NZ Engine

Source: Radio New Zealand

A computer science lecturer warns that universities are much more vulnerable to having their systems hacked, after the learning portal many use had its security breached last week.

Last Friday, the Canvas system was hacked by a “malicious actor”, and names, email addresses, phone numbers and messages between students and staff were put at risk.

The system, used by about 9000 institutions worldwide, was out of action for about two days, before it was brought back online.

University of Auckland computer science lecturer and technology consultant Ulrich Speidel said the system was now far more vulnerable to future hacks, because the hackers had got inside the programme.

“The moment you’re on the inside and you can actually see the code that’s there, it makes it much, much easier to look for security holes.”

Because of that, he worried the hackers could strike again soon.

“We might be seeing those hackers come back in days or weeks to come, once they’ve looked through the code that they may have been able to look at.”

Speidel said his department was planning for how it would teach students without Canvas, if there was another hack.

He had raised concerns about Canvas in the past, after noticing that students could log into one account from different locations during an exam, allowing them to bring in outside helpers.

He said the response from Instructure, which runs Canvas, was to ask him to put it on to the community mailing list and, if enough people supported it, they’d fix it.

“That’s not really the attitude that I’d expect from a supplier who prides themselves on providing a secure system.”

Earlier this week, Instructure said it had “reached an agreement” with the hackers.

As part of the agreement, the stolen data had been returned, along with digital confirmation that the hackers had destroyed the data on their end.

Speidel said cybersecurity was not usually a priority for organisations commissioning a web app from a third party, but it should be.

“Universities are not alone in this… people need to ask, what’s the vendor’s security stance? What experience do they have in terms of security?”

Cybersecurity commentator Anthony Grasso agreed that organisations needed to take cybersecurity more seriously and legislation was needed to make that happen.

“Right now, there is no reason for them to really put a lot of effort into cybersecurity, in terms of the law.”

The government has made a Cyber Security Action Plan, which included considering introducing penalties for data breaches under the Privacy Act.

Grasso said that could mean, in future hacks, organisations that had their data breached could be liable. In a case like the recent Canvas hacks, that could be the universities themselves.

“I would imagine the privacy commissioner in New Zealand would be fining universities, because ultimately, they’re outsourcing this part of their business, so universities still really are held accountable for the data.”

The Justice Ministry, which leads work on the fines, said there were various options for liability, which it would provide in its advice, and couldn’t comment on liability in the Canvas example.

Grasso agreed with Speidel that the Canvas hackers would likely be waiting to strike again.

Universities and Instructure respond

A University of Auckland spokesperson said Canvas was a third-party teaching and learning portal, used by 9000 teaching institutions worldwide.

They said the hack was not a breach of the university’s systems and no other systems were at risk.

Victoria University of Wellington chief operating officer Tina Wakefield said the university invested in industry-leading tools to monitor and contain cybersecurity threats.

“We will conduct a full internal inquiry into this incident to ensure we are prepared for the future.”

An AUT spokesperson said it had both incident management and cybersecurity plans for hacking situations.

“The incident has highlighted our ongoing work to keep staff and students informed about risks, and we continue to roll out training, including flagging phishing risk that can result from leaked information.”

They said the recent incident highlighted ongoing work to keep staff and students informed about risks including training about phishing attempts that can result from leaked information.

Instructure, the company that operated Canvas, referred RNZ to an earlier statement from its chief executive officer.

“Over the past few days, many of you dealt with real disruption. Stress on your teams. Missed moments in the classroom… I’m sorry for that.”

“Canvas by Instructure is fully operational and remains safe to use. Core learning data is not compromised.

“We’ll give you clear guidance, if any action is required on your end. Right now, there’s nothing you need to do.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Some quirky colourful murals in Wellington’s equally colourful Aro Valley are being taken down or covered up, but the move has locals upset by the move toward the drab.

Popular Wellington artist Xoë Hall painted her retro fashion mural emblazoned with ‘Bus Stop Boutique’ on Aro Street in 2011, but Wellington City Council will be replacing it.

Further down Aro Street, another bus stop mural – a swirl of colours and shapes – was painted over in grey a few weeks ago, and the artist said she was not notified prior.

Anu-Dhyana Edser was disappointed to find her 2011 mural painted over.

Edser said the council commissioned $500 for the original mural – including paint supplies.

“If I could do another one somewhere else and get paid for it and paid for it properly, that would be pretty good.”

In a joint statement, Metlink and the Wellington City Council said the work had been done as part of the bus stop maintenance programme.

“Murals are considered temporary public artworks that last between 5 and 10 years.”

They said both murals had passed their agreement periods.

“Wellington City Council and Metlink aim to notify artists when their work is approaching the end of agreement periods, and due to be repainted. Scheduled works can change, so sometimes this isn’t always ahead of time.”

They said graffiti had also obscured the artworks.

Some Aro Valley residents were gutted the bus stops were being decommissioned, saying the suburb was known for its colour and vibrancy.

