Posts

Posted on

Person killed in quadbike crash near Palmerston North

Source: Radio New Zealand

A file photo of an ATV. 123RF

A person has died after a crash involving an All-Terrain Vehicle at a property near Palmerston North.

Emergency services were called shortly after 8.30am on Monday to the Weber Road address in Waitahora,Tararua District.

The person died at the scene, police said.

WorkSafe has been advised and the death would be referred to the Coroner.

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

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

Posted on

Stakeholders have confidence in the country’s financial markets, FMA says

Source: Radio New Zealand

Financial Markets Authority chief executive Samantha Barrass. Supplied

The Financial Markets Authority (FMA) says stakeholders are more confident in its performance.

Its annual report and the attendant Ease of Doing Business (EODB) survey shows 84 percent of respondents have confidence in the country’s financial markets, a similar level to last year

The ease of doing business survey seeks feedback from stakeholders and industry participants to understand the effectiveness of their interactions with the FMA, and their views on FMA’s overall effectiveness in delivering its mandate.

Chief Executive Samantha Barrass said after a decline in a number of key indicators in last year’s survey, a year of hard work and extensive industry engagement saw better results from this year.

“Overall belief that the FMA’s actions help raise standards of market conduct and integrity is up slightly, at 82 percent this year, but still behind our ambitious 90  percent target.”

The financial markets regulator said it had improved its communications and engagement measures with the industry, and 74 percent of participants found FMA communication clear, concise, and effective, an improvement on last year’s 63 percent.

Still work to do

The regulator is still seen falling short on several measures, which only marginally improved from last year.

It is still regarded as too bureaucratic, with just 55 percent of the industry believing it develops and implements streamlined processes; a slight improvement from 48 percent last year.

Only 56 percent agreed it was easy doing business with the Authority, a marginal improvement from 53 percent a year ago.

The FMA had achieved nine of 12 targets, but still had work to do improving its systems and processes, which may have dragged its overall rating lower, Barrass said.

“We are committed to improving and modernising our systems, to uplift performance and support new features.”

Barrass said regulating the financial markets continues to be a balancing act which may have affected their confidence and market integrity ratings.

“We note comments vary between those who favour more enforcement and those who favour lighter regulation, perhaps reflecting tensions in the balance the FMA seeks to strike- between the need to make it easier for the financial sector to do business with the need to ensure integrity.”

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

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

Posted on

Fatal crash, Waitahora

Source: New Zealand Police

A person has died after an incident involving an ATV at a property in Waitahora.

Emergency services were called to the Weber Road property shortly after 8.30am yesterday.

Sadly, the person died at the scene.

WorkSafe has been advised, and the death will be referred to the Coroner.

ENDS

Note for media:

The family of the victim ask for privacy at this time.

Posted on

Details of gun law reforms unveiled as Cabinet signs off

Source: Radio New Zealand

Cabinet has signed off on an overhaul of the country’s gun laws that shifts the responsibility of the firearms regulator from the Police Minister to the Firearms Minister.

National and ACT agreed to rewrite the Arms Act – in place since the early 1980s – as part of its coalition arrangement.

The legislation has had many iterations, more recently a ban on semi-automatics and a new firearms regulator, introduced after the March 15 terror attacks.

Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee has been working on rewriting the act to “improve public safety” and make it easier for licensed firearm owners (LFOs) to comply with the law.

Firearms regulator will answer to Firearms Minister

Te Tari Pūreke the Firearms Safety Authority (FSA) was a key part of the Crown’s response to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the terrorist attack on Christchurch masjidain on 15 March 2019.

It administers gun laws in the police department and reports to the Police Commissioner.

National and ACT agreed to transfer the FSA “to another department such as the Department of Internal Affairs”, though the FSA is staying with police.

Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee has been working to rewrite the Arms Act. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

It is being reformed into a new regulator without sworn police officers and headed up by its own chief executive, appointed by the Governor-General.

This new chief executive will report solely to the Minister responsible for firearms, currently McKee, with the Ministry of Justice providing oversight and monitoring.

Tweaks to laws regulating military-style guns

Muslim leaders expressed concern laws regulating military-style guns would be liberalised in the re-write, after both McKee and the Prime Minister refused to rule this out last year.

