Category: Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Bay of Plenty Regional Council has activated its flood room protocols as it prepares for a downpour.

MetService has issued an orange heavy rain warning for Bay of Plenty until 11pm on Wednesday, with 80mm to 110mm of rain on top of what has already fallen expected.

In a statement on social media the Bay of Plenty Regional Council said it was reacting as a result of the wet weather.

“This means our flood team is set up to monitor the situation 24/7 as it develops. We will be providing real-time river level information to supporting agencies (such as local councils and Waka Kotahi), to assist with planning and responding to local communities.

“We’ll also have our flood monitoring team out in the field. It’s their job to be the eyes and ears on the ground, checking flood defences (such as stopbanks and floodwalls), monitoring river levels, flows and rainfall and reporting back to the Flood Room.”

The council said members of its operations team were also out in the community, checking the condition of the flood infrastructure, assessing the weather conditions in key areas and pumping out flood waters from any drainage canals where needed.

“Your local council is also monitoring the situation and will be providing updates via their websites and social media channels around roading, blocked culverts/drains, and water/stormwater/wastewater.”

Heaviest rain in Auckland CBD

Meanwhile, central Auckland bore the brunt of the rain earlier on Wednesday, MetService says.

Orange heavy rain warnings are in place for Northland, Auckland and Great Barrier Island (until 2pm), Waitomo, Waikato and Taupō (until 6pm), Bay of Plenty (until 11pm) and Tongariro National Park (until 10pm).

MetService meteorologist Samkelo Magwala said all those areas had received a “decent amount” of rain overnight.

It was heaviest in Auckland, particularly in the central city, he said.

Have you been caught up in the weather? Share your stories and pictures with us at iwitness@rnz.co.nz

“Some stations in Auckland have recorded about 15.5mm of rain in the period of an hour, some even as high as 21mm of rain,” he said.

There was a possibility of flooding with that amount of rain, Magwala said.

The band of rain would move eastwards throughout the day, easing before another band was due to ramp up again in the afternoon.

Gisborne was not under a weather warning, but the rain was heading that way later this afternoon, he said.

After Wednesday, high pressure would begin to build, Magwala said, “giving us some more settled weather for a couple of days”.

Taumarunui and Taihape north of Ohakune, as well as Taranaki are also under heavy rain watches until Wednesday.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi reported flooding on State Highway 25 Whitianga to Tairua on Wednesday morning with delays and detours expected until further notice.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Four people charged over the death of a woman whose body was found in plastic bags in the waters of Auckland’s Gulf Harbour, have chosen to represent themselves at their trial next year.

The body, which was discovered by a fisherman in March last year, was later identified as 70-year-old Shulai Wang.

Two men and two women are facing charges of kidnapping and manslaughter, and are set to face trial in May next year.

All have interim name suppression.

The younger of the men is also facing additional charges of perverting the course of justice and giving false information to immigration officers.

At an administrative appearance at the High Court in Auckland on Wednesday, their lawyer Ron Mansfield told the court the four defendants wanted to act on their own behalf for their trial, and he was withdrawing from the case.

Justice Mathew Downs spoke to each of the defendants, two of whom needed the assistance of a Mandarin interpreter, to confirm their decision.

“You understand that you and other defendants are facing a serious charge as manslaughter,” Justice Downs asked the younger of the two male defendants.

The defendant said “We understand”.

Asked if he wished to represent himself, the man said: “yes we all do”.

Justice Downs said he would ask each of the defendants separately as the man shouldn’t be able to speak for all the others.

He also told the man “I don’t know a human on the earth that would recommend you defend yourself”, but later added he respected their decision.

The younger of the two female defendants also told the judge that she wished to defend herself in trial.

The remaining two defendants, who required interpretation, appeared confused when asked by Justice Downs what they wanted to do in the criminal trial.

Justice Downs told the younger male defendant that he could appoint standby lawyers to help them with their defences, and asked if he would like to do that.

The defendant said, “we still prefer we can communicate directly with the court so there will be no misunderstanding”.

Justice Downs approved Mansfield’s application to withdraw from the case and said he needed to reflect on what should be done in relation to the defendants.

