Source: Secondary teachers question rationale for changes to relationship education guidelines
Better connections around the Manukau Domain have been unlocked with a new walking track now open.
The paths consist of a new track, linking with the Opened Stone sculpture, and a second path connecting to the existing Manukau Domain track.
Chair Ella Kumar is excited the improved connections on the domain are completed.
“It’s great to see so many Puketāpapa projects in action, such as the Waikowhai boardwalk and coastal tracks, as well as now better connections on Manukau Domain.
“We live in a beautiful and coastal part of Tāmaki Makaurau, and the board is providing investment to unlock greenspace for the community to enjoy these picturesque spaces.”
The new 133-metre pathway is the result of early advocacy from Lynfield residents.
Opened Stone is one of five artworks created as part of the 1971 International Sculpture Symposium. The red granite sculpture by the late Japanese sculptor Hiroaki Ueda was inspired by traditional Shinto shrines.
The sculpture stood outside the Auckland Art Gallery for 35 years and was reinstalled in Manukau Domain in 2016.
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Source: Police investigating after shots fired at Hastings house
By Sarah Wilcox
Volunteers atop Big Sandhill looking south to the Ernest Islands and The Gutter | Riki Everest
In January 2025, I was part of a volunteer crew doing maintenance work on the Island Hill Homestead near Rakiura Stewart Island’s west coast.
As one of the oldest buildings on the island it holds a significant place in local history. It’s named after Island Hill, a granite mound you pass on the track between Mason Bay and Freshwater Huts.
The homestead, woolshed and grounds have been cared for by DOC since 1987. The buildings are used as a work base by staff, hut wardens, contractors and research students. It’s been especially useful for accommodating people working on the dune restoration and pukunui (southern dotterel) projects in the bay.
My husband Mark and I had passed the homestead on previous tramping trips. We spent a memorable evening there with the hut wardens eating fresh pikelets on the porch, reading from old logbooks and being investigated by several kiwi.
When we spotted the opportunity for a 10-day volunteer stint, we decided to apply. We loved the idea of spending time in remote and beautiful Mason Bay, living in the historic homestead and giving something back.
A short history of Island Hill Homestead
The homestead was built in 1880 and housed farmers and their families for nearly 90 years. Many were familiar local names: William Walker, Arthur and Mateen Traill, Stanford and Dolly Leask and Tim and Ngaire Te Aika.
The site oozes struggle, refuge and resourcefulness. It feels isolated today but would have been extraordinarily remote in the 19th century. Prevailing westerly winds sweep up the valley, with a macrocarpa wind break providing some shelter from the worst of the gales.
Some farmers profited from grazing sheep and cattle on the marginal land, but it was never easy. Hardly surprising. Half sand dune, half wetland, the land required a network of drainage ditches to get enough grass to grow. Access was also challenging. It was heavy work to maintain a road to Freshwater Landing across the ‘chocolate swamp’, but even that was better than loading a ship on the wild Mason Bay coast.
Besides its place in local history, this building is the world’s southernmost woolshed | Sarah WilcoxThe wool press was recently returned to this site from the Rakiura Museum | Sarah Wilcox
Most residents added on to or modified the homestead during their time, so it tells the story of their habitation. I read of an abundant vegetable garden next to the house in 1916.
The Te Aika family lived there from 1966 and Ngaire home-schooled their two daughters. Historian Olga Sansom describes finding them, “dressed for school…with shoes polished, hair well-groomed and with neat, pleated skirts and white blouses like any other college girls.”
In 1986, the Te Aika family relinquished the farm’s lease to the Crown because it had become uneconomic.
I enjoyed making bread in the homestead kitchen, following in a long line of farm cooks | Sarah Wilcox
Fast forward to 2025
We arrived after a 10-minute helicopter flight across the island. No ancient farmers were there to meet us – just a gorgeous warm summer’s day and hundreds of bumble bees. The bees are thought to descend for the kanuka flowering and are madly attracted to anything blue. We had been warned – and had studiously removed everything blue from our clothing and kit.
