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Voters split on who Labour should rule out as governing options

Source: Radio New Zealand

Labour leader Chris Hipkins is getting little clarity from voters on which governing partners he should shut out. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

Labour leader Chris Hipkins is getting little clarity from voters on which governing partners he should shut out, with a new poll showing the electorate divided on his post-election options.

Hipkins has so far refused to say which parties Labour would or would not work with in a future government but has promised to set that out “closer to the election”.

The latest RNZ-Reid Research poll, conducted from 15-22 January, asked New Zealanders whether Hipkins should rule out any potential pathways to power.

About half of voters want Labour to rule out deal with Te Pāti Māori

The most definitive response came regarding Te Pāti Māori, with almost half of all respondents – 49.6 percent – saying Labour should rule out working with it, compared with just over 34 percent who said it should not.

A further 16 percent said they did not know.

But Hipkins’ dilemma is driven home when looking more specifically at Labour’s own base.

There, just 38 percent of Labour voters said Hipkins should reject Te Pāti Māori, while 44 percent preferred to keep the option open. Undecideds numbered 18.5 percent.

Supporters of Te Pāti Māori and the Greens were strongly aligned in wanting Labour to leave the door open, with more than 60 percent in favour and just 20 percent against.

Among National voters, nearly two-thirds said Labour should rule out Te Pāti Māori, a view shared by about 75 percent of ACT voters and more than 80 percent of NZ First voters.

The polling lands after months of turmoil for Te Pāti Māori, marked by internal conflict, ill discipline and the expulsion of two MPs, one later reinstated after court action.

Hipkins has increasingly sharpened his criticism, saying Te Pāti Māori clearly was not ready for government right now. He has also said Labour would aim to win every Māori electorate, effectively eliminating Te Pāti Māori altogether.

But Labour’s pathway to power is precarious without Te Pāti Māori’s numbers.

The headline results from the latest RNZ-Reid Research poll show the opposition bloc – including Te Pāti Māori – just short of the majority support required.

NZ First could make the difference and has worked with Labour before, in 2005 and 2027. But leader Winston Peters says he will not work with Labour as long as Hipkins remains leader.

Hipkins has also been sceptical of any reunion, telling media he ruled out NZ First before the last election and that was “highly unlikely” to change.

New Zealand First divides voters most sharply

Voters appeared more open to the idea of a revived Labour-NZ First deal than the parties’ leaders were, though opinions were fairly evenly split.

Thirty-nine percent said Labour should shut the door on NZ First, while almost 37 percent said it should not. Nearly a quarter were undecided.

Labour voters leaned more strongly toward ruling NZ First out, with 45 percent suggesting that course of action and about 35 percent opposed.

In fact, supporters of every Parliamentary party except NZ First were, on balance, more inclined to want Labour to exclude Peters.

That was the stance of 37 percent of National voters, 44 percent of ACT voters, 46 percent of Te Pāti Māori voters and 52 percent of Green voters.

By contrast, just 23 percent of NZ First supporters wanted to kill off the potential partnership. Two thirds were in favour of keeping it on the table.

What about Labour’s good friends in the Greens?

Voters were also divided over whether Labour should rule out the Green Party, despite the two parties’ recent cooperation.

More than 40 percent of respondents said Labour should rule out the Greens, compared with about 46 percent who said it should not.

Once again, views split down government and opposition lines.

More than 60 percent of Labour voters wanted the Green Party to remain in play, as did 84 percent of Green voters.

National, ACT and NZ First voters were far more likely to want the Greens excluded.

Speaking to RNZ, Hipkins said he was giving “plenty of thought” to Labour’s governing options and would outline his position “in the fullness of time”.

“Under MMP, you do need to work with other parties,” he said. “But you’ve also got to make sure there’s some compatability there.”

This poll of 1000 people was conducted by Reid Research, using quota sampling and weighting to ensure representative cross section by age, gender and geography. The poll was conducted through online interviews between 15-22 January 2026 and has a maximum margin of error of +/- 3.1 percent at a 95 percent confidence level.

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

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Brooke van Velden announces changes to hazardous substance rules for research labs

Source: Radio New Zealand

Workplace Relations Minister Brooke van Velden. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

The Workplace Relations Minister Brooke van Velden will change hazardous substance regulations for research laboratories, saying it will save the industry billions.

The labs would be able to develop their own risk management plans, a new code of practice would be developed, and some specific rules were being tweaked.

One researcher said the changes would make it much easier and cheaper for the sector, which he thought would support the new code of practice.

When the government changed the regulations for hazardous substances in 2017, rules for research labs – which had previously been separate – were lumped in with those for industrial labs including petrol refineries, food processors, and commercial cleaning and pesticide producers.

Van Velden told RNZ carve-outs for researchers were intended to be developed, but that never happened and some of the regulations were not well suited.

“It’s pretty clear there’s a big difference between people who have huge amounts of hazardous goods for … sale and production of goods versus people that have a lot of smaller portions of hazardous goods for research,” she said.

Victoria University of Wellington School of Chemical and Physical Sciences senior lecturer Mathew Anker said it was not that the rules for dangerous chemicals were being softened, but suited to the environment.

Victoria University of Wellington School of Chemical and Physical Sciences senior lecturer Mathew Anker. Supplied / Victoria University

For instance, the rules for handling ammonia made sense when using industrial quantities to treat milk.

“In a research lab we have 1000 chemicals, we don’t have 1000 sensors. Half the sensors we’d have to put in don’t exist … on top of that it’s at such a low volume that it won’t happen.

“We have huge amounts of ventilation, we have fume cupboards that suck away all those fumes … but that isn’t taken into account in the regulations.”

A Cabinet paper showed many research labs were now non-compliant with the rules because they were built under the previous requirements.

