NZ Engine

Source: New Zealand Police

Please attribute the following to Wellington District Commander, Superintendent Corrie Parnell:

A 54-year-old man has been charged with aggravated burglary and assault with a weapon following an incident in Wadestown yesterday.

The man is remanded in custody and is scheduled to appear in Wellington District Court on 2 October.

Police were called to Anne Street at around 12:35pm after reports that a man had entered a property armed with a long bladed weapon and attempted to steal a vehicle.

Officers will remain in the area to provide reassurance to the community while the investigation continues.

As the matter is now before the court, we are unable to say anything further.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre. 

Source: New Zealand Police

State Highway 5 remains closed in both directions, between Old Taupō Coach and Palmer Roads.

Police were called around 2.15pm following a stock truck rolling over.

One person suffered serious injuries.

Stock also suffered injuries.

Motorists are advised to delay travel and avoid the area.

ENDS.

Source: New Zealand Police

Police have acted swiftly to protect three puppies after a man allegedly mistreated them near the Parnell Train Station.

The innocent puppies are now safe and receiving care at one of Auckland Council’s Animal Management shelters.

Just before 7pm on Sunday, members of the public contacted Police after seeing a man allegedly making threats to seriously harm the three puppies in his possession.

“Police were alerted to a concerning situation where a man was reportedly threatening these young pups,” Acting Auckland Central Area Prevention Manager, Senior Sergeant Dave Plunkett says.

“Camera operators tracking the incident on CCTV reportedly saw the man put the puppies into a bag and punch them.”

Police units intercepted the man on Cheshire Street and arrested him. The puppies were taken into Police care and transported safely to the Auckland City Police Hub.

“It’s senseless why someone would want to bring harm upon these young pups,” Senior Sergeant Plunkett says.

“I’d like to acknowledge those members of the public who called Police immediately, allowing us to prevent further harm.”

The 44-year-old man has been charged with ill-treatment under the Animal Welfare Act and was due to appear in the Auckland District Court.

The puppies, believed to be four to six months old and of Staffordshire Bull Terrier type, appear to be bright and alert.

Auckland Council’s Regional Shelter Manager, Nikki Cripps, says the incident is heartbreaking but, unfortunately, all too common.

“These puppies didn’t ask to be born, and they certainly didn’t deserve to end up in danger,” Ms Cripps says.

“If people would simply desex their dogs, we wouldn’t see this endless cycle of unwanted litters and needless suffering. Dog ownership is not a casual commitment; it’s a serious lifelong responsibility.

“Registration, desexing, microchipping and proper care aren’t optional extras—they’re the bare minimum. If you can’t commit to those four things, then you should not have a dog. The cost of neglect isn’t just a bylaw breach—its terrified, vulnerable puppies paying the price.”

Ms Cripps sayst the puppy’s future depends on factors including a temperament test typically conducted on day four to assess rehoming suitability, but is also unfortunately limited by the shelter’s need to keep kennels available for incoming dogs.

ENDS. 

Jarred Williamson/NZ Police

Note for media: Two photos are attached to this release.

Source: New Zealand Police

Auckland City Police will hold a media stand-up tomorrow as part of the ongoing St Johns homicide investigation.

The investigation continues to seek those involved in the death of Kyle Whorrall over Easter Weekend.

Detective Inspector Glenn Baldwin will speak with media on Tuesday morning.

The stand up will be held on Tuesday 30 September at Auckland City Police Hub, on Hargreaves  Street, at 10.15am.

Media are asked to wait outside in the forecourt area, where they will be escorted inside to set up.

Please RSVP your attendance to media@police.govt.nz

ENDS.

Jarred Williamson/NZ Police

Source: New Zealand Government

A recent 50 hectare-controlled burn of wilding conifers in Central Otago is another step in exploring all options to rid landowners of the invasive weeds, says Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard.

“Wilding pines are invasive weeds that take over farmland and conservation areas, locking up land that could be productive. I’ve asked Biosecurity New Zealand to look into all practical options to control them, because fixing what matters means making sure landowners can use their land again,” Mr Hoggard says.

