Category: Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Police are reminding people of the importance of personal locator beacons after three men endured a cold, wet night in a gorge.

Wellington District Search and Rescue coordinator Sergeant Jonathan Westrupp said the trio had planned to float down the Hutt River in the Kaitoke Regional Park.

They set out late on Monday, travelling down river on inner tubes wearing only light clothing.

They soon found themselves trapped in a gorge with impassable cliffs on both sides as darkness descended, and were initially without signal, police said.

Eventually, the men were able to get a “glimmer of cell phone reception”, and called for help at about 7.30pm.

Police coordinated a search and rescue operation as the weather worsened, Westrupp said.

“A New Zealand Defence Force NH90 helicopter was sent, but it couldn’t get to them due to low cloud and rain setting in.”

At about 3am Tuesday, Land Search and Rescue reached the men, and provided them with much-needed shelter clothing and food, he said.

“At first light, with the aid of Wellington Rafting, we were able to get them out of there.”

The men were grateful to see rescuers, but it was an uncomfortably close call, police said.

“They were on the verge of not being able to contact anyone.

“If they hadn’t managed to find a scrap of cell phone coverage in the gorge it could have been a very different Christmas for them and their families.”

It was a reminder that people heading off on adventures this summer needed to be prepared for any eventuality, Westrupp said.

“PLBs are cheap to hire, and they’re capable of saving your life, even when there’s no cell phone reception.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Homes in rural Hastings are being evacuated due to a scrub fire which has destroyed buildings.

Fire crews said they responded to the blaze Tuesday afternoon which is located between the Fernhill township and the Ngaruroro River bridge on SH50.

Have you been impacted by the fire? Send photos to iwitness@rnz.co.nz

St John said one person has been taken to hospital in a serious condition, and another ambulance and a rapid response vehicle were at the scene on standby.

Fire and emergency crews had ordered some evacuations for residents living near the Farmhouse Lodge on the outskirts of Fernhill.

Everyone living around the lodge had been accounted for, a spokesperson said.

Hawke’s Bay Fire and Emergency said conditions are too windy for air operations, but five trucks, three tankers and support vehicles are working to contain the fire.

The fire is about 400 by 200m in size, they reported at 2.30pm.

People in the area should stay indoors and keep windows and doors shut to avoid smoke exposure.

Police said a section of SH50, Fernhill, had been closed and would remain so for some time due to smoke compromising visibility.

The public should avoid the area and take alternate routes or expect delays.

Meanwhile crews were also working on another scrub fire that’s threatening houses near Havelock North, but it was contained at this stage.

A fire and emergency spokesperson said the fire was threatening houses in Havelock North, but there were no formal evacuations at this stage.

However, nearby residents had been told to evacuate if they felt unsafe.

Hastings mayor Wendy Schollum said her heartfelt sympathy went to everyone impacted.

“It’s a really distressing time of year for our community to be facing something like this,” she said.

Schollum said the blaze emphasised the importance of adhering to fire bans, with record high temperatures last month, compounded by high winds.

“While we had a little bit of rain more recently, it’s not enough to make a meaningful difference,” she said.

“That complete fire ban is something we need our community to take seriously, and that includes things like fireworks too … if you’ve tucked some away from earlier in the year, please don’t set them off.”

Multiple fire restrictions are in place in Hawke’s Bay, with crews warning of high fire danger levels.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

A study comparing the intelligence of kea and cockatoos has put New Zealand’s native bird on top.

Researchers at Austria’s University of Vienna [. https://royalsocietypublishing.org/rsos/article/12/12/251264/366135/Physio-behavioural-manifestations-of-surprise-in examined the emotion of “surprise”] in kea and cockatoos, testing how they would react to being given less desirable food than they were led to expect

Kea that were shown a peanut but given a piece of apple appeared surprised and disappointed, searching for the peanut.

Meanwhile, cockatoos didn’t react to the bait and switch.

Dr Laura Young, a conservationist at the Kea Conservation Trust, said the study reaffirmed kea’s intelligence.

“I’m not surprised, kea are pretty clever. Kea are about the cleverest species I know of,” she said.

“They seem to work together quite well, and the way they just look and tilt their head, and learn and listen is very curious and it makes me think their brains are a lot bigger than we think.”

Dr Young said she had worked with kea for about 15 years and had seen their remarkable behaviour first-hand.

“One example I can think of is when, on the Milford Road by the Homer Tunnel, they found there were all these queues of traffic stopping outside the tunnel … All these road cones were laid out in front of the tunnel stopping the traffic,” she said.

“They wondered what it was so they put up some cameras and realised the kea were dragging these road cones onto the road and it was stopping all the traffic from going through, and I’m sure they were having a laugh about that.”

Despite their cleverness, the endangered kea still needed human intervention.

