Category: Radio New Zealand

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Wellington’s City to Sea bridge saved from demolition – for now

Source: Radio New Zealand

People on Wellington’s City to Sea bridge. (File photo) RNZ / Pretoria Gordon

Wellington city councillors have saved the City to Sea bridge from the bulldozers for now, while planning continues on its future.

The CBD bridge was slated for demolition, but the works were paused while Wellington City Council awaited the outcome of the government’s earthquake-prone building review.

Councillor Nureddin Abdurahman filed a notice of motion for the council’s city strategy and delivery meeting today to revoke decisions made by the last council in December last year to knock the bridge down.

Following the government’s latest review council officers would now investigate options to save the bridge which they would bring back advice to councillors in February.

It was estimated last year it would cost at least $85 million to fully strengthen the structure under previous New Building Standard rules.

Abdurahman told the meeting the notice of motion was an opportunity to show the new council listened to the public.

“We followed the right process showing the respect for our community.”

The decision was 14 votes in favour and four votes against.

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Call for public help after 3-week-old baby suffers broken leg in Hutt Valley

Source: Radio New Zealand

RNZ / Angus Dreaver

Police are asking for the community’s help to find out what happened to a three-week-old baby who suffered a serious injury in the Hutt Valley.

On 2 December, police were notified about a baby that had been brought into hospital by her family.

She had a broken leg – an unusual injury for such a young baby.

Her condition is improving, police said.

Detective Senior Sergeant Steve Wescott said the investigation has “uncovered contrasting narratives on the circumstances, and officers are appealing to the community to assist with understanding exactly how this baby girl bore such serious injuries to come forward”.

He thanked people who have come forward so far.

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Māori smoking rates stall for the first time in over a decade

Source: Radio New Zealand

Health officials are concerned by the rate of smoking. (File photo) RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King

For the first time in over a decade the decreasing trend of Māori smoking rates has stalled leaving health advocates devastated.

The latest New Zealand Health Survey showed daily smoking among Māori adults 15 and over has increased slightly from 14.8 to 15 percent.

That increase was considered “statistically insignificant” and was within the survey’s margin of error but, it still amounted to about 99,000 people. The total daily smoking rate was 6.8 percent.

General Manager of Hāpai Te Hauora Jasmine Graham (Ngāti Kuri, Te Aupōuri) said unfortunately she was not surprised by the result.

The repeal of Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Act (SERPA), which included the smokefree generation laws, has had a huge impact on New Zealand’s progress, or lack of progress, to Smokefree 2025, she said.

“It’s incredibly concerning and the reason is because these aren’t just numbers. These are people’s lives. So this is whakapapa. This is whānau who are passing away from tobacco-related illnesses from a product that is designed to firstly attract, addict and then kill.

“…We don’t want to see any stall in the numbers. We want to see those numbers decrease and especially reaching the end of 2025 and the goal that was set to be able to see a smoke-free Aotearoa by the end of this month.”

Graham said we still see about 5000 New Zealanders dying from the impacts of tobacco-related illnesses each year.

She said whānau Māori were going through a daily battle of addiction and having to make the conscious decision every day to try and not smoke.

“That’s not the fault of the whānau member or of the individual, that’s the fault of the industry. They’ve created this product to do just that, to keep you addicted. And when you have something as strong as nicotine in these products, that’s the problem.”

General Manager of Hāpai Te Hauora Jasmine Graham Supplied/Hāpai Te Hauora

She encouraged any whānau battling nicotine addiction to reach out to their local stop smoking service.

“I’ve had some people ask [if], you know… they’re the reason why we haven’t reached [Smokefree 2025] and they’re only thinking of the stat numbers. And I’m like, absolutely not. Because none of the responsibility is on our community or our people. All of the responsibility sits on the industry.”

Associate Minister of Health Casey Costello said New Zealand had made great progress in reducing smoking rates – especially since 2018 when vapes became widely available.

The gains had been particularly noticeable for young people and for Māori, she said.

“When the NZ Health Survey began in 2011/12, over 37 percent of Māori were daily smokers. In the latest survey that figure was down to 15 percent. Since 2018, Māori smoking rates have halved and the latest stats show 118,000 Māori have quit smoking in the last five years.

“These reductions are really significant, no other country is making this sort of progress. But of course we still have a way to go – we want to stop people smoking to reduce the health impacts and there’s a particular focus on supporting Māori and Pacific populations where rates are higher.”

