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Man in court after spate of crimes in Feilding

Source: New Zealand Police

A 41-year-old man has been charged with nine offences after a spate of thefts and burglaries in Feilding.

The offending goes back to 18 September, when the man is alleged to have broken into a vehicle and stolen personal possessions on Willowbank Crescent.

What followed was multiple instances of dishonesty offences around Feilding, including burglaries from commercial and residential premises and the theft of a vehicle and bank cards.

Operation Thor was created to reduce offending, and on 17 November the man was arrested, with the assistance of Palmerston North staff.

Officer in Charge Feilding, Sergeant Mike Linton, says Police are determined to hold people to account.

“My team and I remain committed to making sure anyone who commits crime in our town faces the consequences.

“This is a great result for the team and our community – we believe this will go some way in stemming the crime that has been occurring around the town.

“This is only the start of this operation.

“We continue to urge the public to report incidents through 111 if it’s happening now, or 105 for non-emergencies.”

The man appeared in the Palmerston North District Court on two charges of burglary, three charges of taking bank cards, two charges of taking items from a vehicle, one charge of taking a vehicle, and one charge of interfering with a motor vehicle.

The man was remanded in custody and is due to reappear on 25 November.

ENDS

Issued by the Police Media Centre.

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Road blocked, Harihari Highway, Ross

Source: New Zealand Police

Harihari Highway (SH6), Ross, is blocked following a serious crash this afternoon.

Police were notified of the multi-vehicle crash, near Donoghues Road, around 1:10pm.

Initial indicators are that there have been serious injuries.

The Serious Crash Unit has been advised and the road is expected to be blocked for some time while emergency services work at the scene.

Motorists are advised to avoide the area where possible and expect delays.

ENDS

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Person killed in crash on busy road in Auckland’s Mt Eden

Source: Radio New Zealand

Traffic on Dominion Rd in Mt Eden being diverted by police after a serious car crash. Calvin Samuel / RNZ

One person has died following a crash in Auckland’s Mt Eden.

Traffic was being diverted on Dominion Rd following the single-car crash at 10.18am.

Initial reports had suggested one person had been critically injured, however police have since confirmed the person died at the scene.

The crashed car. Calvin Samuel / RNZ

The road has since reopened and an investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing.

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

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Update: Allegations of electoral fraud, Ōtara-Papatoetoe

Source: New Zealand Police

Please attribute to Detective Inspector Shaun Vickers, Counties Manukau CIB:

Two separate investigations are underway following several complaints received in relation to the Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board Election.

Police can confirm that at this stage we are investigating 16 complaints, forwarded to us from Election Services.

This investigation remains in the early stages, however they relate to allegations of electoral fraud.

Separately, a petition of inquiry into the conduct of the Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board (Papatoetoe subdivision) election is before the Manukau District Court. 

The respondent to that petition is the independent Electoral Officer for Auckland (from Election Services).

ENDS.

Note for media: Any further questions in relation to the petition will need to be directed to Election Services.

Holly McKay/NZ Police

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Fatal crash, Mount Eden

Source: New Zealand Police

Police can confirm one person has died following a crash in Mount Eden this morning.

The crash, on Dominion Road, was reported at around 10.18am.

Sadly, one person died at the scene.

Dominion Road has since reopened and an investigation into the cause of the crash remains ongoing.

ENDS.

Holly McKay/NZ Police

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Crash between two buses and a car causes ‘chaos’ in Auckland

Source: Radio New Zealand

Broken glass and other items can be seen in the gutter. RNZ / Marika Khabazi

A person who saw a crash between two buses and a car in Auckland’s Glen Innes says he thought a bus was going to crash into nearby shops.

Emergency services were at the scene of the crash on Apirana Avenue, which was reported just after 9am.

Police said one person had been taken to hospital in a moderate condition.

Apirana Avenue was closed between Taniwha Street and Delwyn Lane while the scene was cleared.

Dom Nash. RNZ / Marika Khabazi

Dom Nash told RNZ he was in the butchery when he heard loud bangs.

“I saw a bus hit another bus, then a car driving up the road swerved towards us, which I thought the bus was going to come into the shop, all of a sudden it hit the brakes, and yeah, chaos everywhere.”

Nash said the road was cleared shortly after 10:30am.

Diversions were in place and motorists were told to expect delays.

The scene in Glen Innes. RNZ / Marika Khabazi

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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 stop alleged offenders in their tracks

Source: New Zealand Police

Good Police work has swiftly ended the plans of four alleged youth offenders in Auckland on Tuesday.

Two investigation teams were tasked with enquiries into a series of aggravated robberies reported across Waitematā in recent days.

Detective Senior Sergeant Ryan Bunting, Waitematā West Area Investigations Manager, says there were four separate reports of intimidating behaviour and assault over a two-day period.

“These alleged offenders confronted their victims, assaulted them, and took multiple items including a gold watch, cash, cell phones, and a scooter,” he says.

“With the help of CCTV, investigators were able to identify a person of interest linked to the series of offences. Officers from the Youth Crime Team located and arrested that person shortly after.”

The alleged offender was also identified as being involved in multiple instances of disorder, trespass, and shoplifting in West Auckland over the past two weeks.

“Once we identified one member of the group, the other three were located and arrested within three hours,” Detective Senior Sergeant Bunting says.

“We are pleased to have stopped the harm these alleged offenders were causing in our communities.”

A 14-year-old female has been charged with multiple counts of aggravated robbery and will appear in the Waitākere Youth Court today. She has also been referred to Youth Aid for the other alleged offending.

Three males, aged 12 and 13, have been referred to Youth Aid for aggravated robbery.

ENDS.

