Posts

Posted on

Police acknowledge IPCA findings into conflict of interest

Source: New Zealand Police

Police accept the findings by the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) regarding an officer who was found to have not recognised a conflict of interest, which led to the inappropriate use of the Police database.

On 24 July 2024 Officer A, who was off duty, attempted to merge with another vehicle. This was followed by Officer A recording the other car’s registration.

Officer A has then discussed the matter with a senior officer the next day, and used the Police database to access the other driver’s contact details.

Acting Waikato District Commander, Acting Superintendent Will Loughrin, says that the behaviour isn’t consistent with the expectations Police and the public have of staff.

“In this instance Officer A has been given advice by a senior officer and proceeded to access the Police database inappropriately.

“While it is common practice for Police to contact people about their driving, the circumstances that have led to this are not acceptable.

“We understand Officer A believed he was justified in accessing the database in this instance, in the interests of providing education to the other driver.

“However, the circumstances of this incident and follow-on behaviour falls short of what we expect from our staff.

“Police conducted an employment process, and I am satisfied that Officer A now has a full understanding of how to identify a conflict of interest.

“Correct process has also been discussed with the senior officer to prevent this sort of occurrence happening again.”

ENDS 

Issued by Police Media Centre

Posted on

Gisborne charity boxing event to go ahead after organisers agree to drop some fighters

Source: Radio New Zealand

Jamie Cox (right) of Wairoa Boxing club reffing a sparring session. Police declined a permit for the Wairoa club match earlier this month. Supplied

A charity boxing event in Gisborne is going ahead – but only after organisers agreed to a police request to drop some fighters from the line-up.

A similar fight night in Hawke’s Bay’s Wairoa was denied a permit last week, with police citing a heightened risk of gang-related violence.

Gisborne Fight for Life promoter Kim-Maree Larby said the event was “bigger than just a couple of people”, and making sure it was allowed to happen was the main priority.

“All we look for is for our club to make a little bit of money, for the community to have a great night out, and for fighters to enjoy a journey that they’ve been on for the last 13 weeks,” Larby said.

Police had told her that there were “some concerns” with a few people on the fight card.

“If they remained on our event then the event possibly wouldn’t go through. So I just removed them from the event.”

Fighters understood that police had the final say over who was allowed to take part, she said.

“If they [police] say that they’re not to fight then I will go with whatever the police recommendation is, to make sure our event is as safe as possible.”

Communicating with police over the safety of the Fight for Life events was nothing new, and happened every year, she said.

Larby said she felt for the Wairoa community whose event was cancelled.

“I do feel very sad for them, because I know how important this event is for our community.

“We’re stoked to see our event go ahead for another year and we wish Wairoa the best of luck for next year.”

She called on the Gisborne community to make sure everyone was well-behaved at the event on 29 November, which was now sold out.

“We want boxing to go ahead as safe as possible, and at the same time the community that comes out to watch it to be sitting in a safe environment as well.”

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Posted on

Man charged with murder after death on New Plymouth street

Source: Radio New Zealand

Robin Martin

A man has been charged with murder after a death on a street in New Plymouth.

Emergency services were alerted to a fight on St Aubyn Street shortly before 7pm on Wednesday and found a man with critical injuries.

CPR was performed but he died at the scene.

The police said two people were arrested.

Robin Martin

One of them, a 44-year-old man, has been charged with murder and is due to appear today in the New Plymouth District Court, while the other person was released without charge.

A blue police gazebo is set up beside beside the railway line at the Len Lyne Wind Wand sculpture on the Coastal Walkway.

The police said a scene guard has been in place overnight, and cordons will remain in place today while a scene examination is carried out.

Robin Martin

Meanwhile, part of St Aubyn Street remains closed this morning, and motorists should avoid the area if possible, or expect delays.

Police would like to hear from anyone who might have witnessed this incident unfolding, or who has information about those involved.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Posted on

Digital trial to boost supermarket competition

Source: New Zealand Government

The Government is acting to reduce onerous food labelling requirements on new supermarkets seeking to enter the New Zealand grocery market.  

Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis and Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard announced today that the Government has initiated consultation on a proposal to trial the use of digital labels for lower risk imported goods.

Under the Food Act, the Government must consult before making changing food regulations.

“We have heard that one of the barriers to new supermarkets entering the New Zealand market is the cost of having to re-label pre-packaged products to meet New Zealand and Australian food labelling standards,” Nicola Willis says.

“Retailers would still need to provide shoppers with information about allergens, ingredients and nutrition, but they would not have to go to the expense of re-labelling products to do so.

“Information could be made accessible in-store and online via on-shelf QR codes, in-store digital labels, websites and mobile apps.

“If successful, the proposed trial would make it easier for new supermarkets to get established in New Zealand,” Nicola Willis says.

Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard says: “Having met with many food businesses this year, it’s clear to me that physical labelling can be a costly barrier. If we can introduce digital labelling to provide additional flexibility – we should. It’s about fixing what matters.”

Last week the Trans-Tasman Food Ministers acknowledged the growing relevance of digital labelling. The findings from this trial will support the newly initiated trans-Tasman work on digital labelling.

“Products would come from trusted trading partners with strong food regulatory systems similar to New Zealand’s own.

“Trial participants will still need to provide information which aligns with the Food Act, the compositional requirements of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code and all other relevant legislation.

“As always, food must be safe and suitable, but food affordability is front of mind for me,” Andrew Hoggard says.

As required by the Food Act 2014, the Minister must consult with stakeholders who may be affected. Public consultation on the trial closes on 19 December 2025. Have your say here.

If the trial proceeds, potential participants will be invited to register their interest. 
 

Posted on

Proposal to enable a limited trial of digital labelling on certain imported food products

Source: NZ Ministry for Primary Industries

Why we are consulting

The Minister for Food Safety is seeking feedback on a proposal to enable a trial of digital labelling for certain imported food sold in designated retail stores.

Under the proposal, approved retailers would temporarily be exempt from the requirement to bear all information on packaging for certain imported food under section 343 of the Food Act 2014. The aim of the trial would be to see whether it’s feasible to shape a future compliance pathway for the use of digital labelling as an adjunct to physical labels.

Before recommending an exemption, the minister must consult stakeholders who may be affected by the exemption.

We welcome your feedback about this proposal. This consultation opened on 20 November and submissions will be accepted until 11.59pm on 19 December 2025.

Background to the proposal

Food retailers must comply with requirements under the Food Act 2014, including applicable requirements of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. The physical label of prepackaged foods in grocery retail must comply with labelling requirements of the code.

We propose to enable a limited number of food retailers to trial the use of digital labelling technology. For a limited trial period, the non-compliance of the physical label with requirements of the code would be supplemented by digital means where feasible. There would be no change to expectations of what information must be provided.

Digital labelling technology refers to any electronic or digital means, including but not limited to websites, online platforms, and mobile applications. It may be presented as a QR code on the product or on a shelf that can be scanned by a smartphone camera.

Section 343 of the Food Act 2014 allows the Minister for Food Safety to recommend an exemption where he is satisfied that there are sufficient safeguards to minimise any risk to public health. Before recommending an exemption, the minister must take into account:

  • the need to protect public health
  • the desirability of avoiding unnecessary restrictions on trade
  • the desirability of maintaining consistency between the standards in regulations made under section 383 of the Food Act 2014 and any relevant standards, requirements, or recommended practices that apply or are accepted internationally
  • the need to give effect to New Zealand’s obligations under a relevant international agreement, convention, protocol, or treaty
  • the identifiable costs of the exemption, who bears those costs, and the positive and negative effects on New Zealand consumers and food businesses
  • the most effective way of achieving the safety and suitability of food
  • any other matters that the minister considers relevant.

Why trial digital labelling? 

While physical labels continue to be the primary risk management tool for protecting public health, digital labelling technology has the potential to provide trust, transparency, and efficiency benefits. It can also better inform and empower consumers.

