NZ Engine

Source: New Zealand Police

Police acknowledge the sentence handed down to Donald James Sarratt in the Wellington District Court today, for his role as a facilitator of a website which hosted computer-generated child sexual abuse material.

Sarratt, 35, was sentenced to five-and-a-half years’ imprisonment after being found guilty of possessing objectionable material relating to children and knowingly making and/or copying objectionable material relating to the sexual exploitation of children.

A forensic examination of Sarratt’s electronic devices also identified child sexual abuse material images of real children.

The operation, dubbed Operation Dark Orchid, commenced in 2022 following a referral from the United States of America, Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Department of Justice Child Exploitation Unit.

The investigation centred on a website with over 85,000 computer generated images – 30,000 of those being realistic images depicting the graphic sexual abuse and torture of children as young as infants.

Teams of dedicated investigators worked tirelessly to identify those responsible for this offending, resulting in the dismantling of a long-standing website whose users who sought sexual gratification from the abuse of children.

Detective Sergeant Daniel Wright led Operation Dark Orchid for the New Zealand Police Online Child Exploitation Across New Zealand (OCEANZ) team.

He says Sarratt’s sentencing is a testament to the thorough investigation conducted by New Zealand Police and US law enforcement.

“In New Zealand, creating, possessing, or distributing material that promotes or tends to promote or support the sexual exploitation of children is punishable under the Films, Videos, Publications and Classifications Act.

“This investigation, involving our law enforcement colleagues from the US, demonstrates our commitment to keeping our communities safe, and that we will use all resources available to us to hold to account those who prey on the vulnerability of children both in New Zealand and abroad,” Detective Sergeant Wright says.

HSI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Travis Pickard says: “HSI works seamlessly with our law enforcement partners across the globe to stop those who produce and distribute child sexual abuse materials.

“The vast number of images uncovered in this joint investigation – many featuring disturbingly realistic computer-generated representations of unspeakable child sexual abuse – is unacceptable in any part of contemporary society.

“This sentence for the defendant reinforces our dedication to protecting the innocence of our most vulnerable populations from such abhorrent child exploitation,” he says.

If you, or someone you know, comes across child sexual abuse material online, we urge you to report it:

New Zealand Police: Call 105 or report online here 105 Police Non-Emergency Online Reporting | New Zealand Police. If you have immediate concerns for the safety of someone, please call 111.

Department of Internal Affairs www.dia.govt.nz

Netsafe : Netsafe New Zealand’s online safety organisation | Netsafe

Terminology

Media are urged to use the terminology ‘child sexual abuse images’ or ‘child objectionable material’, and not ‘child pornography’.

The use of the phrase ‘child pornography’ downplays child sex abuse:

It indicates legitimacy and compliance on the victim’s part and therefore suggests legality on the abuser’s part

It conjures up images of children posing in ‘provocative’ positions, rather than the image capturing the suffering of horrific abuse.

Every publication of these images promotes the sexual exploitation of children and young people and often portrays actual child abuse occurring at the time.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

Source: NZ Music Month takes to the streets

The Government has decided to discharge the Digital Services Tax Bill from the legislative programme, Revenue Minister Simon Watts announced today.
The Digital Services Tax Bill was introduced in 2023 by the previous Government. It was a response to a perceived lack of progress towards developing an agreement with other countries to address the taxation challenges posed by digitalisation.
“We have been monitoring international developments and have decided not to progress the Digital Services Tax Bill at this time. A global solution has always been our preferred option, and we have been encouraged by the recent commitment of countries to the OECD work in this area,” Mr Watts says.
“New Zealand has long supported, and benefited from, collective action and the global rules-based system. By focusing on a global solution, it will enable an agreed, consistent outcome across participating countries.”
As a result of taking this action, the forecast revenues from the introduction of a Digital Services Tax no longer meet the criteria for inclusion in the Crown accounts.

Source: University of Auckland (UoA)

A pacemaker with a ‘beat’ that responds to breathing is showing good results in studies and is now being trialled in Kiwi heart patients.

A pacemaker that mimics the heart’s naturally variable rhythm is being trialled in humans for the first time with no adverse effects reported and the promise of improved outcomes.

The first-in-human trials started in the Waikato, New Zealand just before Christmas and are now being conducted in Adelaide and Melbourne, Australia, and Bristol and Cardiff in the UK.

Usual pacemakers support a regular, monotonic beat in the patient’s heart, but our hearts naturally beat irregularly depending on our breathing.

The new pacemaker would vary according to respiration and has shown improvements in the health animal models so far, with a new study offering further evidence. See below.

The first patient was in Waikato hospital just before Christmas. The pacemaker is being tested in patients coming out of a heart operation in which temporary pacing wires are fitted that allows doctors to connect the new pacemaker to them for a few days.

Professor Martin Stiles, a cardiologist at Waikato Hospital, is overseeing the trial there and is hopeful about the novel pacemaker.

“This new technology is moving toward replicating the way nature has evolved pulse variability to make the most efficient use of the heart’s function,” Stiles says.

“Remarkably, researchers have found in sheep that our pacemaker allows the ability to exercise again despite heart failure, which usually prohibits any exertional activity, says study lead Professor Julian Paton, director of Manaaki Manawa, Centre for Heart Research in the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland.

“We believe that, if patients have the choice of a pacemaker, then one that improves exercise performance without the need to undergo training will be a preferred option,” Paton says.

The new study led by colleague Associate Professor Rohit Ramchandra tested whether sheep’s ability to exercise was improved by a variable heart pacemaker. Sheep’s heart functions are similar to human’s.

“This is important since the ability to exercise can dramatically improve quality of life in patients with heart failure,” Ramchandra says.

“Our findings indicated that respiratory heart rate variability pacing improves baseline levels of heart function but also dramatically improves the capacity of the heart to pump blood during exercise. This translates to more blood being delivered to muscles during exercise.

“Remarkably, respiratory heart rate variability pacing also improved the recovery time of the heart post-exercise, which is an established marker of physical fitness.”

The researchers also tested whether the variable pacing improved heart function when the sheep remained on heart medications.

“We found variable pacing continues to improve heart function against a background of current medication. None of these changes happened in the group which underwent conventional monotonic pacing.”

Source: University of Auckland (UoA)

A panel of academic and industry experts will explore how finance can be harnessed for good at Trust in Finance and the Rise of Fintech, an event hosted by University of Auckland research centre Juncture: Dialogues on Inclusive Capitalism at the Business School on Thursday, 22 May.

Attendees will hear a range of perspectives from five panellists on topics including socially responsible investing, cybersecurity, digital inclusion, trust in finance, and the role of regulation in building fairer financial systems.

Fintech, or financial technology, includes everything from cryptocurrencies and retail investing apps to peer-to-peer lending and open banking. While these innovations promise greater access and efficiency, they also raise concerns around bias, exclusion and data privacy.

Panellist Dr Chanelle Duley, a lecturer in economics at the University of Auckland Business School, says cybersecurity and data governance are central to financial trust.

“For the benefits of innovations in finance, including open banking, retail investing, and decentralised finance to be fully harnessed, fintech platforms need to invest heavily in cybersecurity infrastructure.”

Also on the panel is the co-CEO of Tax Traders, Becki Butler. She says inclusive finance isn’t about building one-size-fits-all products; “it’s about flexible, culturally aware, human-centred design that meets people where they are”.

“True inclusion means designing alongside communities, not for them. If we simply digitise the same rules, assumptions and risk models that have historically excluded people, we’ll only replicate those failures at speed and scale.”

Professor Raghavendra Rau, Sir Evelyn de Rothschild Professor of Finance at Cambridge Judge Business School says harnessing finance for good can come with complications.

“Sometimes, the people or communities receiving money today may never be in a position to pay it back, often due to structural issues like persistent poverty, inequality, or systemic barriers to economic advancement.

“Additionally, in certain situations, providing funds today might serve as a way to correct past injustices, such as colonial expropriation, where wealth was systematically removed from particular communities. Here, the financial relationship might be less about traditional lending expecting repayment, and more about restorative or reparative finance, acknowledging and addressing historical wrongs.”

If these structural issues are tackled carefully, such as through investments in education, healthcare, infrastructure, or supporting entrepreneurship in marginalised communities, Rau says there can be significant long-term benefits.

The panel discussion, facilitated by associate director strategic engagement for Juncture: Dialogues on Inclusive Capitalism, Dr Drew Franklin, also includes Christopher Swasbrook, founder of Elevation Capital and current board member of the Financial Markets Authority, and Decio Nascimento, founder and chief investment officer of Norbury Partners.

Christopher and Decio bring global market insight and hands-on investment experience to the discussion, which will span innovation, inclusion, and regulatory responsibility in shaping the future of finance.

Source: NZ Music Month takes to the streets

Legislation to disestablish New Zealand’s centralised vocational education and training system has passed its first reading in Parliament, Vocational Education and Training Minister Penny Simmonds says.

“Today, we’ve taken a major step forward toward a vocational education and training system that works for learners, employers, industries and local communities,” Ms Simmonds says.

“The Bill, which has passed its first reading, will return decision-making to where it belongs — in the hands of regional polytechnics and industry.

“This is a commonsense reset that ensures polytechnic education and training is responsive to regional needs and work-based learning for apprentices and trainees is led by the industries that rely on it.”

The Education and Training (Vocational Education and Training System) Amendment Bill proposes a structural reset of vocational education, focusing on two key priorities: restoring local decision-making for polytechnics, and giving industry greater leadership in standard setting and work-based learning.

Among the key changes in the Bill are:

• Disestablishing Te Pūkenga and creating a network of regional polytechnics, which will operate as standalone institutions or within a federation. Te Pūkenga will remain as a transitional entity for one year to manage unallocated programmes and activities.
• Replacing Workforce Development Councils with new Industry Skills Boards, effective 1 January 2026. These statutory bodies will be governed primarily by industry representatives and responsible for setting standards, undertaking workforce planning, and advising the Tertiary Education Commission on relevant funding matters.
• Transferring work-based learning functions from Te Pūkenga to Industry Skills Boards for up to two years, allowing time for new delivery arrangements across polytechnics, private training establishments, and Wānanga to be developed.
• Amending training levy provisions to enable Industry Skills Boards to levy industry members, subject to industry support.

Ms Simmonds says implementation will take up to two years, with the first group of polytechnics and new Industry Skills Boards in place from 1 January 2026.

“Industry knows the skills it needs. That’s why we’re putting them back in charge of standard setting and qualification development for their industry,” Ms Simmonds says.

“This is about building a stronger, more relevant system — one that sets our people and our economy up for future success.

“We look forward to hearing what New Zealanders think during the select committee process so that we can get on with the changes.”

Source: Secondary teachers question rationale for changes to relationship education guidelines

Illegal dumping and anti-social behaviour have no place in our neighbourhoods—that’s the clear message being delivered by local residents and community partners working together to create safer, cleaner spaces in Māngere.

At a recent Māngere East Community Safety meeting, led by the team at ME Family Services and Cleek Road Residents, and funded through the Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board’s safety work programme, residents voiced their concerns about rising anti-social behaviour at Radonich Park in Māngere East, especially over weekends and late nights.

Key issues raised included alcohol consumption, loud noise, dangerous driving in the carpark, disturbances affecting nearby residents and illegal dumping.

A community-led BBQ brought together local groups and regular park users to kōrero (talk) the challenges they face at Radonich Park, fostering connection and understanding.

Board chair Tauanu’u Nick Bakulich says, “This kind of behaviour is simply unacceptable, and we won’t stand for it. We are fully committed to making a change and will work alongside our community to make this happen. Our board recently met with residents and saw firsthand the impact these issues are having. It’s deeply upsetting to witness the blatant disrespect for our environment, particularly with illegal dumping and anti-social behaviour that is making it unsafe for locals.

“Council staff are taking immediate action to tackle these issues, including securing the main gates during park hours, enforcing the liquor ban with signage, and addressing illegal dumping. These concerns have also been raised with the Community Prevention Policing team, who will help support and keep our residents safe.”

Large piles of rubbish illegally dumped at the local community garden.

Council takes illegal dumping seriously. All reports will be investigated. Offenders could face fines of up to $400, and serious cases may result in prosecution under the Litter Act 1979, with penalties of up to $30,000.

A sad sight: images of illegal dumping taken during a recent walkthrough of the gardens.

Anti-social behaviour

Another area of concern is ongoing antisocial behaviour in the park, particularly during weekends and late-night hours. The main issues are alcohol use, loud noise, speeding in the carpark, and disturbances to nearby residents.

During a recent cleanup, the team came across alcohol boxes and bottles scattered across the area, a stark reminder of the disrespect shown to our community spaces.

Bakulich adds, “We’ve stressed the importance of safety and urged residents not to intervene in escalating situations. Their wellbeing is our top priority. We are incredibly proud of our community for stepping up and wanting to be a part of the solution. Together, we’re working to make the area safe and a welcoming space for everyone.”

The end goal is simple: working together to create a safe and thriving environment, where anti-social behaviour and illegal dumping will not be tolerated, and fines will be enforced.

Stay connected

Sign up for our Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board e-newsletter and get it delivered to your inbox each month. 

Source: Secondary teachers question rationale for changes to relationship education guidelines

A long-term plan initiative for Auckland Council to do more with less, is reinventing how the council uses technology and purchases services, while also delivering better customer experiences.

The product of Auckland Council’s Long-term Plan 2024-2034, Group Shared Services was tasked with improving efficiency in back office services across the council group and enhancing customer experience.

At May’s Revenue, Expenditure and Value Committee, chair Desley Simpson applauded the division’s focus on smart solutions.

“We’re seeing technology and services that are smart for the council business at all levels – benefiting our ratepayers, delivering better customer service and building efficiency across the council group,” says Cr Simpson.

“We have a commitment to look at every decision and make sure we’re negotiating the very best deals by leveraging the scale of council and its CCOs, considering all the options and using the resources we have in-house.”

Ways we’re doing things differently

• Renegotiating key contracts – from property to new licenses, an unnecessary spend of nearly $18 million over 10 years has been avoided.

• Reinventing technology – new GIS aerial imagery will bring in an estimated $32 million to Auckland’s economy. The technology will also make urban planning and infrastructure easier, inform environmental conservation and increase accuracy for legal and planning purposes.

• Increased sharing of resources – we are providing Port of Auckland with access to group software, which saves about $140,000. Further savings of $130,000 has been secured for a Watercare IT licence.

• Delivering new tools faster and cheaper in-house, like the Vote Aucklanders website for the upcoming election and flood recovery data analysis saving $150,000.

Delivering benefits to ratepayers

Group shared services director Richard Jarrett said the division is striving to deliver measurable benefits to ratepayers, through everyday opportunities.

“We are looking at every new contract, service update, tool or technology across the council and the council-controlled organisations with a fresh eye,” says Mr Jarrett.

“In each case, we challenge ourselves on how we can deliver differently and better than before, and we believe it’s adding value for Aucklanders.”

Source: Secondary teachers question rationale for changes to relationship education guidelines

Auckland Council has met its full year’s savings target – securing its $66 million savings goal three months ahead of schedule.

The council’s ongoing focus on value for money and cost-effectiveness is part of a savings programme to help reduce the burden on general ratepayers, with savings targets set in the Long-term Plan 2024-2034.

Presented at May’s Revenue, Expenditure and Value Committee, the $66.6 million in savings to date this financial year exceeds the council’s $66 million total annual goal.

These savings build on ongoing savings of $90 million per year previously achieved. Combined, this means $156.6 million of savings achieved for the current financial year.

“Cost reductions are the reason for Auckland’s low rate rises compared to other councils,” says Mayor Wayne Brown. “Under my direction, council staff have worked hard to find savings across the group, as I promised Aucklanders.

“I am happy with this result, but the pressure needs to be kept up. My new rules for capital spending would have saved a lot more had they been enacted sooner.” 

Revenue, Expenditure and Value Committee chair Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson reiterated that the savings are directly used to keep rates rises down.

“It’s important to show Aucklanders that we are committed to find savings, before we come to the ratepayer to deliver on what we need,” says Cr Simpson.

“Over the past three years we have achieved $403 million in cumulative savings – exceeding the total $374 million target. Without these savings, rates for 2024/2025 could have been around 6 per cent higher.

“Having the latest $66 million locked in as savings has enabled the council to keep rates at a 5.8 per cent increase, despite continued record levels of investment and ongoing cost pressures on our operations.”

Auckland Council chief executive Phil Wilson echoed the positive impact these savings have in delivering further value for ratepayers.

“We are focused on delivering value for money across the business and embedding that philosophy into every project and team,” says Phil.

“Achieving the full savings results early shows how much we’re actively challenging ourselves and doing things differently. This will ensure our limited resources go further and we can ultimately deliver more and better for Auckland.”

The $66.6 million savings comes from a further $23.4 million in savings achieved during quarter three (January-March 2025) on top of $43.2 million earlier in the year.

Recent savings were achieved in a range of areas, including efficiencies in outsourced waste collection costs, reduced professional services, and careful management of staff and other costs.

Of the $66.6 million of savings achieved to date this financial year, $34.8 million have been achieved on an ongoing basis, with a long-term recurring impact. All savings are directly used to keep rates and debt down.

The council continues to manage spend and ensure value for every dollar, improve non-rates revenue and continued savings for 2024/2025.

In addition to work on achieving savings targets, the council is also progressing the new Better Value Projects initiative and Value for Money reviews to help deliver good value for ratepayer money.