Costello said the challenge was that we were down to the most “stubborn” smokers. The highest smoking rates were for those over 45, she said.

“Marketing activity is targeting these groups, as are the country’s quit smoking providers. This is important as people are around four times more likely to quit smoking by using a stop smoking service, than by trying on their own.

“An updated Smokefree Action plan released at the end of last year sets out the range of approaches that are being taken to stop people smoking and target key groups.”

One of the improvements needed was timely referrals to quit smoking providers, she said.

“I’d really encourage people to make contact with those services.”

Graham said it was worth celebrating there had been so many people who had gone through their quit journey and come out the other side to live a smokefree life.

At the same time there had been many Māori movers and shakers who led the kaupapa of tobacco control boldly who should be celebrated, she said.

“I think it’s to be celebrated that we still want to see a smoke-free Aotearoa, whatever the date is, that we’re looking to be able to save lives.

“We’re not just talking about numbers or stats, we’re talking about the livelihood of our people.”

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Local Water Done Well: Council plans to cost $9b higher than expected

Source: Radio New Zealand

Local Government Minister Simon Watts. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

Spending on water services will be nearly $9 billion higher under the Local Water Done Well model than councils previously estimated.

Councils had to submit water service plans to show how they would organise water services in a financially sustainable way as part of the reforms.

In a statement, Local Government Minister Simon Watts said all plans had now been signed off, with 44 councils handing over to a separate company and 23 keeping services in house.

“These numbers mean that 76 percent of New Zealand’s population will have water services delivered through a CCO model. This collaboration between councils offers significant assistance in addressing affordability challenges.”

He said the total cost estimate from the plans was nearly $9b higher than under the councils’ earlier long-term plans, which were not required to ensure capital investment was sufficient to achieve compliance.

“The $47.9 billion total estimated investment across all plans shows councils recognise that after decades of under-investment, water projects can’t wait any longer,” he said.

“We need to fix the pipes, and we must address an unacceptable level of non-compliance, but we must also future proof for a growing population. It’s important to strike the right balance.”

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Jetstar ordered to stop using faulty baggage scales at Wellington Airport

Source: Radio New Zealand

File pic 123rf.com

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment has directed Jetstar to stop using two baggage scales at Wellington Airport after inspections found they failed to meet legal accuracy requirements under the Weights and Measures Act 1987.

Following a public complaint in September, Trading Standards, a business unit of MBIE, inspected two portable baggage scales Jetstar used to weigh carry-on luggage at Wellington Airport.

Both were found to be non-compliant because they were not level when tested and did not meet their approval conditions.

The scales were rejected, and Jetstar instructed to stop using them until they were re-verified by an accredited person.

The airline told Stuff that the inspection identified minor wheel misalignments that caused the scale plates to sit unevenly.

“This affected the stability of the units, not their weighing accuracy, and both scales were immediately removed from service,” Jetstar said.

MBIE’s national manager trading standards Stephen O’Brien said compliance instructions had been issued to Jetstar. As well, a formal corrective action request has been sent to the verifier involved to investigate the root cause of the issues identified and to put in place steps to prevent their recurrence.

Trading Standards would follow up with both parties to ensure effective resolution of the issues identified and that long term compliance is achieved.

O’Brien said businesses using weighing instruments for trade, including airlines, were responsible for ensuring their equipment was legally verified, level, and accurate. Instruments must be approved for trade use and verified by an accredited person. Regular checks and record-keeping are recommended to demonstrate due diligence.

“Consumers should be confident that the price they pay reflects the correct weight or measure. Investigations and compliance checks are carried out to protect people from being incorrectly charged due to inaccurate weighing.”

AFP

Airline denies any overcharging

Jetstar told Stuff the scales’ misalignment would not have resulted in higher weight readings and any additional baggage fees applied would still be correct.

“Any impact from this misalignment would have resulted in slightly lower weight readings, meaning customers would not have been overcharged and any additional baggage fees applied would still have been correct.”

By 15 October, 2025, Jetstar said every scale it used across New Zealand had completed its scheduled annual inspection, and all were confirmed to be fully compliant.

The airline said it recognised that carry-on baggage was “a pain point for customers” and it was “actively exploring ways to improve the carry-on experience and policy”.

Trading Standards’ Stephen O’Brien said with more than 20 million air traveller departures from New Zealand airports in the past year, even small inaccuracies in weighing instruments could have a wide-reaching impact.

Travellers were encouraged to check that baggage scales were level, start at zero, and carry a mark of verification.

