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All heart: Michael Campbell’s massive achievement, 20 years on

Source: Radio New Zealand

Michael Campbell is looking fit and healthy, and he’s feeling it too.

At least, he’s feeling an awful lot better than he was earlier this year, after undergoing heart surgery.

“I had atrial fibrillation, which means my heart was racing out of rhythm,” the 56-year-old said from his home in Marbella, Spain.

“I had felt terrible for about 4-5 years. I had an operation two months ago and I feel great now.

“I’ve lost a lot of weight, and feel strong and healthy.”

That surgery and recovery co-incided with the anniversary of the greatest day in Campbell’s career and one of the most memorable in New Zealand sporting history.

On 19 June, 2005, he strode up the fairways of Pinehurst in North Carolina, on his way to winning the US Open. While it’s seen as an out-of-the-blue sporting moment, winning a golf Major is no fluke.

“I must have been pretty focused, because I can remember every single shot on the last round of the US Open, 20 years ago. Those shots are unforgettable, it’s just life-changing stuff.”

Michael Campbell walks up the 18th fairway during the final round of the 2005 US Open. S. Badz/Getty Images

Especially when one of the players chasing Campbell down on the final round was a bloke named Tiger Woods.

“What he brings to golf, it transcends it as a sport,” said Campbell. “He’s just incredible – the presence, what he did for the game and what he achieved is just an incredible thing.

“To beat him in is in his prime and his height makes it even more special – there were 50,000 watching him and 10,000 watching me.

“He was there with me at the prizegiving, which is very unusual. I asked him, ‘Why are you here, Tiger?’, and what he said to me was the biggest compliment you could ever get from anyone.

“He said, ‘I know where you came from, how much resources back in the day, this is to show my respect’. That was the coolest thing ever.”

Michael Campbell shares a laugh with Tiger Woods after the final round of the US Open. Sean Meyers/Getty Images

While he was putting together an ultimately tournament-winning one-under-par round of 69, Campbell had only one thing on his mind – what was he going to do with the US $1.7 million winner’s prize?

“My original goal was a second-hand Porsche, but then after three rounds, it was a brand new one,” he said. “I put 997 on my ball to mark it, because that was the new Porsche model number that year.”

Campbell still has that ball, along with the US Open trophy that sits proudly in his living room.

All of this is captured in Dare to Be Different – The Michael Campbell Story. Premiering on 30 November on Sky Sport, the documentary tells Campbell’s story from when he was growing up, through to the US Open win and up to the present day.

Campbell returned to Pinehurst for the first time since lifting the trophy.

The film talks to legends like Ernie Els and Colin Montgomerie, as well as New Zealand icons Sir Bob Charles, Steve Williams and Ryan Fox, but mainly, it focuses on Campbell coming to terms with his legacy, after a career that’s dominated by one massive moment.

Michael Campbell at the 2011 NZ Open. Photosport

“Golf has taught me discipline, perseverance and the possibility to dream. It’s more than just a game – it’s all about creating moments.”

The documentary also shows Campbell doing it the hard way, as a young Māori trying to break the mould of how New Zealand society in the 1970s and 80s saw him.

Golf was not a particularly ‘brown’ pastime when Campbell was growing up. In fact, his schoolmates and teachers laughed at him, when he announced that his dream was to one day become a professional player.

“I stood there, staying up proud and thinking, ‘You know what, you’re laughing now, but I’m going to have the last laugh’.”

With his heart now in the right place, both literally and figuratively, Campbell is eyeing up the PGA Legends Tour, now that he is qualified to play on it. He’s looking at Steven Alker for inspiration, after Alker’s huge pay days since joining the over-50 circuit.

“It’s just incredible, but he’s so hard working. I’ve known Stevie since I was like 15 years old, it’s a great story.”

Before he even steps on the course again, Campbell is already mindful of the powerful trail he’s blazed. Thanks to him and Phil Tautarangi, as well as significant youth programmes by Golf NZ, Māori participation in golf is now much more of a given than it was a few decades ago.

Recent stats point to eight percent of registered club members identifying as Māori, something Campbell is proud of.

“It was tough, people laughing at me and being told there’s no Māori professional golfers on tour,” he said. “So why not?

“We can make it. If you think you can do it, you can.”

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

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New initiative launched at first Future of Investment and Trade Partnership meeting

Source: New Zealand Government

Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay joined Future of Investment and Trade (FIT) Partnership members to launch a new initiative to bolster supply chain resilience in Singapore today.

“This inaugural Ministerial Meeting of the FIT Partnership marks a significant milestone in our collective commitment to open, fair and rules-based trade, and to growing trade and investment,” Mr McClay says.

“Our Ministerial Declaration on Supply Chain Resilience is a concrete step toward building more secure, diverse and predictable supply chains.

“For New Zealand exporters, it helps contribute to greater certainty and reduced costs. For our economy, it means higher confidence in the face of global disruptions.”

The FIT Partnership was established in September 2025 and is a strategic platform for small and medium-sized economies to work together to shape the future of global trade and investment.

Partners also welcomed new members Malaysia and Paraguay.

“I’m looking forward to further strengthening New Zealand’s trade relationships with these new FIT Partners,” Mr McClay says.

The Future of Investment and Trade (FIT) Partnership brings together Brunei, Chile, Costa Rica, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Morocco, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Rwanda, Singapore, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Malaysia and Paraguay.

