NZ Engine

Source: New Zealand Police

A pair responsible for an alleged crime spree across the North Island will now face court.

Yesterday afternoon, Police were alerted to a vehicle of interest travelling through Auckland’s east and coming to a stop at Sylvia Park.

Auckland City West Area Investigations Manager, Detective Senior Sergeant Anthony Darvill, says with the assistance of the Police Eagle helicopter officers arrested two people suspected of committing multiple shoplifting offences across the North Island.

“Our Tactical Retail Crime Unit, based at Mt Roskill, executed a search warrant in Waterview this afternoon in relation to the crime spree, in which thousands of dollars’ worth of goods had been stolen, including power tools and vacuum cleaners,” he says.

“Retail crime is not a victimless offence – it affects businesses, puts frontline retail staff at risk and drives up the costs for everyday consumers.

“Our Tactical Retail Crime Unit are working closely with retailers to ensure that offenders are held to account and shopping environments are safe for everyone in our community.”

A 31-year-old Wellington man and a 39-year-old woman, also from Wellington, appeared in the Auckland District Court today charged with more than 30 shoplifting offences between them.

ENDS.

Holly McKay/NZ Police

Source: New Zealand Government

The unanimous passing of the Parliament Bill is an important constitutional moment, says Leader of the House Chris Bishop.

“Parliament occupies a central place in our constitution but legislation governing its operations is scattered across the statute book and some of it is out of date.

“The Parliament Bill consolidates and modernises the Clerk of the House of Representatives Act 1988, the Parliamentary Service Act 2000, the Members of Parliament (Remuneration and Services) Act 2013, and the Parliamentary Privilege Act 2014. 
Important changes in the Bill include:

• Establishing a new funding model for the Office of the Clerk and the Parliamentary Service, so their budgets are recommended by the House instead of being determined by the executive,
• Providing Parliamentary Security Officers with statutory powers similar to those of court security officers,
• Transferring from the Clerk of the House to the Electoral Commission the role of determining whether a petition carries the required number of signatures to trigger a Citizens’ Initiated Referendum
• Updating the functions of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker to clarify when the functions and duties of the Speaker are carried out by the Deputy;
• Modernising the statutory functions of the Clerk of the House.

“The development and passage of the Bill has seen Parliament work at its best. The Bill started its gestation in 2015 and was developed under the previous government. I have been proud to carry it forward in this Parliament.

“Parliament established a special select committee, chaired by the respected former Speaker of the House, Rt Hon Adrian Rurawhe, to consider the Bill. I thank the committee and Mr Rurawhe for their work on this important piece of legislation.

“As we approach the end of the year, I would also like to thank all those who work at or for Parliament who provide service to Members of Parliament in their many different ways. New Zealand’s democracy is very well served and New Zealanders should be proud of it.”

Source: New Zealand Police

Police are working to locate Tuapola Jason Dean Toala, who has a warrant for his arrest and is wanted by Police.

Toala, 21, is wanted in relation to serious charges and is believed to be in the wider Auckland or Northland regions.

It’s believed he is actively avoiding Police.

If you have seen Tuala or have any information that may assist in locating him, please update us online now or call 105.

Please use the reference number 250911/1401.

Alternatively information can be provided anonymously to Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.

ENDS.

Holly McKay/NZ Police

Source: New Zealand Police

Attributable to Detective Inspector Joel Syme:

Police acknowledge the verdicts handed down today in relation to the murder of Anaru Moana in December 2021.

Three men were found guilty of murder and one woman was found guilty of being a party to injuring.

This case has been extensive, with our investigation spread across both Canterbury and Southern Districts and including core members from Aoraki CIB, and Southern and Canterbury Organised Crime teams. I would like to thank all involved in this investigation for their thorough and meticulous work which enabled a strong case to be put before the courts.

The body of Mr Moana has never been recovered.

While today’s verdicts are welcomed by Police and Mr Moana’s whanau, our thoughts are still with the family who have not been able to have their loved one returned.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

Source: New Zealand Police

Attributable to Police Commissioner Richard Chambers:

The conduct of Mr Jevon McSkimming was disgraceful and it is right he has been held to account for it.