If a scale appeared inaccurate or unverified, consumers could contact MBIE’s Trading Standards team, who investigate complaints and enforce compliance under the Weights and Measures Act 1987.

Trading Standards focuses on education and guidance to help businesses meet their obligations. If compliance was not achieved, enforcement options were available, including infringement offence notices or prosecution for serious or repeated breaches.

Penalties could reach up to $10,000 for individuals and $30,000 for companies.

Across sectors, O’Brien said Trading Standards helped build trust by ensuring accuracy, fairness and transparency in everyday transactions – whether people were flying, shopping, or using services charged by weight or measure.

More information is available here.

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How the world got talking about red-tipped bananas

Source: Radio New Zealand

Red-tipped bananas are not new to Australian consumers, but have gone viral on social media this month after an inquisitive post from two bewildered British backpackers.

The video from travellers Mel Chekaoui and Phil Colia has been seen more than 11 million times on Instagram, with eager consumers commenting that they too were hungry to learn the reason for the red wax tip.

“My Dad told me it meant they were strawberry flavoured and I believed him until I was 16 years old. Nice to finally learn the real reason in the comments”

Travellers Mel Chekaoui and Phil Colia have gone viral with a video about bananas in Australia.

@melandphil / Instagram

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Students pair up with retirees and exchange lives through letters

Source: Radio New Zealand

Children at St Heliers School and residents at Grace Joel Retirement Village has been pen pals for the past year. Ke-Xin Li

There’s nervous excitement as the children of Room 25 at St Heliers School get ready to visit their pen pals.

A five minute walk brings the kids to the Grace Joel Retirement Village, where their elderly pen pals are just as excited as the children.

“Hello hello hello hello hello, there he is, hello,” one resident pointed me to her pen pal.

Teacher Sarah Mill came up with the pen pal programme during Covid, after reading about rest home residents’ loneliness.

Each student has a resident to write to. They also visit several times through the year.

“In today’s modern age, too many students text or email, and they are losing the art of connection through a proper letter. Text is just a few words, whereas some of their letters are getting to two or three pages long.”

During Covid, Sarah Mill started the pen pal programme for her class after reading about the loneliness experienced by retirement home residents. Ke-Xin Li

Miss Mill said it means the kids get to build deeper relationships. And many stayed in touch with the residents as they grew up.

“I think it was important for them to share their lives with the residents, and then the residents would sometimes share things from their childhood that had come back to them as a result of reading what the children were doing, so, really interesting.”

After written 10 letters, this is the children’s third and last visit of the year.

But 8-year-old Vidhya Jooravan has told her pen pal – 85-year-old Joan Baggott – that it won’t be the last letter she sends her.

“I wrote I hope [we’re] still pen pals (in the future), more planet stuff, and more exciting things about Christmas.”

While visiting their pen pals, children from Room 25 also perform songs for Grace Joel residents Ke-Xin Li

Vidhya loves the friendship she has made with Joan.

“When we started writing letters, I was so excited to have a pen pal. And then when I started carry on writing letters, it started to build up a pen pal friendship and then it was just amazing. It’s so nice, it’s like having my granny and grandpa sitting here and talking to me. I feel happy and I feel nice inside.”

Joan grew up writing letters. But today, while she much prefers texting, she has enjoyed reading Vidhya’s letters and getting to know her.

“I love what she writes about because very often it’s straight from school, what the teacher’s written on the board, and I learn after all these years. I think, oh, I didn’t know that. She’s a lovely little girl and she sent me a letter once and it had all the little diamantes all the way around the envelope. So I knew she liked pretty things.”

And from then on, Joan made sure she decorated all her letters to Vidhya with cute stickers.

Joan Baggott and Vidhya Jooravan have been pen pals for the last year. Ke-Xin Li

Nine-year-old Oliver Qi tried to read Brian Cutting’s November letter, but had to stop nearing the end as he struggled with Brian’s cursive handwriting – a common struggle amongst the pen pals due to their age gap.

86-year-old Brian was still proud.

“It’s very impressive though to be able to read that writing, I think there is really something special for him.”

He helped Oliver finish reading the letter.

“I think it’s wonderful that you are learning Mandarin. It’s wonderful to know how to speak, read, and write in other languages. You are lucky. Once again, you have been learning interesting things at school. Things like our galaxy. Did you know there are billions of galaxies? Billions of them.”

And Brian tried to incorporate some Mandarin phrases he learned.