Also in our group were volunteers Janet Dunn and Dugald Wilson. Riki Everest from Rakiura Māori Lands Trust and Jaega Banga, ranger also came for a few days each. The trip was led by Andrew King, supervisor, Rakiura National Park.
From left Mark Wilcox, Dugald Wilson, Andrew King, the author and Janet Dunn pause for morning tea on the homestead porch | Sarah Wilcox
Andrew loves this place. “I’ve been coming out here for 20 years. I have a keen interest in all the historic work, because you have to keep the stories alive”.
The stories of previous inhabitants were told as he showed us around the area – homestead, woolshed, shower, implement shed and nearby trampers’ and hunters’ huts – and hinted at our work ahead.
Looking after a heritage building
There were a couple of big jobs for us – build and fit a new window to replace a rotten one, and build and install a new kitchen cupboard. There were also lots of small maintenance jobs to work through depending on the weather and how long things took.
“We’re careful to respect the building’s heritage values, and change as little as possible. So we don’t fill over screw heads or try and make things look new. I name and date all the new cabinetry we fit and document everything.
“Borer is a big issue. We’re slowly replacing anything that’s too bad to restore. If you can’t hold it then you replace it with like for like, as much as possible. I use wood collected from the beach, look out for second-hand timber and source macrocarpa for the interior so it fits in. It’s more effort but it’s worth it.”
Every morning after breakfast we talked about work for the day and people chose what they wanted to do. Andrew would patiently explain the tasks and how to do them. There was never any time pressure.
I’d often hear an encouraging “gettin’ there”, “there’s no hurry” or “looking good” as Andrew kept a weather eye on our progress.
I think this relaxed attentiveness really paid off with a happy crew, no injuries (just one bee sting for me) and only a few fixable mistakes.
A steady stream of trampers stopped to say hello on their way through. We enjoyed showing them around the site and talking about our work.
Dolly Leask excavated and planted this waterlily pond at her former home, just north of Martin’s Creek Hunters Hut | Sarah WilcoxMany unusual plants like Craspedia uniflora are flourishing as marram in the dunes is controlled | Sarah WilcoxLong evenings allowed for trips as a couple to explore the area, look for kiwi and have some time out. Here, stunning evening light seen from Big Sandpass | Sarah Wilcox
Jobs done – and done well
Janet, Dugald and Andrew (kneeling) working on the new window | Sarah Wilcox
What we did achieve over the time was significant:
• built and fitted a new window • applied wood preservative to fence and woolshed • scraped back and repainted window exteriors • cleaned gutters on homestead and Mason Bay Hut • set traps – 1 possum, 1 feral cat caught • built and fitted new kitchen cupboard, sanded and cleaned original doors to reuse • put in new fence posts • scraped rust off tractors and wool press and applied metal preservative • cleaned Mason Bay Hut and toilets • cut long grass beside the woolshed • sorted timber in woodshed • replaced borer-ridden skirting boards • cleaned homestead and swept woolshed • shared out the cooking and dishes
Mark and Riki at work scraping rust off the old Massey Ferguson tractor before metal preservative was applied | Sarah Wilcox
One job I particularly enjoyed was re-wallpapering a kitchen wall. This involved choosing from a stash of period rolls in the back cupboard, applying scrim (what a marvellous way to prep a rough wooden wall!), then sticking up the fresh wallpaper. It was hugely satisfying to put all the spreads, spices and sauces back into the new, clean cupboard that others had built, knowing it would be well-used in years to come.
With a wry smile and twinkle in his eye, Andrew clearly got huge satisfaction from enabling us to be stretched a bit while making sure the jobs were done to a high standard.
“The value of this project is introducing people to what DOC workers do. We teach them a lot of new stuff but it goes both ways – we learn off each other.”
He says the Stewart Island visitor and heritage team has always been very strong on using volunteers as hut wardens and on historic, hut cleaning and painting trips and track trimming trips.
“We do a lot of hours with volunteers every year.”
Māori history and archaeological sites
European history on the island is short compared with the centuries-old association that Māori have with Rakiura and its offshore islands – especially the tītī islands.