“The costs to rebuild these laboratories to comply would be extreme …. and overly restrictive, and may not improve safety,” the paper said.

Van Velden pointed to estimates from Universities New Zealand suggesting it would have cost between $1.5 billion and $3b to make the labs compliant if there was no change.

She said current rules specified that labs must be on the ground floor, but at a university it made more sense to have them on a higher floor so people could escape in case of a fire.

The regulator, WorkSafe, would work with the industry to develop a new Approved Code of Practice (ACOP), she said, clearly setting out obligations under the Health and Safety at Work Act to solve problems like that.

“Industry experts as well as WorkSafe will be creating this tailored compliance pathway – it’s not going to be created by a minister that doesn’t have scientific background,” she said.

Cabinet on 2 December had also agreed to change some specific regulations:

  • Research labs would be able to manage handling, packaging and storage of hazardous substances through a risk management plan
  • Storage sites located nearby, which currently could face more stringent rules, would have the same regulations as labs
  • Researchers, who already had higher levels of training, would not need separate certification to handle hazardous substances
  • Lab managers would no longer need to be on site at all times, instead only required to be available to provide oversight
  • Instead of needing knowledge of all hazardous substances used, managers would only need knowledge of safety risks

Dr Anker said the research sector had been lobbying the government for eight years trying to get fit-for-purpose rules in place. 123RF

Dr Anker said research labs were operating safely, but compliance under the old rules was another question altogether.

For example, the university had spent more than three years and more than $1 million to move a device for purifying solvents without using heat or electricity because the regulations demanded it.

As a result, students now needed to walk through the hallways carrying solvent in glassware rather than simply moving around the lab.

“Two buildings across and three floors down, and that piece of equipment was being used 10, 20, 30 times a day … but we now have our students traipsing across two buildings and down the three floors to collect their very, very small volumes of solvent.”

WorkSafe had intervened, despite Fire and Emergency agreeing with the university about the safest way to do things, he said.

“The industry experts using the chemicals and the experts at putting the fires out from the chemicals agreed with each other, but the regulator disagreed with us.”

He said the research sector had been lobbying the government for eight years trying to get fit-for-purpose rules in place, and the result was a return to a pragmatic, risk-based approach.

He was confident creating their own risk management plans would be unlikely to lead to corner-cutting.

“The onus for responsibility for health and safety is on that person that’s trying to cut around the rules. Now, most people are not going to stick their neck out and say ‘I’m going to do something incredibly unsafe, just because I want to’,” he said.

“Second of all, when the lab managers build these risk assessments and all the rest of it, it has to go through a very thorough process.”

Such risk plans were already used in universities around the country, he said.

WSP Research national manager for research Wendy Turvey in a statement said the codes of practice and other tools agreed on were a pragmatic solution and would provide clearer settings for risk management while recognising the realities of research environments.

“WSP has had input through the working groups as the regulations were shaped, and we’re pleased with the final outcome. Just as importantly, the process has been strongly collaborative – involving MBIE, universities, WorkSafe, [public] research organisations and other independent research organisations and companies.”

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

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Police say they did not attend Mt Maunganui campground over disorder call

Source: Radio New Zealand

Police say they did not attend the Mount Maunganui campground after receiving a call about a disorder incident that referenced a potential landslip about three hours before a deadly landslide as it was unclear if the disorder resulted in any property damage.

It comes after a camper who contacted emergency services on the morning of the landslide told RNZ she saw a local council representative drive through the Mount Maunganui campground and directly past three slips about two hours before the deadly landslide.

The victims of the landslide have been named as Lisa Anne Maclennan, 50, Måns Loke Bernhardsson, 20, Jacqualine Suzanne Wheeler, 71, Susan Doreen Knowles, 71, Sharon Maccanico, 15, and Max Furse-Kee, 15.

A woman, who was woken by Maclennan, spoke with RNZ on Monday about efforts to raise emergency services earlier that morning, including her own call to police three hours before the landslide.

The woman captured this photo of a slip at the campsite at 6.15am on Thursday morning. Supplied

Do you know more? Email sam.sherwood@rnz.co.nz

A call log provided by the woman confirms she called police at 6.18am. The outgoing call lasted eight minutes.

“I explained to them about the slips. I said, ‘look, I understand that you guys will be really busy, and this might not be anything, but this is what’s happened here’. 

“It was enough to push the ladies’ campervan forward, and there’s a homeless man in the toilet block, and he was actually going crazy and sort of banging on the walls and smashing things.

“And so I said, maybe you should send someone to have a look at that, just in case. You know, there’s a lot of kids here… and they said, yeah, it is a really busy night. It’s been a busy night. It’s a busy morning, we’ll try and get a unit there.”

In response to questions from RNZ, a police spokesperson confirmed police received an emergency call at 6.18am in relation to a disorder incident that had occurred at the campsite.

“During the call, the informant also referenced a potential landslip.

“Police did not attend as it was unclear whether the disorder resulted in any property damage.

“Fire and Emergency New Zealand were earlier alerted to the slip, and the council was in turn notified.”

Between 5am and 9.30am in the Mt Maunganui area, Police received one other call about a slip on the base track.

“The informant left the area safely and noted cones had been placed to restrict further access.”

A recovery crew working on the Mount Maunganui slip site on Monday. Nick Monro/RNZ

The woman earlier told RNZ no-one arrived until about 7.45am, when she said she saw what she described as a ute that was sign-written with Tauranga City Council. The ute stopped and the woman says she called out:

“Look, I don’t know if you can see them from where you are, but there’s these slips up here, I think, you know, someone should look at them.”

The woman was unsure the man heard her. The woman said the ute then drove through the Pilot Bay side of the campground slowly past the slips that she had filmed directly in front of several campsites.