Dr Young said the Kea Conservation Trust had recently turned its focus to the threat of lead poisoning for curious kea.

“They love chewing on hut nails and flashings … Because it tastes sweet to them,” she said.

“And they often get into the carcasses of wild animals when they’re shot and so they get into the lead ammo in the carcass, so there’s been a big drive to go away from lead ammunition for government culling programmes, so that’s been a huge win.”

“There’s also been a big push by the Kea Conservation Trust to remove lead head nails and flashings off buildings in villages where kea hang out.”

She said New Zealanders on holiday over the summer could do their part to help the kea population by reporting sightings to the trust’s kea database.

And Dr Young said it was important for people not to teach bad behaviour to kea.

“[Don’t] ever feed kea or leave your gear out because it kind of just encourages them, they’re so cheeky and curious they’ll get into all your stuff and when they start learning that behaviour it leads to a whole raft of other problems,” she said.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

A little more than a 160 families’ Christmas Day became a little brighter this afternoon as they came to pick up Christmas hampers from the Christchurch Methodist Mission.

Each year the mission coordinates individuals, groups and workplaces who have volunteered to donate a Christmas hamper and connects them with those in need.

The Support a Family initiative has been operating for the last 17 years.

Christchurch Methodist Mission executive director Jill Hawkey said this year 127 groups donated goods for 164 hampers.

The hampers went to families who had been working with the Methodist Mission’s support services throughout the year, and Hawkey said their social workers Knew which families were most in need.

They had no trouble getting enough volunteers to donate items to the hampers, Hawkey said.

“We’ve got a great group of supporters.”

“They might be individuals, families, parishes, organisations. The Justice Department brought in a huge amount this morning. Spark has done a big collection for toys. So it’s a real community effort to make a difference for these families.”

The hampers were made up of Christmas food and a present for the children.

The donors were given a bit of non-identifying information about the families they were making a hamper for, including the age and interests of the children.

“Our supporter tells us it actually a lot of fun going out and buying something based on the information they get specifically for that child.”

One of those picking up a hamper was Jacqui Brunton.

The hamper would make a huge difference to Christmas Day for her family, and for the foster child currently in their care, she said.

The hamper would also be shared with the foster child’s family when she went to see them on Christmas Day.

“Its been a hard year for everyone, everyone is feeling it this year. But now I know that on Christmas day when we are getting catered to by other family members, we can also help out.”

Another of those picking up a hamper today was Andrew Fitzgerald with his two daughters, 12-year old Milie and seven-year-old Olivia.

The hamper would help ensure that Christmas was a special day for him and his girls, Fitzgerald said.

“It helps out big time. Means I don’t need to go and spend all my money for the extra stuff like a pavlova and that. It helps me out financially and means I can get more for the girls for Christmas.”

Fitzgerald said he hoped that one day he could be on the other side donating a hamper for others to help make their Christmas Day special.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Homes in rural Hastings are being evacuated due to a scrub fire which has destroyed buildings.

Fire crews said they responded to the blaze Tuesday afternoon which is located between the Fernhill township and the Ngaruroro River bridge on SH50.

Have you been impacted by the fire? Send photos to iwitness@rnz.co.nz

The township has not been affected but the fire is close to some houses, crews said.

Fire and emergency crews had ordered some evacuations.

Everyone living around the lodge had been accounted for, a spokesperson said.

Hawke’s Bay Fire and Emergency said conditions are too windy for air operations, but five trucks, three tankers and support vehicles are working to contain the fire.

The fire is about 400 by 200m in size, they reported at 2.30pm.

People in the area should stay indoors and keep windows and doors shut to avoid smoke exposure.

Police said a section of SH50, Fernhill, had been closed and would remain so for some time due to smoke compromising visibility.

The public should avoid the area and take alternate routes or expect delays.

Meanwhile crews were also working on another scrub fire that’s threatening houses near Havelock North, but it was contained at this stage.

A fire and emergency spokesperson said the fire was threatening houses in Havelock North, but there were no formal evacuations at this stage.

However, nearby residents had been told to evacuate if they felt unsafe.

Multiple fire restrictions are in place in Hawke’s Bay, with crews warning of high fire danger levels.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Police have arrested four people of interest after a man’s death in Gisborne in September.

Bill Maangi, 36, died in hospital after he was shot in the early hours of 29 September at an Ormond Road address.

Four people aged between 25 and 37 were arrested, police said.

Police said they launched search warrants at multiple addresses in the Gisborne area earlier in December and a dive squad searched the Taruheru River.

The people will appear in Gisborne district in January on charges of aggravated robbery, and firearm and drug related matters.

“Nobody deserves this, and the investigation team remains committed to getting justice for Mr Maangi and his family,” Acting Detective Senior Sergeant John Love said.

