Source: New Zealand Police
One person died following a serious crash on Saturday 24 January on State Highway 1, Oakleigh, Whangārei.
Police and other emergency services responded to the crash around 2.20pm.
Sadly, one person died at the scene.
Three other people were transported to hospital, two in serious condition and one in moderate condition.
Enquiries into the circumstances of the crash are ongoing.
ENDS
Issued by Police Media Centre.
Source: Radio New Zealand
RNZ / Mark Papalii
New Zealand leaving the World Health Organization (WHO) – a possibility hinted at by Foreign Minister Winston Peters – would be “incredibly stupid”, according to one of his predecessors in the role.
Peters says the country needs to take a serious look at whether taxpayers’ money is being spent responsibly on the WHO. His comment, made on his personal X account, came after the United States withdrew from the organisation.
In his post on Friday, Peters said: “This is what happens when a bunch of unelected globalist bureaucrats are not accountable or responsible with worldwide taxpayers’ money.
“With the US withdrawing its membership it puts into question the current state of the WHO, its effectiveness, and if our taxpayers money is being responsibly spent overseas instead of here at home.”
Peters told Morning Report on Monday the WHO was a bloated organisation and not performing the way it should.
“They’ve forgotten what their original mandate was, they’ve forgotten the original parameters and boundaries they were given.
“I think we’ve got a right to question the issue of funding.
“We need to have a serious conversation in terms of accountability to the New Zealand people.”
Peters said it cost New Zealand millions of dollars to be part of the WHO.
“There have been countless occasions when they’ve sought to make rulings or decisions without any reference to the democratic nations that comprise it,” he said.
“Their job is to ensure they are efficiently the servants of the taxpayers worldwide that subscribe and sustain them.”
Washington formally withdrew from the WHO last week accusing it of numerous “failures during the Covid-19 pandemic” and of acting “repeatedly against the interests of the United States”.
WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the withdrawal made “the US and the world less safe”and the reasons cited for the US decision were “untrue.”
Speaking to Midday Report, Phil Goff – foreign minister between 1999 and 2005 under Helen Clark – said it appeared Peters wanted to “become a mini-Trump”, referring to US President Donald Trump.
“The WHO has done some incredible things in the world. It’s been responsible for the eradication of smallpox, the near-eradication of polio, fighting pandemics. You can’t fight pandemics on a national basis because diseases don’t respect national borders.
“But also [it brings] the advantage of health care to those countries that desperately need it, the underdeveloped countries. So we spend, I think there’s an annual assessment of about $2.25 million from New Zealand plus a voluntary contribution – it’s not huge money and it’s vitally important.”
Goff was sacked as New Zealand’s high commissioner to the UK by Peters last year after making comments critical of Trump.
Donald Trump and Phil Goff. AFP / RNZ
Goff said it was “gutless” Luxon had not ruled out joining Trump’s proposed ‘Board of Peace’, which the US president wants to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza and had suggested might one day replace the UN. Trump has invited the likes of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman.
Goff said by not immediately declining the invite, the government was appeasing a bully.
“When you stand up to a bully, they often have to back off. When you appease them, you just encourage them to keep on doing what they’re doing.
“And we know that what Trump is doing is destroying the fundamental basis of New Zealand foreign policy, which is to have an international rules-based order, not one based on personality and might being right. That is totally against what New Zealand has always stood for.
“And for us to suck up to Trump, to fail to criticise him, even when he says that our soldiers and NATO soldiers in Afghanistan didn’t go near the front line – deeply insulting, deeply hurtful to veterans – that’s a disgrace. And surely our foreign minister and prime minister should have felt it necessary to speak out and criticise Trump for saying that, as Starmer did, as Macron did, as Donald Tusk in Poland did.
“We have been gutless in this area, and I really feel that as a person proud of my country and proud of it standing up for the values that we have stood for so often in the past.”
Ten New Zealanders lost their lives during the War in Afghanistan.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said global institutions needed to be more effective and renew themselves to stay relevant – but there was no question over New Zealand’s membership.
“The WHO plays an incredible role strengthening our healthcare systems, and national healthcare systems throughout the Pacific.
“New Zealand continues to benefit from the World Health Organization, but that doesn’t preclude it from continuing to improve its effectiveness and efficiency in delivery.
“I feel the same about the UN frankly – its relevance, its effectiveness needs serious overhauling.”
Luxon said New Zealand’s membership of the WHO and other global organisations was not in question, but they needed to be renewed and strengthened.
“Our challenge is to make them function better,” he said.
They were stuck in a way of working that’s “not relevant to where we are today”.
After the US withdrawal announcement, Tedros told staff in a memo the WHO would cut costs and review which health programmes to prioritise, Reuters reported. A spokesperson confirmed the memo was authentic but declined to comment further.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Source: Radio New Zealand
One of several cell towers allegedly destroyed by Daniel Miller in the Wānaka region. RNZ/ Katie Todd
A man who is facing arson and firearms charges following a series of attacks on cellphone towers in Wānaka has refused to answer questions from a judge.
Daniel Miller represented himself at a hearing at the Queenstown District Court on Monday.
The 41-year-old declined to say if he understood the proceedings, instead demanding to know if Judge Catriona Doyle was using her full and legal name.
Judge Doyle said Miller appeared to be taking a sovereign citizen approach.
He has been remanded in custody while he awaits a trial later this year.
The attacks had been on numerous cell towers in Wānaka including Spark and OneNZ towers.
Contractors removing a destroyed One NZ cellphone communications tower in Wānaka on Friday 10 October, 2025, after it was vandalised. RNZ/ Katie Todd
Detective Senior Sergeant Regan Boucher had previously said the “mindless” attacks were not only frustrating for the police but posed a serious risk to the public.
“They can disrupt vital connectivity, including access to emergency services such as 111. The last thing we want, and I would also hope the persons responsible want, is for someone to be hurt because they couldn’t call for help,” he said.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Source: Radio New Zealand
One of several cell towers allegedly destroyed by Daniel Miller in the Wānaka region. RNZ/ Katie Todd
A man who is facing arson and firearms charges following a series of attacks on cellphone towers in Wānaka has refused to answer questions from a judge.
Daniel Miller represented himself at a hearing at the Queenstown District Court on Monday.
The 41-year-old declined to say if he understood the proceedings, instead demanding to know if Judge Catriona Doyle was using her full and legal name.
Judge Doyle said Miller appeared to be taking a sovereign citizen approach.
He has been remanded in custody while he awaits a trial later this year.
The attacks had been on numerous cell towers in Wānaka including Spark and OneNZ towers.
Contractors removing a destroyed One NZ cellphone communications tower in Wānaka on Friday 10 October, 2025, after it was vandalised. RNZ/ Katie Todd
Detective Senior Sergeant Regan Boucher had previously said the “mindless” attacks were not only frustrating for the police but posed a serious risk to the public.
“They can disrupt vital connectivity, including access to emergency services such as 111. The last thing we want, and I would also hope the persons responsible want, is for someone to be hurt because they couldn’t call for help,” he said.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Source: Radio New Zealand
Follow the latest in RNZ’s live blog above
Work has resumed to recover six missing people after the landslide at Mount Maunganui.
The victims 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.
An independent review, led by Tauranga City Council, has been opened into the events leading up to the landslide. Meanwhile, WorkSafe has announced it will be looking into the organisations that had a duty of care for everyone at the Mt Maunganui holiday park.
Follow the latest in RNZ’s live blog at the top of this page
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Source: Radio New Zealand
Sick of getting into arguments about bakeries on social media, TimProvise and a videographer friend started the series Bakery Run back in 2019. Over seven seasons, he’s visited bakeries with Kiwi celebrities to chat over some “nice cheap hood pies that people love”.
Although conversation about who makes the best pies “cuts across age and class and politics and everything” in New Zealand, Tim says, the show’s YouTube comments section can get pretty vicious.
“It’s like part nostalgia and part civil war. Everybody’s scrapping,” he tells On The Air.
“Australian pies… they try. We’ll give them that, they give it a good try.”
The comedan’s number-one pie, though, “because of nostalgia,” is sold at Auckland’s Clendon Bakery.
“There’s a guy that works there, his name is Min. He would let me take out the boxes after school, and then he’d give me a feed, and I’m like, ‘You’re forever the man’.”
In the next few months, TimProvize will visit New Zealand’s favourite small restaurants in a new video seriesMy Shout, G.
He’s also started a toy business called Tee Toys, making 3D-modelled action figures of famous Kiwis and auctioning them on TradeMe.
Although TimProvise now lives in sunny Taranaki town of Stratford, ‘South Side’ – David Dallas’s tribute to South Auckland – remains his “anthem”.
“This is everything about me. I’m south side, I’m Rewa hard to the fullest. And shout out to Mareko and everybody else that reps their hood like this.”
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Source: Radio New Zealand
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 Mt Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park. RNZ/Nick Monro
The fire service received a 111 call about a slip near the Mt Maunganui holiday park nearly four hours before a fatal landslide, it can be revealed.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) say they notified the Tauranga City Council and the landowners of the camping ground within minutes.
Recovery work resumed at the site of the Mount Maunganui landslide on Monday, where six people remain missing following Thursday’s landslide.
