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Tsunami siren testing at Ōrewa on Sunday 5 April

Source: Auckland Council

The bi-annual test of the two tsunami sirens at Ōrewa will take place on the last day of daylight saving on Sunday 5 April, 2026, at midday.

Adam Maggs, General Manager of Auckland Emergency Management reassures Ōrewa locals that the siren sound they’ll hear on 5 April is a test and no action is required from the public.

“We carry out tests each year on the sirens to ensure they are working properly. No action is required from the public and there’s no cause for alarm during the testing,” Mr Maggs says.

Located at Ōrewa beach, the sirens give a combination of alert sounds and voice instructions advising what actions residents should take in a real emergency. You can check and listen to the siren sound sample on the Auckland Emergency Management website.

Ōrewa is the only location in the Auckland region which has tsunami sirens following the decommissioning of sirens at other sites in December 2023 due to vandalism, theft and outdated technology, making them unreliable as part of our tsunami alerting system. The two sirens at Ōrewa (installed in 2020) are newer than the decommissioned sirens and haven’t suffered vandalism or thefts.

The test at Ōrewa is also a good prompt to remind all Aucklanders that there will be timely communication in the event of a tsunami threat.

“An Emergency Mobile Alert (EMA) is the primary way of alerting the public to a tsunami threat. An EMA will be broadcast to all capable mobile phones in the event of a tsunami threat. News media and social media channels will be used to alert Aucklanders as well,”Mr Maggs says.

What are the natural warning signs for tsunami?  

If you are near the shore and experience any of the following, take action. Do not wait for official warnings. 

  • Feel a strong earthquake that makes it hard to stand or a long earthquake that lasts more than a minute
  • See a sudden rise or fall in sea level
  • Hear loud or unusual noises from the sea.

Remember! If an earthquake is LONG or STRONG, GET GONE and move to higher ground. 

Be prepared  

Prepare your household emergency plan and practice it so everyone knows what to do in an emergency and what you need to take if you are evacuating.  

Check out Auckland’s Hazard Viewer for updated tsunami evacuation maps.

Check the tsunami preparedness tips and what to do before, during and after a tsunami.  

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9,000 students faced unsafe drinking water at school last year

Source: Green Party

The Green Party has released data showing 9000 students across more than 70 schools and pre-schools faced unsafe drinking water in 2025, with water breaching safe Drinking Water Standards at some point during the year. 

“No child should face a health risk from the water coming out of a drinking fountain at their school. The data paints a troubling picture of the state of drinking water in Aotearoa,” says Green Party Co-leader Marama Davidson. 

“While many of these schools had treatment systems in place, for whatever reason the treatment has failed.” 

“Drinking water standards set safe limits for things like bacteria, chemicals, and other contaminants in drinking water, which must be met at all points in a water system after treatment.” 

“When a school’s water is found to be unsafe, drinking fountains are shut down, children are told to bring water bottles from home, and in serious cases schools may have to close. Children should be focused on learning not worrying about whether their water is safe.” 

According to the Minister of Education, no additional treatment barriers were installed at any of the schools in 2025 and there is no estimate of the cost to bring drinking water treatment facilities at those schools where ‘do not drink’ notices were issued in 2025 up to a standard where water is safe and reliable. 

“Schools should have all the resources they need to provide safe drinking water. Instead, the Government installed no new treatment systems at any of these schools in 2025 and cannot even tell us what it would cost to fix the problem.” 

The data follows an earlier 2024 report by Taumata Arowai which found a “stubbornly high” 71 schools reported at least one incidence of E. coli in their drinking water that year, meaning faecal contamination was present. 

“The data reinforces why the protection of drinking water at its source, in rivers, lakes, and groundwater, must be a priority.” 

“Almost all New Zealanders get their drinking water from a river, lake, or underground aquifer. If we protect those sources from pollution, we can be far more confident that what comes out of the tap is safe, even when something goes wrong at a treatment plant.” 

“Keeping source water clean also avoids the enormous cost of removing contaminants like nitrate and sediment, which are extremely difficult and expensive to treat, particularly for smaller towns and communities.” 

Green Party environment spokesperson Lan Pham has called for the Government to learn the lessons of the Havelock North Drinking Water Inquiry. 

“The Havelock North Drinking Water Inquiry was clear that source protection should be treated as a matter of national importance in resource management law,” said Pham. 

“The Inquiry found that protecting the source of drinking water provides the first and most significant barrier against contamination and illness.” 