“I figured, well, everything will be fine. Someone from the council’s come, they’ve seen the slips, he’s driven past them, he’s driven through the water that was coming down from that corner that collapsed. So I had no worries after that.”

Max Furse-Kee, 15, Sharon Maccanico, 15 and Susan Knowles, 71, are three of the six Mt Maunganui landslide victims. SUPPLIED

RNZ asked Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale for comment on the woman’s account.

In a statement sent via the council’s media team, Drysdale said “all relevant matters relating to the lead-up to this tragic event will be considered as part of the independent review we are currently initiating”.

“This will be reported back to the community as quickly as possible.

“The detailed scope, timeframes and personnel involved in this independent review process are currently being worked through and will be communicated publicly as soon as finalised.”

It comes after Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said there was a “strong case” for a government inquiry into the landslide.

He announced the possibility during a media conference on Tuesday afternoon, and said many questions about last Thursday’s slip were being asked, including whether there was a missed opportunity to evacuate people sooner.

“Six families are grieving the unimaginable loss of their loved ones, and they deserve answers. I acknowledge that the Tauranga City Council has ordered its own inquiry into the events leading up to the landslide at the campground.

“However, I do believe there is a strong case for an independent government inquiry, and we’ll be talking to Tauranga City Council about that.”

Luxon said it would be important not only for the grieving families but for helping to ensure lessons were learned to prevent similar tragedies in the future.

While an independent inquiry had already been announced by local council, Luxon said there were concerns it would not be impartial if it was conducted by the council.

“There’s a potentially an inherent conflict between the ownership of the campground and the council, but it’s also coming from conversations directly with the families that Mark [Mitchell] and I had in the last 48 hours with people in Tauranga at the Mount, and their big desires to actually understand what did happen here.

“I think doing that dispassionately, being able to do that very objectively, through an independent government inquiry would be the way forward.”

A gazebo was erected on the Mt Maunganui slip site on Monday afternoon as a crew in white suits continued work on the ground nearby, while diggers stopped for about half an hour. Nick Monro/RNZ

RNZ approached the Tauranga City Council and police for comment on Monday evening on the woman’s account.

“Once the recovery efforts are completed, we have secured the site and have geotechnical assessments that the landslide area is stable, there will be a process undertaken to examine the events that took place before and during this tragic event,” the council’s controller Tom McEntyre said.

“It would not be appropriate to make any comment now that could affect that process or pre-empt the outcome.”

In response to earlier questions from RNZ, deputy national commander Megan Stiffler confirmed FENZ received a 111 call at 5.48am on Thursday, 22 January, from a person reporting a slip near the Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park.

“Our call takers made contact with the Tauranga City Council, the landowners of the camping ground, and notified them of this information at 5.51am.

“The landslip that was referenced in the 111 call received at 5.48am did not impact life or property and therefore Fire and Emergency did not respond firefighters to attend, instead we notified Tauranga City Council as the landowner responsible.”

View of the scene at the landslide that crashed through the Beachside Holiday Park in Mt Maunganui. Supplied / Alan Gibson

Speaking to the New Zealand Herald, Tauranga City Council chief executive Marty Grenfell said there was no record of a 111 call being referred to the council.

However, a council statement released only hours later backtracked on this version of events.

“After further enquiries, we can confirm that the Tauranga City Council’s main Contact Centre received a call from Fire and Emergency New Zealand at around 5.50am on Thursday, 22 January.”

The council said the chief executive’s earlier comments referred specifically to information logged in the council’s Emergency Operations Centre, which did not receive a call.

At about 9.30am a slip came down at the Beachside Holiday Park at Mount Maunganui, smashing into campervans, tents, vehicles and an ablution block near the Mount Hot Pools.

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

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Mark Robinson to move into new World Rugby role

Source: Radio New Zealand

Former NZ Rugby CEO Mark Robinson PHOTOSPORT

Fresh off finishing an often dramatic tenure as NZ Rugby CEO, Mark Robinson has found a new role with World Rugby. The sport’s governing body has hired Robinson as their chief of rugby, which will focus on growing rugby’s global appeal.

“The game is evolving rapidly, and the way players and fans engage with rugby is changing,” said Robinson via a World Rugby press release.

“I’m excited for the chance to help shape a future that enhances the spectacle for fans, supports unions and protects rugby’s core values on a global stage. I look forward to contributing to a strategy that ensures rugby continues to grow in relevance, reach and impact.”

Robinson has long been an advocate for change in rugby, notably brokering the controversial deal between NZR and the US private equity firm Silver Lake. He also attempted to reshape the make up of the NZR board, which was ultimately unsuccessful after major resistance by a number of provincial unions.

Mark Robinson. Graphic: Liam K. Swiggs PHOTOSPORT

Part of the Silver Lake deal involved increasing the All Blacks’ brand presence through digital media, something that Robinson had targeted in the long sought-after US market.

“We are a tiny, isolated island on the other side of the world with a leading sports brand. So we’re trying to grow value so we can invest in all levels of the game,” he said in October in Chicago as the All Blacks prepared to play Ireland at a sold-out Soldier Field.

“I think the positioning of the (All Black) brand now through digital reach and the fact that we’re in markets like the US with such a strong following, shows that our strategy in terms of the work we’ve done overseas is definitely worth it. Now we’ve got a handful of global partners, and we’ve got a growing fan base and much more strategic connection than we’ve ever had.”

The challenge ahead for Robinson will be to maximise the commercial potential for World Rugby in what is still a very scattered global landscape. This year will see the first edition of the Nations Cup, which is the closest the sport has been to a global season since the dawn of professionalism three decades ago.

Brett Robinson, World Rugby Chair. Mark Kolbe/Photosport

However, outside of its World Cups, World Rugby is currently facing challenges in getting the fresh eyes on the game. Despite being a popular Olympic event and a format that has been a door opener into non-traditional markets, Sevens is now a significant cost centre, with the rebranded SVNS circuit incurring estimated losses of between NZD $70-120m since 2023.

World Rugby chair Brett Robinson said: “Mark’s appointment comes at a pivotal time for rugby…and as we embark on the delivery of a bold new five-year strategy, his leadership, rugby intelligence and knowledge will be instrumental in reimagining how our great game grows and thrives.”

Robinson will officially join World Rugby in May, after conducting a sport-wide review of game philosophy and match official alignment, which will be presented at the 2026 World Rugby Shape of the Game conference taking place in late February.

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Air New Zealand flight attendants plan trio of strikes in February

Source: Radio New Zealand

A Boeing Dreamliner 787-9, from the Air New Zealand fleet. Supplied / Air New Zealand

The Flight Attendants Association (FAANZ) says problems with Air New Zealand’s planes and services are creating extra headaches for staff working to look after passengers at 38,000 feet.

Flight attendants working aboard the airline’s B777 and B787 long range aircraft will stop work for three strikes on 11, 12 and 13 February.

The airline said it was looking to balance the contributions of crew members against the “challenging economic times” and international cabin crews had a unique work and compensation structure.

FAANZ president Craig Featherby said – despite months of bargaining and two rounds of mediation through the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment – Air New Zealand had been unable to present a satisfactory pay offer to international cabin crews.

“The company has offered a pay increase that would see crew just hit the living wage. With inflation continuing to bite, many flight attendants are concerned they’ll be back below a liveable wage within a short time,” Featherby said.

He said the airline was failing to prioritise its staff and passengers – leaving it up to crews to address problems, often at 38,000 feet in the air.

“Flights are repeatedly impacted by preventable issues: lack of catering and limited choice, missing equipment to effectively look after customers, inoperative seats, and broken cabin features, alongside higher than usual cancellations.

“Flight attendants, as the face of the airline, are constantly having to work around these issues and apologise to passengers who have paid premium fares to fly with the national carrier,” Featherby said.

He said the latest pay offers from the airline were asking flight attendants to work harder and give up hard-earned terms and conditions in their current contracts in exchange for any “meaningful improvement” in wages.

“The company is sending a clear message to those who represent its front-line – that they are undervalued, despite carrying the weight of the operation every day.

“Air New Zealand must recognise that flight attendants are integral to the airline’s success. They’re safety professionals and ambassadors for the company. It’s time the board and executive team realise that their front-line staff – on the ground, in the call centres and in the air – need real investment,” Featherby said.

E tū union assistant national secretary Rachel Mackintosh said many of the airline’s long range crews had been with Air New Zealand “for decades” and did not take striking lightly.

“Pay for flight attendants has not been good enough for a long time and they are really aware that they are the factor that makes the airline a great airline. They have been pushing Air New Zealand for a long time and this really is a last resort,” Mackintosh said.

Air New Zealand chief people officer Nikki Dines said the assertion that crews were paid below the living wage was not accurate.

She said the airline’s latest offer increased base salaries by a range of 4.14 percent to 6.41 percent.

“Their base salary provides a consistent income, regardless of the hours they fly. In addition to their base salary, cabin crew receive payments and allowances to recognise additional responsibilities, time away from home, and longer duties. They also receive further allowances to support them while they are away from home,” Dines said.

Dines said the airline would work to support customers and minimise disruptions as much as possible if the strikes went ahead.

“We’ll contact any affected travellers directly as soon as more information becomes available and encourage everyone travelling during this period to check their booking details are up to date and to sign up for our Travel Alerts service,” Dines said.

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As it happened: Criminal liability to be probed after Mount Maunganui landslip

Source: Radio New Zealand

Crews searching for six people buried in a landslide at Mount Maunganui have so far had the weather they’ve been hoping for today.

It’s warm – 20 degrees – and sunny, with some cloud cover and a very gentle breeze.

Officials yesterday labelled moisture “the enemy” – because with it, the clay-like ground they’re working with could become unstable and risk further slips.

The rain has held off so far, however showers are forecast late afternoon and early evening.

An independent review, announced by Tauranga City Council, will look at events leading up to the landslide. Meanwhile, WorkSafe says it will looking into the organisations that had a duty of care for everyone at the Mt Maunganui holiday park.

See how the day unfolded in RNZ’s blog at the top of this page.

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EIT barbering graduates build careers at Napier shop

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology

25 seconds ago

A Napier barbershop owned by an EIT graduate has given two newly qualified barbers from the same programme their start in the industry.

Boxed Out Barbershop owner Brad Warren completed the NZ Certificate in Barbering (Level 3) at EIT’s Hawke’s Bay Campus in Taradale.

He now employs fellow EIT graduates Nich Allen (Ngāti Porou) and Declan Wong, who completed the NZ Certificate in Commercial Barbering (Level 4) in 2024 – a programme that was not available during Brad’s time of study.

Boxed Out Barbershop owner Brad Warren is not only an EIT graduate himself but has continued his connection with the polytechnic by employing a number of barbering graduates.

Brad, 34, came to barbering after working as a glazier and in boat building. He credits his time at EIT as crucial to his success, particularly the support he received from his tutors.

“At one stage I was going to pull out of the course, but my tutor Jen encouraged me to stay,” Brad said. “She saw the talent in me before I knew there was talent there. I loved EIT and didn’t want it to end.”

Brad has maintained his connection with EIT, occasionally visiting classes to speak with current students. When it came time to hire staff for the barbershop, he turned to the programme that had launched his own career.

“Jen would give me a message and say, ‘I’ve got some students who are really skilled barbers and are looking for work, can we send them in?’” Brad said. “They’ll come in and do a haircut, and I’ll be like, wow, they’re actually a good barber.”

The approach has worked well. Brad previously employed another EIT graduate for two years and had a student on work experience while studying last year.

Nich Allen (Ngāti Porou) studied the NZ Certificate in Commercial Barbering (Level 4) in 2024 and now works at Boxed Out Barbershop in Napier.

Nich, 23, originally from Gisborne, has been working at Boxed Out Barbershop for about a year.

“It’s a really positive space. The people make it a great place to learn and work,” he says.

He says the programme at EIT helped him find direction after leaving school unsure of what he wanted to do.

“I didn’t really know where I was heading at the time. The course helped me build confidence and gave me something to work towards.”

EIT graduate Declan Wong studied the NZ Certificate in Commercial Barbering (Level 4) in 2024 and now works at Boxed Out Barbershop in Napier.

Declan, 20, began at the shop as a work experience student about a year ago. He is now a qualified barber working full-time.

“It doesn’t really feel like work when you enjoy what you are doing,” he says.

Declan says work experience was one of the most valuable parts of the programme.

“Being able to go out into real barbershops helped me understand what the industry was actually like. It made stepping into full-time work much easier.”

He says working alongside other EIT graduates has helped him continue learning while building confidence behind the chair.

For Brad, seeing graduates now building their careers in his shop feels like a full-circle moment.

Boxed Out Barbershop Owner Brad Warren has employed EIT NZ Certificate in Commercial Barbering (Level 4) graduates Regan lusis, Nich Allen and Declan Wong.

“We’ve all come through the same training pathway, so it’s pretty special to now be working together.”

Paula Morris, Assistant Head of School – Health & Sports Science, said the success of the barbering programme relies on strong, genuine partnerships with the barbering industry.

“The relationship between our programme and Boxed Out Barbershop is a perfect example of this. When graduates return to the sector not only as skilled barbers but as employers who actively support the next generation – just as Brad has done – it creates an invaluable cycle of mentorship and opportunity.”

She says having barbershops welcome students for work experience and then employ graduates ensures learners gain the real-world exposure that simply can’t be replicated in a classroom.

“It enables them to build confidence behind the chair, understand the expectations of a professional shop, and develop the interpersonal skills essential to the craft.

“This level of industry support does more than help individual students – it elevates the whole programme. It keeps us connected to current practice, strengthens the training environment and ensures we are developing barbers who are truly ready to meet the needs of their clients. We are incredibly proud to see the full-circle impact that Boxed Out Barbershop continues to have on our learners and graduates.”

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NZ speedsters target relays for Commonwealth Games, world championship selection

Source: Radio New Zealand

Tiian Whelpton runs leadout leg in a 4x100m relay at Hastings. Kerry Marshall/Photosport

New Zealand’s fastest sprinters have taken their international ambitions into their own hands – and they’ve found an unlikely source of support for their endeavours.

Less than a month after watching national recordholder Eddie Osei-Nketia change allegiances, many of his former rivals have joined him across the Tasman to participate in an Australian national sprint camp focused on relays.

Under a community-driven initiative known as ‘Black Batons’, the Kiwi speedsters have joined forces to push for Commonwealth Games and world championships selection this year.

Seventeen sprinters paid their own way to attend the week-long camp on the Gold Coast this month, tapping into Athletics Australia resources, as they try to qualify for the world stage.

The scheme has been masterminded by local coaches Nuree Greenhalgh and Sonia Waddell.

Greenhalgh was a junior champion over 400m/800m, but has found her niche as an up-and-coming mentor for sprinters, guiding Lex Revell-Lewis to a men’s national 400 metres record (45.88s) and Kendra Scally Tu’i to a women’s junior 200 metres mark (23.52s) last summer.

Waddell is simply a part of Kiwi sporting folklore. Daughter of All Blacks flanker Alistair Scown, she was a junior 400m hurdles champion on the track, before switching to rowing, where she reached two Olympic single sculls finals and won world championship silver in the quad.

As a cyclist, she won a national time trial title and then piloted partially sighted Jayne Parsons to para-cycling world championship gold.

She’s married to former Olympic rowing champion and America’s Cup winner Rob Waddell. Daughter Madeline is the current national women’s 400 metres champion and junior recordholder (52.62s), and is about to take up a track scholarship at prestigious Duke University in the United States.

“We reached out to David Reid at Athletics Australia, just to find out about his relay programme, because after three years, it’s been really successful,” said Greenhalgh. “We’re just building out knowledge and Athletics Australia invited us over, as coaches, to come into camp with them.

“Then they reached out and said, ‘Why don’t you bring a relay squad and run against us at the end of the week… you’re helping us’.”

The Aussies have recently used their relay programme to catapult their sprinters to new heights. Vindication of that effort came, when their women’s 4x400m team won world indoor bronze at Nanjing, China last March.

Lex Revell-Lewis and Eddie Osei-Neketia found themselves on different teams at the Gold Coast relay camp. Supplied/Casey Simms

In May, their mixed 4x400m – two men and two women – finished second at the world relays championships at Guangzhou, China, as Australia qualified teams in all six events contested.

For qualification, record and ranking purposes, races must feature at least two international teams. The Aussies have previously hosted Papua New Guinea at their camps to fulfil that requirement, but having a competitive Kiwi contingent on board suited them perfectly.

“They went above and beyond helping,” Greenhalgh reflected. “They imparted all their knowledge.”

The NZ athletes trained alongside their trans-Tasman counterparts, attended tactical and video analysis sessions, and at the end of the week, a men’s 4x100m team of Tiaan Whelpton, Hayato Yoneto, Shay Veitch and Revell-Lewis came within one-tenth of a second of a national record, almost running down old mate Osei-Nketia in the process.

A mixed 4x100m combination clocked 43.29s, which would have ranked 28th-fastest nation last year. Twenty-four teams will qualify for the world relays at Gaborone, Botswana, in May.

Homegrown sprinters have long been frustrated at the lack of international opportunities afforded them and Osei-Nketia’s non-selection for the Paris Olympics, despite breaking his father’s NZ 100 metres mark at the world championships, was undoubtedly a factor in his switch of nationality.

While New Zealand has a long and rich record of distance-running success, the last sprinter to make an Olympic final was more than a century ago, when Arthur Porritt took bronze over 100 metres at Antwerp 1924.

Forty-seven men broke 10 seconds over 100 metres last year alone – the first man dipped under that barrier 58 years ago.

New Zealand has never had one. Top Kiwi Whelpton clocked 10.10s – good for second on our all-time list – and ranked only 120th in the world.

Promising sprinter Kendra Scally Tu’i in action at the Gold Coast relay camp. Supplied/Casey Simms

Although New Zealand struggles to turn out top-class sprinters – Zoe Hobbs is the lone exception in recent times – its depth over 100 metres, especially among men, has probably never been better.

Throughout the years, only 25 NZ men have equalled or beaten 10.50s, admittedly a very modest time by world standards. In 2025, NZ had seven – not counting Osei-Nketia – more than the country had ever had.

“In the past, relays have not worked in New Zealand,” Greenhalgh said. “They haven’t taken off.

“Athletes have been more individual based and not committed to the relay.

“After seeing Australia competing their teams on the world stage and creating opportunities, we saw a little gap. We just wanted to create a way to get our athletes out there.

“Realistically, some won’t make it internationally as individuals, so their chance is the relay space. We want to keep athletes in the sport and give them results for all their hard training.”

When Greenhalgh and Scown first floated the proposal, they achieved buy-in from about 30 athletes across men and women, senior and junior.

South African-born Whelpton, 25, admitted he was sceptical about the idea. He had represented New Zealand at world indoor and outdoor, and last weekend came as close as any Kiwi to that 10-second benchmark, clocking 10.02s at Whanganui, with the aid of an excessive tailwind.

“My initial reaction was, ‘Here we go again’,” he said. “This is not the first time someone’s tried to get a relay going – there’s been quite a few failed attempts in the last few years.

“Initially, I didn’t pay as much attention as I probably should have. I thought this would be another one that didn’t get anywhere.

“After talking to Sonia and Nuree, and seeing how many people were getting stuck in and grabbing the bull by the horns, I’ve been 100 percent on board.

“I think we’ve got an unparalleled level of depth in the sprints that we’ve not had in previous years. We could genuinely have quite a competitive team – we might not have the speed some other countries have, but if we nail our changes, there’s no reason we can’t be competitive.”

Lex Revell-Lewis and Shay Veitch transfer the baton during a 4x100m relay on the Gold Coast. Supplied/Casey Simms

New Zealand sport is famous for fielding teams that perhaps lack the raw talent of their opponents, but make up for that by performing above the sum of their parts. In relay running, the great leveller is the requirement to get the baton safely around the track, while transferring it from one runner to the next within designated zones.

Inability to perfect this has derailed many fast teams throughout history, but the Kiwis can improve their standing considerably through mastering the intangible.

“That’s what we’re trying to work towards,” Whelpton said. “It’s going to take a while to get there.

“The Aussies have been doing it for a number of years now and, watching them, they are on another level. They are an Olympic final relay team and our goal is to get to the level they’re at.”

Whelpton insisted the Gold Coast camp was one of the best he’d attended in his career.

“We had access to their physios, their bio-mechs… they were filming us and giving us all our data. They were really holding our hand along the way and you could see they really wanted us to be better.

“If we can get to the point where we’re faster and competitive with them, that will be better for their relays too.”

The most notable absentee so far has been Hobbs, who also missed out on Tokyo Olympic selection, but used that setback as motivation to establish herself among the world’s fastest women.

In 2024, she became the first Oceania female to crack 11 seconds for 100 metres (10.97s) and has lowered her national record twice since. She has reached semifinals three times at world championships and again at the 2024 Paris Olympic, while narrowly missing a world indoor medal over 60 metres.

Zoe Hobbs overcame Tokyo Olympics non-selection to reach the Paris semifinals two years later. AFP/JEWEL SAMAD

Hobbs, 28, has the least to gain and the most to lose from diverting her attention towards a relay programme.

“It’s really important Zoe focus on her individual [goals] at the moment,” Greenhalgh said. “She hasn’t said she’s in or out.

“We’re just letting Zoe do Zoe, because she obviously has a Commonwealth Games campaign and world champs indoors.

“The goal of these relays is to get athletes competing on the world stage and growing in confidence. Zoe’s already there.”

For its part, Athletics NZ has expressed its backing for the initiative, even if its material contribution is limited.

“Athletics NZ is supportive of community-led initiatives that help move our sport forward at all levels and it’s been great to see the work going into the recent independent relay programme,” it told RNZ. “We’re fortunate to have passionate coaches all over the country, who make a huge contribution to athletics at all levels, every day.

“Although we’re not able to allocate funding to these types of development initiatives, we’ll offer support where we can and have worked with our meet promoters this season to make sure there are relay opportunities available at our domestic events.

“Some of the athletes and coaches involved also recently attended an Athletics NZ performance development camp, organised as part of our wider performance-development programme.

“Looking ahead, the Oceania Championships are a significant international competition opportunity for these teams, with qualifying for the 2026 world relay championships and the 2026 Commonwealth Games as aspirational goals for many of our athletes.”

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Posted on

National only a whisker ahead of Labour on the economy – poll

Source: Radio New Zealand

RNZ

The National Party has narrowly outperformed Labour as the party voters trust the most to manage the economy.

The latest RNZ-Reid Research results would return the coalition government to power with a slim majority of 61 seats, if replicated on polling day.

