NZ Engine

Source: Radio New Zealand

Four people have been injured in a two-vehicle crash that earlier shut a major highway north of New Plymouth.

Two people are in a critical condition and the other two are in a serious condition.

They have been taken to Taranaki Hospital.

Emergency services are at the scene on Devon Road (SH3) Sentry Hill.

The road has reopened after earlier closing due to the crash.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The death of a Hastings woman last month is now being treated as a homicide.

Emergency services were sent to a house in Kotuku Street in Camberley on 29 October and found the body of a 37-year-old woman.

Inspector Martin James said police believe people have information about the death.

“A committed team of detectives has been assigned to the investigation, including additional staff from other districts.

“We believe there are people in our community who have vital information about this matter and the people involved.

“We urge them to come forward and speak to us.”

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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 wet and windy day in the Garden City didn’t put off crowds of punters turning out to the first day of Canterbury’s Agricultural & Pastoral show.

An annual fixture in Christchurch, and back with a more prestigious title, the Royal A&P Show is expected to attract more than 100,000 people over three days.

Organisers are promising a return to full strength after last year’s show was scaled back because of financial troubles.

Swine groups were dressed up to win with their top hogs at the livestock pavilion on Thursday.

The best commercial boar competition was a lively event where groups wore matching outfits to present their pig to judges.

Boar Breeders Association president Tom Dobson – whose team opted for red checkered shirts with tweed jackets and hats – said it was a popular event with younger farmers.

“This is our 11th year of running it. This year we’ve got about 17 commercial boars being judged by two judges. My team is the Notorious Pigs, we’ve also got Peaky Swinders, names like that so all pig associated,” he said.

“We’ve got a first and second place for the best dressed competition, it’s usually some sort of farmer type dress-up – butchers clothing, tweed jackets, tweed hats, the girls usually wear something bright and pink or blue.

“Some people take it a bit more seriously than others and each year it seems to be getting better and better.”

Dobson said the boars this year were being judged on what would suit a butcher the best.

“They’re looking for a nice small, compact pig that’s got plenty of meat on it to feed everyone. We’ll try and win it this year.

“Two years ago we had a bit of an issue with our pig so it didn’t show up on the day but we’ve got it here today so hopefully it’s a winner.”

Alongside the traditional events like wood chopping and dog trials, this year there was a new wool marquee with a number of exhibitors showing off different uses for wool.

Canterbury A&P Association wool committee chairperson Anne Rogers said more than 160 fleeces were entered into a competition.

“The biggest award is the supreme white wool fleece and that’s out of the 165, it’s a huge win.

“Fleeces are judged on their fineness, their structure and the winning fleece today is a merino fleece,” she said.

Another new feature of the show was a cowboy challenge competition for horses and riders.

Organiser Trish Taylor-Ward said people of all ages got involved.

“It’s a really fun sport. Our youngest competitor today is seven and I’m the oldest one here today and I’m 74,” she said.

“There’s 13 obstacles in each course and you and your horse have to negotiate each obstacle. It is a race and the fastest time gets bonus points, but if you do it fast and really unruly you’re not going to get good points, it’s about the combination and how much the horse trusts you and how much you trust your horse.”

The Royal Agricultural Society connected with the Canterbury A&P Association to upgrade the status of this year’s show to Royal.

Association president Brent Chamberlain said this had brought in more exhibitors and livestock entries.

“It’s the premier show of New Zealand especially for the South Island. It’s a real honour,” he said.

The show had attracted more than 400 trade sites and livestock entries were well up on last year, with an increase in dairy cattle to 380, 267 beef cattle entries and more than 700 sheep.

The A&P Show was briefly put on ice last year after the association said it was not financially viable.

But after a $5 million injection from the Christchurch City Council, and an almost complete overhaul of the board, it was resurrected in a downscaled format by the events company Event Hire.

Cantabrians will be able to catch the A&P Show for two more days on Friday and Saturday before it wraps up for another year.

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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 conversation between British missionaries and Ngāpuhi rangatira – including the famous chief Hongi Hika – will be re-enacted on Saturday, exactly 200 years after it took place.

Author Grant Hodgson said the conversation on 15 November, 1825, was remarkable in that it was translated by the young William Gilbert Puckey, who was fluent in te reo, and recorded by fellow missionary Richard Davis.

Hodgson said the conversation offered rare, vivid insights into the thoughts and values of both parties.

Actors from Kerikeri Theatre Company would re-enact the discussion with local hapū Ngāti Rēhia.

The “very interesting conversation”, as Missionary Henry Williams described it at the time, would take place at 10.15am on Saturday at the original location, near Kemp House at Kerikeri Basin.

The conversation formed the basis of a book written by Hodgson, with the help of Ngāti Rēhia’s Kipa Munro, called Rangatiratanga and Gentlemanship.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

What used to be a cheap and cheerful takeaway is now leaving hungry customers with a hefty bill.