“Despite those recommendations, the Government’s resource management overhaul only requires decision-makers to ‘have regard to’ effects on drinking water quality. That falls well short of what the Inquiry called for.” 

“If this Government were serious about keeping our water safe, they would be enshrining source protection in law.” 

In answers to written questions, the Minister of Education confirmed she was not aware of ‘Do Not Drink’ notices that had been issued at schools in 2025, had received no advice on water quality at the affected schools, had no estimate of the cost to fix the issue, and had not corresponded with the Ministers for Local Government or Health about the matter. 

“The Minister is treating this as someone else’s problem. Parents sending their kids to school have a right to expect that the water is safe. They deserve a Government that takes that seriously,” says Davidson.

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Lane blocked: Whitford Road, Whitford

Source: New Zealand Police

The eastbound lane of Whitford Road is blocked following a single vehicle crash this morning.

Emergency services were called to Whitford Road, Whitford at 7.20am

One person has been taken to hospital in a serious condition.

Motorists are advised to expect delays.

ENDS

Frankie Le Roy/NZ Police

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Hospitality sector in support of alcohol restriction changes

Source: Radio New Zealand

Lake Taupō 123rf

The owner of a sailing club in Taupō says eased alcohol restrictions on public holidays will make the rules more straightforward.

Legislation to ease alcohol restrictions over Easter, Anzac Day, and Christmas passed its third and final reading at Parliament on Wednesday.

The bill amends the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act to allow premises that are already open on Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Anzac Day morning, and Christmas Day to sell alcohol under normal licence conditions.

Bottle shops will still have to stay closed, and supermarket alcohol restrictions remain. The bill passed 66 votes to 56.

Two Mile Bay Sailing Club owner Torben Landl told Morning Report it was a fantastic result for the hospitality sector.

“It’s been pretty tough times out there and this is exactly what we need.”

He said Easter was a big weekend for hospitality and it would be great to be able to trade normally and capitalise on the long weekend.

He said the rules could be “problematic”.

“So a customer will turn up on Good Friday, they’ll order a couple of drinks, alcoholic drinks, and then our team will have to explain the liquor licence laws and […]usually that doesn’t go down very well with the majority of customers.”

He said workers were copping the brunt of it and the law change would make the rules less complicated.

Labour MP Kieran McAnulty, who put forward the bill, said it would also clear up the guesswork for hospitality staff in deciding what was a “substantial” meal to serve before someone could purchase alcohol, by removing the requirement entirely.

“What is even more ridiculous is that actually they’re not required to eat the meal. They’re only required to purchase it, and it can sit there while they drink, and it could also be argued that they can go and buy another substantial meal in order to keep drinking. That doesn’t make sense. This bill clears that up,” he said.

The ACT party voted as a bloc in support, while all New Zealand First and Green MPs opposed the bill.

MP Kahurangi Carter said the Greens had a long history of fighting for alcohol harm reduction laws, and believed the entire Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act needed to be overhauled.

New Zealand First MP David Wilson said he valued using those holidays for remembrance and reflection.

McAnulty told RNZ before the third reading, he was hopeful it could get Royal Assent on Thursday, so it could be law before the long weekend.

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

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Watch live: NZ, Cook Islands sign defence and security declaration

Source: Radio New Zealand

New Zealand will resume about $29.8 million in annual funding to the Cook Islands as the two countries sign a defence and security declaration.

Signed by New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown, the declaration comes more than a year after Brown formally signed a strategic deal with China.

New Zealand had not been informed of the details or consulted ahead of time, despite the Cook Islands as a realm country being expected to do so on constitutional matters, defence and security.

Brown has maintained that expectation did not extend to the China deal, and that the deal did not include defence matters.

However, it did include cooperation with China on ocean infrastructure and transport.

Peters’ office had warned such a lack of transparency could have significant security implications.

This new declaration aims to clear up any ambiguity, setting out a shared understanding of the nature of both countries’ relationship regarding defence and security of the Cook Islands.

While the China deal remains in place, the New Zealand side believes the declaration will prevent similar deals being conducted without the details being communicated to New Zealand in future.

“This declaration resolves this former ambiguity and provide clarity to both governments so that we can move forward focused on the future, not the past,” Peters said at the signing.

Both sides have also been discussing over the past 18 months what the Cook Islands can cooperate with China on – and what it can’t.

Peters said it was vital the Cook Islands and New Zealand be “clear with one another and third parties, about the nature of our special relationship and our responsibilities to one another in the defence and security domains”.

