

“It’s not a price bracket where the average home buyer in New Zealand would really be even thinking about.”

The average house price in New Zealand sits closer to $800,000.

The Real Estate Institute of New Zealand said it welcomed the change.

“REINZ and our members support sensible reform that reduces unnecessary barriers while maintaining safeguards for sensitive assets,” it said in a statement.

National campaigned in 2023 on letting foreigners buy homes worth more than $2m subject to a 15 percent tax, but was forced to abandon that plan during coalition negotiations with NZ First.

Peters, who helped introduce the foreign buyers ban in the first place in 2018, supports the change that he called a “very, very minor” one.

He told RNZ earlier that the original foreign buyer ban was introduced in the context of “rampant” house-flipping and “serious duplicity and cheating” by some foreigners who had been “using this country as a bolt-hole”.

“That’s why the total ban happened, and this very, very, very minor adjustment will attend to the benefits of the investor.”

Davidson said that he felt overall the changes to foreign buyer restrictions could help boost investment.

“I think there’s wider positive benefits from this. It’s always seemed a little bit odd that the government’s been trying to attract foreign capital to New Zealand but not allowing those people to buy a house.”

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Consumer confidence up in December but still below long-term averages index shows

Source: Radio New Zealand

Spending remained strongest in the South Island, but was picking up in other regions. 123rf.com

The holiday season appears to have boosted the spirits of consumers with household confidence on the rise.

The Westpac-McDermott Miller Consumer Confidence Index rose 5.6 points in December to 96.5.

While the reading was a little below long-run averages, it was the highest level of confidence seen this year.

Men were more optimistic at a positive 102.6 points, while women remained pessimistic at 90.6 points.

An index number over 100 indicates that optimists outnumber pessimists.

“Since our last survey, confidence has taken a step higher in most parts of the country, and spending appetites have also firmed,” Westpac senior economist Satish Ranchhod said.

Spending remained strongest in the lower South Island, but was picking up in other regions.

“That includes Auckland, which is now the most upbeat part of the country.”

Ranchhod said a drop in mortgage interest rates was playing a big part in the improved confidence.

“Increasing numbers of borrowers have been rolling on to lower interest rates. That process will continue into the new year and will help to boost households’ disposable incomes right across the country.

“Importantly, while we have seen some upwards pressure on borrowing rates recently, most borrowers who are refixing now will still be rolling onto much lower rates.”

Still, the cost of living remained a major concern, as well as the soft labour market.

“Those challenges will be with us for a while yet. However, we’re starting to see some more encouraging signs in the economy, and hopefully 2026 will be a more positive year for most New Zealand households,” he said.

McDermott Miller market research director Imogen Rendall said nearly half of women surveyed believed they were worse off financially than a year ago, compared with a third of men.

“Looking ahead to next year, both men and women have broadly similar expectations for their personal finances,” Rendall said.

Men, however, are more optimistic than women about New Zealand’s short-term economic future, as well as the country’s longer-term prospects.

“Confidence amongst younger age groups is relatively buoyant, particularly in contrast to older New Zealanders.”

She said people with a job were optimistic, with confidence up 6.4 points this quarter up to 104.7.

“Those not in paid work experienced the same lift in confidence this quarter, but they are still firmly pessimistic at 86.7,” Rendall said.

“Just under a quarter of those in paid work feel they are better off financially now than a year ago, compared to fewer than one in 10 of those who are not in paid work.”

The survey was conducted over 1-11 December 2025, with a sample size of 1550 and a 2.5 percent margin of error.

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Onehunga bus killing: Kael Leona pleads not guilty on grounds of insanity

Source: Radio New Zealand

Flowers left at an Onehunga bus stop at the time of Bernice Marychurch’s death. RNZ/Nick Monro

The man charged with murdering a woman on an Auckland bus a year ago has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

Bernice Louise Marychurch was killed on the Number 74 bus travelling through Onehunga in October 2024.

The man charged with her murder, Kael Leona, handed himself in to authorities shortly after.

In the High Court at Auckland on Wednesday morning, Leona’s lawyer entered a not guilty plea by reason of insanity on his behalf.

Bernice Moneychurch Facebook

Leona himself was not present in court.

He was remanded in custody until his trial in March.

The killing sparked a significant response from transport officials, with Auckland Transport deploying extra transport officers for the route the bus was taking at the time.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon also commented on the crime, saying he was “incredibly saddened and shocked”.

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State Highway 2 blocked after serious crash in Bay of Plenty

Source: Radio New Zealand

RNZ / Marika Khabazi

State Highway Two in Bay of Plenty is blocked after a serious crash.

Police said the crash involved a truck and a van near Tanners Point just before 9am on Wednesday.

Initial indications suggest there are serious injuries.

The road is closed between between Katikati and Waihi Beach. It is expected to be blocked for some time while emergency workers are at the scene.

Drivers are being urged to avoid the area and expect delays.

The Serious Crash Unit has been advised.

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Family of murdered mother Chantal McDonald pay tribute

Source: Radio New Zealand

Chantal McDonald. Supplied

The family of a woman murdered by a possessive stalker says she was a kind, hardworking woman, who was deeply devoted to her children.

Nathan Boulter, who had a long history of stalking and assaulting ex-partners, murdered Chantal McDonald in Parklands on 23 July. He will be sentenced in February.

On Wednesday, McDonald’s family released a statement.

“Our daughter Chantal McDonald was a much-loved mother, daughter, sister, and friend. She was kind, hardworking, and deeply devoted to her children, who were always at the centre of her life.

“We are devastated by her loss and are grieving a vibrant life taken from us in such a senseless manner.”

The family’s focus was on caring for McDonald’s children and supporting one another as they come to terms with this tragedy.

