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Dozens of schools and childcare centres report using asbestos-contaminated sand

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) said people needed to stop using the products immediately. Supplied / Product Safety NZ

The Ministry of Education says nearly 60 schools and early childhood centres have contacted them over possible asbestos contamination from recalled coloured play sands.

Rainbow sand from Educational Colours and coloured sand from Creatistics were recalled because Tremolite – a naturally occurring asbestos – had been found in samples during lab testing.

Head of operations and integration Sean Teddy said schools were told not to attempt to clean it up, but leave the area and close off access to affected spaces.

“We’ve been contacted by around 30 schools and 30 early childhood services from around the country, and we are working with them to validate if the product they have on site is the product that is being recalled, as well as if the product they have is in active use or not.

“We will have a better understanding of the number of schools and early learning services affected by the recall, and how they are responding, by the end of the day Friday.”

Asbestos contamination had been found in similar products in Australia.

Earlier in the week the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) said people needed to stop using the products immediately.

“We urge anyone who has bought these products, either for personal use or potential use in a school or other setting to act immediately,” said Ian Caplin, MBIE product safety spokesperson.

“Stop using the sand, contain it, secure it in a safe place and arrange for safe disposal through licensed professionals, a list of these is available on the WorkSafe website.”

Caplin said people should avoid trying to clean any loose particles themselves

“It’s not a question of hoovering it up and chucking it in a waste bin, call an expert.,”

The sand was sold at Paper Plus, Hobby Land, NZ School Shop, Office Products Depot, Discount Office, Acquire, and Qizzle, Modern Teaching Aids, Creative Classrooms Ltd and ACME Supplies.

MBIE said it may have also been sold online.

RNZ had been in touch with a number of asbestos removal firms who said they had been notified of the product by WorkSafe, and were awaiting further information before formulating plans to address potential contamination.

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

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Developer fined more than $48,000 for illegal earthworks on Auckland’s North Shore

Source: Radio New Zealand

COD Crown Projects Limited pleaded guilty to two charges relating to unlawful earthworks. RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly

A developer has been fined $48,750 after admitting to unlawful earthworks.

COD Crown Projects Limited pleaded guilty to two charges relating to two properties on Auckland’s North Shore.

Auckland Council said the works – at Browns Bay and Northcross – led to significant sediment discharges.

The fine was a clear signal for owners and businesses to make sure they were complying with consents and rules, the council said.

The developer was granted resource consent with conditions that included managing erosion and sediment.

But council inspections found ongoing non-compliance despite repeated warnings.

Sediment from the two sites flowed onto neighbouring properties and into waterways.

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

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Sod turned on Whangārei Hospital car park extension

Source: New Zealand Government

A key milestone has been reached in the redevelopment of Whangārei Hospital, with the sod turning for a major on-grade car parking extension to enable construction of the new acute services building, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.

“Car parks are a vital part of hospital infrastructure and are essential for patients, staff, and visitors as we continue the transformation of Whangārei Hospital,” Mr Brown says.

Construction of Car Park 14 will deliver 583 new spaces, supporting and enabling progress on the wider hospital redevelopment, including the new acute services building and child health centre.

“Importantly, the new car park will be completed and operational by the end of May 2026, before more than 480 existing spaces become temporarily unavailable due to construction. This will ensure uninterrupted access to hospital services for patients, visitors, and staff.

“Further, it is critical to commencing construction of the new acute services building while maintaining, and ultimately increasing, the number of car parks available on site.

“Once the child health centre is completed, total hospital parking capacity will increase from 1,415 to 1,977, delivering a significant long-term improvement for the Whangārei community.

“The new car park will include clear wayfinding and user-friendly infrastructure to ensure a smooth experience for patients and visitors.”

Mr Brown acknowledged the advocacy and support of Whangārei MP Hon Dr Shane Reti, who joined the sod-turning ceremony.

“We know parking is a real issue for the community. This project not only offsets the temporary loss of spaces but also increases overall capacity. It’s another practical step forward in ensuring people can get the care they need, when they need it.”