The recent controlled burn was scientifically monitored by Scion Group, part of the Bioeconomy Science Institute and the National Wilding Conifer Control Programme’s ongoing research work.

The idea of burning wildings is to clear areas where land has been rendered useless by the likes of Contorta pine, to get it back into productive use.

“However, it is a complicated undertaking. It can only be done in the right conditions, and with careful measures in place to keep people and the environment safe. It’s not currently a widely used control method but is employed on occasion by some private landowners.”

“The objective is for the controlled burn to get hot enough and last long enough to destroy the cones on the trees and any wilding seed already in the soil. If successful, this will reduce the need, and cost of future control efforts.”

Scientific equipment around the designated area for the controlled burn took a range of measurements before, and during the burn. Post-burn monitoring will be undertaken to determine how efficient and effective the trial has been.  

“This is about taking a practical approach to one of New Zealand’s most stubborn environmental challenges. By trialling methods like controlled burns, we can see which techniques are working and focus resources where they make the biggest difference – helping landowners reclaim their land, strengthening our economy, and protecting our environment for the future,” says Mr Hoggard.

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

The road works season is underway in the top of the South Island, and drivers can expect to see contractors hard at work at multiple locations over the coming months.

They will be on the job across the region completing road rebuilds, resurfacing, and repairs from now until the end of March 2026.

Planned works

In Marlborough, contractors will undertake almost 45 lane kilometres* of road renewals. This will include:

• asphalt – 1.9 lane km
• chipseal – 32.9 lane km
• road rebuilds – 9.8 lane km.

Meanwhile, in Nelson/Tasman, there will be approximately 35 lane kilometres of road renewal work done, including:

• asphalt – 2.4 lane km
• chipseal – 27.9 lane km
• rebuild – 5.4 lane km.

Mark Owen, Regional Manager Lower North Island/Top of the South, says this season is slightly different from previous years.

“The bad weather and flood damage from June and July is being factored into this season’s work – there’s a lot of activity across the region, but we have planned as best we can to minimise disruption to people’s journeys.”

“Where possible we will coincide these repairs and ongoing resilience work with road rebuilds and resurfacing works to minimise the impact on road users. This is the exact approach we will be taking on State Highway 60 over the Tākaka Hill and State Highway 6 Whangamoa Saddle,” Mr Owen says.

He says the same applies on State Highway 6 heading south from Kohatu Junction.

“This part of the highway suffered flood and scour damage in June and July. Drivers will have noticed we have had an interim road surface in place since then. That’s because this area was in line for a planned rebuild this summer.”

“Emergency works are still underway on State Highway 6 at Dellows and at Coal Creek following the July heavy rain event and resilience works planned on State Highway 6 at O’Sullivans and Granity. All of this activity will impact your journey especially between October and December as we rebuild and repair the state highway network,” Mr Owen says.

He says the same applies in Marlborough

“On State Highway 63 there are extensive works planned all the way from Waihopai Valley to the Howard Valley. Road rebuilds, resealing, and flood recovery works will be completed all along the highway.”

“State Highway 1 and 6, are also in line for a lot of work as well. There will be night closures on Weld Pass in November, and three months of work are planned on State Highway 1 at Spring Creek from January for a road rebuild,” Mr Owen says.

Driver advice

Mr Owen says with all this work planned, drivers must be ready for roadworks, and the travel delays they can cause.

“Plan ahead. Know where roadworks are, how substantial they are, and how they will affect you. That way you can make informed choices, like timing your trip to avoid them or allowing extra time for your journey.”

“This is particularly essential for people with Picton ferry connections or critical out of town appointments. Make sure you are not caught out,” Mr Owen says.

And he urges drivers to respect road workers and the speed limits in place at road work sites.

“The speed limits are there for a reason – to keep workers and drivers safe.” 

“A small mistake can have devastating consequences, and, if speed is involved, the outcomes can be fatal – not just for road crews, but also for drivers and their passengers. Slow down and be safe,” Mr Owen says.