“We urge anyone who knows what happened to Mr Maangi, or who has any information that could help, to please contact us.”

During the search warrants, police located and seized a number of items including firearms, which have been sent for forensic examination.

Police are not ruling out further charges for the people or arrests.

Information can be provided through 105, either online or over the phone, using reference Operation Bushman or the file number 250929/9035 or anonymously through Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111, using the same reference or file number.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

General practice owners concerned about what they say is too much red tape, have been given the go-ahead to set up their own primary health organisation (PHO).

Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand has conditionally approved an application by the General Practice Owners Association (GenPro), to set up a nationwide breakaway PHO, called ‘”thePHO” – to be up-and-running by 1 July 2026.

PHOs are not-for-profit organisations, funded by Health NZ and are responsible for the delivery of primary care services, including general practices.

There are currently about 30 PHOs, made up of practices working together to care for the patients enrolled with them.

The approval of GenPro’s application follows the approvals for two big corporate general practice providers to set up their own PHO’s – Green Cross in November, and Tend in May.

GenPro said its members feared this would give the corporates a competitive advantage, and that they’d become increasingly concerned by what they saw as burgeoning PHO bureaucracy in recent years.

It promised to cut red tape and ensure more money for frontline care.

But General Practice New Zealand, which represents PHOs, says GPs already received 100 percent of per-person funding for their enrolled patients.

GenPro chair Dr Angus Chambers said he was pleased by the conditional approval, but that there were still aspects to negotiate with Health NZ – which had put in place requirements to be met by the end of March.

“It’s a very big job, I do think it’s possible, we’ve got a lot of expertise. But … there’s a challenge in it.”

The goal of thePHO was to direct more funding into the frontline rather than bureaucracy, and ensure money went to helpful and valued services, he said.

This would reduce upward pressure on patient costs and it didn’t necessarily mean job cuts, Chambers said.

“In the end, if practices are delivering services, there’ll be a need for practices to employ people to deliver those services.”

He said there had been uncertainty in recent years regarding the existence and future of PHOs, and GenPro could not wait for signalled policy direction from HNZ (a PHO strategy is expected in coming months).

Since the new PHO was announced, GenPro had received expressions of interest to join from 116 general practices representing more than 800,000 patients, he said.

“If all these practices proceed, the new PHO would become the largest in the country, covering around 16 percent of New Zealand’s total enrolled population.”

The new PHO would be organisationally independent of GenPro, Chambers said.

General Practice New Zealand (GPNZ) said it understood why GenPro was pushing for its own PHO, but maintained the establishment of new organisations – that saw practices switching PHOs – risked disrupting primary healthcare.

GPNZ chief executive Maura Thompson said PHOs were more than just “the bank” passing through Health NZ funds, and that many PHO-provided services such as diabetes, youth health, and marae clinics – in addition to general practice support services – flew under the radar.

“That might be business services, that might be data, it might be workforce, and these are essential to the functioning to the general practice and delivery of comprehensive services.

“I think that’s often not visible and maybe not fully appreciated by these new PHOs.”

The approval of three new PHOs this year was unusual, ahead of an expected Health NZ PHO strategy to be delivered by the end of March, she said.

“It’s a bit counter-intuitive, it’s ironic that these new nationally operating PHOs are established while we’re waiting on a direction on what a PHO looks like, which is a matter of three months away.

“These moves are far more likely to distract and destabilise than to improve care for patients.”

In a statement, Health NZ said the establishment of the PHO and impact on patient costs was yet to be understood, but it was committed to ensuring all communities had access to quality primary care.

ThePHO must meet a raft of requirements by the end of March before starting operations in July, including not-for-profit status, a strong governance framework, clinical leadership, and the ability to work with local health teams and provide urgent care, Health NZ said.

“It needs to submit flexible funding plans for each district, participate in collaborative planning, and ensure continuity of services, especially for mental health.”

Part of the measures, include the requirement that no patient facing services or staff were to be cut. ThePHO must also continue to fund health services provided by existing PHOs for at least 12 months.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The victim at the centre of a homicide investigation in Hamilton has been named by police as Jason Poa.

Police were called to a home in Lake Crescent at 6.15pm on December 18, where they found two people seriously injured.

Detective Inspector Daryl Smith said the man was 55-year-old Jason Poa, also known as Jason Tipene.

Poa died at the scene while a second person was taken to Waikato Hospital in serious condition.

Smith said the homicide investigation was ongoing and police were appealing for sightings of a Subaru Impreza hatchback, registration: KZH714.

Anyone who had seen the car or who had any other information was urged to make a report to police online at 105.police.govt.nz, and clicking “Update Report”, or by calling 105, using the reference number 251218/5897.

Anonymous reports could be made through Crime Stoppers, by calling 0800 555 111.

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