Resident Jo Tregidga wanted to see a compromise, where the artists could be paid to spruce up the old murals.

“It’d be very sad to see it replaced with just … standard bus stops that we see everywhere.”

Aro Valley’s now-grey shelter is where local Kim Pollock catches the bus each day, she said she missed the mural.

“It was definitely the highlight of my day because it was like bubbly, it was fun, it was colourful.”

“Now? Not so much.”

Pollock didn’t understand why the mural had been covered, saying there was nothing wrong with it.

She said she was disappointed in the council and they should have asked Aro Valley residents what they wanted first.

“Why do it to the bus stop? What has the bus stop ever done except bring happiness?”

Artist Xoë Hall said the public murals were only ever temporary, and it was understandable to see them eventually taken down or covered up.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if WCC replaced what’s left of our public art with more advertising for Uber and what not,” she told RNZ.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

• Convicted murderer in case where body never found maintains innocence
• Stephen Hudson admits other violent offending but not 2002 killing of Nicholas Pike
• Hudson declined parole, but made no application for freedom anyway
• Criminal Cases Review Commission decision expected shortly.

A man convicted of killing a drugs associate in a remote location off the central North Island’s Desert Road could soon learn if his last-ditch bid to declare his innocence is accepted.

After a jury trial in 2009, Stephen Thomas Hudson was convicted of killing Nicholas Pike, of Palmerston North, seven years earlier, and he was sentenced to a minimum jail term of 15 years.

Pike’s body has never been found.

According to evidence at Hudson’s trial, the pair were in a car in March 2002 with a woman, who was let out on the side of the road. Hudson and Pike drove down a side road, before Hudson returned alone.

However, Hudson, 55, maintains his innocence and at his trial called evidence that gave him an alibi at the time of Pike’s killing – that he was with family in Masterton.

Hudson took his case all the way to the Supreme Court, which 15 years ago dismissed his appeal, and has since applied for the Criminal Cases Review Commission to investigate.

Hudson became eligible for parole this year and saw the Parole Board in February, but did not seek an early release.

However, a report from the meeting, released to RNZ, said a decision from the commission could come out soon.

Hudson’s lawyer at the parole hearing, Kerry Cook, said the commission had given several dates over the past year about when it would release its ruling.

“Most recently he was told that there would be an outcome in around June 2026,” the board decision said.

“If the [commission] find that there has been a substantial miscarriage of justice in Mr Hudson’s case, it would be referred back to the Court of Appeal and that will take some time.”

Cook told RNZ this week that the June date was indicative rather than firm, while the commission said Hudson’s case remained under investigation and it couldn’t comment further.

No body, no release – victim’s father

Pike’s father Greg Pike remains convinced of Hudson’s guilt and said he and his wife Evelyn hoped the commission would rule accordingly.

“We are at the stage where we don’t want to pay any attention to Hudson. He’s messed us around for 20 years,” Greg Pike said.

“Whatever happens, happens.”

The Pikes were given a chance to speak at Hudson’s parole hearing, but instead wrote a letter in opposition to his release.

They’ve been given the same invitation to attend ahead of Hudson’s next hearing in July, but weren’t interested, Greg Pike said.

He said if Hudson didn’t say where his son’s body was then he shouldn’t be released from prison.

“I’ve got no issue with him staying in jail.”

Lengthy criminal history

Hudson’s been in jail since 2003, after he was convicted of other violent crimes, which he admits.

The Parole Board said he had a criminal history that spanned nine pages.

However, Cook told the parole hearing about concern that the application to overturn his murder conviction was stopping him from attending the special treatment unit for violent offenders.

“Mr Cook said that Mr Hudson should be entitled to access the same rehabilitation opportunities as others, despite him engaging in a process that is available to him, namely an application to the [commission],” the board report said.

“If Mr Hudson is not allowed to do the [violence programme], and if he is successful with the [commission], there is a high probability that he will be released without any treatment for his violence propensity.”

Hudson has a low-medium security classification in prison, and a prison officer gave a good report about him to the board.

His previous high security classification was a barrier from him doing the violence programme.

Hudson has been the subject of several matters of prison misconduct. “These cover a range of concerning behaviour, including staff assaults, possession of contraband and other matters.”

He admitted to the board that he continued to use cannabis behind bars.

He also said some of the misconducts against him were over protests about prison conditions, and that boredom was a risk.

A psychologist assessed him as being a high risk of committing further crimes, including violence.

The board said he remained a risk to society.

It asked for a further psychological report before his next hearing, which would examine the possibility of Hudson doing the violence programme relating to the crimes he admits.

“Whatever happens with the [commission], it does seem likely that Mr Hudson will never accept responsibility for the murder,” the board said.

“The pathway forward could [be] that he completes the [violence programme] based on those serious violent offences that he does accept, and then participates in some one-to-one treatment with a psychologist from a denier’s perspective in relation to the murder.”

Evidence circumstantial – Hudson

Nicholas Pike was a small player in the Palmerston North drugs world. Although an associate of Hudson, a violent offender, he was scared of him.