It also has the potential to increase access to more affordable food. For overseas manufactured and labelled food, the cost of physical re-labelling or over-labelling can in some cases be a barrier to import. For some products, this cost may still be warranted to manage public health risk. In other cases, the public health risk may be lower, and the costs may not be as warranted, particularly where digital solutions are available.

This trial will support a consideration of the proper role of digital labelling in our food system. It will also support a greater understanding of how to best regulate digital labels: from setting the rules through to monitoring and enforcement. Ensuring food safety and suitability will continue to be paramount throughout the trial. 

Proposed trial parameters

The trial will be enabled for:

  • A limited number of operators and for limited number of sites at a time.
  • A period of one year.
  • Products imported from a mature food regulatory system¹ and labelled in English that meet the labelling requirements of that system.
  • Approved food retailers who can meet trial scope and conditions.

¹Labelling and compositional legislative requirements are in line with Codex, have been in place for more than 5 years and oversight of compliance is in place.

Proposed exemption scope

General pre-packaged food 

The exemption scope would be limited to pre-packaged food that is otherwise required to bear a physical label and which meets the compositional requirements of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. It would not apply to higher-risk products, including dietary supplements, supplemented foods, alcohol products, or special-purpose food, such as infant formula.

Approved food retailer

Operators must be registered under the Food Act 2014. They must also be approved to participate in the trial.

The food could only be sold from the approved food retailer in New Zealand and not exported.

Proposed exemption conditions

Digital presentation

Consumers must be provided with all feasible information required by the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code as a digital label.

Reasonable access

Consumers must have reasonable access to the information in digital format at the time of purchase and information after sale.

Consistency with information on-pack

Food information provided digitally must not conflict with information provided on-pack.

Have your say

Tell us what you think about the proposal. All submissions must be received by 11.59pm on Friday 19 December 2025.

Complete an online submission – SurveyMonkey

Submissions are public information

Note that all, part, or a summary of your submission may be published on this website. Most often this happens when we issue a document that reviews the submissions received.

People can also ask for copies of submissions under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA). The OIA says we must make the content of submissions available unless we have good reason for withholding it. Those reasons are detailed in sections 6 and 9 of the OIA.

If you think there are grounds to withhold specific information from publication, make this clear in your submission or contact us. Reasons may include that it discloses commercially sensitive or personal information. However, any decision MPI makes to withhold details can be reviewed by the Ombudsman, who may direct us to release it.

Official Information Act 1982 – NZ Legislation

Posted on

Naturing made easier: 45 DOC huts and campsites to move onto the booking system

Source: NZ Department of Conservation

Date:  20 November 2025

A total of 45 sites – 22 huts and 23 campsites – will become bookable in December. These range from backcountry adventures like the Hollyford Track in Fiordland to scenic coastal campsites in the Marlborough Sounds. There is no change to the cost of staying in any of these huts or campsites.

“We encourage people to book these places in advance,” says Cameron Hyland, DOC Visitor Services Manager.

“Making facilities bookable helps our teams plan effectively, reduces overcrowding, and means we can share important updates with visitors when needed.”

“Backcountry huts are always unlocked and available as emergency shelter to any who need it, regardless of booking, but booking provides extra assurance to families and less experienced visitors, as well as supporting the payment of hut fees so we can maintain these places into the future,” says Cameron.

Any huts and campsites currently included in the Backcountry Hut or Campsite Passes will continue to be included, with users able to make a booking online with the relevant pass.

DOC knows offering a good mix of bookable and non-bookable huts is important to cater to the wide range of people who spend time naturing in the outdoors, says Cameron.

“DOC manages around 950 huts, and the vast majority of these remain non-bookable.”

“The booking system also offers flexibility to adjust bookings if needed. It’s important that people assess conditions before deciding whether it’s safe to travel, and so we make sure that the ability to change plans is built into the system.”

Bookings for these facilities open on 2 December, for stays beginning from Friday 5 December.