There are no changes to the very limited number of people who can legally hold these types of guns – ‘endorsed’ pest controllers and collectors – in the overhaul.

The government is extending the duration of a pest control endorsement from 2.5 years to five years, with a mid-term check in to confirm holders’ circumstances haven’t changed.

It’s also giving collectors who own prohibited firearms the option of storing vital parts of a gun (that when removed, disables it) at the address of any licensed firearm owner, not just someone who has the same endorsement.

High-capacity pistol magazines, those with more than ten rounds, will also only be able to be purchased and held by those with a pistol endorsement, effectively closing a loophole in the current system.

Other changes

Other parts of the reforms include automatically disqualifying identified gang members (those on the National Gang List) from holding a firearms licence, preventing them from gaining legal access to guns.

The reforms will also introduce a statutory ‘red flag’ system so police and other agencies can signal to the firearms regulator when they have relevant intel that might trigger a review of whether a LFO remains a fit and proper person.

Penalties for more than 60 Arms Act offences will be increased and eight new offences created, including one that makes it illegal to own a firearm without a serial number.

The new act is also supposed to plug gaps in the law to address new and emerging technologies such as the illegal manufacture of 3D printed firearms and parts, and possession of digital files without a licence.

‘Agree to disagree’ on military-style guns for competitive shooters

A competitive shooter herself, McKee was seeking a carve out for competitors to access military-style semi-automatic firearms.

She’s now confirmed she has failed to find coalition support for this and her party will invoke the ‘agree to disagree’ clause.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday morning, McKee said she was not prepared to “die in a ditch” over it.

“When looking at the bigger picture, I think that we have a lot of really good stuff within this Arms Act and so I was prepared to do the agree to disagree,” she said.

“I tried. I did not succeed there so we had an agree to disagree.”

ACT invoked the ‘agree to disagree’ clause in May, arguing a review of the firearms registry fell short of what was promised in its coalition agreement with National.

McKee reiterated her continuing opposition to the registry today.

“I still do not agree with the firearms registry, especially in its current state. I see lots of problems with it.”

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

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

Posted on

Police poised to roll out new roadside drug test

Source: Radio New Zealand

RNZ / Alexander Robertson

Police are poised to begin testing drivers for drugs with a device that involves a quick swipe of the driver’s tongue.

The government on Tuesday announced roadside testing for four types of drugs will begin next month in Wellington, spreading nationwide by mid-2026.

It said there would be “fewer tragedies” as a result.

An oral-fluid testing device would be able to detect cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy or meth.

If a tongue-swipe test taking a few minutes was positive, a second roadside test would follow.

If that was positive too, then the driver would be prohibited from driving for 12 hours.

In addition, police will take a saliva sample for analysis in a lab that can test for 25 types of drug, and any infringement notice will follow from that.

“Most drivers will be free to go within about five minutes once they have a negative test result,” the government announcement said.

“Around 30 percent of all road deaths now involve an impairing drug,” Transport Minister Chris Bishop said in a statement.

“If you take drugs and drive, you’re putting innocent lives at risk – and we will not tolerate it.”

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

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

Posted on

Tongariro tracks shut until at least next week after devastating wildfire

Source: Radio New Zealand

The main Tongariro track is expected to stay shut until at least next week after devastating wildfire.

Recent rain is helping hugely to bring the massive Tongariro National Park blaze under control, Fire and Emergency says.

Thirty-five crews of Department of Conservation firefighters remain at the site on Tuesday, while drones with thermal imaging equipment have begun checking the flanks of the fireground for hotspots.

A helicopter is on standby to fly over and assess the full extent of the damage. However, low cloud has meant it has been unable to do an aerial assessment of the site, which is estimated to cover up to 2800 hectares.

Minister of Conservation Tama Potaka said part of the National Park is open, but the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, Tongariro Northern Circuit, Tama Lakes and walks near Whakapapa Village would be closed until at least Monday.

“We will be in a better place to give an indication of when tracks and huts will re-open and any impacts on summer tramping once the fire has been controlled and FENZ have confirmed it is safe for us to assess damage,” Potaka said.

“But there will be some time before everything is cleared away and we know the true extent of biodiversity loss, but also what’s in front us, which is a restoration opportunity.”

Potaka said police were investigating the cause of the fire.