The declaration includes clauses about a “deepened cooperation” between the two countries, and while it sets out that the Cook Islands has control over it internal affairs and can pursue its own foreign policy and diplomatic relationships, those are subject to the constitutional limits of free association – the model the two countries have operated under for six decades.

It says New Zealand is “committed to remaining the primary defence and security partner”, and both partners acknowledge that means timely, transparent and good-faith engagement on defence and security affecting either partner – with subclauses laying out the specifics in finer detail.

New Zealand’s Defence Force will have continued access to Cook Islands territory, and will uplift defence engagement.

Peters confirmed New Zealand’s financial support – about $29.8m annually, which has been on pause for two financial years as a result of the disputes – would be restored following the signing.

Winston Peters and Cook Islands PM Mark Brown pictured together on April 1. Supplied / John Tulloch

He said it had been a difficult decision to pause the funding.

“Now that we have come to a mutually satisfactory understanding of the underpinnings of our partnership, we are pleased to normalise all aspects of our relationship, including New Zealand’s financial support.

“Throughout the past two years, New Zealand has never wavered from our steadfast commitment to the Cook Islands people and their strong attachment to the free association relationship.

“We are pleased to now have a shared certainty about the contours of that relationship and we are grateful to Prime Minister Brown and his government for the constructive way they approached the negotiation of this declaration.”

Peters embarked on his one-day trip to Rarotonga on Wednesday in a Defence Force 757 to attend the signing after an informal meeting with Brown at Peters’ home last month.

That meeting was Brown’s first substantive discussion with either Peters or New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon since late 2024, although diplomatic discussions have continued between officials.

After Peters’ arrival in Avarua, Rarotonga, yesterday evening he and Brown met this morning to conclude the final details of the agreement.

Cook Islands and New Zealand relations were also strained from October 2024 after Brown proposed a separate passport for Cook Islanders.

Brown confirmed the following February – and just weeks before Brown signed the China deal – the passport idea was off the table after “New Zealand bared its teeth”.

New Zealand has also been concerned about the Cook Islands’ shipping registry, brought to a sharp point after Finland seized a CI-flagged vessel carrying Russian oil.

The ship Eagle S had been suspected of causing a power cable outage and damaging or breaking four internet lines in the Baltic sea.

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

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Serious crash, SH 5

Source: New Zealand Police

State Highway 5 in Tahorakuri Forest is closed following a two-vehicle crash.

Emergency services were alerted to the incident around 7.07am.

Injuries are reported.

The Serious Crash Unit have been advised.

Road closures are in place from Ohaaki Road to Te Toke Road.

Motorists should choose alternative routes to travel in the area as emergency services work at the scene.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

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Watch live: Peters attends signing ceremony with Cook Islands PM

Source: Radio New Zealand

The livestream is due to start around 8.15am NZT

Foreign Minister Winston Peters is attending a signing ceremony with Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown.

Peters’ one-day trip to Rarotonga is expected to mark friendlier relations between the two countries after an informal meeting in Auckland last month.

Brown has been at odds with New Zealand after a series of disagreements including failing to consult on a strategic deal with China, and proposing a separate passport for Cook Islanders.

The Cook Islands is a realm country, sharing currency and passport rights with New Zealand, and is expected to consult New Zealand on constitutional matters.

New Zealand has paused about $29.8 million in annual funding to the Cook Islands for two financial years, saying resumption was contingent on trust being rebuilt.

Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Cook Islands PM Mark Brown pictured together on 1 April. Supplied / John Tulloch

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

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Concern vaping study will drive people back to cigarettes

Source: Radio New Zealand

A teenager vaping an e-cigarette. 123RF

While vapes may cause cancer – as a recent Australian review of evidence concluded – they remain a far less dangerous vice than traditional cigarettes, a local anti-smoking lobby group says.

Researchers from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) looked at eight years of prior research between 2017 and 2025 – including human and animal studies, case reports and chemical analyses.

Lead author Bernard Stewart said it provided “by far the strongest evidence” vapes – like cigarettes – could cause lung and oral cancer. He said it could no longer be considered “safer than smoking”, urging a wider crackdown on black market products and more public awareness of the dangers.

But Ben Youdan, director of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), worries the findings will promote the view that vaping is just as bad for you as smoking.

“There’s no question it does carry risk, and I think it doesn’t change the message that it’s much, much less harmful than smoking, but not completely risk-free, and that if you smoke, vaping is a very effective way to stop smoking and will substantially reduce your risk. None of that changes at all,” he told Morning Report on Thursday.