Newly bookable huts

Turangi/Tongariro

  • Boyd Hut
  • Blyth Hut
  • Mangaehuehu Hut
  • Mangaturuturu Hut
  • Rangipo Hut
  • Whakapapaiti Hut

Canterbury

  • Carrington Hut
  • Casey Hut
  • Edwards Hut
  • Hawdon Hut

Fiordland

  • Port Craig School Hut
  • Demon Trail Hut
  • Hidden Falls Hut
  • Lake Alabaster Hut
  • Hokuri Hut
  • Martins Bay Hut
  • McKerrow Island Hut

Golden Bay/Motueka

  • Fenella Hut
  • Sylvester Hut
  • Balloon Hut
  • Salisbury Lodge
  • Mt Arthur Hut

Newly bookable campsites

Wairarapa

  • Bucks Road Campsite
  • Corner Creek Campsite
  • Holdsworth Campsite
  • Kiriwhakapapa Campsite
  • Putangirua Pinnacles Campsite
  • Waiohine Gorge Campsite

Marlborough and Sounds

  • Butchers Flat Campsite
  • Moetapu Bay Campsite
  • Waimaru Campsite
  • Harvey Bay Campsite
  • Nikau Cove Campsite
  • Aussie Bay Campsite
  • Elaine Bay Campsite
  • Picnic Bay Campsite
  • Ferndale Campsite
  • Nydia Campsite
  • Jacobs Bay Campsite
  • Putanui Point Campsite
  • Pipi Beach Campsite
  • Tawa Bay Campsite
  • Ngaruru Bay Campsite

Nelson Lakes

  • Kawatiri Campsite
  • Teetotal Campsite

Contact

For media enquiries contact:

Email: media@doc.govt.nz

Posted on

New actions to grow the mental health and addiction workforce

Source: New Zealand Government

The Government is delivering on reducing wait times and growing the frontline mental health and addiction workforce, one year on from the country’s first dedicated workforce plan, Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey says.

“From day one, I’ve been clear that the biggest barrier to timely support is workforce shortages. That’s why publishing New Zealand’s first Mental Health and Addiction Workforce Plan in this Government’s first year was so important, and we are already seeing results,” Mr Doocey says.

“Over the past year, the frontline Health NZ workforce has grown by around 10 per cent. Overall vacancy rates and wait times are down, and we’ve seen strong growth in key areas. This includes:

  • 349 extra frontline mental health and addiction workers beginning training in clinical professions in semester one alone
  • New peer support roles expanding into eating disorder services, emergency departments, and Crisis Recovery Cafes
  • Approval of a new psychology assistant role, with training to begin in 2026
  •  Universities have opened more clinical places on mental health training programmes

“Budget 2025 provided increased funding for psychology internships and stage one psychiatry registrars, and we’re already seeing the impact. We set a goal of 60 new clinical psychology interns in 2025, we have surpassed that with 74 now employed, delivering on our commitment to double the number of clinical internship places.

“We have also made it a priority to grow the number of stage one psychiatrist registrar training positions available each year, it has gone from 33 in 2024 to 54 in 2026.

“It’s fitting to be releasing the updated plan at the Addiction Leadership Day today. Two weeks ago, the Government announced its plan to combat meth harm, allocating $30 million to increase the number of available services, including $6 million to grow the frontline addiction workforce.

“At the one-year mark, it’s appropriate that Health NZ is updating the Plan. This gives us the opportunity to acknowledge early gains, introduce new actions, and target workforce pressures.

“The updated plan continues the Government’s focus on faster access to support, more frontline workers, and a stronger crisis response.

“When someone takes the brave step of reaching out for help, workforce should never be a barrier. Whether it’s you, your child, a friend, or a family member, this Government is committed to making sure support is there.”

Notes to editor

  •  The updated Mental Health and Addiction Workforce Plan can be found here.
  • The next quarterly reporting will have the full 2025 academic year result against the target of training 500 mental health and addiction professionals each year.
Posted on

No suspicious circumstances for woman’s death in Ōtāhuhu

Source: Radio New Zealand

123RF

Police have confirmed there were no suspicious circumstances relating to the death of a woman in Ōtāhuhu on Monday.