“We have managed to protect some key infrastructure so we hope to be able to reopen the Tongariro Alpine Crossing and Tongariro Northern Circuit (except Oturere Hut) quickly.”

FENZ assistant commander Renee Potae. RNZ/Jimmy Ellingham

FENZ assistant commander Renee Potae said recent rain had been a huge help.

“The key thing has been the rain, especially the runoff from the mountain. That runoff is running into the fireground and really helping us get control of this fire.”

However, while flames may no longer be visible, it does not mean the fire has been fully extinguished.

“While you can’t see too much sign of fire right now on the surface, it doesn’t mean it’s not still burning underground,” Potae said.

“So while we’ll start to see some of the resources start to demobilise over the next few days, there will be, for several days, some crews continuing to monitor the fire just to make sure it’s out.”

Diggers at work at the site of the fire in Tongariro. RNZ/Jimmy Ellingham

Meanwhile, an iwi representative said the rāhui over the scene will give the whenua time to breathe.

Two rāhui have been put in place, covering the Tongariro Alpine Crossing track and any burnt areas.

Te Rūnanganui o Ngāti Hikairo ki Tongariro representative Te Ngaehe Wanikau said: “The restoration is not about excluding, it’s not prohibiting.”

Wanikau said the restorative rāhui was not in the usual sense of rāhui which happens after a tragedy.

RNZ / Jimmy Ellingham

A restorative rāhui was about focusing on bringing the area back to what it should be, he said.

The “greatest” fear was the burnt area going into the “too hard basket and then we see yellow flowers of broom all over our mountain”.

The rāhui was an opportunity for “everyone and anyone” to focus on making it a restorative project that showed what the area could look like if the problem was dealt with.

He said they would work with agencies to determine the extent of the damage.

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

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

Posted on

Labour ‘absolutely’ comfortable if Te Pāti Māori does not return to Parliament

Source: Radio New Zealand

Labour’s campaign manager Willie Jackson. RNZ / Angus Dreaver

Labour is “absolutely” campaigning to get Te Pāti Māori out of Parliament and while that party’s internal ructions are sad for te ao Māori, that is politics.

Labour’s campaign manager Willie Jackson said there has been strong interest in campaigning for the Māori seats and they will be “ready” if there are by-elections.

He has also ruled out accepting rogue MPs Mariameno Kapa-Kingi and Tākuta Ferris into Labour, after Te Pāti Māori announced their expulsion from the party on Monday.

Jackson – who will be managing Labour’s 2026 election campaign and also leads the party’s Māori caucus – said they would be fighting hard to win all seven of the Māori seats, and if that meant Te Pāti Māori not getting back into Parliament, that was fine with him.

“Oh absolutely. We got rid of them in 2017 and they try to get rid of us in the seats, we try to get rid of them, that’s just the nature of the game. Doesn’t mean to say we don’t have good relationships with them still … it’s just how it is.”

He said there had been a lot of interest from people looking to win the Māori seats for Labour.

‘Rogue’ Te Pāti Māori MPs Ferris and Kapa-Kingi have been expelled from the party. RNZ/Liam K. Swiggs

“We’ve had a lot of interest, a lot of interest in the seats – particularly during the Māori Party troubled times – so had a lot of interest in the last six to eight weeks, candidates lining up everywhere.

“I think people don’t like division, and they like what they’re seeing from Labour. Our Māori MPs are performing and they’ll be ready if there are any by-elections.”

He made clear however that whoever Labour picked as candidates, Kapa-Kingi and Ferris would not be among them.

“They’re not Labour people, they’re not Labour candidates. They’re good people, we don’t have anything against them, but they will not be candidates for Labour.”

Asked what value Te Pāti Māori was bringing to Parliament, he came up short.

“I don’t know. You’ll have to ask their supporters. I worry about Labour and the reality is we’ve got a real opportunity – at the same time I don’t take any joy in what’s happening. All parties go through these internals, so, disappointing for them, disappointing for a lot of our people but it’s their business, we’ve got to concentrate on getting ourselves organised and we will.”

Labour leader Chris Hipkins. RNZ / Mark Papalii

Labour leader Chris Hipkins agreed the party would be competing “vigourously” for every Māori seat at the next election.