“But I think what the issue with this particular review is that it sort of makes a sweeping statement that ‘we found these things in vaping that may cause cancer’, but it doesn’t tell us anything about the levels that they are, whether they’re actually cancer-causing levels or what the dose exposure might be.”

For example, he said, the review noted some vapes will expose users to nicotine – but only about 2 percent of what a smoker would get, a “massive risk reduction” and not a cancer risk on its own.

The fear was studies like this – and the way they have been reported – will deter smokers from using vapes as a gateway to quitting altogether.

“We have really, really high quality evidence, much of which comes from New Zealand studies that vapes are very effective in helping people stop smoking. But we also have an increasing body of evidence that people believe vaping is as, if not more harmful than smoking, which is far from the truth.

“So there’s a real concern that when we have some quite alarmist studies that don’t face scrutiny like this coming out, that we might either encourage people to switch back to smoking or even to put them off using vaping as a stop-smoking act.”

Ben Youdan of ASH said there was no evidence that vapes were leading Kiwi youth towards smoking. 123rf

The researchers noted there was still no epidemiological link between using vapes and cancer, but proving cigarettes caused cancer took a century, and vapes had only been around for two decades.

Youdan said there was no evidence that vapes were leading Kiwi youth towards smoking, though a study last year suggested it could be slowing the move towards the country’s smokefree goal for Māori and Pasifika.

The latest Ministry of Health data showed smoking rates for both youth and adults had dropped markedly in the past 15 years.

Just 6.8 percent of adults and 3.2 percent of people aged 15-24 were daily users in the 2024/5 survey.

There was evidence however vaping amongst teenagers is now more popular than smoking was in 2011/2.

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

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Thousands of KiwiSaver members choose to cut contribution rates

Source: Radio New Zealand

The KiwiSaver contribution rate lifted to 3.5 percent this week. RNZ / Quin Tauetau

Just under 5700 people have had their KiwiSaver contribution rates reduced, meaning they will not be paying the new default rate of 3.5 percent.

For pay processed on or after April 1, the default contribution rate has lifted from 3 percent to 3.5 percent, as part of a staged process to lift both to 4 percent in 2028.

Contribution rates increased unless people were already paying a higher level, or they had applied to Inland Revenue for a temporary reduction in their contribution rate, which their employer could then match.

Inland Revenue said, as of Tuesday, 5696 people had their contribution rate reduced, and this number could still grow.

Dean Anderson, founder of Kōura, said it was less than a quarter of 1 percent of the active KiwiSaver members.

“I’m not sure how many Kiwis were actually fully aware of the changes that were coming. I think the real awareness will kick in when the next payslip arrives and people notice a slightly smaller deposit in their bank accounts.

“This may catch out those on total remuneration contracts or anyone managing a strict budget based on their usual cash in hand. I encourage everyone to pay close attention to their payslips over the next month to ensure their employer has applied these changes correctly.”

Rupert Carlyon, founder of Kōura, said he was not surprised at the number.

Rupert Carlyon is the founder of Kōura. (File photo) Supplied

“I don’t think people realise what is happening or how they can get out of the change.

“We have sent out four different emails saying that this is coming – but haven’t had any feedback at all or questions on it which is really surprising.

“I wonder whether employers have been communicating with their employees, it is at this level that more probably needs to be done rather than through the KiwiSaver providers.”

The government earlier estimated a working parent, with a starting income of $60,000 at 25, two children, who took one year of parental leave and who withdrew all their savings at 30 to buy a home, would end up with just over $500,000 in their account at 65 with the new contribution rates, compared to just under $400,000 previously.

A high-income earner would get 28 percent more and a low-income earner 21 percent.

Jessica McLean, chief operating officer at PaySauce, said employers had been confused about how the change was happening.

“What we have seen is a huge influx of support volume over the last couple of days about things like ‘the new rate is applying already but it shouldn’t, it’s from the first of April’ but you’re paying it on the first of April so it applies, it doesn’t matter that you’re paying them for time in March it’s based on a payday…. Then they want to change the payday to March and we have to say no then your employees will end up with a tax bill because you’re going to ram another period into the financial year. They’re in a big flap about it.”

She said it was hard for employers who were paying total remuneration packages.

This means they set aside an amount to pay staff and both the employer and employee contribution comes from that.