The results saw New Zealand First climb into third place on party preferences, recording its strongest result in the Reid Research series in more than eight years.

The RNZ-Reid Research poll also asked voters a series of topical questions, including what party they trusted most to manage the economy.

A slim majority of 32.2 percent of voters said they trusted National, with Labour just a whisker behind on 31.4 percent.

The next highest score was those who said they didn’t trust any party to manage the economy (9.7 percent) followed by those who said they didn’t know (7.7 percent).

New Zealand First scored next on (7.6 percent) followed by the Green Party (5.8 percent), the ACT Party (3.2 percent), Te Pāti Māori (1.7 per cent) and those who said other (0.6 percent).

The result will be a worry for the National Party, having battled two years of economic headwinds after promising to get the country back on track.

It will also be a concern that National came in behind Labour when voters were asked what party they trusted the most to assist with the cost of living.

Labour lead on 35.5 percent followed by National (24.6 percent), those who answered none (9.9 percent), the Greens (8.3 percent), New Zealand First (8.2 percent), those who said they didn’t know (7.8 percent), the ACT Party (3.5 percent), Te Pāti Māori (1.4 percent) and other (0.7 percent).

The leaders heading up the two major parties have also returned low results in their performance ratings.

There was a small improvement in the public’s perception of National leader Christopher Luxon’s performance, with a net score of -14, an improvement of 1.2 points over his September 2025 rating of -15.2.

Labour leader Chris Hipkins returned the lowest net score of 0.9 since he has been the Leader of the Labour Party.

This poll of 1000 people was conducted by Reid Research, using quota sampling and weighting to ensure representative cross section by age, gender and geography. The poll was conducted through online interviews between 15-22 January 2026 and has a maximum margin of error of +/- 3.1 percent at a 95 percent confidence level.

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Ōakura locals adjust to new reality as main road blocked for months

Source: Radio New Zealand

Ōakura Bay Reserves Board member Malcolm Devereux, left, and chairman Glenn Ferguson mop out the devastated community hall. RNZ / Peter de Graaf

A nail-biting, mostly single-lane gravel road will remain the key lifeline linking a storm-battered Northland town with the outside world for the next eight to 14 weeks.

That’s how long the Whangārei District Council expects it will take to clear a monster slip at Helena Bay Hill on Russell Road, the main road between Ōakura and Whangārei.

The slip came down on Wednesday at the end of a four-day deluge that soaked the district’s northeast coast.

The tiny settlement of Punaruku, for example, recorded as much rain each hour between 3am and 5am on 18 January as most places in Northland get in the entire month.

A washed-out bridge on the road from Ōakura north to Russell reopened after temporary repairs on Saturday night, but the only direct link to Whangārei – via Pigs Head Road and Kaiikanui Road – is a back route open to local residents, recovery workers and emergency services only.

‘Lifeline road’ remains steep, narrow and unsealed

Nena Rogers, owner of Ōakura Bay Store, said the closure of the main road to Whangārei would hit the business hard.

“It’ll definitely slow us down. People won’t be able to come here for fishing on the weekends and things like that. It’s our busy season, so it will have a huge impact on us further down the track. We have to make money in the summertime to get through the winter, so we can carry on the service we’ve provided for the past 30 years.”

Ōakura Bay Store owner Nena Rogers says the closure of the main road will hit her business hard. RNZ / Peter de Graaf

Rogers said the past year had already been tough due to the economic climate and a drop in visitors in the lead-up to Christmas.

However, she said the town, and the store, had survived without the main access road in the past.

In 2007 a huge chunk of road fell away at Helena Bay Hill – not far from the current slip – leaving Ōakura cut off for almost four months.

“So we’ve been there before,” she said.

Since last week’s slip, council contractors had urgently cleared and graded Kaiikanui Road, and installed traffic lights on a particularly nerve-racking 800-metre section.

However, the “lifeline road” remained steep, narrow and unsealed, with sheer drop-offs in many places.

The main road to Ōakura has disappeared under a massive slip at Helena Bay Hill. Supplied / Ngātiwai Trust Board

Rogers said it was fortunate the shop was stocked up for summer when the storm hit, though she was now starting to see serious gaps in her supplies.

Flour, tea, coffee and even chocolate were among the essentials starting to run low.

Her wholesaler had pledged a big delivery this week, using small trucks that could get through Kaiikanui Road.

Rogers said Ōakura had seen huge support from suppliers, the council and tradies, many of whom had baches in the settlement.

She had lost very little stock to the flood, mostly because she had spent the past 30 years preparing.

That included improving drainage, ensuring nothing was stored at ground level, and sandbagging.

Flooded properties at Ōakura Bay as seen from the air. Supplied / Ngātiwai Trust Board

The biggest problem was sewage backing up when the treatment plant failed.

Unclear how isolated Ōakura will fare for medical services

Rogers said it was not yet clear how Ōakura, which was isolated even in normal times, would fare for medical services.

Before the deluge a health clinic operated once a fortnight with a doctor visiting once a month.

“During the storm we had a lady who needed staples removed from an operation, and they were going to fly the staple remover out from Whangārei because there was no road at that time. But they did manage to get her out in an ambulance,” Rogers said.

“We’ve got a couple of nurses living out here, so that makes a difference, and I do minor stuff. I fixed up a man’s hand who’d taken a great lump out of it. We couldn’t get hold of anybody but my mother was a nurse, so I know what I’m doing.”

She said locals were “pretty resilient” and used to looking after themselves, but reality was starting to sink in.

“When something like this happens, you pick yourself up and you go and do things. But I’ve noticed people are looking drawn and tired. It’s pretty sad, really.”

Rogers welcomed the news that Ngaiotonga Bridge had reopened, restoring road access from the north.