“So we started off, Dear Oliver, Ni Hao. And we ended it up, Zai Jian.”

Oliver Qi and Brian Cutting have been writing to each other for a year. Ke-Xin Li

Oliver corrected Brian’s pronunciation of “Zai Jian”, the phrase means “See you again”.

Without a carefully crafted closing statement, no letter is complete.

And everyone has their own preferences.

Oliver likes: “I look forward to seeing you again.”

Vidhya loves “warm regards”.

“Because it sounds sweet and sounds like half of ‘all the best’.”

Mark struggled with the cursive handwriting by 96-year-old Dr. M Mackendrick. Ke-Xin Li

Ngarie Jackson, 85, used “kind regards”, but said she would prefer something else.

“Well, I could have put love, but I didn’t know whether he’d like that or not.”

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Weather forecast: Temperatures creeping back down after scorching summer days

Source: Radio New Zealand

Parts of the country saw temperatures in the high 20s or early 30s earlier this week. (File photo) RNZ/ Mohammad Alafeshat

After days of sweltering heat for much of the country temperatures should drop by a few degrees in coming days.

Earlier this week a heat alert was in place for Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne with temperatures reaching 34C at Napier Airport and 32C in Wairoa.

Over the weekend many regions experienced temperatures in the high 20s or even early 30s.

But MetService said on Thursday there was a reprieve from the heat on the way, with temperatures across the country heading back down towards normal.

MetService meteorlogist John Law, said it was still hot on Thursday, especially for Waikato, which would reach 29C to 30C.

Law said the last few days had been four or five degrees above average for the time of year.

“It’s nice for a few days but it takes its toll,” he said.

Auckland was sitting at between 26C and 27C but would likely drop to mid 20s by the weekend.

Law said it would still be beach weather with the weekend looking generally dry, fine and settled.

Things would be a bit cooler down in Christchurch with temperatures of 18C-19C for the weekend, but this would heat back up next week to the high 20s.

Some spots in the central North Island, including Taumarunui, Waitomo and Waikato were still experiencing above average days which could hit 30C.

Wellington seemed to have avoided the extreme heat, Law said, but added there had been some “very nice days here”.

The lower South Island was the only area which could expect some showers or even a rumble of thunder over the weekend, Law said, in Otago and South Canterbury.

“Law said it had been an unusually warm start to December and a “very warm” November.

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Why you might suddenly stop drinking milk

Source: Radio New Zealand

You’ve long enjoyed a generous pour of milk in your morning coffee, or a big bowl of ice cream for dessert.

You’ve been fine with dairy most of your life, but you’re getting into middle age, and all of a sudden it’s not sitting right with you – creating lots of socially unacceptable symptoms and bathroom breaks and generally making you feel bloated and gassy.

You may not realise it right away, but you’re probably one of the millions of people who develop lactose intolerance as they get older.

Lactose is found in dairy products.

Supplied/ Synlait

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External project management team to run Nelson Hospital redevelopment

Source: Radio New Zealand

Nelson Hospital. RNZ / Samantha Gee

Health New Zealand is hiring an external project management team to run the Nelson Hospital redevelopment for the next six years.

The project aims to deliver new, refurbished and seismically strengthened buildings in three packages.

First up, design of a new 11,000 square metre inpatient unit and energy centre is due to begin next April.

Earthquake strengthening of intensive care, surgery and radiology buildings among others is last off the blocks, to run from mid 2027 till 2032.

The various projects range in value from $50 million to more than $150m each.

“Given the scale of the programme and HNZ’s internal capacity, HNZ is now seeking to engage a full-service external project management team … through to the anticipated completion in late-2032,” a tender document said.

The team would oversee the day-to-day and end-to-end delivery of each project.

Applicants had to have project managed a health construction project in Australasia worth at least $150m in the last five years, and a large regionally-based one outside the main NZ cities, too.

The tender said price would only be 15 percent of what was factored in on awarding the work, with experience 30 percent and team capability 40 percent.

The refurbishment of the two main hospital blocks called George Manson and Percy Brunette was due to run from 2026 to 2031.

“The current deficit of medical surgical beds is 16 and without redevelopment and model of care changes, this would have risen to 53 beds by 2043,” it said.

“Outdated facilities are preventing improvements to health equity, overall patient experience and time efficiencies.”

It also noted that poor seismic resilience “jeopardises post-disaster healthcare following a significant seismic event”.

Buildings had been categorised as earthquake-prone and had to be fixed or demolished by 2032.

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