“The redevelopment of Whangārei Hospital is about delivering a modern, accessible hospital that Northlanders can rely on. I look forward to seeing continued progress across the campus in the months ahead.”

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Workshop fire sends smoke billowing across central Christchurch

Source: Radio New Zealand

The fire at a mechanical workshop in the Christchurch suburb of Sydenham earlier sent smoke billowing across the central city. RNZ / Anna Sargent

Firefighters have contained a fire at a mechanical workshop in central Christchurch.

Crews were called to reports of a car on fire at the workshop on Coleridge Street in Sydenham just before 9am.

Thick, black smoke was seen billowing across the central city.

Fire and Emergency said the fire had been contained and crews were mopping up hotspots.

Police had closed some nearby streets.

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

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New law to allow more pharmacist prescribers will free up GPs’ time, pharmacist says

Source: Radio New Zealand

A law change passed this week means that pharmacists who own or invest in a pharmacy will be able to become prescribers from February next year. 123RF

The chair of the Independent Pharmacy Group says it is unlikely pharmacists will be ready to start prescribing medicines from the moment a new law comes into effect.

Around 100 pharmacist prescribers currently work in GP clinics, hospices, and hospitals.

Under a law change passed this week pharmacists who own or invest in a pharmacy will be able to become prescribers from February next year.

But Clive Cannons, who also owns Clive’s Chemist in Wainuiomata, told Morning Report it was unlikely to be in place on 1 February.

“There will be extra training, there’ll be extra competencies to take on board, so there is going to be a little bit of a lag time,” he said.

Cannons said the law change was a good opportunity for the profession and would free up GPs’ time for more complex cases.

“There are a lot of conditions that can be treated safely in pharmacies, such as strep throat, skin infections, ear infections, things like that that don’t need oversight as much, and then we can refer to GPs when it is beyond our scope,” he said.

GP unsure about 12 month prescriptions

From 1 February New Zealanders would also be able to receive 12-month prescriptions for their medicines, which the government estimated could save patients up to $105 per year in reduced GP fees, although patients will still have to pay the $5 prescription charge every three months.

Christchurch GP and chair of the General Practice Owners Association Dr Angus Chambers said there was a lot more to safe prescribing than people realized, and it wouldn’t always be possible to prescribe 12 months.

“Some [prescriptions] require routine monitoring,” he told Afternoons.

“We’ve got a system where sometimes the patient needs to be reviewed six monthly, yearly, or sometimes even two yearly. But every time you do that prescription, every three months, you’re checking the file,” he said.

Chambers said that could entail checking relevant blood tests had been taken, recall systems and letters that had come in from other sources.

“There’s a lot of housekeeping that gets done each time.”

Chambers was concerned expectations had been built high for the 12 month prescriptions, and that doctors and reception staff would get grief from patients if a 12 month prescription was declined.

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

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Detection device selected for drug-impaired driver screening

Source: New Zealand Police

Roadside screening for drug-impaired drivers has moved a step closer to becoming reality as Police confirm they have tested, and selected, a detection device.

Police will be rolling out roadside drug driving testing in the Wellington District from mid-December 2025.

Pathtech Pty Ltd, an Australian-based Drug Detection and Life Science provider, was the successful supplier of roadside oral fluid testing equipment, following an extensive global procurement process.

The Securetec DrugWipe 3 S device will be used by Police for the roadside drug screening. Pathtech will also supply Police with Oral Fluid Collection Kits, to collect saliva samples to be sent for laboratory analysis.

Pathtech has extensive knowledge of introducing drug detection equipment across Police jurisdictions in Australia.

Superintendent Steve Greally, Director of Road Policing says the new equipment was tested by our officers, and independent forensic laboratory tested the accuracy of the roadside equipment, which were the critical components in procurement evaluation.

Officers are looking forward to starting roadside drug driving testing in an effort to detect and deter drivers who get behind the wheel impaired by drugs and ultimately risk their own lives and others on our roads.