“If the KiwiSaver rate goes up the money has got to come from somewhere. Either the employer’s got to cover it or it’s coming out of the employee’s net pay.”

She said some employers were willing to absorb the cost to ensure their employer did not have to cover the whole increase.

Some employers had also asked whether they could negotiate a temporary rate reduction on employee’s behalf, she said. “It’s got to be employee-led… but I think there’s this narrative that small employers are always trying to pay people the least they possible can and I don’t think that’s true. I think most of them are fine with the change.”

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

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NZ, allies express ‘deep concern’ about Israeli bill expanding death penalty for Palestinians

Source: Radio New Zealand

Foreign Minister Winston Peters. RNZ / Mark Papalii

New Zealand has joined Australia, France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom in expressing “deep concern” about an Israeli bill expanding the death penalty for Palestinians.

Winston Peters posted on social media on Wednesday night, indicating New Zealand had joined the other nations, and emphasising the country’s opposition “for decades” to the death penalty “in all circumstances”.

It comes as the Green Party tried on Wednesday to move a motion in Parliament on the issue, but failed to get the support of all parties.

The ACT party told RNZ it did not support the motion being put without notice, and noted the Minister of Foreign Affairs was responsible for expressing New Zealand’s position on international issues.

Earlier this week, the Israeli parliament finalised a controversial bill that would effectively expand the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of terrorism and nationalistic murders.

The bill stipulated that residents in the West Bank who killed an Israeli “with the intent to negate the existence of the State of Israel” would be sentenced to death.

The Foreign Ministers of Australia, France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom released a joint statementexpressing their “deep concern” about the bill, saying it would “significantly expand the possibilities to impose the death penalty in Israel”.

“We are particularly worried about the de facto discriminatory character of the bill. The adoption of this bill would risk undermining Israel’s commitments with regards to democratic principles.

“The death penalty is an inhumane and degrading form of punishment without any deterring effect. This is why we oppose the death penalty, whatever the circumstances around the world. The rejection of the death penalty is a fundamental value that unites us.”

The statement also urged the Israeli decision makers to “abandon these plans”.

The Green party wanted to highlight the issue in parliament, and sought support from across the House to move a motion without notice.

Co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick told reporters on Wednesday afternoon convention stipulated motions without notice needed prior agreement from all parties.

“This stops spurious motions going up and clogging the time of our parliament.”

Green’s co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. RNZ / Reece Baker

The motion read that the “New Zealand House of Representatives expresses deep concern about Israel’s new legislation which extends the use of the death penalty against Palestinians living under unlawful occupation; shares the concerns of Australia, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Italy about the “de facto discriminatory character’ of the legislation; and calls on the Israeli Government to reverse this legislation”.

Labour and Te Pāti Māori both told RNZ they supported the motion.

Labour leader Chris Hipkins said his party would firmly support a motion in the House to condemn Israel’s use of the death penalty against Palestianians.

“It clearly discriminates against Palestinians – a point underscored by the fact that the law does not apply to Israeli extremists who commit similar crimes. There are major issues with the process including that it removes the right to an appeal. By condemning Israel, we would stand alongside the United Nations, EU and the UK.”

Te Pāti Māori told RNZ it supported the motion, and queried why other parties had not.

“This law further embeds discrimination into Israel’s justice system by allowing Palestinians to be sentenced to death while others are not subject to the same punishment for similar acts,” a spokesperson for the party said.

“It sits within the context of the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people, and the backdrop of Israel and the United States’ illegal invasion of Iran and Lebanon.”

National and New Zealand First did not respond to queries but the ACT party told RNZ it did not support the motion being put without notice.

A spokesperson for the party said it noted the Minister of Foreign Affairs was responsible for expressing New Zealand’s position on international issues, and “ACT supports that approach over symbolic motions in the House”.

“If the House passed a motion every time a country passed a law of concern, we would spend more time talking about other countries’ legislation than our own.

“All MPs have the right to put a motion on notice under Standing Orders.”

In response, Swarbrick said it was “deeply disappointing” and acknowledged the point was “symbolism”.

“I can point to many different examples when the ACT Party, for example, has put forward very similar motions, evidently for the very purpose of that same symbolism, which in turn means something on the international stage.

“It felt particularly pertinent for our country to take a stand against the perpetuation of abuse of human rights with the Israeli parliament passing the ability to effectively murder, to slaughter Palestinian hostages and prisoners.”

She said a motion on notice did not have the status of being read out in Parliament and having the backing of every single parliamentary party.

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