He had a pithy response when asked if he would be comfortable with Te Pāti Māori exiting Parliament: “They’re doing a pretty good job of that for themselves at the moment.”

“At the moment Te Pāti Māori are more focused on themselves than focused on tackling the issues facing New Zealand, so they’re not bringing a lot to the debate at the moment.

“We’ve got a very strong line-up of potential candidates vying for Labour’s nomination for those Māori electorates and I think that bodes well for a good result for us in those seats at the next election.”

He indicated Labour was looking to capitalise on the divisions in Te Pāti Māori.

“There were a lot of non-Māori New Zealanders who were very supportive of the Toitu te Tiriti movement for example who felt very let down from the Māori Party basically saying ‘if you’re an Asian new Zealander or a Pākehā New Zealander then you have no right to be speaking on Māori issues’.

“A lot of people driving around with Toitu te Tiriti bumper stickers suddenly felt that they were alienated from that kaupapa so I think that means that they’re now looking around to say ‘well we thought we were supporting something which it’s clear … that’s not what we thought it was.

“My message to them is vote Labour if you want to change the government.”

Whether Labour could work with Te Pāti Māori around the cabinet table was still an open question, which would be answered next year, he said.

“Lots can change in a year. But we will make our decisions, and they’ll be principled decisions and we’ll set them out closer to the election. I’m not making those decisions in advance.”

He said strategic decisions about whether Māori seat candidates would be also placed on Labour’s list would also be made closer to the election.

Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

There was “some certainty” that Cushla Tangaere-Manuel would again be Labour’s candidate for Ikaroa Rāwhiti, but the others were yet to be confirmed.

Jackson said Te Pāti Māori’s internal ructions were “very sad”.

“I think it’s sad for te ao Māori. I don’t like to see this sort of thing happen – some of these people are friends, relations, so I take no joy in it but the reality is we’ll be after the seats … so course it’s sad, however that’s politics.”

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

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

Posted on

Tongariro National Park track expected to reopen by next week after devastating wildfire

Source: Radio New Zealand

The main Tongariro track is expected to stay shut until at least next week after devastating wildfire.

Recent rain is helping hugely to bring the massive Tongariro National Park blaze under control, Fire and Emergency says.

Thirty-five crews of Department of Conservation firefighters remain at the site on Tuesday, while drones with thermal imaging equipment have begun checking the flanks of the fireground for hotspots.

A helicopter is on standby to fly over and assess the full extent of the damage. However, low cloud has meant it has been unable to do an aerial assessment of the site, which is estimated to cover up to 2800 hectares.

Minister of Conservation Tama Potaka said part of the National park is open, but the main track entrance is set to reopen next week.

“The particular area where this devastation has incurred, the track is expected to be open on the 17th, I think, of November, the main Tongariro track that everyone talks about,” Potaka said.

“But there will be some time before everything is cleared away and we know the true extent of biodiversity loss, but also what’s in front us, which is a restoration opportunity.”

Potaka said police are investigating the cause of the fire.

FENZ assistant commander Renee Potae. RNZ/Jimmy Ellingham

FENZ assistant commander Renee Potae said recent rain has been a huge help.

“The key thing has been the rain, especially the runoff from the mountain. That runoff is running into the fireground and really helping us get control of this fire.”

However, while flames may no longer be visible, it does not mean the fire has been fully extinguished.

“While you can’t see too much sign of fire right now on the surface, it doesn’t mean it’s not still burning underground,” Potae said.

“So while we’ll start to see some of the resources start to demobilise over the next few days, there will be, for several days, some crews continuing to monitor the fire just to make sure it’s out.”

Diggers at work at the site of the fire in Tongariro. RNZ/Jimmy Ellingham

Meanwhile, an iwi representative said the rāhui over the scene will give the whenua time to breathe.

Two rāhui have been put in place, covering the Tongariro Alpine Crossing track and any burnt areas.

Te Rūnanganui o Ngāti Hikairo ki Tongariro representative Te Ngaehe Wanikau said: “The restoration is not about excluding, it’s not prohibiting.”

Wanikau said the restorative rāhui was not in the usual sense of rāhui which happens after a tragedy.

RNZ / Jimmy Ellingham

A restorative rāhui was about focusing on bringing the area back to what it should be, he said.