Riki Everest joined us for the first part of the trip. He’s a captivating storyteller and former pāua diver who now lives on the island.
“We grew up on the legends of Tim Te Aika and George, Stanford and Dolly Leask. When you come into this place and see the state of the buildings and how hard it would have been for them as pioneers, you pay homage to those who’ve been on the land before you. They don’t have to be Māori to be legends.”
On our second day in perfect weather, Andrew took us all on a walkabout in the dunes to check on the mapped iwi archaeological sites in the area. Unfortunately most had been covered by sand and weren’t visible. Others had been swamped by fast-growing weedy lupins.
Possibly a shell midden, one of many iwi archaeological sites in the bay | Sarah WilcoxRiki on his way to the beach to catch a fixed-wing flight back to Halfmoon Bay | Sarah Wilcox
Undeterred, Riki is keen to come back to look around on his own another time.
“It was a complete privilege to come over to Mason’s on behalf of the trust and spend time here. My cup is just a wee bit full.”
Riki says he’s really impressed that DOC wants to strengthen ties.
“We feel the same, it’s absolutely reciprocal. We’re all kaitiaki of Rakiura.
“I think DOC is an incredible resource. They have all the protocols in place to care for the iwi sites and the best people – experts with years of experience. We can learn a lot from them and they’re really willing to teach. I can’t thank them enough.”
About the Southland Volunteer Programme
The Southland volunteer programme has been running for 20 years.
Andrew explains that the organisers are not looking for specific skills but for a mixture of people.
“It can be couples or single people – anyone can do it. Everyone has different skills but everyone is keen to learn. Most volunteers haven’t done any building work or anything like this before. I’ve found the older ones easier to manage and more keen to get out than some of the younger ones!”
Good food made for happy volunteers. When faced with a large meal, we were urged to “put on our big boy pants” to reduce leftovers for the next day | Sarah Wilcox
So what makes a great volunteer experience? Here are Andrew’s top tips:
Food is very important, so everyone normally gets fed well. (Superb understatement by Andrew – the food was generous and hearty!)
If people don’t want to do something they’re usually pretty honest about it. It’s got to be that open conversation right from the start.
I like to give people the knowledge they need to do a job then let them get on with it. I encourage questions.
There’s no rush, if it doesn’t get done one day, there’s always another day.
10 days can be a long time for some, so the trick is to make sure everyone gets along and respects each other. If there are any niggles we get onto it pretty quickly.
Attributable to Detective Senior Sergeant David Thompson, Manawatu Area Investigations Manager
A 20-year-old man is before the courts following an aggravated robbery in Ashhurst.
On Saturday 17 May, Police were alerted to a person armed with a weapon entering a commercial premises on Cambridge Avenue at around 2pm.
The alleged offender threatened the store employee with the weapon before demanding and taking cash.
Prior to Police arrival, the man left the area in a vehicle.
Thankfully, the employee is uninjured, however is understandably shaken by the incident.
After initial enquiries, Police identified the alleged offender and a vehicle of interest.
At around 9am today, a Police unit saw the vehicle of interest on Napier Road.
The vehicle was signalled to stop and a 20-year-old man was taken into custody without incident.
The man is due to appear in Palmerston North District on 20 May, charged with aggravated robbery and possession of an offensive weapon.
We are pleased to have made an arrest and put this man before the court in relation to this matter.
This type of offending creates harm not only to the victims involved but the wider community as well, and we will continue to find, arrest and hold the offenders responsible.
We would like to remind the public to contact Police as soon as possible if you see suspicious or unlawful behaviour.
Please call 111 if it is happening now, or 105 in non-emergencies.
This brief was written by Rangimahora Reddy, the inaugural Ageing Well Fellow during her time working with the Office of the Chief Science Advisor as a part of the Ageing Well National Science Challenge.
The Brief includes:
a summary of the ageing landscape in Aotearoa New Zealand, with a specific focus on kaumātua
key findings from a review of the literature focused on systematic and scoping reviews involving older adults and caregivers, looking at technological innovations, interventions for cognitive improvement, dementia care strategies, and efforts to reduce loneliness and social isolation
recommendations to inform practice, policy, and future actions to improve the access, design, implementation, and adoption of gerontechnology solutions for kaumātua. These recommendations include implications for New Zealand and next steps including areas for future research.