The victims 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.
In response to 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 Mt 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.”
Do you know more? Email: sam.sherwood@rnz.co.nz
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.
WorkSafe’s head of inspectorate Rob Pope told RNZ’s Midday Report Tauranga City Council was one of the entities it needed to speak with and understand its part in the event.
When asked if it would be extraordinary for an investigation not to be launched given six people were presumed dead, Pope agreed but said they needed to understand the scope and context first before committing resources to a formal investigation.
A WorkSafe spokesperson told RNZ they were in the “very early stages” of assessing what their role may look like once the search and recovery phase was complete.
“We are currently bringing together a team of inspectors and will be working closely with New Zealand Police to determine next steps.
“We will be looking into the organisations that had a duty of care for everyone at the holiday park, and whether or not they were meeting their health and safety responsibilities.”
Currently, the focus needed to remain on the recovery efforts, the spokesperson said.
Recovery work resumed at the site of the Mount Maunganui landslide on Monday. RNZ/Nick Monro
“When the time is right, our inspectors will begin engaging with witnesses and technical experts, and gathering evidence from a range of sources including the organisations involved in the operation of the holiday park and the scene.
“In the meantime, our local inspectors have also extended an offer of support to Emergency Management Bay of Plenty and other agencies to ensure that workers involved in the response are kept safe and healthy.”
Pope told RNZ WorkSafe was working closely with police to coordinate their responses after the “incredibly tragic event”.
He did not have a timeframe for when a decision on a formal investigation would be made, but said the inspectors would be working at pace and focused on providing the right level of confidence for the families who wanted answers.
“We will be committed to addressing this issue as quickly as we can.”
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told Morning Report he supported Tauranga City Council’s decision to conduct a full, independent review into the landslide.
“There’s lots of concerns that people have about why they weren’t evacuated sooner. I think they are very legitimate, very good questions that need answers.”
RNZ has approached the Tauranga City Council for comment.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Source: Radio New Zealand
RNZ
A woman died after being dropped from a hospital stretcher at Whangārei Hospital, a coroner has found.
Margaret Batten, 83, suffered a head injury after falling onto a concrete floor in the ambulance loading bay when a St John officer lost control of her stretcher during her discharge in May 2023.
Coroner Tracey Fitzgibbon said Batten was secured on a Stryker stretcher and was in the process of being moved down a ramp by a St John patient transfer service (PTS) officer when she fell.
“As the stretcher started to descend, the left wheel at the head of the stretcher has caught on the wooden kickboard and tipped down towards the loading bay floor. The stretcher has toppled. Mrs Batten landed on her left-hand side on the concrete bay floor,” she said.
“She was assessed by the PTS officer and HCA (healthcare assistant) and taken back to the emergency department for treatment. Mrs Batten sustained a fatal injury and died later that day.
A Stryker stretcher. File photo. 123rf / Alexander Ishchenko
“The cause of death was a traumatic brain injury sustained when she struck her head on concrete.”
The coroner said investigations were carried out into Batten’s death by St John and Health New Zealand, along with a WorkSafe inquiry.
“I am satisfied that the cause of the stretcher tipping into the ambulance bay was due to a loss of control by the PTS officer,” she said.
“The ramp was used on multiple occasions for transferring patients to ambulances. No previous incidents have been brought to my attention, and therefore, this was an isolated incident.”
The coroner outlined several contributing factors to Batten’s death, including the fact that the stretcher was meant to be operated by two people.
Fitzgibbon said the loading ramp outside Whangārei Hospital was also unsuitable for the use of Stryker stretchers.
“In hindsight, if the stretcher had two operators, at the foot and head, this likely would not have occurred,” she said.
If the ramp was the new configuration, the stretcher would not have tipped into the ambulance bay. I accept that the PTS officer also had to navigate through works being conducted at the ED entrance.”
Health New Zealand and St John had made a number of changes since Batten’s death and accepted the coroner’s findings.
“Of note, Hato Hone St John have increased training by two days to focus on the safe operation of stretchers as a single-use operator. This includes manoeuvring in a range of environments and loading/unloading,” the coroner said.
“By 2026, the replacement of non-powered stretchers to powered stretchers will be in place across the country. The powered stretchers are viewed as a safer option for single operators.”
The ambulance ramp reconfiguration at Whangārei Hospital was completed in August 2023.
Health New Zealand Northland group director of operations Alex Pimm said the organisation was “extremely sorry” about what had happened.
“We thoroughly investigated this incident with Hato Hone St John and have made changes to help prevent a similar event from happening again,” he said.
Whilst there were no formal recommendations made in relation to Health New Zealand’s clinical care, we have implemented recommendations from our internal review to improve safety when transferring patients between hospital and a patient transfer ambulance.