Amanda Wieneke/NZ Police

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Fishery officers in Gisborne catch 2 divers with 369 undersize pāua

Source: NZ Ministry for Primary Industries

Fisheries New Zealand fishery officers caught 2 divers with 369 undersize pāua at Sponge Bay in Gisborne yesterday. 

Officers discovered the pair when they were patrolling the coast and inspected their catch. 

“The divers were preparing to leave the area when they were stopped for a routine check of their catch. It was very disappointing to find they had 369 undersize pāua, the smallest pāua was only 56mm,” says Fisheries New Zealand district manager, Gisborne/Whakatane, Jordan Cooper. 

Officers returned the pāua to the sea and seized their vehicle and diving gear. Fisheries New Zealand is considering next steps, including prosecution. 

“When we find evidence of people deliberately breaking the rules – we will hold them to account. The rules are there for a reason – to keep our shared fisheries sustainable into the future. 

“The daily limit per person for gathering pāua is 5 with a minimum size of 125mm and we would strongly encourage anyone who is unaware of the rules to download the free NZ Fishing Rules mobile app which will provide you the latest rules, including closures and gear restrictions for any area you intend to fish,” Jordan Cooper says. 

NZ Fishing Rules mobile app

We encourage people to report any suspected illegal activity through the Ministry for Primary Industries’ 0800 4 POACHER line (0800 476 224). 

For further information and general enquiries, call MPI on 0800 008 333 or email info@mpi.govt.nz 

For media enquiries, contact the media team on 029 894 0328.

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Testing finds Chatham Islands’ waka Rēkohu from mid 1400s

Source: Radio New Zealand

Rēkohu-Wharekauri-Chatham Island waka excavation site Supplied/Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage

Interim radiocarbon dating on a partially excavated waka in Chatham Islands has revealed the waka arrived on the islands in the mid 1400s.

A previous report concluded the waka, unearthed by father and son Vincent and Nikau Dix, was of pre-European construction and likely from a time before significant cultural separation between Aotearoa and the Pacific.

Lead Archaeologist Dr Justin Maxwell, from Sunrise Archaeology, said recent archaeological research has suggested that the first arrival of people on Rēkohu occurred between 1450 and 1650 AD.

“Additional evidence from ancient peat samples shows that significant changes to the environment began after 1500 AD.”

The newly obtained dating results show:

  • Most results show narrow ranges between 1440 and 1470 AD, indicating this as the likely growth period of these plant tissues.
  • One piece of cordage predates 1415 AD.
  • A sample suggests cultivation around 1400 AD or earlier.

Radiocarbon dates obtained from wood can be much older than the event we are interested in, Lead Archaeologist Dr Justin Maxwell says. Supplied by Maui Solomon

This is the first known bottle gourd, also known as calabash or hue in te reo Māori, found in an archaeological site on Chatham Island, Maxwell said.

“Short-lived local plant materials tested are of similar age and suggest the cultural layer surrounding the waka was formed shortly after its arrival.

“Testing short-lived plant materials is important to get accurate dates for a find such as this. We don’t want to date the timbers because trees can live for a long time.”

“Radiocarbon dates obtained from wood can be much older than the event we are interested in – which is when this waka was in use.

“Together, these findings point to the arrival of the waka on Rēkohu Wharekauri Chatham Island between 1440 and 1470 AD. It is important to note that nearly all dated samples from the waka were on short-lived materials, such as cordage that may have been replaced over time. Some materials were older, suggesting the main components of the waka itself could be considerably older than the dated items,” Maxwell said.

Pou Mataaho o Te Hua Deputy secretary delivery and investment, Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage, Glenis Philip-Barbara, said the interim radiocarbon dating results had been released ahead of the final archaeological report.

“The final report released by February 2026 will provide finalised radiocarbon results with further analysis and context. These interim results mark a significant milestone in understanding the early settlement and cultural history of Rēkohu Wharekauri Chatham Island.”

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

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Government bill prevents schools from opting out of international maths, reading tests

Source: Radio New Zealand

Education Minister Erica Stanford

A government bill will stop schools opting out of international maths and reading tests and speed up intervention in failing schools.

It will also give a new property agency the power to force schools to spend money on building works.

The Education and Training (System Reform) Bill was introduced to Parliament this week.

Education Minister Erica Stanford said the bill would ensure the education system supported the government’s priorities.

She said a key aspect was raising the quality of initial teacher education.

That part of the bill would enable changes to the Teaching Council announced earlier in the month.

They included shifting the council’s responsibility for teacher education and teachers’ professional standards to the Education Ministry, and changing the make-up of its governing body to include only three representatives elected by teachers and four to six ministerial appointees.

The bill would require the Education Review Office to notify the ministry and minister within two working days if it decided a school “may be of serious concern”, followed within 28 working days by a report and recommended statutory interventions.

It would establish a new Crown agency, the New Zealand School Property Agency, to manage school property.

The agency’s powers would include recovering costs for maintenance and repairs and requiring boards to take action.

The bill would require the Education Ministry to review curriculum areas on a rolling basis and allow different curriculum statements to be made for different groups of schools.

It would remove the requirement for school boards to consult their communities about the health curriculum – something the Education Review Office recommended last year.

The bill would remove the ability of state, charter and private schools to opt out of studies such as the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment – a change apparently responding to a high refusal rate in the 2022 tests.

The Educational Institute, Te Riu Roa, warned the bill was a bulldozer that significantly increased ministerial control over the school system.

It said the bill would politicise education.

“What we are seeing is what we’ve seen in the curriculum changes – a government hell-bent on making a one-size-fits-all education system and controlling it in its entirety, without thought for the diversity and needs of our tamariki and our communities. We cannot see in any of the proposed changes a world where tamariki, kaiako or their whānau will be better off,” it said.

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