The “greatest” fear was the burnt area going into the “too hard basket and then we see yellow flowers of broom all over our mountain”.

The rāhui was an opportunity for “everyone and anyone” to focus on making it a restorative project that showed what the area could look like if the problem was dealt with.

He said they would work with agencies to determine the extent of the damage.

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

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

Posted on

Asbestos found in breathing equipment ‘distressing’ for firefighters, union says

Source: Radio New Zealand

A FENZ firefighter works in breathing gear, amid smoke. Supplied/ FENZ

The firefighters’ union says asbestos found in an air tank, which helps emergency services breath during fires, will be distressing for personnel in Auckland.

It said a bulk air supply tank had tested positive for a “very small level” of asbestos.

The tank has not been in use since asbestos was found in equipment used to fill breathing apparatus (BA) cylinders for individual firefighters at Auckland City fire station two years ago. Police sometimes also filled up using that gear.

However, the Professional Firefighters’ Union said in an online post it was now concerned the bulk tank may have contaminated the cylinders, though some extra tests showed it might not have.

“There has been additional tests on the bulk air supply tank to see whether the asbestos would transfer from that tank to a breathing apparatus cylinder and those tests demonstrated that the identified asbestos remained in the bulk air supply tank,” it said.

The problem was the cylinders had not been tested as they should have been, and it had only just learned this.

“This news will be very distressing for many firefighters who now have the uncertainty of the safety of their BAs potentially filled using this sample bulk air tank prior to 2023,” it said.

“To not have any tests to either confirm or refute any potential risk will no doubt cause anger and frustration.”

FENZ has been approached for comment by RNZ.

The union said FENZ should urgently test the cylinders, or withdraw them immediately.

“We understand the BA sets are nearly at end of life,” the union said.

“FENZ should procure new BA cylinders and sets now in order to decommission all cylinders that had possibly been filled through the tanks prior to 2023 and therefore have a possible risk of contamination.”

Worksafe said it had been contacted by the union with concerns about breathing apparatus sets filled prior to 2023 at Auckland City fire station.

“We have had ongoing involvement at the site over time and are making further enquiries to understand the latest concerns ,” it said on Tuesday.

The Auckland City station had an asbestos scare that closed it briefly last month. In 2023 there were at least four discoveries of asbestos at the station.

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

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

Posted on

Government cracks down on drug drivers

Source: New Zealand Government

Drivers under the influence of drugs will soon face tougher enforcement on New Zealand roads, with the Government confirming which drugs will be screened under the new oral-fluid roadside testing regime, Transport Minister Chris Bishop and Police Minister Mark Mitchell say.

“Drug-impaired drivers are a menace on New Zealand roads,” Mr Bishop says.

“Around 30 per cent of all road deaths now involve an impairing drug. If you take drugs and drive, you’re putting innocent lives at risk – and we will not tolerate it.

“Our Government is committed to improving road safety, and that includes holding dangerous, drugged-up drivers to account. Rolling out roadside drug testing is a practical step towards safer roads and fewer tragedies.”

Police Minister Mark Mitchell says the new regime will strengthen Police’s ability to keep roads safe.

“This is another positive step in delivering our road-safety strategy and targeting the key factors behind fatal crashes. The ability for Police to screen for impairing drugs is a welcome addition to their enforcement toolbox,” Mr Mitchell says.

“Police will begin roadside screening for four key drugs – THC (cannabis), methamphetamine (meth), MDMA (ecstasy) and cocaine – using new oral-fluid testing devices.

“The rollout will begin in December in the Wellington District and scale up from April 2026, with nationwide coverage expected by mid-2026.”

How roadside drug testing will work:

Police will be able to stop any motor vehicle at any time to screen the driver for the presence of drugs. The first roadside screening test will be a quick tongue swipe taking just a few minutes. If the test is positive, officers will take a saliva sample for laboratory analysis. While the roadside device detects the four key drugs, the laboratory can test for up to 25 substances listed in the Act.

A second roadside screening test will then be conducted. If that test is positive, the driver will be prohibited from driving for 12 hours to address any immediate road-safety risk. An infringement notice will follow a positive laboratory result. Drivers who refuse or fail to comply with a roadside drug test will also be issued with an infringement notice. Most drivers will be free to go within about five minutes once they have a negative test result.