Emergency services were called to the Atkinson Avenue property at about 1.50am, and the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

Cordons were in place along a section of the street and members of the public were asked to avoid the area.

Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Hayward, of the Counties Manukau CIB, said inquiries have been carried out.

Police have now determined her death was not suspicious.

Her death will be referred to the Coroner.

Police have extended their sympathies to the woman’s whānau.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Posted on

‘Absolutely ludicrous’: Casey Costello defends plunge in global tobacco control ranking

Source: Radio New Zealand

Associate health minister Casey Costello says getting through longer term smokers was the most challenging part of the process. RNZ

Associate health minister Casey Costello has labelled New Zealand’s recent plummet in global tobacco control as “ridiculous” and “ludicrous”.

It comes after the country plummeted from second in the world in 2023 to 53rd in the 2025 Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index.

The main factors damaging New Zealand’s standing are the repeal of the smokefree generation laws, the tax break benefiting tobacco giant Philip Morris and the movement of staff between politics and the lobbying industry.

Costello told Morning Report she had been fully transparent.

“To suggest that someone who once worked for an organisation that once got donations at one time from a tobacco company means that they are corrupted in some way is absolutely ludicrous.

“I can give 100 percent assurance, I have been completely transparent in everything, my diary is fully released, every meeting, every paper has been released and every piece of work I have continued to engage.”

She said the report was a “pointless” and “ridiculous document”.

“It was absolute nonsense – they were comparing us to countries who have three times the smoking rate of us, and yet said that we had greater influence in the tobacco industry and yet our smoking rates were one of the lowest listed.”

Earlier, Vape-Free Kids, an advocacy group, said the “staggering drop” of 51 places in two years was the most dramatic fall of any country in the history of the report and an “international disgrace” for the government.

“New Zealand has become an international embarrassment and an example of how quickly a government can be corrupted by the tobacco industry,” Vape-Free Kids co-founder Charyl Robinson said.

SmokeFree 2025?

New Zealand’s smoking rate has been dipping throughout the last decade, but has somewhat stagnated the last three years and is sitting at 6.8 percent, just above the 5 percent target.

In 2024, the government scrapped laws which would have slashed tobacco retailers from 6000 to 600, removed 95 percent of the nicotine from cigarettes and banned sales of cigarettes to anyone born after 2009.

The prevalence of daily vaping had increased slightly from 11.1 percent last year to 11.7 percent this year.

Costello said told Morning Report SmokeFree 2025 was an “ambitious” target, and getting through longer term smokers a challenging part of the process.

She said the data was only to the end of June 2025, so the entirety of the year’s data wouldn’t be known until the next survey.

Under 25s were already a “smoke-free generation” with smoking rates of around 3 percent, she said.

When asked about alternatives to smoking, she said there was evidence vaping was safer than smoking.

“Vaping is safer than smoking, we have never said it’s safe, it is less harmful than smoking.”

She said there was no evidence that supported reducing nicotine levels.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Posted on

Homicide investigation launched, New Plymouth

Source: New Zealand Police

A homicide investigation has been launched after the death of a man in New Plymouth last night.

Emergency services were called to the scene on St Aubyn Street shortly before 7pm, after a report of an altercation occurring.

On arrival, a man was found with critical injuries. CPR was performed, however he died at the scene.

Two people were arrested. One of them, a 44-year-old man, has been charged with murder and is due to appear today in the New Plymouth District Court.

The second person was released without charge.

A scene guard has been in place overnight, and cordons will remain in place today while a scene examination is carried out.

Part of St Aubyn Street remains closed this morning, and motorists should avoid the area if possible, or expect delays.

Police would like to hear from anyone who might have witnessed this incident unfolding, or who has information about those involved.

If you can help, please use our 105 service, using reference number 251119/8652.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre