NZ Engine

Source: Radio New Zealand

Bluebridge have once again cancelled a scheduled Connemara sailing not far ahead of its departure, but it says the ship’s fault is fixed and it will back in service tomorrow.

The Connemara was scheduled to depart Wellington at 8.30pm, but it has now canned the service.

But Bluebridge said repairs to address the ongoing technical fault had been completed and the ship is expected to resume services at 8.15am tomorrow.

StraitNZ Bluebridge spokesperson Will Dady said sea trials to test the repair were being conducted today.

“We’d like to say thank you to our freight customers and passengers for their patience and apologise again for the disruption to their travel plans over the past week or so,” Dady said.

Passengers vent frustration at short notice cancellations

It has been 10 days since the Connemara was side-lined due to a technical fault.

Since then RNZ has been contacted by numerous passengers frustrated by the incremental notifications offered by the ferry provider – which in some cases saw people travelling significant distances to make sailings which were subsequently cancelled.

Today Bluebridge’s Will Dady acknowledged the impact on customers caught up in the disruptions.

“We do everything we can to give passengers as much notice as possible while still being able to manage the volume of passengers we are working one-to-one with to reschedule or refund. But we understand rolling cancellations can be frustrating for those that prefer longer lead times,” Dady said.

Maritime NZ detain Connemara following inspections

On Monday evening Maritime NZ announced that a “Port State Control Inspection” of the ship conducted ahead of the weekend had led the waterways regulator to detain the ship in berth at Wellington.

“Once the issues have been rectified and checked and approved by its classification society surveyor, its flag state (Bahamas), and our inspectors, we will remove the detention,” a spokesperson said.

RNZ has requested details of when the detainment notice would be able to be lifted from Maritime NZ.

Bluebridge notifications placing additional pressure on passengers

Destination Marlborough’s Tracey Green said the regional tourism organisation had met with Bluebridge today to discuss the cancellations and the upcoming Easter holiday.

She said the ferry providers’ communications had fallen short of expectations.

“It’s fair to say that Bluebridge hasn’t delivered the same level of information or service that we expect from them.

“So it has placed that additional pressure on passengers not knowing or finding out in a time frame that’s not really suitable for them that they could find alternative arrangements,” Green said.

Last week Bluebridge apologised “unreservedly” for the disruption but the company was yet to elaborate on the nature of the fault, just that it was taking longer than anticipated to fix.

Notifications on the Bluebridge website directed customers to their online Refunds and Compensation page for any claims relating to the cancellations.

The ferry provider had assured Destination Marlborough they were doing all they could to have sailings back on schedule in time for the Easter break, Green said Tuesday.

“They are trying hard to ensure that there’s no disruption over the Easter period and that’s the main priority.

“My discussions with them regarding priorities is ‘Is Easter going to be seamless?’. Are we going to see that there’s no disruption because Easter can be a really difficult time with people going to see family and travelling between Islands.

“I would like to say that it is a definite but, however, I have to leave those decisions in their hands because there is a lot of work going on between now and Easter – and it’s only a short window – but we have been assured, as best as we can, that Easter will be operational,” Green said.

A silver lining to the ship’s failure was that some travellers might have got to spend a little more time in the region but she was wary of that experience being tainted by the frustration over cancellations and delays, Green said.

“The biggest challenge for us in our region is the perception of the reputation of these ferries. These connecting transport providers – are in some cases lifelines to both of these islands – and when people choose not to utilise them it impacts the communities that surround them.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Pharmac has announced it will fund cystic fibrosis medicines Trikafta and Alyftrek for children of all ages from Wednesday.

It’s currently only funded for those aged six and older.

Pharmac consulted on the change in January, and feedback was positive.

Parents told RNZ the drug would be life-changing, and could potentially double some children’s life expectancy.

Associate Health Minister David Seymour, announcing the change on Tuesday, said doctors would use their clinical judgement to prescribe these medicines to any patient who would benefit.

He said parents of children under six would no longer have to choose between delaying treatment until their child was old enough, paying hundreds of thousands of dollars a year for treatment, or moving overseas.