Why summer maintenance?

Most drivers are aware more road works affect their travel during spring, summer, and early autumn. But Mr Owen says not everyone knows the reason why. 

“The simple fact is, it’s the weather. To be effective and durable, road renewals and resealing must be done during the warmer, drier months. 

“The wet and cold conditions over winter just are not suitable for completing permanent and durable road repairs,” Mr Owen says. 

View larger map [PDF, 1 MB]

Summer Maintenance Schedule – Top of the South Island (September 2025 – March 2026)

Location	Month	Duration of work	Type of work
Marlborough
SH1 Lindens Rd	September/October	3 weeks	Road rebuild
SH1 Tar Barrell	October	2 weeks	Road rebuild
SH1 Spring Creek	October	1 week	Resurfacing
SH1 Taimate	October	1 Day	Resealing
SH1 Wairau Road	October	1 week	Resurfacing
SH6 Canvastown and Pelorus	October	2 days (1 day at each site)	Resealing
SH63 Andersons Bridge	Ongoing to mid-October		Flood recovery works
SH63 Waihopai Bridge West	October – November	2 months	Road rebuild
SH63 Wairau Valley East	October – December	10 weeks	Road rebuild, bridge repairs, and recovery  works
SH1 Alabama Intersection	November	1 week	Resurfacing
SH1 Picton-Koromiko	November	1 week (stop/go)	Resealing
SH1 Weld Pass	November	2 weeks (night closures)	Resurfacing
SH1 Tuamarina	November	2 nights	Resealing
SH1 Wairau River	November	1 night	Resealing
SH6 Mahers Rd	November – December	2 months	Road rebuild and turn bay widening
SH1 south of Seddon	December	1 night	Resealing
SH1 Spring Creek (passing lane)	January	3 months	Road rebuild
SH6 west of Havelock	February	1 week	Resealing
SH6 Pelorus	February	3 days	Resealing
SH63 Waihopai Valley	February	1-2 days	Resealing
SH63 Tophouse	February	1 day	Resealing
SH1 Wairau River Quarry	February	3 nights	Resurfacing
Nelson/Tasman
SH6 Spooners Saddle	September – October	3 weeks	Forestry storm recovery
SH60 Motueka	September – October	3 weeks of night works with a southbound detour and 3 nights of a full closure	Resurfacing
SH6 Dellows Bluff	Ongoing until mid-October		Overslip repairs
SH6 Wakefield to Kohatu	October	1 week	Resealing
SH6 Kohatu to Murchison	October	1 week	Resealing
SH6 Kohatu	October – December	8 weeks	Road rebuild
SH6 Murchison – SH65 O’Sullivan’s	November	1 week	Resealing
SH6 Whangamoa Saddle (Hira to Rai Valley)	November	3 weeks (night closures)	Resurfacing and maintenance
SH6 The Glen	November	1 week	Resealing
SH60 Motueka	November	2 weeks of daytime work with a southbound detour	Resurfacing
SH6 Spooners  Saddle to Owen River	Ongoing until late October		Flood recovery works
SH60 Tākaka Hill	Ongoing until December	1 week of daytime closures in November 3 weeks of night closures in November/December	Flood recovery works and resurfacing
SH6 Rocks Road	Ongoing		Slip repairs and cliff stabilisation
SH6 Korere	January – February	6 weeks	Road rebuild
SH6 Newtons (Upper Buller Gorge)	January – February	6 weeks	Road rebuild
SH6 Brightwater	February – March	3 weeks (night works)	Road rebuild
SH63 Howard Valley	February – March	6 weeks	Road rebuild

Note: Schedules may change due to weather and other unforeseen circumstances.

Summer maintenance programme – Additional information

• *Lane kilometre refers to the amount of highway lane being worked on, not the full width of the road. For example, renewing both lanes of a highway over a one-kilometre distance is equivalent to two lane kilometres of renewal
• Road rebuilding (also called pavement rehabilitation) is a full reconstruction of the road. Both the surface and the layers underneath are removed and replaced—sometimes using recycled materials from the original road. After a road is rebuilt with a chipseal surface, crews return about 12 months later to apply a second coat. This helps strengthen the surface and improves waterproofing, making the road last longer.
• Resurfacing means removing the top layer of the road and replacing it with a new, pre-mixed layer of stone, bitumen, and other materials. This creates a smoother, more durable surface.
• Resealing involves spraying a layer of hot bitumen or emulsion onto the road, before spreading stone chips over it. These chips take time to settle into the surface, and any loose ones are swept away a few days later.
• Resilience work proactively improves the transport network by making sections of the state highway network less susceptible to the impacts of severe weather events.
• Key holiday periods are kept free of roadworks to help ease the pressure on peak travel times.  
• More information about our summer maintenance work can be found on our website 

Source: New Zealand Police

Emergency services are responding to a stock truck that has rolled on State Highway 5 between Old Taupō Coach and Palmer Roads.

Police were called to the scene around 2.15pm.

One person is reported to have suffered serious injuries.

There are also injured stock at the scene.

The road is blocked in both directions and motorists are advised to delay travel and avoid the area.

ENDS.

Source: New Zealand Government

The earthquake-prone building system will be refocused to reduce repair costs and reinvigorate communities, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says.

“While well intentioned, the current system for assessing and managing seismic risk in buildings places an overwhelming financial burden on building owners.

“For many buildings, the price of strengthening runs from hundreds of thousands to several million dollars. As a result, these buildings are often left empty and become derelict, making them even more dangerous to bystanders in an earthquake.

“Cities and regions are losing the businesses, churches, town halls and classrooms that are central to their local economies and community spirit.

“On top of this, apartment and small business owners who cannot afford the fixes demanded by the current laws have faced years of stress and sleepless nights, as their most valuable asset has become unsaleable through no fault of their own.

“Today, I am announcing a change to a fairer, risk-based system that will bring enormous relief by lowering costs for building owners, while keeping Kiwis safe.

“The Government is removing the New Building Standard (NBS) ratings currently used by engineers to determine whether a property is earthquake-prone.

“The NBS rates how an existing building is expected to perform in an earthquake compared to a new building and has proven too broad and inconsistent.

“A building’s overall risk status is determined by its weakest part, meaning even a small defect can result in an entire building being classified as earthquake-prone.

“The new earthquake-prone building (EPB) system will capture only buildings that pose a genuine risk to human life in medium and high seismic zones.

“This category includes concrete buildings three storeys or higher, and those constructed with unreinforced masonry.

“Auckland, Northland and the Chatham Islands will be removed from the regime entirely to reflect the low seismic risk in those areas.

“Unreinforced masonry buildings under three storeys in small and rural towns will no longer require remediation or warning notices, but owners must secure the façade before the building can be removed from the earthquake-prone register.

“This change recognises that the risk of a façade falling on a pedestrian is simply lower in communities with fewer than 10,000 residents than it is in larger urban centres, because there are fewer people on the streets.

“For buildings that still require some remediation, the Government is removing the rule that owners must upgrade fire safety and disability access at the same time as earthquake strengthening.

“This requirement can add significantly to building costs and has discouraged owners from carrying out essential seismic safety work.

“Ministers will also consider further regulatory relief, including changes to resource management and heritage rules.

“Finally, local councils will have the authority to grant extensions to remediation deadlines of up to 15 years, giving building owners time to secure funding, plan and carry out any major work still required.

“This refocused earthquake-prone building system is expected to save New Zealanders more than $8.2 billion in remediation and demolition costs.

“The changes give effect to recommendations from an independent review led by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).

“The review confirmed what has always been clear: protecting human life must remain our top priority.

“It also recognised the need for a fairer balance between costs and the real risks buildings pose, so that strengthening work is achievable.

“The Government is ensuring New Zealanders can get on with the work that matters, so that our businesses, regional communities and cities can thrive.”