Source: Secondary teachers question rationale for changes to relationship education guidelines
A project that’s transforming how Auckland deals with flooding has just taken home one of the top awards in the country.
At the recent Stormwater Conference and Expo Gala, the Ports of Auckland Outfall project was named Project of the Year, a big win for the team behind it.
The project, a collaboration between Auckland Council’s Healthy Waters, McConnell Dowell, and GHD, tackled a serious problem: regular flooding in Auckland’s Eastern CBD and Stanley Street area. This flooding threatened key infrastructure assets like Britomart Station, Spark Arena, and the Ports of Auckland.
To solve it, the team pulled off a New Zealand first.
They used a unique underground tunnelling technique, combined with what’s called an “inverted siphon”, to build a new stormwater outfall.
This system runs deep below Quay Street and through the Ports area, using twin pipes that now carry stormwater safely into the Waitematā Harbour.
Working under active train lines, historic sea walls, and a live port environment was no easy feat. But with close cooperation from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, and local businesses, the team made it happen without major disruption.
Looking down into the inverted siphon machine on Quay Street.
“I want to congratulate everyone in the team on this well-deserved award,” says Craig McIlroy, General Manager Healthy Waters & Flood Resilience.
“As we have seen through various extreme rain events, the climate change impact of flooding to the Auckland region has caused unprecedented disruption.
“The dedication and mahi that went into the project shows the strength of their collaborative approach in preparing for the future.”
One of the keys to their success was a special tunnelling machine that safely dug a 300-meter tunnel with minimal surface impact. Safety was front and centre throughout the process, and smart planning helped keep costs in check while speeding up construction.
Inverted siphon tunneling machine at work below Quay Street.
This isn’t just a win for the project team, it’s a big step forward for Auckland. The new outfall significantly reduces the risk of flooding downtown, making the city more resilient as extreme weather becomes more common. It also sets the stage for future growth, capping off nearly 20 years of careful planning.
In short, this award-winning project shows how smart ideas and strong teamwork can solve even the toughest urban challenges.
The Healthy Waters team came away with a further two awards on the night; Sarah Nolan won the Young Stormwater Professional of the Year and Rachel Devine as co-author of the winning Stormwater Paper of the Year for her work on the Auckland Central Library green roof.
Source: Secondary teachers question rationale for changes to relationship education guidelines
Aucklanders are invited to provide feedback to help shape the future use of Western Springs Stadium.
This public consultation, led by Auckland Council and Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, is open for feedback, from today until 15 June 2025. It follows direction from the council’s Governing Body on 1 May 2025 to seek public feedback before making a decision on the stadium’s long-term use.
There are three options outlined in the consultation document that the council seeks feedback on. These are either Auckland Arena, Western Springs Bowl, or an option that ranges from keeping things as they are to suggesting something different for the future of the stadium.
Max Hardy, Auckland Council’s Director of Group Strategy and Chief Executive’s Office, encourages the community to say how they’d prefer to see the outer fields and stadium used at Western Springs.
“Western Springs has a rich and layered history – from the time when tuna, that’s eels, were fished in the springs, to its use as a vital water reservoir for the city, and later a stadium for speedway, sport, and iconic concerts. Now’s the time to tell us what you’d like to see here in the future” says Mr Hardy.
Nick Hill, Chief Executive of Tātaki Auckland Unlimited (TAU), also looks forward to seeing where the community support lies for this important and underused venue in Auckland’s stadium network.
“Western Springs Stadium is a special place with huge potential to evolve and meet the needs of our vibrant city and region. TAU ran an expression of interest process that resulted in two strong options, and we look forward to hearing what Aucklanders want to see happen to the site,” says Mr Hill.
The three options identified for public consideration are:
Option 1: Auckland Arena – A bespoke 12,500–15,000 capacity stadium with high-performance facilities and outer fields. Community use would include indoor basketball and padel courts. Proposed commercial activity includes hospitality options and a health centre.
Option 2: Western Springs Bowl – A permanent music and festival venue with a capacity of 50,000, using the natural amphitheatre and installing new permanent staging infrastructure. A 5,000 – 8,000 seated boutique stadium and community sport facility with clubrooms, a corporate hospitality venue and gym. This option would remain a community sports facility and the home of Ponsonby Rugby Club.
Option 3: neither option 1 or 2; instead keep things as they are or explore other ideas – Existing arrangements could be kept. Tātaki Auckland Unlimited would manage and operate the venue for concerts and festivals and the Ponsonby Rugby Club lease could be extended. Alternative options for the venue could be explored.
There are a number of ways to have your say. These include completing the online feedback form and attending Have Your Say Events for regional organisations and interest groups.
There will also be online information session on the evening of 27 May, where you can find out more about the options and ask questions.
This consultation follows an expression of interest process carried out by Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, which owns and operates Western Springs Stadium with funding from Auckland Council. Two redevelopment proposals emerged through that process, with the addition of the third option of keeping things as they are or exploring other ideas.
Public feedback will help inform a decision on the future of Western Springs Stadium.
Feedback on the Western Springs Stadium consultation closes at 11.59pm on Sunday 15 June 2025.
Covering period of Monday 19th – Thursday 22nd May – Winter comes knocking after a wet weekend
• A soggy start gives way to crisp, clear conditions across most of Aotearoa. • Cold southerlies sweep in behind the weekends rain, dropping temperatures into the low single digits. • Frosts are expected for many from Tuesday, particularly in inland areas. • Settled weather dominates the week under a strengthening ridge of high pressure.
After a wet and windy weekend, MetService is forecasting a shift into a more settled pattern, but it comes with a cold bite. A ridge of high pressure builds in from the west on Monday, pushing away rain and leaving behind cool, clear conditions and some chilly southerlies.
Those southerlies will bring a real taste of winter, with temperatures dropping in their wake. Overnight lows through the week are expected to fall well into single digits for most and even into the negatives for some. Inland areas about Canterbury, Otago, Wairarapa, The Central Plateau and Waikato can expect icy mornings for much of the week.
The west and south coasts of the South Island may hang onto a bit more cloud through the week, and some coastal parts of the eastern North Island, like Gisborne and Napier, will see a few showers persist into Monday night and Tuesday morning before clearing.
“While sunshine may be a nice change for some after the weekend’s rain, clear skies and long nights this time of year let the day’s warmth escape, setting the stage for some chilly starts,” says MetService meteorologist Devlin Lynden. “It’s classic settled autumn weather, blue skies by day, frosts by night.”
Later in the week, Fiordland and coastal Southland will be the first to see signs of a change as a weak front brushes by, but for most, the dry, cold pattern continues through Friday.
With the early-week rain set to quickly be swept away, and only two weeks of autumn left, winter is truly knocking on our door, cold, crisp, and calm.
Stay up to date with the latest forecasts at metservice.com.
Attribute to Detective Senior Sergeant Scott Neilson
Police investigating the death of a 30-year-old woman in Hamilton City are continuing to appeal to those who may have seen the incident to come forward.
The woman died after a vehicle drove into a traffic light pole she was standing next to on the corner of Ohaupo Road and Kahikatea Drive on Thursday 15 May.
Police have received a steady flow of information from the public, but are keen to speak with those who may have witnessed the incident, or any prior interactions between the offending gold ute and the woman who died.
In particular we would like to speak to a female wearing pink who assisted at the scene.
Please contact us at 105.police.govt.nz, clicking “Update Report” or by calling 105.
Please use the reference number 250515/6763.
Information can also be provided anonymously to Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.
New Zealand must invest in bold action to reduce demand for methamphetamine in the face of a recent surge in consumption, the NZ Drug Foundation says.
Wastewater testing data shows that methamphetamine consumption has doubled in the last year, with acute social and health impacts being reported in areas with the highest rates of use.
Drug Foundation Executive Director Sarah Helm says being overly reliant on supply-side interventions like seizures and drug busts won’t shift the dial and that seriously addressing demand is the only way to solve the issue.
“We’ve seen a doubling of methamphetamine use in spite of record-breaking seizures by Police and Customs,” she says.
“If we don’t address demand and addiction, supply-side measures are short-lived, because as one supply source is removed another supplier steps in to meet the demand. We need to be bold and get serious about reducing demand, preventing harm and making addiction treatment much more accessible to people.”
Helm says there are a range of proven and emerging interventions that the Foundation and the sector are urging the government to adopt, including:
A rapid escalation of addiction treatment, including investment in accessible community-based, peer-led groups
Revamping and expanding proven health-based responses like Te Ara Oranga
A campaign that reduces stigma and encourages people to have conversations about their use with loved ones and to access help
Ramping up prevention by tackling unmet health needs by:
offering better support and treatment for people who use methamphetamine and have ADHD (one Australian study showed 45% of people who use illicit stimulants regularly screened positive for ADHD)
investigating medication-assisted treatment options for people with methamphetamine dependence
Increasing harm reduction service availability, for example access to sterile injecting equipment to prevent communicable disease impacts
More kaupapa Māori-driven health responses
Helm says that she’s optimistic about progress, especially as Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey has experience in the addictions sector and understands the issues.
“We’ve had many years of inaction on drug issues, but we have had very positive engagement with the Minister, including at a summit with almost 200 people from across the sector who offered up advice on how to tackle the serious challenges we are facing, so we are hopeful for progress,” she says.
Helm also acknowledges that demand reduction measures on their own risk being band aids without addressing the underlying social and economic drivers of methamphetamine use.
“Ultimately, this issue is bigger than any one sector or government portfolio and there are no quick fixes, but that doesn’t need we shouldn’t start doing what we know will work.”
Carrington Magic is the latest dog to be killed by the greyhound racing industry. At only two years old, she suffered an open spiral fracture to her left hind leg on May 16 at Hatrick Raceway in Wanganui and was euthanised shortly after.
Her death marks the eighth greyhound killed since the Government announced its plan to ban greyhound racing, and the 13th fatality this racing season. Since the December 2024 announcement, over 300 greyhounds have been injured, including 58 who suffered broken bones.
SAFE says these deaths and injuries are mounting proof that every day of delay is costing dogs their lives.
“We are heartbroken that Carrington Magic, like so many before her, will never get the chance to experience life beyond the track,” says SAFE Campaign Manager Emma Brodie.
“As long as racing continues, dogs like Carrington Magic will continue to die simply for someone else’s profit.”
The Government has committed to ending greyhound racing, and the Ministerial Advisory Committee is due to release an interim report at the end of May. SAFE is urging both the Government and Greyhound Racing New Zealand (GRNZ) to move quickly to wind-down the industry, before more dogs are harmed or killed.
“Every race is a gamble on a dog’s life, and Carrington Magic’s death is yet another reminder of what’s at stake,” says Brodie.
“We hope to see clear directives from the Ministerial Advisory Committee to begin phasing out races and prioritising rehabilitation and rehoming. The dogs cannot wait.”
SAFE is calling on GRNZ to take immediate responsibility for the lives of the dogs still being forced to race and begin the wind-down now.
SAFE is Aotearoa’s leading animal rights organisation.
We’re creating a future that ensures the rights of animals are respected. Our core work empowers society to make kinder choices for ourselves, animals and our planet.
Since Racing Minister Winston Peters announced a ban on greyhound racing on December 10, 2024, 315 dogs have suffered injuries requiring a standdown period, 58 dogs have suffered broken bones, and 8 dogs have died.
Since the racing season began on August 1, 2024, 658 dogs have suffered injuries requiring a standdown period, 99 dogs have suffered broken bones, and 13 dogs have died.
The Ministerial Advisory Committee formed to oversee the closure of the industry was due to release an interim report on 30 April, however it has been delayed until 30 May 2025. The report will include advice on the legislative, regulatory or operational changes required to shut down the industry, an operational transition plan, and a timeline for closure.