“These changes include regular meetings with Hato Hone St John regarding shared use facilities, improved systems for reporting concerns or issues with our facilities, and modifications to the ambulance bay ramp to improve patient safety.
“We have also developed a transit lounge where patients can be collected by ambulance for transfer to their home, which has purpose-built facilities and reduces traffic in the emergency department ambulance bay.”
Hato Hone St John ambulance operations general manager Debra Larsen said Batten’s death had a profound impact on everyone involved.
“We remain committed to learning from it and improving the safety of our services,” she said.
“Most of the recommendations have been completed or are underway, including working with Health New Zealand to improve the ramp and railings at Whangārei Hospital, establishing a formal communication system between Health New Zealand and Hato Hone St John to better manage overlapping safety responsibilities, refreshed training for staff involved in stretcher use, dynamic risk assessment training for single-crewed Patient Transfer Service (PTS) staff, carrying out risk assessment reviews of ambulance loading areas across New Zealand, and strengthening the content and guidance within Patient Transfer Service regional handbooks.
“We would like to reiterate how deeply sorry we are for what occurred and extend our sincerest condolences to Mrs Batten’s family.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Source: Radio New Zealand
A slip on State Highway 2 through the Waioweka Gorge. Supplied/NZTA
Farmers on the East Coast are worried about how long it will take to reopen storm-damaged State Highway 2.
A large part of the Waioweka Gorge – which connects Gisborne/Tai Rāwhiti and Bay of Plenty – has been closed for just over a week, after heavy rain on 16 January caused about 40 slips.
New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) said it was going to take several weeks to clear the road.
But farmers were concerned taking the long detour to avoid the Waioweka Gorge closure raised animal welfare issues and put extra costs on farmers.
One of the slips blocking State Highway 2 through Waioeka Gorge. Supplied
Federated Farmers’ Gisborne/Wairoa president Charlie Reynolds said it was no longer acceptable for the region not to have access through the gorge.
“The East Coast needs a plan B,” he said.
“Long-term, NZTA really need to have a really, really serious look at their road managements and rebuilding programmes, because we can’t handle this every 18 months, 36 months.”
He said the area needed a resilient road network.
“NZTA and the government really need to consider a seriously decent plan B if the [Waioweka] Gorge gets wiped out through slips or something, because we can’t have animals sitting on trucks for 10, 12, 16 hours going south to then go north.”
One of the slips blocking State Highway 2 through Waioeka Gorge. Supplied
Chief executive of industry group Transporting New Zealand, Dom Kalasih, supported the call to improve resilience of the country’s roads.
“One of the impacts is these increased costs,” he said. “The detour, say Whakatane through to Gisborne, it’s an additional just over 200km. Time and money, that is a significant increase.”
NZTA was approached for comment.
Meanwhile, one of the country’s largest vegetable growers Leaderbrand said it had managed to get its produce out of the area via the road south.
It said while there had been a lot of rain, its produce was looking good and it was not expecting any shortages of broccoli or salad greens.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Source: New Zealand Government
A new Department of Conservation cadetship programme has been launched in Renwick to help build a skilled, fit-for-purpose conservation workforce for the future, Conservation Minister Tama Potaka says.
The Te Pū Hono programme is a 30-month paid cadetship designed to support people at the start of long-term conservation careers. The first intake of 10 kaihonoa taiao cadets has begun the programme following a pōwhiri at Ōmaka Marae, hosted by Te Rūnanga a Rangitāne o Wairau on behalf of the Te Tauihu iwi.
“Our conservation system relies on skilled people working on the ground,” Mr Potaka says.
“That’s why the Government is focused on fixing the basics by investing in workforce pathways that ensure DOC has the capability it needs now and into the future.”
Cadets come from a range of backgrounds and will be working for nature from day one. The programme includes hands-on experience in trapping, weed control, ecological monitoring, track and hut maintenance, historic site restoration, and backcountry skills.
Cadets will also gain experience in more specialised areas aligned to their interests, such as chainsaw operations or biodiversity monitoring.
“Our native species, tracks and huts are central to who we are as New Zealanders and are a key part of our tourism and economic offering,” Mr Potaka says.
“Investing in DOC’s workforce is essential to protecting these assets and maintaining New Zealand’s world-class conservation experience.”
The cadets were selected from a highly competitive pool of applicants, reflecting strong interest in conservation careers and working in New Zealand’s backcountry. Once the programme is established, DOC intends to recruit up to 10 new kaihonoa taiao cadets each year.
“This programme is about building the future by creating a strong pipeline of skilled conservation workers who can care for our natural environment for generations to come,” Mr Potaka says.