He set a date in December to discuss with the defendants about their decision to self-represent, and whether standby lawyers will be appointed for each of them.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Fire and Emergency says Auckland crews have been called in to assist with the dampening down of hotspots after a storage building fire at Port Whangārei.

It says crews were alerted to a fire on Kioreroa Road at the port about 7:30pm on Tuesday.

The two-storey commercial building is used for the storage and installation of solar panels and lithium batteries.

At the height of the incident there were 11 crews attending, including a ladder truck from Auckland.

Advice from emergency services for residents to keep their windows and doors closed due to smoke drift was lifted just before 1.30am on Wednesday.

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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 attended 7370 fewer mental health-related requests in the year to June, a result of the deliberate plan to wind back on responding to calls for help.

The department expects to respond to even fewer calls this year as it enters phase three of that plan.

Under phase three, which kicked off on Monday:

• Non-emergency mental health-related requests will be assessed against updated guidance to determine if police assistance is required. This includes requests for assistance under legislation, requests for assistance from in-patient mental health units and other requests from mental health services to police;
• Reports of missing persons with mental health concerns (including those who have left mental health facilities and services or EDs) will be assessed against updated guidance to determine the appropriate police involvement.

The phased approach began a year ago and has so far involved police limiting the time spent with someone in an emergency department, raising the threshold for transport of someone with a mental illness, and tightening rules around where mental health assessments can take place.

Police maintain they will attend calls if there has been an offence committed or if there is a risk to life or safety.

Police Assistant Commissioner Mike Johnson told Nine to Noon they were comfortable with the roll-out of phases one and two and were now ready to move to the next level.

Health NZ director of specialist mental health and addiction Karla Bergquist said mental health practitioners in particular were being given much clearer guidance about when it is appropriate to seek police assistance.

“The other thing that has been happening in the background as we prepare for this phase is making that much more consistent across the country and helping our staff to communicate what’s needed very clearly to police so that they can make good decisions about their involvement.”

But while police were rolling back their attendance, they would still respond when situations met their updated guidelines.

Johnson said on the first day of the phase three roll-out they had an example of a non-urgent request for transport which was granted.

“We had a request in Gore down south on Monday where mental health services reached out for a transport. We did an assessment and sent some police staff to assist.”

Johnson said the process for responding when people were missing with mental health concerns had been streamlined and training for both police and health staff updated.

“We want to make sure that where it’s required we will absolutely get our police staff there, but that’s not in all cases.”

The fourth and final phase, which Johnson said was scheduled for early next year, would see 15-minute ED handovers, and police lifting the threshold for welfare checks where there is not believed to be a risk of criminality or safety.

In emergency situations both the public and health practitioners were still advised to call 111.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Former Māori Party MP Hone Harawira is calling for its ousted MPs to be brought back “into the team”, for the party to make a “public declaration of commitment”, and a national reconciliation tour before getting “back to ^#$% work”.

He also dispelled speculation he would be rejoining the party in a formal role, saying it was not time to “jockey” for positions or power.

“In case anyone is asking – I’m not putting my hand up for MP for the Tai Tokerau, nor am I wanting to be the president of Te Pāti Māori.”

In a Facebook post shortly after midnight on Wednesday, Harawira said he had stayed out of the “public debate raging over the Māori Party” until now, “because our comments often get misinterpreted, and because the right-wing media always churns our words into racist click-bait”.

Te Pāti Māori has been in a period of turmoil culminating in the expulsion of MPs Mariameno Kapa-Kingi and Tākuta Ferris.

On the anniversary of the Toitū te Tiriti hīkoi arriving at Parliament last year, Harawira said he had not read the “he said – she said” stuff, as sometimes the detail “clouds the bigger picture”.

He said Māori were having to deal with the “greatest barrage of racist, anti-treaty, anti-environment, anti-worker legislation we have ever seen from one government”.

Harawira said the “once all-powerful Te Pāti Māori” was now tearing itself apart with “not an enemy in sight” and the “rest of our people are wondering what the hell is going on?”

“These are the people we marched for just 12 months ago, the people we marched with when we took to the roads in the biggest protest march this country has ever seen.

“We arrived in Wellington in a blaze of treaty power. We gave our people hope that our unity could overcome, we gave them belief in themselves, and now we’re telling them ‘taihoa – we’ll just tear it all apart and start again’.”