“Many countries, including New Zealand, have seen a rise in the number of drivers testing positive for drugs in recent years, and the direct correlation to the number of people being seriously injured or killed on our roads.

Superintendent Greally confirmed after next month’s launch in Wellington, roadside drug testing would scale up from April 2026 to operate nationwide by mid-2026.

“The focus now shifts to the implementation and our processes as our staff prepare for this crucial change. Information about the launch and what drivers can expect will be provided over the course of the next month.

“Police are working vigorously with various agencies and groups to identify and clarify any concerns regarding this impending change that will aim to save lives on our roads,” Superintendent Greally says.

ENDS

About the successful supplier

  • New Zealand Police’s supplier for the drug testing equipment is Pathtech Pty Ltd, who has been supplying Drug Detection and Life Science products to New Zealand and Australia for over 40 years.
  • Pathtech partners with Securetec AG who develop and manufacture drug detection technology and devices to drug enforcement authorities globally.
  • Pathtech has been the exclusive Australian and New Zealand distributor for Securetec for over 20 years.
  • Pathtech supply the DrugWipe 3 S device to almost every Police jurisdiction in Australia and the DrugWipe device is used in over 40 countries worldwide.
  • More than two million DrugWipe devices were sold in 2024 worldwide.
  • Pathtech’s head office is in Preston, Victoria, Australia, and they have over 30 staff Australia-wide.

Brief description of the devices

Pathtech will supply two pieces of equipment for NZ Police to implement roadside drug testing.

1. DrugWipe 3 S that detects the presence of specified drugs in saliva at or above a threshold that indicates current and recent use.

2. Pathtech Oral Fluid Collection Kit utilising Quantisal collection device and buffer transport tube for laboratory analysis.

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Ed-tech company Kami named EY entrepreneur of the year

Source: Radio New Zealand

Kami co-founders Hengjie Wang and Alliv Samson with their award. SUPPLIED

The co-founders of education technology platform Kami have been named EY entrepreneur of the year, with a fast growing global business expanding in more than 180 countries, except New Zealand.

Kami’s educational products is used by 70 million teachers and students around the world, including 90 percent of US classrooms.

Kami was co-founded in 2013 by chief executive Hengjie Wang and chief operating officer Alliv Samson, after developing their first interactive educational tool while still in university.

Samson said the company was still just getting started, with long-term plans to continue.

“We’re still scratching the surface,” Samson said. “There’s still a lot of classrooms out there that need help, including New Zealand.

“One of the biggest challenges that we see in Education NZ is we don’t have really good structure in ways on how we use technology in the classroom, and we can see how progressive the other countries are, but unfortunately, we’re really lacking here in New Zealand, and that’s something that we would love to see change.”

Wang said he would use the win to discuss the issue with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon who spoke about the importance of technology and entrpreneurship at the annual awards gala.

Kami will be competing with the other country winners at EY’s Global event to be held in Monaco, June 2026.

Category winners

  • Alliv Samson and Hengjie Wang (Kami) Alliv Samson and Hengjie Wang, Kami
  • Kate Gatfield-Jeffries (Moodi), Young Entrepreneur
  • Chris Benham (The Village Goldsmith), Product Entrepreneur
  • Taurus Taurima (Topline Contracting), Services Entrepreneur
  • James Annabell (Egmont Honey), Master Entrepreneur

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

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Real estate complaints hit record level

Source: Radio New Zealand

The complaints related to customer service, skill and care, disclosure and misleading advertising. (File photo) 123RF

The Real Estate Authority is fielding a record number of complaints about real estate salespeople amid challenging housing market conditions.

The authority’s 2025 annual report noted a 35 percent increase in formal complaints in the year to June 30, to 487.

It said 9 percent of licensees subject to complaints had findings of misconduct or unsatisfactory conduct made against them.

The authority said complaints related to customer service, skill and care, disclosure and misleading advertising.

Poor communication was also a common theme.

But the authority said many did not raise issues that justified strong regulatory intervention.

Chief executive Belinda Moffat said the results indicated that most real estate licensees were maintaining high standards of professional conduct.