Hudson suspected – correctly – that Pike was a police informant and was also said to be jealous of him due to Pike’s friendship with a woman.

Hudson thought Pike was a liability in a drugs operation, and that Pike owed him money, Crown evidence from his trial suggested.

The pair were together for some time before Pike’s disappearance, and Hudson was typically armed with a gun during that time.

In a submission to the Law Commission about proposed legislative changes in 2023, Hudson said the evidence to convict him was circumstantial and that “incentivised witnesses” played a part.

“The Crown’s case was that I was smart enough to kill Nick without leaving a single trace of forensic evidence, but stupid enough to confess to multiple individuals different stories, but then never to two people at the same time…” Hudson wrote.

He said no witnesses came forward linking him to the murder until press reports made a link.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Protesters are calling for the government to halve the fuel excise tax and Road User Charges (RUCs), but the transport minister says to do so would take funding away from roading.

Advocacy group Fuel Tax Protest NZ earlier told media it had coordinated more than 40 protests across the country on Saturday.

In a Saturday evening video on social media, Fuel Tax Protest NZ national spokesperson Phil Barrett said there had been protests at more than 50 locations across the country, but RNZ was unable to verify that number.

An RNZ reporter found a handful of people gathered at one of the protests, at the Auckland’s Victoria Park.

The group also wants fuel cost relief for essential services and more transparency about where money from fuel taxes is spent.

Stats NZ data shows the cost of petrol has increased 33.6 percent in the two months since February, while diesel skyrocketed by 94.9 percent.

To support families struggling with the fuel crisis, the government has so far temporarily boosted the in-work tax credit to $50 a week for about 143,000 lower-income families, while also expanding eligibility to a further 14,000 families to receive the credit at a reduced rate.

It has also temporarily increased mileage rates by 30 percent for home and community support workers.

However the government has ruled out cutting fuel excise and RUCs.

A spokesperson at the Victoria Park protest told RNZ that support was not enough: “I haven’t seen anybody come out and be glad about it.”

Plans to incrementally increase fuel taxes from next year showed the government was out of touch with the reality of the cost of living crisis, they said.

The government had earlier planned to bring in a 12-cent-per-litre increase from January 2027, followed by a 6-cent-per-litre rise in 2028 and 4-cent-per-litre in subsequent years.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis had since said it was “very unlikely” to go ahead with the initial increase in January, but ACT Party leader David Seymour said it should be implemented.

“When fuel prices are through the roof, it’s really just insensitive – it shows that they’re out of touch with reality,” the spokesperson said.

Transport minister responds

When approached about the protest, Finance Minister Nicola Willis’s office directed RNZ to earlier statements from Transport Minister Chris Bishop, including that he believed some of the protesters’ claims seemed to rely on “false assumptions”.

Since the crisis began, the fuel tax had not changed, Bishop said, but remained about 70c per litre of petrol, rather than a percentage of fuel prices.

“The government is not in a position to reduce fuel taxes in a way contemplated by the protesters,” he said. “It would be untargeted and expensive, and come at the expense of other government priorities, like improving maintenance of our roads.”

Bishop also ruled out changes to RUCs, which also help fund road maintenance.

Rural families, food sector being hit hard and need help, protesters say

One demonstrator, who did not want to be named, pointed to Australia as an example of a country that had temporarily cut fuel taxes to alleviate fuel-related cost pressures.

“Temporary relief is all that we’re asking for,” the spokesperson said.

Reducing RUCs to help the freight industry was also important, they added.

“Relieve that pressure off… especially our food-lines that deliver the food to the supermarkets, because that’s what the majority of us depend on.”

They also called on the government to stop requiring importers to pay Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) levies.

A Commerce Commission fuel pricing document from March 2026 showed taxes and levies accounted for 49 percent of the cost of fuel.

Another demonstrator told RNZ the high price of fuel was particularly crushing for rural families.

“There’s lots of mothers with children that … can’t get on school buses to school and they have to take the kids. They’re all suffering.”

In its mission statement, Fuel Tax Protest NZ said it wanted more transparency over how the government spent fuel-related incomes.

“Show us the pothole prevention fund, show us the road maintenance, show us where the money is actually going.”

It also called for more fuel-cost relief for what it described as essential services – farmers, transport operators, emergency services and food supply chains.

Police monitored the gathering, but told RNZ the protesters had been “peaceful”.

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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 top of the South Island has been shaken by a handful of small earthquakes.

GeoNet recorded the first quake just after 6:30pm Saturday, south east of Seddon, at magnitude 4.4 and about 10 kilometres deep.

The agency then recorded another, about 15 minutes later, measuring magnitude 3.6, north of Seddon. However this event was later deleted, and another three following quakes marked as ‘unnoticeable’ or ‘weak’ were recorded in the Seddon area, until just after 7pm.

More than 1200 people reported feeling the first quake – described as moderate shaking on GeoNet.

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