NZ Engine

Source: Radio New Zealand

The number of people in the Auckland region who died without any family or friends to handle funeral arrangements leapt in the last year.

If someone dies and no family or friends come forward to claim the body, some councils cover the cost of a burial or cremation.

In the last year Auckland Council covered the cost of cremation for 15 people, up from only five cremations and one burial in the previous year.

The last spike was in 2022 when the council paid for the cremations of 11 people.

Auckland Council’s Manager of Cemetery Services, Nikki Nelson, said in specific circumstances Auckland Council provides end-of-life services for people with no known relatives.

“These are people who have passed away in hospices or hospital and referred to us from Health New Zealand. The council has completed one burial and 43 cremations of this nature in the past five years.”

By November, Christchurch City Council had covered the cost of eight burials, in what the council officially calls a Poor Person burial.

Simplicity Funerals in Christchurch manages the burials.

Manager of Simplicity Funerals Christchurch Jamie Harvey said they are usually contacted by the hospital’s Mortuary Service to say a person has died and not been claimed.

He said they will then try to make contact with anyone known to the person such as a GP or friends, and get in touch with the Public Trust, Perpetual Guardian and police.

If they can’t find any next of kin or anyone able to take on the burial, Simplicity then contacts a JP to authorise the burial.

Harvey said the process can be labour intensive, but they see it as a community service they are able to supply.

At the burial a Simplicity staff member will say a few words, and usually the council sextons attend as well.

“As human beings we are not immune to any of the emotions, so it can be a little bit trying. But equally it’s really rewarding that this person, who may not have anyone in their world, we are able to look after them with respect and dignity.”

Any friends of the person are able to attend the burial, but under the council rules no headstone or memorial can be put up until cemetery fees and charges are paid.

Harvey said Simplicity have been managing such burials for about the last seven years in Christchurch, and numbers have steadily risen.

“Sadly there has been an increase year on year. Historically there would be potentially be two or three people each year, but so far this year we are into the double digits.”

In Christchurch people can also apply to the council’s Mayoral Welfare Fund for assistance with funeral costs.

Between October 2024 and October 2025 two application for funerals were approved by the fund to the total cost of $2400.

Wellington City Council covered six indigent services since 2020, made up of one burial and five cremations. A spokesperson said some local funeral homes also assist with costs from time to time.

In Dunedin the council has carried out four indigent burials and 34 indigent cremations since 2020. The last one occurred in 2023.

The council said that since then costs of any indigent burials or cremations have been covered by WINZ funeral grants.

An Auckland Council spokesperson said that in situations where families are likely to struggle to cover the cost of funeral expenses for a relative or loved one, Work and Income may also be able to provide support in the way of a funeral grant.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Since early Christmas morning, volunteers, chefs and do-gooders have been busy cooking up Christmas Spirit in Upper Hutt.

The Rimutaka Lions Club held its annual Christmas lunch today, a tradition running for nearly four decades.

Known as Room at the Inn, the club has been providing free meals on Christmas day for 38 years.

Lions member Antoinette van Riel said about seven volunteers help to put on the lunch as well as others who deliver Meals on Wheels to people’s houses.

Diners tucked into a full spread of ham, chicken, steak, vegetables, pavlova and pudding, dished out between 11.30am and 2pm.

Van Riel said the meal is available for all sorts – the lonely, those struggling to afford Christmas lunch, visitors to the region, or those who want to socialise with the community.

“There was one lovely lady who was waiting for her friend, her friend hadn’t arrived and she was going to go home.

“And I said ‘no come and sit with me’, and she came and sat with us to have a meal, and she was as happy as larry,” van Riel said.

She said the event caters for up to 70 people, and if there are leftovers punters can take them home for Boxing Day.

Euan Andrews, owner of Blend Bar and Bistro, which hosts the event, said a team of chefs were up at 8am cooking the meal.

He said it’s the second year he’s hosted the event, a way to “give back to the community”, and join in the Christmas spirit.

“It’s about helping people. These are tough financial times, and there’s no doubt the cost of goods so have the cost of meals inside of restaurants, not everyone can afford to go out.

“It’s just nice when people can get out, they can have a nice day, nice food, with a bunch of friends – and really enjoy themselves.”

He said the first guest arrived an hour and a half early, but they made sure she had a good meal and some company.