Notes to editor:
 

• Attached: Report of Seismic Risk Management Review.
• Attached: Refocused earthquake-prone building system media factsheet.
• The Cabinet Paper and Regulatory Impact Statement is available here.
• EPB system changes will be enacted through the Building (Earthquake-prone Building System Reform) Amendment Bill.
• Coastal Otago, including Dunedin, will be classified as a medium seismic hazard area and will remain within the earthquake-prone building system.

Source: Maritime Union of New Zealand

Maritime Union of New Zealand National Secretary Carl Findlay says the New Zealand Government’s failure to formally recognise the State of Palestine is a bad mistake.

Mr Findlay says New Zealand is not even doing the bare minimum for justice and peace.

“The Government’s position that recognition of Palestine is a matter of ‘when, not if’, is a delay tactic at a time when every day of inaction means the death and maiming of more innocent civilians including children.”

Mr Findlay says the MUNZ view is that “peace is union business.”

He says MUNZ fully supports MUA Queensland seafarer Hamish Paterson who is crewing a vessel as part of the Global Sumud Flotilla.

“Hamish, alongside the Aotearoa – New Zealand delegation of Samuel Leason, Rana Hamida and Youssef Sammour, is sailing to challenge the illegal blockade of Gaza and deliver aid, embodying maritime workers proud tradition of international solidarity.”

He says MUNZ has affirmed its commitment to the international position of organized maritime and transport workers on Gaza and Palestine.

MUNZ backs the policy of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), which supports the formal recognition of the State of Palestine as a crucial step towards a just solution.

MUNZ also stands with the International Dockworkers Council (IDC), which has condemned the actions of Israel in Gaza.

In New Zealand, MUNZ supports the position of the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions (NZCTU), which demands a solution that recognises the Palestinian people’s inalienable rights to self-determination and sovereignty.

Mr Findlay says dockworkers internationally have shown leadership where governments have failed.

“Genoa dockers have carried out strike actions in solidarity with Palestine, including blockading ports in protest against Israel’s actions, while unions in Belgium, Italy, and the USA have carried out solidarity actions at their ports.”

MUNZ stands shoulder to shoulder with the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA), which has repeatedly called for sanctions, demanded an end to military exports to Israel, and joined protests aimed at disrupting complicit shipping lines.

MUNZ and the MUA share a long history of progressive political action around issues such as apartheid, nuclear weapons, liberation struggles and supporting working class solidarity.

MUNZ demands the New Zealand Government formally recognises the State of Palestine and uses its voice to prevent further bloodshed and oppression.

Source: New Zealand Government

New Zealand’s first Advanced Practitioner Radiation Therapist specialising in prostate cancer is transforming care for men in the lower South Island, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.

“This role is helping transform prostate cancer care in region, giving men faster access to treatment, more personalised support, and improved outcomes,” Mr Brown says.

“It means patients have consistent support throughout their treatment journey, while also freeing up specialists to see more people who need care.”

The Advanced Practitioner runs review clinics during treatment, leads six-week post-treatment follow-up clinics on behalf of radiation oncologists, and completes pre-first specialist assessments to prepare men before they even see a specialist.

“In August alone, around 60 patients received care through this role, demonstrating the value of this model.”

Mr Brown says the new approach is already showing tangible benefits for patients and clinicians alike.

“This is a great example of how innovative models of care can improve patient experience and ensure more New Zealanders receive timely, quality healthcare. While the role is currently focused on prostate cancer, there are already plans to extend it to a wider range of urological conditions in the future.”

“September being Prostate Cancer Awareness Month is also a timely reminder of the importance of early detection and treatment.

“Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among New Zealand men, with more than 4,000 cases confirmed each year. Tragically, around 700 fathers, brothers, husbands, and friends lose their lives to it annually.

“The good news is that when prostate cancer is detected early, the chances of successful treatment are far higher. That’s why awareness, early testing, and access to treatment are so important – they save lives.

“Early detection, combined with innovative models of care like we’re seeing in the South, gives men the best possible chance of living longer, healthier lives,” Mr Brown says.