The cost of fish and chips has risen 154 percent between September 2005 and September 2025.

But according to Fresco Fisheries owner Eamon Joe, fish and chips are still good value for money compared to other takeaways.

Joe told Checkpoint his costs have gone up “considerably” since Covid, and an increase in labour and compliance costs are having the biggest impact.

“I think it’s the cost of getting things done these days, and in the industry there’s always these added costs which you have to absorb.”

Joe said the increase in cost of staples such as beef, butter, and beef tallow, which is used as a cooking oil, is also contributing to higher prices.

Joe said he switched to using rice bran oil a number of years ago, but is now paying “probably double” for it.

“We have no control over that. We just have to either absorb [the cost] or pass it on.”

Alongside these increases, there is also the rising cost of fish.

Joe said the varying in costs from one fish and chip shop to the next can also be down to portion sizes.

“We don’t have a standard size, but we are all around the same sort of size.

“You go down to your local shop and you’ll get a piece of fish, and he may cut it slightly thinner or thicker than the guy down the road. And then you’ve got different varieties of fish which are available.”

At Fresco Fisheries, Joe said a fish and a scoop of chips was $9.20.

Joe said people will come to his shop, which also sells fresh fish, for certain types.

“They’ll want the cods, or they’ll want the terakihi or the gurnard, and those prices have gone up as well because obviously they are a seasonal fish which are available certain times and available in larger quantities, but when they’re scarce, the price of that goes up.

“Generally, most shops keep their price fixed, so if you’re buying a fish on a daily basis like I am, the price can fluctuate anything between 10 to 30/40 percent on some varieties.”

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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 final stage of a $160 million revamp to New Zealand’s only vet training school is complete.

At Massey University’s Palmerston North campus on Thursday new building Ngā Huia officially opened its doors.

It’s home to state-of-the-art research labs and student facilities for the 750 aspiring vets undergoing their five-year degrees.

Massey vice-chancellor Jan Thomas said it was a “critical piece of national infrastructure”.

The university paid for the upgrade, which included the opening of a new teaching building three years ago.

The previous quake-prone vet tower at the university was demolished. It was built in the early 1970s, not long after the vet school opened.

“Massey’s come a long way since 1963 when the inaugural class of 32 veterinary students began their studies in the Bernard Chambers vet clinic and WWII army mess hubs,” universities minister Dr Shane Reti said at the building’s opening.

“Since then Massey has produced thousands of bachelor of veterinary science graduates.”

Two students who will themselves graduate in a couple of years are 21-year-old Charlotte Cotton and 20-year-old Ryan Smoothy. Both are completing their third year of study.

“It’s really nice being in purpose-built spaces. We started after the old vet tower had been taken down so this is our first time having a big, specific place for vet [studies],” Cotton said.

“We’ve got our labs over in the other building, but it’s really exciting having our own space now.”

Getting into vet school is competitive – about 400 first-year students are whittled down to 175 to move through the degree.

Cotton said in third year students started looking at specific diseases and the medications used to treat them.

“We’ve progressed more towards understanding what’s normal and how to deal with the abnormal,” Smoothy said.

Both said they wanted to start in general practice before moving into a specialist area.

Vet school research not just about animals

Ngā Huia, which cost $70m, houses modern labs, replacing the previous spaces dating from the 1970s.

“Our research is really focused on delivering what the nation needs, particularly as an island, exporting nation,” head of the school, professor Jon Huxley said.

“Our research strengths tend to be in areas such as epidemiology and food security, pathobiology and infection disease, and animal welfare.”

The school’s research went beyond animals, he said.

“Covid was a fantastic example.

“Covid started in animals then then transferred into Man, so of course having the expertise that crosses that space between animal disease and human disease is critically important.

“We’ve got some fabulous research staff that work in that space, both at a national and a global level.”

The vet school is the top ranked one in Asia and Australasia, and is in the world’s top 20 in the QS world university rankings.

But the new facilities are about more than academic performance alone.

Warren Warbrick, of Rangitāne in Manawatū, was asked to develop a cultural narrative for the building’s design features.

“During the research I found it hard because a lot of the narratives and concepts and ideas that are traditional are really to do with the eating, preservation or preserving of food, or killing of animals, skinning of animals and using their bits of piece for tools and all kinds of things,” he said.

He came across the story of tupuna Tauto, who would communicate with huia – a bird with a nurturing nature.

“So, we’ve kind of used this nurturing concept to look at the way knowledge holders, or lecturers and teachers, nurture their students.”

Staff are expected to start moving into the new labs next month and students will use the building from next year.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

At least four people have been injured in a two-vehicle crash that has shut a major highway north of New Plymouth.

Emergency services are at the scene on Devon Road (SH3) Sentry Hill.

The road is closed and drivers are asked to avoid the area.

Diversions are in place.

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