Some diners had adorned themselves in santa and elf hats, others like Selena Pirika had dressed in their Christmas best.

Pirika said she comes to socialise with the community.

“It’s home…this type of event is home, and it’s full of aroha, kindness, and for some people who don’t have whānau, I think this is a really good space to come to have that, and get that.

Rafael Reyes was visiting his friend Monique’s house, but he wanted some vegetables, so he decided to tuck into the lunch too.

Reyes, originally from Peru, said he was astounded the meal was free.

“The generosity is amazing.”

That’s a sentiment Upper Hutt resident John Keigan agreed with.

“The chicken was so tender, the steak was tender, and nice vegetables, lovely gravy, so much food…put as much in as you can,” he said, chuckling.

“I just so appreciate the effort and sacrifice that’s gone into this.”

Meanwhile Bretto, from Trikn Tours, was taking diners out for free motor-trike rides through Upper Hutt for the afternoon – up Fergusson Drive, and then on the motorway, to “give folks a bit of 80 or 90km airflow”.

“It gets the adrenaline going,” he said.

“Previous lady we’ve just taken out, she was in her 80s, when we dropped her she said it made her feel like a teenager again.

“That’s just cool right – you’re spreading a bit of fun, joy.”

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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 person has been airlifted to Auckland’s Middlemore Hospital in critical condition after a vehicle rolled over in Northland.

St John were called to Pouto Point at around 2.30pm.

One person with moderate injuries was treated at the scene and a second person with critical injuries was taken by helicopter to Auckland.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

MetService has issued a severe thunderstorm warning over Dunedin and Clutha.

It said thunderstorms are moving east/northeast and are expected over Dunedin at around 6pm.

MetService said thunder will be accompanied by very heavy rain and large hail and warns it may make driving conditions dangerous.

A broader thunderstorm watch is in place over north Otago lasting until 9pm tonight with the chance some may become severe, MetService said.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

On Christmas Day, tourists are getting the rare chance to enjoy a quiet Auckland city centre.

Most restaurants have shut their doors, but some business owners like Suhail Mohammed, who runs a burger eatery, hope the reduced competition means better business.

“I want everyone whoever is passing by and is hungry can just come to my shop.”

But business has not been going so well since he opened up six hours ago.

“So far, I got nearly 20 customers this morning, which is OK. I thought maybe people are still sleeping and enjoying their day off. But maybe there will be more people in the evening time.”

He was also open last Christmas Day, and said business was better back then.

Christmas Day is one of four restricted trading days in New Zealand, meaning almost all retail shops will be closed.

Restaurants, dairies and fruit stores are allowed to stay open, but some may apply a 15 percent public holiday surcharge to cover extra cost.

Mohammed said he chose not to charge a holiday surcharge.

“If you look at the situation now, the economy, everything is already expensive for the customer.”

Last-minute shoppers are not enjoying the limited options.

Mohammad Uddin, business owner at a backpacker hostel, was planning something nice for his staff.

“Today my staff are working, so I want to give them a quick dinner, but I forgot some drinks, so I went to get some drinks.”

Uddin bought some drinks from a nearby convenience store, but they were three times more expensive than the supermarket and Uddin couldn’t get everything he wanted.

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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 man wanted for questioning after a double homicide in the central North Island has handed himself over to police.

It has been almost two weeks since 56-year-old Brendon Leigh Cole and 54-year-old Trina Michelle Cole were found dead at a rural property in Ruatiti, west of Ruapehu on 13 December.

Police have been searching the nearby bush for a 29-year-old man.

Central District Commander Superintendent Dion Bennett said the man had given himself up.

“He has presented himself to Whanganui Police Station today about 1.30pm and was arrested on an active warrant, due to appear in the Whanganui District Court tomorrow,” he said in a statement.

“Police on ground in the area will now be making further enquiries in the investigation.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The aroma of spices instead of mint sauce signals the arrival of Christmas Day in kitchens across the country, as Indian New Zealanders celebrate with dishes shaped by region, faith and migration.

While many households across New Zealand will serve roast ham and pavlova, Indian families are gathering around tables laden with rice and meat dishes, rich curries and sweets infused with cardamom and ghee.

From Kerala and Goa in the southwest to India’s northeastern hills, Christmas food traditions are being re-created in Aotearoa, adapted to local ingredients but rooted firmly in memory, community and faith.