Harawira said people did not understand what was happening with the party, but were more focused on “benefit cuts, rising prices, treaty rights stripped, land rights removed, school food programs slashed, language belittled, drugs and alcohol, homelessness, domestic violence, joblessness, jail, suicide all on the rise”.

He said “our people” should be at the forefront of the party’s priorities and focus.

“But they aren’t. They’re stranded on the sidelines, waiting for us to get this shit sorted out so we can get back to hammering the government and building our base.”

Harawira said people would not support the expulsion of two MPs – “so we need to bring them back in” – but neither would people support ousting the current leadership.

He said the solution was not in blaming anyone or one side winning, nor could the solution be found in a new party and “forcing our people to take sides”.

“A lasting memory I have from when I split with the Māori Party in 2011 was the confusion and sadness on the faces of our kuia, something I’d never want to see again.”

He made a list of recommendations:

1. Bring Meno and Takuta back into the team.

2. Bring the whole team together to discuss a way forward.

3. Outline plans to manage differences and disputes.

4. Agree to a workplan focussed on Te Pāti Māori kaupapa.

5. Make a public declaration of commitment and action to our people.

6. Take the team on a national reconciliation tour.

7. Then get back to ^#$% work. We got a government to overthrow.

Harawira said only with a strong united front of Te Pāti Māori MPs can a Māori, Greens, Labour coalition overthrow the current government in 2026.

“If we don’t get rid of them next year, all the damage they have done will be entrenched over the next three, and all the gains of the past 25 years will be lost.”

His warnings came with a call to everyone to step up and work together, to “rebuild the team”, not because “we love each other, let’s call that a work in progress” he said, “but because we love our people more”.

“Let us make the sacrifices necessary to rebuild the team that helped put us all into parliament in the first place – Te Pāti Māori.

“Let us find a quiet space without constitutional clauses, lawyers and too many relations, be open to hearing and sharing, and be willing to apologise for our own shortcomings and forgive others for theirs.

“Let us rebuild the strength, commitment and unity of Team Māori.”

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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 Far North District Council is warning Kāeo residents their decade-long water woes won’t be fixed instantly.

Late yesterday the national water authority used its legal powers to take over a private water supply and order the council to operate it.

It was the first time Taumata Arowai had invoked those powers under the Water Services Act 2021.

That unprecedented intervention followed 10 years of residents having to boil their drinking water, months of unsuccessful discussions, and 30 days with no running water at all.

The council’s head of infrastructure, Tanya Proctor, said people connected to Kāeo’s town supply would be relieved staff could now act to restore water.

However, she warned that goal would not be achieved immediately.

It was the first time Taumata Arowai had used its powers to take control of a water supply, so the council had to work through several legal issues – including access to the treatment plant, which was located on a property owned by a third party.

“We need to negotiate access with the owner and only then will we be able to inspect the water treatment plant.”

The next step would be to restore the water supply to residents and businesses as quickly as possible.

Once water was flowing again, it was likely customers would still have to boil it before drinking.

Before taps ran dry a month ago, the privately-owned Kāeo scheme had been on a boil water advisory for 10 years.

Council staff would then begin a full assessment of the treatment plant and pipe network, and come up with options for a long-term solution.

Ms Proctor said the council was grateful to the owner of Wai Care, the company that owned the water supply, for agreeing to forego the normal 90-day period for putting in place statutory management.

Kāeo’s water scheme, which supplied fewer than 30 homes and businesses along the town’s main street, was originally council owned but sold to Doubtless Bay Water in the year 2000.

In 2008 the company said the scheme was no longer viable and planned to close it down. It was instead bought by Wai Care Environmental Consultants for a nominal sum.

The owner of the land where the treatment plant is located trespassed Wai Care staff earlier this year, saying the company had failed to pay rent for the past seven years.

A water tanker, provided by the council, continues to be stationed in Kāeo from 10am to 6pm Monday to Saturday.

The council had previously been reluctant to intervene in Kāeo’s troubled water scheme, saying there was no funding set aside for it in the Long Term Plan.

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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 named a man killed in a hit and run in Auckland.