“Cystic fibrosis can cause harm very early in life, so waiting to meet age-based eligibility criteria is not an option,” Seymour said.

“We’re making the system work better for the people it serves. When people can access their medicines easily, they stay healthier for longer. It also reduces pressure on other parts of the health system.”

The changes in a nutshell, starting 1 April

• Widen funded access to Trikafta for all children with eligible diagnosis (currently only funded for children six years and older)
• Widen funded access to Kalydeco for everyone with eligible diagnosis
• Fund access to a new treatment, Alyftrek

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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 Green Party says its decision not to select a former sex worker as a candidate has nothing to do with her background.

Sex worker advocacy group Fired Up Stilettos’ chairperson Bianca Beebe was not selected this year, with the group in a statement claiming the vetting process fixated on her former job, and that she was told it posed a reputational risk to the party.

“Much was made of her having previously advertised sex work online, and they asked how she would feel if the opposition found archives of those now-deleted photos,” the statement said.

“She quipped ‘all of my advertising photos were great, so it would be pretty funny to have people attempt to shame me by sharing photos of me looking amazing’.

“She pointed out that lots of adults-in and out of Parliament-share nude photos with other consenting adults, but that hadn’t prevented anyone else’s candidacy. The committee chair furiously erupted, ‘Who? Who is sharing nudes?’.”

The group said the Greens’ selection process included an intial interview, followed by an email with 28 questions, 21 of which related to sex work, and a subsequent interview with the party’s candidate committee.

The statement says the committee chair expressed concern about Beebe’s sex work past and activism would distract from the party’s messaging goals, including Beebe having done sex work while on a work visa.

But co-leader Marama Davidson has disputed those claims.

“We have always and will always continue to advocate for sex workers, for the role that sex work advocacy groups play in this country.

“Yes, we have criteria that keeps our party, the kaupapa and the applicant safe. The final thing, the process is confidential but we want to make it clear that there was no relationship to a sex worker background in the party’s decision on this.”

She said the party was not “at all” concerned about Beebe’s background, or that she may have been working illegally, or that political parties could use that to attack them.

“There are so many different reasons to make sure that candidates and applicants are ready to face the pressure of government, but I’ll be clear again, the sex worker background of the applicant did not have any bearing on the final decision.”

The Green Party’s candidate selection process has been changed ahead of the coming election after a series of personnel problems.

“We have had a new robust process come in and that process upholds the long-standing political positions and values of the Green Party. The bold and courageous positions we have taken when it comes to advocating for sex workers rights, when it comes to advocating for crime prevention, for example,” Davidson said.

“It is a process that better prepares and keeps candidates and the party safe.”

She refused to say why Beebe had not been selected, saying that was confidential – but it was not her past as a sex worker.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

One of Kaitāia’s biggest employers could be shut down with the loss of hundreds of jobs if a buyer can’t be found by the mills’ Japanese owners.

Juken New Zealand owns two timber mills in the Far North town, one producing sawn timber, the other a Triboard product used in construction.

High costs – power especially – have long cast a shadow over the future of the two mills, but Juken NZ has now signalled its intention to exit the Far North town of about 6000 people.

The news has been greeted with dismay in Kaitāia, a town with few other employment options.

Far North Mayor Moko Tepania said news of the mills’ possible sale or closure would be concerning for employees, their whānau and the wider Kaitāia community.

His priority was “to understand the situation fully and work alongside Juken as they explore options in a very tough economic environment”.

Tepania said the Far North District and Northland Regional councils would be seeking support from central government.

“Given the scale of the potential economic impact, we’ll be advocating strongly for government involvement. Councils can’t advocate for this alone, we need all partners at the table.”

Juken NZ managing director Hisayuki Tsuboi said the company had started consulting staff about the future of its Northland Mill and Triboard Mill.

“This reflects a combination of ongoing structural and market pressures affecting these operations, including declining demand in key export markets and increasing operating costs.”