The outcome shows all police, no matter their rank, are accountable to the laws that apply to us all.

Mr McSkimming’s behaviour was not only criminal, but goes against the core values of Police.

I will not allow this to tarnish my staff, who are as appalled by this as I am. This shameful episode has done their dedication an immense disservice.

From the moment I was advised about these circumstances, I have taken it seriously and acted on it.

As soon as I was made aware of the nature of the material found, I raised it with the Minister of Police as a conduct matter to allow him to consider Mr McSkimming’s position at the time as a statutory deputy commissioner.

Mr McSkimming subsequently resigned from Police. This conduct has no place in Police.

I also ordered a rapid review of the controls and security of Police devices. I moved quickly to remedy the gaps it identified and ordered auditing and monitoring of staff use of Police devices.

We will investigate any cases of staff found to have accessed inappropriate or objectionable material and will take action where conduct falls short of standard and expectations.

Lastly, but most importantly, I want to acknowledge the outstanding work of more than 15,000 Police staff across the country who work day and night to help keep our country safe.

ENDS

Issue by Police Media Centre

Source: New Zealand Police

State Highway 1 is blocked following a single vehicle crash near Ohotu, south of Taihape.

Motorists are asked to delay travel if possible and expect delays.

Emergency services received reports of the crash about 3:10pm.

There are no reported injuries.

ENDS

Issued by the Police Media Centre.

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

Andersons Floodway Bridge on State Highway 63 in Marlborough is now open to traffic, just over four months after it was severely damaged during a severe winter storm.

The new, more resilient structure is a significant upgrade on its predecessor that was deemed beyond repair after it was washed out during heavy rain in June.

Mark Owen, Regional Manager Lower North Island/Top of the South, says the project is a real success story for the region, with local contractors completing the work in record time.

“Building a new bridge quickly without compromising quality was the priority – we managed to do that by working on smart solutions with local contractors.”

“By using the design and construct model our contractors were able to begin construction on the new bridge immediately using generic bridge details that were refined as required as construction progressed, saving time and money.”  

Mr Owen says the local community also played a key role in helping the project progress at pace.

“Landowners were accommodating of us using their land for the temporary bypass, local utilities companies were on board early and promptly relocated lines and cables and Marlborough District Council urgently produced a flood model that informed the design of the new bridge.” 

“It’s been a real team effort from the outset, through to project completion.” 

Work on the replacement bridge began on 18 August, with a temporary road and minor detour in place to keep traffic moving safely while construction was underway.

The new, longer bridge was built on site with a deep-piled foundation and a wider precast concrete deck, improving both resilience and efficiency. 

As part of the upgrade, new barriers were installed on the approaches to the bridge, and these, along with the wider deck, mean the new bridge is much safer for traffic. 

Mr Owen said the support from road users during this work is appreciated by everyone involved.

“We know State Highway 63 is a critical route in Marlborough, and we acknowledge the Andersons Floodway Bridge project, along with other recovery and repair works on the highway, have caused disruption and travel delays for drivers.”

“Our contractors appreciate the patience and cooperation the public have shown while the work has been underway. But the good news is we now have a new improved, and more flood-protected bridge open just in time for Christmas,” Mr Owen says.

Andersons Floodway Bridge – Facts and figures:

	Old Bridge	New Bridge
Traffic Width	7.3m	9.0m
Span	4.3m	11.5m
Flood Capacity	One-in-five-year flood event (with no allowance for climate change)	One-in-100-year flood event (including allowance for climate change)

Other work on State Highway 63:

Mr Owen says work to rebuild a section of State Highway 63 on the eastern side of the township is making good progress, and recovery work to repair significant scouring damage west of the Waihopai Bridge is now underway.

“From 17 November contractors will also begin work to rebuild a 200-metre section of the state highway, west of the Waihopai Bridge. This will involve removing the top layer of the road, laying new gravel, and then applying new chipseal. The end result will be a much stronger stretch of highway,” Mr Owen says.