However, for people heading to Whangārei, that was a long and costly detour, requiring either a trip on the Russell ferry – a car costs $18.50 each way plus a fee for each passenger – or braving the rugged and flood-prone Waikare Road.

Only essential vehicles, full-time residents can use Kaiikanui Road

Whangārei District Council has said it would only allow essential vehicles and full-time residents to use Kaiikanui Road.

Rogers agreed with keeping sightseers off the lifeline road, but believed bach owners should be allowed.

They needed to check and clean up their properties, and in some cases, salvage what was left.

“But if you’re just coming out here because you want to have a look, turn around, because you just might end up at the bottom of one of those slips.”

Rongoā Māori practitioner Donna Kerridge attempts to rescue raranga (weaving) soaked by floodwaters that swept through the ground floor of her Ōakura home. RNZ / Peter de Graaf

Just down the road from the shop, Sunday’s flash flood rose to chest-height in the ground floor of Donna Kerridge’s home.

The flood submerged priceless books and notes the rongoā Māori practitioner had collected over the years, as well as woven kete and cloaks.

Kerridge said the months-long closure of the main road would affect her financially.

“I’ll probably lose quite a bit of contract work, because I won’t be able to go backwards and forwards, but that’s just money. Also, we’ll lose conveniences, things like fresh milk, but conveniences are not important,” she said.

“I guess the challenge will be more for family who can’t come and see us, who are concerned about our welfare. It’s going to be hard for them.”

Kerridge said people had held up well so far but she expected the isolation would take a toll.

“After a while, we might start to get grumpy. Right now we’re very grateful. The mood is one of gratitude that nobody got hurt. I think we’re still very much in stunned mullet, grateful mode, but the shine will wear off shortly. I expect we’re going to have a slump in our emotions.”

A clean-up of the slip-damaged Ōakura Community Hall is on hold until it can be assessed by council engineers. RNZ / Peter de Graaf

Self-sufficiency, resilience essential skills for Ōakura residents

Key lessons for Ōakura residents from the storm included the need to be more self-sufficient and able to fend for themselves for extended periods of time.

If a disaster were to hit Whangārei as well, Ōakura would be well down the list of priorities for help – which Kerridge said was understandable, given Whangārei’s much greater population.

“So we need an extra element of resilience,” she said.

Emergency access routes also had to be considered, she said.

Whangaruru had its own Coastguard vessel, but in a storm like last week’s the sea was too rough to put it to use as emergency transport.

As for Kaiikanui Road, Kerridge said she wouldn’t be using it in a hurry.

“The stories I’ve heard are enough to make me say, if I had a baby that was unwell, I might use it. For anybody else, I’m sorry, but don’t ask me to take you out over that road.”

Mark and Victoria Seymour, 13, work to clean up the stinky, stinky silt that has engulfed the long-time family bach. RNZ / Peter de Graaf

Around the corner, on the Ōakura waterfront, Tauranga’s Mark Seymour and daughter Victoria, 13, were scraping a sticky, stinky layer of silt from their front lawn.

Seymour said the bach had been in the family for 42 years, in a “magic” spot offering great views, good fishing, and a safe beach for the kids to swim and kayak.

He said the floodwaters had been about half a metre deep through the ground floor, trashing six beds, fridges, a washing machine, and other belongings.

Slips from the hillside behind the bach had blocked stormwater drains, turning waterfront properties into one large brown lake.

“The water itself is a problem, but it’s the silt that has washed down from the slips that’s been a really tricky thing to work with. Very, very sticky,” he said.

Seymour said even a high-pressure water blaster had little impact on the silt, so he was now scraping and shovelling by hand.

“I’ve probably dumped about 30 wheelbarrow loads now, and it’s just a sticky, goopy mess of silt.”

The town’s sewer network had been overwhelmed by floodwaters and septic tanks had overflowed, causing other problems.

“Now the sun’s out and the wind’s blowing, things are starting to heat up and dry out, and the stench is pretty hard to bear.”

On the surface normality appears to be returning to Ōakura, but it’s a different story for home owners cleaning up flood-hit properties or trying to get in and out of the isolated settlement. RNZ / Peter de Graaf

However, he counted himself lucky – at least three nearby homes had been badly damaged by slips.

“These are families that have been here 60 years. That’s a long, long tenure, and it’s pretty hard to see people you’ve grown up with go through that.”

Seymour was not fazed by Kaiikanui Road, saying it was “definitely” a challenging, narrow, winding, metal road, but it was similar to the access road used in his grandparents’ day.

However, he urged people thinking about taking a tiki tour to Ōakura to leave the road to those who needed it most, such as recovery workers or locals trying to get to their jobs in Whangārei.

Like Rogers and Kerridge, Seymour said he’d been struck by Ōakura’s resilience.

“We’ll carry on and get stronger. We’ll learn from it, and next time, we’ll be even stronger. But I think it’s a good wake up call, to look at what’s happened and what could be done in future to avoid it, like maintenance on drains and roads, that kind of thing. It’s only going to get worse as time goes by with the storm intensities we’re seeing.”

Kerridge said continuing to live in a place like Ōakura, where access was fragile and beset by so many pinch points, would mean making compromises.

“And I think the people here are resigned to that. We don’t get to live the life that we did a week ago. It requires adjustment, and I think we’re adjusting really well.”

State of Emergency for Hikurangi-Coastal Ward extended

On Tuesday afternoon Whangārei Mayor Ken Couper extended the State of Emergency in the Hikurangi-Coastal Ward for another seven days – but lifted it for the rest of the Whangārei District.

Couper said a localised State of Emergency would allow the council to deploy extra support quickly, if needed.

The Hikurangi-Coastal Ward includes Ōakura and Whangaruru, the worst affected areas in Northland during last week’s storm.

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