Tsuboi said the company had been working for several years to improve financial performance at its Kaitāia sites, including by increasing production and exploring new markets.

As part of that process, the company was exploring whether the mills could stay open under a different structure, including a potential sale or joint venture.

“We are taking the mills to market to assess whether there is interest from potential buyers. Our focus is on testing whether there is a viable pathway that would allow the mills to continue operating and to preserve employment where possible.”

Tsuboi said the company had started engaging with employees and unions.

Union understands both Juken mills put up for sale

About 145 employees at the two mills are represented by Workers First Union, while others are members of E tū or are non-unionised.

Workers First deputy secretary Anita Rosentreter said the union understood both mills had been put up for sale, with a tendering process taking place over the next eight weeks.

She was convinced Juken’s Kaitāia workforce was irreplaceable.

“We don’t believe any potential buyer could look to replace or make redundant the current mill workforce, who have decades of experience in the wood processing industry and could not be easily replaced.”

Rosentreter said New Zealand’s wood industry had been decimated in the past two years, with hundreds of jobs lost at Winstone’s pulp and saw mills in Ruapehu, at Oji Fibre’s Penrose pulp mill and Kinleith’s paper machine, and the Carter Holt Harvey sawmill in Nelson.

“We can’t afford to lose more of our manufacturing industry when our economic sovereignty and good local jobs are more important than ever. The wood industry provides many good jobs in Aotearoa, and it should be growing, not shrinking.”

With investment in wood processing, New Zealand could return to making quality wood products locally rather than simply shipping raw logs overseas.

In the meantime, the Kaitāia mills would continue as normal, with no immediate changes to production or customer arrangements.

Northland Regional Council chairman Pita Tipene said the councils, together with regional economic development agency Northland Inc, were committed to supporting Juken as it worked through the consultation process.

“We’ve already had initial discussions with Juken and will continue to engage closely with them to understand what pathways may exist … We’re willing to work together to investigate every avenue, advocate for our communities, and support efforts to secure a sustainable future for the operation in Kaitāia.”

Juken NZ’s announcement on Friday was overshadowed at the time by serious flooding in parts of northern Kaitāia.

Hundreds of people were evacuated from their homes on Thursday night, and floodwaters overtopping stopbanks swamped Pak’n Save’s service station and caused serious damage at a nearby ITM store.

The potential Kaitāia mill closures come just days after Heinz Watties announced it was shutting down manufacturing sites in Christchurch, Dunedin and Auckland, as well its frozen packing lines in Hastings.

It also comes amid a raft of other mill closures around regional New Zealand, with many owners blaming high energy costs.

They include the paper production line at Kinleith Mill in Tokoroa (with the loss of 230 jobs), Eves Valley Sawmill in Tasman (140 jobs), and Karioi Pulpmill and Tangiwai Sawmill in Ruapehu (200 jobs).

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Source: Radio New Zealand

As Northland recovers from another storm, officials in Wellington are trying to fix the disaster warning and communications systems that have failed repeatedly for two decades.

The systems came up short in Cyclone Gabrielle when people did not get alerts in time and rescuers often had to guess what was going on.

They have got further than ever before on what they are calling “a once in a generation opportunity to significantly uplift the supporting systems”.

Several business cases are ready to build the technology – such as a national warning system – and a review found the phased approach was sound.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) told RNZ it was “moving to the delivery phase” of the five-year programme.

But warning signs have also been flashing.

The latest review released under the Official Information Act (OIA), from six months ago, said the project was “feasible, but significant issues already exist” that demanded “constant and high-level attention” so that risks did not “materialise into major issues threatening delivery”.

At that stage, last September, the business cases appeared to have “substantially underestimated” how much technical, operational and cultural capability had to be built.

“The review team heard that critical questions remain unanswered regarding the fundamental information architecture: what data will be stored, how it will be gathered systematically, and crucially, how it will be transformed into actionable intelligence rather than merely aggregated information.”

Having rated the project amber – on a red-amber-green scale – the ‘Gateway’ review listed six “do now” urgent tasks to resolve them, including a risk assessment.