“We would like to sincerely thank New Zealand Police for their hard work and professionalism, Victim Support and Bell, Lamb & Trotter Funeral Directors for their care and guidance during this incredibly difficult time,” they said.

“We are also grateful to the Parklands community for the kindness, compassion, and support shown to our family.”

McDonald had been in a brief relationship with Boulter in May. After he was recalled to prison in relation to earlier offending she ended the relationship and told him she did not want any further contact.

Boulter pleaded guilty to murdering McDonald in November.

According to the summary of facts, he “developed an unhealthy fixation with the victim”.

“Once released, the defendant began a significant electronic harassment of the victim, by making 581 calls to the victim between 7 July 2025 and 20 July 2025, which she tried to ignore. In response, the victim made 0 calls,” the summary said.

Boulter used multiple cell phone numbers and social media profiles to harass, stalk and threaten McDonald.

On 14 July, he sent messages via email threatening to “chop u down to nothing” and “one two guess who’s coming to you! Your lack of human compassion and empathy will be the death of you one day soon my Lil hoe! Xxx”.

McDonald began locking her front gate with a padlock to keep herself safe. She also told her friends and family about Boulter’s threats.

On 22 July, Boulter bought a knife.

The following evening, Boulter was watching McDonald’s home that she shared with her children, flatmate and her flatmate’s children.

Boulter hid behind a tree in the street opposite her home and lay in wait.

At about 7.50pm, McDonald and her children came home from the supermarket and drove up the long driveway.

As she came to close the gates behind her, Boulter left his hiding spot, leapt out and attacked her with the knife.

“He started stabbing the victim in a frenzied attack leaving behind a total of 55 stab wounds. The victim’s children ran into the house as the defendant was stabbing their mother,” the summary of facts said.

McDonald died within minutes.

Boulter then left the property on foot, entering a home on Queenspark Drive that was occupied by a family he did not know.

He put the knife on their kitchen bench and after being told to leave, went outside onto the driveway.

Boulter called his stepfather and then police, saying that he had just killed his ex.

“I just killed her now, I stabbed her to death, I f****d up, bro, I need you guys to come get me, I just killed her bro,” he told police.

Boulter was arrested a short time later.

He had previously stalked other women, including being jailed for eight years and six months in 2012 for kidnapping and assaulting his ex-girlfriend over a 38-hour ordeal on Great Barrier Island.

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Change from Treaty focus to closing achievement gap for Māori paying off – Stanford

Source: Radio New Zealand

Education Minister Erica Stanford RNZ / Mark Papalii

There is nothing stopping schools promoting te Tiriti o Waitangi, the Education Minister says, but they must make closing the achievement gap for tamariki the priority.

Earlier this month the National Iwi Chairs Forum delivered a 24,000-strong petition to Erica Stanford, calling for the immediate reversal of the amendment that removed school boards’ requirement to give effect to te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Regarding the controversy, Stanford said she took the Treaty obligations affecting education seriously.

The focus had shifted to closing the achievement gap between Māori and Pākehā children and to this end she was constantly monitoring Māori data, she told Morning Report. There was also a Māori action plan which had received funding.

She wanted schools to follow three aims: raising Māori achievement, being culturally confident in the classroom and teaching te reo.

“Over and above that, if a school chooses to do what they think they need to do to honour the Treaty then that is their choice. It’s not been taken away from them …”

The Labour government had done nothing to raise Māori achievement in its six years, but now there were specific goals and early results showed this approach was working, Stanford said.

Curriculum revamp

New maths and English curriculums for years 0-6, the plans to scrap and replace NCEA and on-going industrial action have been among other causes of controversy this year.

Erica Stanford said the Education Review Office’s assessment of the year “fills me with confidence”.

Achievements included: 98 percent of schools were using the new maths and English curriculums, 80 percent of teachers had changed their teaching practice and by term 3 half of teachers were seeing improved achievement in the classroom.

Maths and phonics check results were impressive and she was grateful to the teaching profession for embracing the changes and doing so well.

Stanford said she knew there was criticism and apprehension at the scale and pace of change, however, schools had been advised to go at their own pace.

Originally, the plan had been to drop the entire curriculum in 2027 so changes had been introduced at a slower pace.

“Even though it has been a big change we are seeing results. Maths, reading and behaviour as well in the classroom – we’ve arrested the decline and we’re starting to see early results that are really encouraging.”

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Man charged after one of largest hauls of child sex abuse material seized at Auckland Airport

Source: Radio New Zealand

The 35-year-old man arrived Auckland Airport at the end of May after spending more than a month overseas. LDR / Stuff / Stephen Forbes

A man has been jailed for what investigators say was one of their largest hauls of objectionable material ever seized at Auckland Airport.

The 35-year-old Auckland man arrived at the end of May after spending more than a month overseas. During a search, customs officers found several electronic devices and multiple electronic storage devices in his possession.

A total of 21,482 objectionable images and video files were found across six devices.

Over 15,000 of them were of child sexual exploitation, with about 40-percent falling into the most extreme categories involving children and infants.

Customs said the man was identified this individual as a person of interest back in 2024. The moment he re-entered New Zealand in May, Customs officers interviewed and arrested him on site at the border, Chief Customs Officer, Child Exploitation Operations Team, Simon Peterson said.

“This operation resulted in one of the largest intercepts of objectionable publications at the air border. The material he carried was deeply disturbing and included some of the most extreme child sexual abuse content known to law enforcement worldwide,” Peterson said.

“Offending of this nature is never victimless. These are not simply illicit images or videos – they document real children being horrifically abused. Every time this material circulates, it perpetuates harm and trauma or those victims.”

The man was sentenced in the Auckland District Court on Tuesday to three years and nine-and-a-half months jail.

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