He was 58-year-old Dion Raymond Kainamu.

He died after being critically hurt in Henderson on Sunday morning.

Police said the vehicle that hit him then left the scene.

A 47-year-old woman has been charged with failing to stop, and two counts of driving while disqualified.

Police said an investigation into what happened before Kainamu was hit is continuing.

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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 process for getting rid of potentially asbestos-contaminated play sand should be more straightforward, an Auckland teacher says.

Several coloured play sand products have been recalled after tests found a naturally occurring asbestos.

About 40 schools and early childcare centres have closed, or planned to, because of the contamination fears.

Auckland specialist outreach teacher Stephanie Pye told Morning Report getting rid of the sand was not an easy process.

“The guidelines about how to package it up and then to not put it into the general rubbish have been clear, but I found that after that, where do you take it? What do you do with it?”

“I missed an opportunity to dispose of my sand with my particular school just because it happened so quickly and the nature of my role meant it couldn’t be collected at the time it was being collected … when I went to investigate how to dispose of it, where to take it, I found it really challenging to find the correct place.

“It was one place not within my hours that I could drop it off, and in addition to that I ended up having to pay for it if I wanted to dispose it that way.”

Cleaning up the sand was also a mission, Pye said.

“It gets everywhere, there’s little speckles of stuff everywhere and even cleaning it up it’s difficult to be reassured you’ve captured it all,” she said.

Several hundred schools and childhood centres have contacted the Ministry of Education for advice.

Health NZ advice

On its website, Health NZ said people did not need to take any immediate steps to manage their health if they had been exposed to the products.

“We appreciate that the presence of asbestos in products that are used by children may cause worry for parents and caregivers. We are working rapidly with other agencies to assess the health risk posed by these products and will share more information when it is available.

“At this stage we do not have enough information to quantify the risk to people’s health, but we advise people to take a precautionary approach and stop using the products.”

Health NZ said anyone using the products in their home should stop immediately and, if it was still in its original container, place it into a thick plastic bag sealed securely with tape.

“Place that bag or container into a second thick plastic bag, seal it securely with tape, and label it clearly as asbestos-contaminated material.”

It needed to be taken to a landfill rather than going in a normal bin, it said, and parents should contact their local council for advice on where to go.

If the sand was not in its original container, PPE should be worn while cleaning it up. It should be put in a sealed container or thick plastic bag. All surfaces surrounding where it was should be wiped down with a damp cloth.

Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment product safety spokesperson Ian Caplin said he understood how alarming the discovery would be for families.

“We appreciate that the presence of asbestos in products that are used by children will be concerning to parents and caregivers. We urge families who have purchased these products to stop using them immediately, secure them safely, and contact your local council for advice on where and how to dispose of the contaminated material safely,” he said.

“If you are a workplace, where you may have higher volumes of these products or more people may have come in contact with the products, you should contact a licensed asbestos assessor or removalist for immediate advice and support on your specific situation. A list of these is available on the WorkSafe website.”

The recalled Kmart products include:

• 14-piece Sandcastle Building Set
• Blue Magic Sand
• Green Magic Sand
• Pink Magic Sand

The newly identified products are in addition to the previously recalled sands from Educational Colours and Creatistics:

• EC Rainbow Sand (1.3kg)
• Creatistics Coloured Sand (1kg)

Full information was available here.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Explainer – Schools and health authorities have been scrambling after the revelation that popular children’s play sand products have been contaminated with asbestos.

The product has been sold in both New Zealand and Australia and subject to multiple safety recalls.

What kind of asbestos is it, and just how dangerous can it be? Here’s a quick look at the facts.

What’s the worry about asbestos?

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that’s highly heat resistant and had been used in construction industries for years. It’s made up of tiny fibres which can be released into the air. These fibres can become stuck in the lungs and cause disease, including cancer.

“Unfortunately it is a cancer causing, type 1 carcinogen,” AUT associate professor and asbestos expert Terri-Ann Berry told RNZ Afternoons.

There are six types of asbestos, all dangerous, and the kinds that have been found in the sand products are tremolite and chrysotile (often called white asbestos).

Crocidolite, or blue asbestos, is widely considered the most dangerous form of asbestos and has not yet been reported in the sand.