In one South Auckland household, the aroma of coconut, curry leaves and roasted spices fills the air – signalling a festive season straight from Kerala rather than a traditional Kiwi roast.

For many in New Zealand’s Malayali community, Christmas typically includes elaborate spreads of beef fry, appam (rice pancakes), stew and cardamom-scented cakes known as plum cake.

“Christmas is huge for Kerala’s Christian community,” Philips Augustine said.

Augustine moved to New Zealand in 2017, now living in the South Auckland suburb of Favona with his family.

“Food is really important and one of the main attractions for our family,” he said.

Preparations usually begin on Christmas Eve, winding up before the midnight church service.

Some families also observe a strict 25-day Christmas Lent, which makes the festive meal all the more significant.

He said his family members typically gathered at the family home, along with friends and people of other religions, to enjoy the feast at lunchtime on Christmas Day.

“There will be a lot of meat like beef, chicken, pork and duck along with homemade wine,” he said.

“We also make appams in the morning with a chicken or beef stew to begin with, and lunch will be a feast of many meat curries, cutlets (deep-fried meat patties), rose cookies and rice or biriyani.”

In Kerala’s Malabar region, some households also make neychoru, a rice dish cooked with ghee.

Many families in New Zealand are adapting these recipes to local ingredients while keeping the flavours of Kerala alive.

“After lunch, some households also visit other families and friends but also go out to the beach or for a movie as well,” Augustine said.

On Auckland’s North Shore, Sofia Furtado is busy finishing her Goan Christmas sweets orders.

Originally from Goa, Furtado moved to New Zealand nine years ago.

“Food is something very close to my heart,” she said.

“I was looked after by my granny and she always cooked with our own produce and curry paste, and the freshness of that stayed with me.”

Her parents lived in Dubai, and she later moved to the Middle East, where she first began cooking more seriously.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Furtado set up a Facebook page and started a small cooking business.

With the support of Auckland Council’s Kitchen Project, an initiative supporting local food and beverage start-ups with a focus on culture, health and sustainability, she launched Sofie’s Goan Delicacies, an online restaurant offering Portuguese-influenced Goan food alongside her full-time corporate job in the dairy industry.

Goa, on India’s southwestern coast, was a Portuguese colony from 1510 to 1961.

“Christmas is one of the biggest celebrations for the Christian community in Goa, starting with Advent, going to church every day, and then making a lot of sweets,” she said. “When I was growing up, we made at least seven varieties of sweets.”

Popular Goan Christmas treats include nueries (deep-fried pastries filled with coconut, raisins, nuts and sesame seeds), doce de grao sweets made from coconut and dal cooked on firewood, dodol toffee made with coconut milk, jaggery and nuts, bolinhas baked with coconut and semolina, and bebinca – a layer cake that is considered the queen of Goan desserts.

“[Bebinca is] a labour of love and takes four hours to bake,” Furtado said.

She continues the Goan tradition of sending platters of sweets to neighbours in New Zealand.

In Paekākāriki on the Kāpiti Coast, Helen Ruolsingpui Keivom recalls Christmas in her home state of Manipur, northeastern India – a region that is home to more than 166 tribes.

“There’s a significant number of Christians in that part of the country, and Christmas is particularly huge – very much a community event,” she said.

Keivom moved to New Zealand in 1984 as a teenager after her father’s posting as an Indian diplomat.

“Unlike New Zealand, where it’s families that celebrate Christmas together, it is the church community in the northeast,” she said. “It’s followed by a big community feast.”

Cooking is done outdoors in giant pots, with the community contributing money towards the meal.

Chartang (a very spicy stew made with beef or pork and tribal herbs) is typically served as a main dish alongside hmepok, a porridge-like dish cooked with rice, meat and dried herbs.

Fermented pork fat is a key flavouring ingredient.

Other dishes include hmarchadeng, a side dish made with roasted green chillies, garlic, ginger and onions, sometimes including fermented pork fat or soybeans.

Keivom said the festive feast included plenty of meat and fat-rich dishes, as many people in the region could not afford meat every day.

She said she missed these delicacies during the holiday season, with only a small community around her in Wellington.

Across regions and generations, families agreed that Christmas remained a time for togetherness – and that food sits at its heart.

“Christmas is that time of the year where you eat delicious food, meet your loved ones and forget about your problems,” Augustine said.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

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