That assessment, released under the OIA, showed a “high” and ongoing risk of major impact if a national disaster hit while the new systems were still being built over the next five years.

The system ‘will not cope’

The system gaps have proven fatal before when people have not been warned in time, or rescued from their roofs in time, by emergency responders flying partly blind by lack of proper real-time shared data systems, epitomised in Cyclone Gabrielle and the failed response in the Esk Valley.

It goes way back. In 2004, a review said the existing national crisis management centre information system “will not cope with a national emergency of a magnitude, scale or duration greater than the recent February 2004 floods”.

Two decades on, last July NEMA told companies at a ‘town hall’ to learn what the tech options were: “Over the past 20 years, there’s been numerous reports highlighting the need for improved technology. Our technology is not fit for the fit for purpose for the sector.

“NEMA does not have a suitable modern platform for delivering its core functions before, during, and after a response.

“NEMA currently relies on a mix of disparate basic collaboration tools which are highly manual, prone to error, and can create risk during an emergency.”

Basically, it faced disasters with little situational awareness, it told MPs in 2024, a year after Gabrielle.

‘Anchor’ programme

RNZ asked for the most substantive and up-to-date documents. The agency withheld four business cases on confidentiality and commercial grounds. Asked for advice and briefings to ministers since last October, NEMA advised there were none within the specified timeframe.

It told the companies: “There is real enthusiasm within the sector to finally be able to go and improve our information and management systems, to support the sector, to keep New Zealanders safe and improve community resilience before, during and after an event.”

It was “very interested” in the cost and told the businesses to provide rough figures that nevertheless would not need much tweaking.

The Emergency Management Sector Operational Systems Programme runs from 2026 for five years. Described as the “anchor” project of the government’s work to strengthen emergency management, it is still subject to policy work, legislation and funding.

It includes setting up:

• a foundational data platform that is a a consolidated “single source of the truth” across local, regional and national emergency management agencies;
• a standardised national visualisation tool called a common operating picture, or COP;
• a national warning system;
• operational systems for NEMA to nationally coordinate response and recovery.

In September, the agency found a preferred solution for all this but details were scarce as the business cases were withheld.

‘More intractable’

However, as big as the tech build appeared – and that work demonstrated “considerable sophistication” – the even more crucial work was “more intractable” and in fact beyond NEMA as things stood, the review last September said.

“The organisational foundations necessary for successful delivery remain underdeveloped,” it said.

“The contrast between technical readiness and institutional capacity presents the programme’s most significant strategic challenge.”

The long patchy history of disaster response had led to the 16 Civil Defence Emergency Management Groups nationwide sometimes doing their own thing and implementing “part solutions” that did not fit with others.

For instance, in 2011 when central Civil Defence introduced new disaster tech, it struggled to “convince the nationwide CDEM (Civil Defence Emergency Management) sector to fully uptake the tool”. By 2013 the groups were failing to turn up at meetings, official reports showed.

Fifteen years on, and “fundamental cultural transformation across the entire emergency management system” was essential, the September review said.

“The proposed shift from fragmented, agency-centric operational models toward integrated, sector-wide coordination represents not merely a technical upgrade but a comprehensive reimagining of institutional relationships and working practices that have evolved over decades.

“This cultural transformation challenge may prove more intractable than the technical implementation aspects.”

It warned Wellington not to lose support of the groups that had begun to buy in on the current overhaul.

“The phrase ‘don’t go dark on us and then expect us to reheat the meal’ resonated with the Review Team.”

Timeline

• 2004, 2017, 2020 – Inquiries into flood responses find big disaster system gaps. Various patchy tech systems are set up over the years.
• 2023 – Gabrielle and the North Island storms spark 26 separate inquiries.
• 2024 – NEMA develops a business case for implementing recommendations of those inquiries.
• 2025 – NEMA asks tech companies for advice, develops business cases – and a Gateway review delivers warnings.
• 2026 – The five-year Emergency Management Sector Operational Systems Programme official begins.

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