“Asbestos causes a rare form of lung cancer (mesothelioma) following inhalation,” University of Canterbury professor of toxicology Ian Shaw said.

“The risk of contracting cancer is high when exposed to airborne asbestos. The longer the exposure the greater the risk.”

So how dangerous is it?

Molecular pharmacologist Ian Musgrave from the University of Adelaide said the forms of asbestos found in the sand were less likely to create fibres than types like blue asbestos.

“Tremolite, the predominant form found in these play sands, in particular, is rarely used industrially, but can be found in minerals like talc or vermiculite,” he told the Science Media Centre.

“Asbestos typically causes lung issues and lung cancer from inhalation of the crystalline fibres that asbestos forms. Tremolite is typically non-fibrous, unlike the fibrous blue asbestos, but exposure to any asbestos type will increase the likelihood of lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis.

“I would be worried if it were my children,” Berry said. “However, I do need to offer some reassurance and that is that not everyone that gets exposed to asbestos will develop cancer.”

Shaw said much depends on how much exposure children may have had to the sand.

“The children’s sand product asbestos contaminations are serious because the products are dry and played with which would cause asbestos fibres to become airborne and thus readily inhaled.

“The question is: how long have children been exposed to the asbestos-contaminated product? This will significantly affect the cancer risk.

“The rapid response when the contamination was found is good, since it has prevented further exposure and thus continued risk.”

How contaminated is the sand?

“We do not have any indication of actual levels of these asbestos forms in the play sand,” Musgrave said.

“However, both WorkSafe and the (Australian) ACCC say these are trace levels (and/or present only in some samples).”

Health New Zealand has said, “We are working rapidly with other agencies to assess the health risk posed by these products and will share more information when it is available.”

Laura Gemmell from Eco Choice Aotearoa told Morning Report recently she believed there was no indication that the asbestos had been intentionally added.

“Asbestos occurs naturally so it could be in a quarry where they got this sand, through equipment or storage containers that were also contaminated.

“I’m mystified as to exactly how it ended up in there and how it wasn’t checked,” Berry said.

“I would say that that sort of checking (in play sand) isn’t commonplace, checking it in a building material probably more so, probably because we expect it to be there.”

Robert McAllister, a director of the Faculty of Asbestos Management of Australia and New Zealand, alerted workplace safety authorities in NZ on 5 November and then Australian regulators were contacted.

Authorities in Australia have sought to reassure the public that the risks of harm are low and that asbestos fibres in the sand are not in a “respirable” form.

McAllister said he would “argue that the level of testing required to demonstrate that has not been done”.

“In this particular case, you’re talking about young children, who are highly susceptible to asbestos fibre, playing with this product up close and personal,” he said.

Will people see symptoms of asbestos problems right away?

It can be a long period of time – sometimes decades – between exposure to cancer-causing material like asbestos and the development of cancer.

“There is a time period between when you are exposed to asbestos and the development of any related disease (called the latency period) which is usually between 15 and 40 years,” Berry said. “This means that the impact of exposure is highly unlikely to be detected in the short term.”

A small amount of asbestos can be dangerous, but risks rise sharply with long-term exposure, University of Technology Sydney professor of life science Brian Oliver has written.

“Those who encounter asbestos once or twice in small amounts have a far lower risk of developing health complications, compared to people continually exposed to large quantities, as we’ve seen in the construction and mining industries.”

What do I do with the contaminated sand?

Short answer – get rid of it, safely, and don’t throw it in your rubbish bin. WorkSafe recommends contacting a licensed asbestos removalist.

Parents have expressed concern over what to do and the school closures have also caused angst.

There’s plenty of information out there on Health New Zealand’s website and the Product Safety Recall website.

I’m still worried, what’s the next step?

The clean-up and investigations over this sand scandal will carry on for some time, but there are resources galore out there for those with worries.

Berry is a trustee and board chairperson for the Mesothelioma & Asbestos Awareness Trust, which offers support to those with concerns.

“If they are worried and just want to talk, reach out to the MSAA trust, because we are there to help.

“I do think that this is a random and unfortunate one-off, however, I would say that asbestos awareness in New Zealand is generally relatively poor.”

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