“REA is holding to account those who don’t.”

But she said the increase in consumer dissatisfaction needed to be a focus for the industry and said some cases raised complex and serious matters.

“Licensees are expected to maintain high standards and to have the skills to navigate challenging market conditions. Fairness, transparency, skill and care are critical expectations of the conduct regulatory system we oversee.”

She said the increase in complaints highlighted the complexity of the real estate transaction process.

The provision of quality information was important to support good decision-making, she said.

There are 15,692 people with active real estate licenses in New Zealand including 12,300 sales people, 1930 individual agents and 605 branch managers.

But that is almost three times the number of monthly residential property sales.

There were 6346 sales across the country in September, according to the Real Estate Institute.

“We were particularly pleased to see the 18 percent increase in branch managers this year given the important role they play as supervisors of salespeople,” Moffat said.

In 2023, there were 15,870 licences, down from 16,902 in September 2022.

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

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CCTV catches thieves red handed

Source: New Zealand Police

A trio of alleged burglars are going to court after being caught on camera during an early morning burglary in Hillsborough earlier this week.

Around 3.53am on Tuesday, Police were contacted after motion was detected on CCTV cameras at a building site on Herd Road.

Auckland City West Area Response Manager Senior Sergeant Guy Baldwin says two people were seen passing items over the secured sites fence.

“The security guard was watching these people in real time,” he says.

“They were allegedly passing items to each other over the fence and loading them into a nearby vehicle.”

A Police dog handler was nearby and quickly responded, stopping all three men in their tracks as they were preparing to leave.

“When the dog handler arrived, he located two men sitting in the vehicle with the engine running,” Senior Sergeant Baldwin says.

“A third man was loitering by the gates with the passenger door to the vehicle open, ready to make a getaway.”

A search of the vehicle uncovered tools and various other items that were confirmed to belong to the construction site.

All three were arrested for burglary.

“This shows the value of a good CCTV system for deterring and holding offending to account,” Senior Sergeant Baldwin says.

“The added layer of monitored security meant we were able to apprehend these alleged offenders and prevent them leaving with the items.”

All three men, aged 32, 36 and 50, will appear in the Auckland District Court on 17 November charged with burglary.

ENDS.

Amanda Wieneke/NZ Police

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Seven queen yellow-legged hornets found in Auckland so far

Source: Radio New Zealand

Seven queen yellow-legged hornets have now been found in Auckland. Biosecurity NZ

Seven queen yellow-legged hornets have so far been found in Auckland as efforts ramp up to track others down.

The predator hornets are a danger to local honey and wild bees.

The first was found in Glenfield last month and was the first time a queen has been found here.

The Ministry for Primary Industries says it’s stepping up the number of people on the ground.

“This week we introduced additional teams to methodically check common nesting areas close to where hornets have been detected in Glenfield and Birkdale,” Biosecurity New Zealand north commissioner Mike Inglis said.

“We are stepping up our numbers on the ground to widen the search as required, and have more than 20 focused on enhanced searches and more than 100 staff across MPI involved in this response,” he said.

Traps are being checked each day, but so far no hornets have been found in them.

Five of the seven queens showed evidence of nesting.

MPI said its response included:

  • Setting more than 180 traps in targeted areas where females have been found. Every trap is checked daily. No hornets have been found in traps to date. Additional traps are being added in areas where queen hornets are found, so the number of traps will continue to increase.
  • Introducing protein bait traps alongside existing traps.
  • Establishing a Technical Advisory Group (TAG) of independent scientific experts with expertise in the biology, ecology, and management of social wasps. The TAG has been considering options for ongoing work.
  • Encouraging public surveillance, including sending staff into the community to raise awareness. This weekend, staff will again be at local markets to share information about the hornet.

The public are begin urged to report suspected hornets or nests but only if they have a specimen, or a clear photo, or have spotted a possible nest.

How to make a report

  • By going to report.mpi.govt.nz
  • By calling Biosecurity New Zealand’s exotic pest and disease hotline on 0800 809 966.

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