SH63 West of Waihopai Bridge works schedule:

• Now until Friday, 19 December, 7 am – 6 pm weekdays.
• No work on weekends
• Stop/Go traffic management and 30km/h temporary speed limit. Expect ten-minute delays.
• A 30 km/h temporary speed limit will be in place outside work hours.
• These works are weather-dependent, and schedules may change. 

SH63 East of the Wairau Valley township:

• Work to rebuild a 1.3 kilometre section of State Highway 63, on the Renwick side of the Wairau Valley township continues until Friday, 12 December, 7 am – 6 pm Monday to Saturday.
• Stop/go traffic management and a 30 km/h temporary speed limit will remain in place 24/7. Expect ten-minute delays.
• These works are weather-dependent, and schedules may change.

Driver Advice:

• Stop/Go traffic management remains in place at multiple locations on State Highway 63 as other minor storm damage repairs are completed.
• Expect short delays while this work is underway.

Please follow all traffic management, temporary speed limits, and instructions from road crews. They are there to keep everyone safe

Source: New Zealand Police

New Zealand Police and Customs have congratulated five new handlers and their detector dogs on their graduation from the Police Dog Training Centre (DTC) in Trentham today.

The teams have completed their training to be qualified as operational Detector Dog Teams and three of the handlers are first time operators.

Two officers from Fiji Police and one from Samoa Police, one officer from Fiji Revenue and Customs Service and one from Tonga Revenue and Customs have proudly marched out at Trentham today.

National Coordinator Police Dogs and Pacific Detector Dog Programme (PDDP) Manager, Inspector Todd Southall, congratulated all the teams.

“These handlers and their dogs have trained here in Upper Hutt for eight weeks and now the rest of the training is completed back in their own jurisdictions under the watchful eyes of advisors from the PDDP,” he says.

New Zealand Police and Customs have a close partnership with our Pacific enforcement partners.  The PDDP is part of a commitment to increase safety across the region.

New Zealand Customs’ Deputy Chief Executive – International and Governance Joe Cannon said when fully trained, these detector dog and handler teams will be deployed to perform both border security and community policing.

“Today marks a significant milestone in our shared mission to protect Pacific borders and communities.

The graduation of five new detector dog teams boosts our region’s capability to detect drugs, cash and firearms, and strengthens our collective response to transnational, serious and organised crime,” Mr Cannon said.“The DTC has been working with Pacific countries for much longer than the PDDP has been running, Inspector Southall says.

“About 20 years ago we started to work with some of the Pacific countries – initially the Cook Islands, Samoa, and Tonga, then later Fiji and now French Polynesia and New Caledonia has been added this year”, says Inspector Southall.

The PDDP officially started in 2018 and is jointly managed by New Zealand Police and Customs. It is funded through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

Left to Right:

Inspector Todd Southall (National Coordinator – Police Dogs), Erin Williams (Senior Project Officer, Overseas Programmes), Constable Ratu Esala Drole & Detector Dog Vena, Sergeant Mike Robinson (Trainer), Constable Sher Singh Junior & Detector Dog Vector, Principal Customs Officer Saimoni Tuiraki (Trainer), Senior Customs Officer Camari Rotukana & Detector Dog Ouzo, Sergeant Matt Fage (Trainer), Customs Officer Andrew Manu & Detector Dog Twiggy, Constable Miracle Malaefono Pose & Detector Dog Yoko, Chief Customs Officer Dave Huff (NZ Customs).

Source: PHARMAC

Pharmac is proposing changes to the Special Authority and Hospital Indication Restrictions criteria for four biologic medicines: infliximab, etanercept, secukinumab, and rituximab.

These medicines are used to treat a range of autoimmune and inflammatory conditions. The proposed changes aim to reduce administrative workload for clinicians, improve consistency across biologic treatments, and respond to feedback received during previous consultation.

Special Authority and Hospital Indication Restrictions are funding tools used by Pharmac to ensure medicines are targeted to those who would benefit most. They set out specific clinical criteria that must be met before a person can get a funded medicine.

“We’ve listened to feedback from clinicians, patient advocacy groups, and others,” says Pharmac’s Acting Manager of Pharmaceutical Funding, Claire Pouwels. “This proposal is about making the criteria easier to use and more consistent.”

The proposed changes include:

• Extending how long a Special Authority approval lasts
• Allowing any relevant health practitioner to apply for funding
• Removing renewal requirements for some conditions
• Aligning language and removing outdated clinical references

Pharmac previously consulted on changes to the access criteria for adalimumab in 2021. That consultation was well received, and many stakeholders asked for similar updates to other biologic medicines.

“These proposed changes will make a difference for people who rely on these medicines,” says Pouwels. “Fewer administrative steps means less waiting, fewer treatment disruptions, and more consistent access to care.

“We encourage anyone with an interest in these medicines to share their views.”

From 6 November 2025, Pharmac will begin public consultation on the proposed changes. Feedback will be open until 5pm on 27 November 2025. 

Source: NZ Department of Conservation

Date:  06 November 2025

Nest surveying began in September and so far, the Department of Conservation’s Pukunui Recovery Team have found 12 nests, 35 eggs and five chicks.

DOC Rakiura Operations Manager Jennifer Ross says it’s a promising start to the season and potentially a big boost for pukunui recovery efforts as there are only an estimated 105 left (not including the new chicks) – making them the rarest and most threatened wading bird in the world.

“To see these little chicks emerge brings hope that we can save them from extinction.”

However, there’s no guarantee all eggs will hatch or that the chicks and their parents will survive as they are extremely vulnerable to predation by feral cats.

“In previous years, we’ve lost around 40-50 adult birds to predation, and last year, we lost around 20 adults but gained about 24 chicks,” she says.

There’s cautious optimism that more birds will survive as feral cat numbers have been heavily reduced in an aerial 1080 predator control operation in August covering 40,000 hectares of Rakiura National Park. This included vital pukunui breeding habitat along the Tin Range.

“We are thrilled as camera monitoring in the area has revealed zero feral cat detections for at least six weeks following the operation, however, they will eventually reinvade from areas where 1080 wasn’t applied,” Jennifer says.

“The main measure of success will be the pukunui flock count in April, and also the long-term population trends. Our aim is to grow the population to at least 300 birds by 2035.”

Nest surveying efforts have had a boost in funding this year from the International Visitor Levy. This is enabling the team to more extensively search breeding sites.

“They don’t breed in one big group, they are very widely distributed, so it’s hard to predict where their nests will be or find them as they blend very well into the alpine vegetation,” she says.

“This season, the team have been excited to find a few mystery male birds that we’ve banded at flocking sites but hadn’t seen at breeding sites. This is particularly critical as we estimate there are less than 30 males left. The males play an important role in incubating eggs at night, while females incubate during the day.”

The team is very careful to minimise any disturbance to the birds when nest surveying.

“It’s important when we’re out naturing we keep disturbance to a minimum. Once we are out of the way, pukunui always quickly settle back onto the nest. They aren’t scared away by our activity.”

In addition to nest surveying, the team manages a network of nearly 500 traps. They’ve caught 20 feral cats since May, and just one in the operational area since 1080 was applied.

“Just one feral cat has the potential to wipe out multiple nests in quick succession.”

Before predators were introduced to New Zealand, pukunui bred throughout the Southern Alps, but they now only breed on the Rakiura mountain tops – earning them a reputation as the “underbirds”.

“It’s been tough weather conditions for the birds lately – especially with the recent storm. The chicks will have been spending a lot of their time sheltering under the wings of their parents.”

From January onwards, the survivors will journey off the mountains to Rakiura beaches and Awarua Bay to gather and forage in groups. New birds will then be banded so their survival can be monitored.

“For birds that have fledged, it’s a rite of passage to make their way down and a bit of a test run for their flying abilities.”

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