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Roads blocked following crash, Glengarry, Invercargill

Source: New Zealand Police

Emergency services were called to a crash in Glengarry, Invercargill at Yarrow and Isabella Streets, shortly after 8pm tonight.

The crash involved three vehicles – one of them was a van. Multiple people were in the vehicles.

The collision caused blockages on Yarrow and Isabella Streets.

One person suffered serious injuries, one moderate injuries and ten others suffered minor injuries. All were supported by Ambulance services and taken to Southland Hospital.

A scene examination is underway to understand the circumstances of the crash. 

ENDS

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Twelve injured in three-vehicle Invercargill crash

Source: Radio New Zealand

Emergency services were at the scene in Invercargill. RNZ / Marika Khabazi

A dozen people are injured in Invercargill, after a crash involving three vehicles, including a van.

St John says one person in a serious condition and another in a moderate condition have been taken to Southland Hospital.

Ten more have minor injuries and are also on their way to the hospital.

Police said the three vehicles crashed at the intersection of Yarrow Street and Isabella Street just after 8pm.

Fire and Emergency says the van was carrying 10 people, but nobody was trapped and they all managed to get out quickly.

Three fire crews rushed to the scene of the crash and helped everyone out of the vehicles.

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

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Wife of murdered man had rejected accused killer’s profile from marriage bureau

Source: Radio New Zealand

RNZ / Nate McKinnon

The wife of a Dunedin man stabbed to death has revealed she rejected a proposal from the man accused of his murder.

Gurjit Singh was found dead on the lawn of his home in January last year after being stabbed more than 40 times.

A 35-year-old man, known only as Rajinder, is on trial for murder at the High Court.

His defence lawyer said Rajinder had no reason to kill Singh and there was no animosity between the two men.

Speaking through a translator, Singh’s wife Kamaljeet Kaur told the court she rejected Rajinder’s profile from a marriage bureau in India around 2022 because she was already in contact with Singh.

“I was not interested,” she said. Her parents said no to Rajinder’s proposal.

She said she told Singh about his approach the same day.

Kaur and Singh met online in 2021 and married in India in May 2023. The couple waited for a partner visa in order for Kaur to move to New Zealand in 2024.

Kaur said her bags were packed and she was preparing to leave India when she found out Singh had been killed.

She travelled from India to Dunedin to give evidence for the prosecution at Rajinder’s trial.

Kaur confirmed her sister married one of Rajinder’s relatives.

She also described overhearing a conversation on speaker phone where she found out Rajinder’s sister wanted her brother to marry Singh’s sister but Singh rejected the idea because she was too young.

Singh had moved to Dunedin as a result of Rajinder’s job offer and had mentioned him a few times when he was his boss, Kaur said.

Kaur said Singh later struck out on his own and was very successful.

The couple was in contact daily, with Kaur last receiving a photo from Singh as he drove home from a pizza party the night before he was found dead.

Her husband would normally contact her in the morning, so she was worried when she did not hear from him and calls and messages went unanswered.

Kaur said she asked friend Tarsem Singh to check on her husband and when another mutual friend did so at his request, Singh was found dead.

Defence questions wife Kamaljeet Kaur

In response to questions from defence lawyer Anne Stevens KC, Kaur said it was normal for profiles to be sent to a bureau to arrange a marriage.

She said she had never met Rajinder and had refused other proposals the same year because she wanted to study and did not want to marry.

She told Stevens that she was not aware of any difficulties between Rajinder’s family and her own because of her rejection and Singh had never mentioned any difficulties in his relationship with Rajinder.

Kaur said her husband had accepted Rajinder’s job offer because it would improve his chance of becoming a New Zealand resident.

She told Stevens it was possible that discussions could take place with matchmakers without family knowing.

Asked whether the term proposal meant matchmaker negotiations, rather than an actual marriage proposal, Kaur said yes.

Family tried to find Rajinder a wife for two years

Rajinder’s sister Harmeet Kaur said Kamaljeet Kaur’s family sought a marriage to her brother twice and it was her family that had rejected the proposal.

Her family had tried to find her brother a wife for about two years and were using a marriage bureau, she said.

The first proposal had been rejected by her mother.

The marriage broker forced them to reconsider Kamaljeet Kaur a second time, but Rajinder was not interested, Harmeet Kaur said.

She and her father got him to look at her photos before making a decision and a video call was lined up so Kamaljeet Kaur’s father could speak with Rajinder.

But she said the other woman’s family decided not to progress the match as the woman had recently got a good job and did not want to leave India.

Rajinder also asked Harmeet Kaur to ask Singh if his sister would marry him, but Singh rejected the idea, saying she was too young and wanted to study abroad.

She told the court a mutual friend of Singh had told her she was upset at Singh for telling her he was going to Australia when he went to India and got married instead.

The friend told her Singh had been asking for her help to arrange a marriage with her cousin, Kaur said.

When she told her brother about the marriage, “he was surprised”.

Neighbours, residents called to stand

Neighbours and nearby residents were also called to the stand on Tuesday.

Hilary St resident Alan Richardson recalled hearing a lot of breaking glass about 10.50pm on the night before Singh was found dead, thinking it might have been someone hitting a recycling bin.

He later recalled hearing what sounded like someone shovelling it up and what appeared to be a car driving away.

Another resident Taylor Wyllie called police about a suspicious man who appeared to “intent” on Singh’s home a few days before the murder.

He saw the man with a rough beard and wavy hair looking into the house before staring off into the distance when they noticed Wyllie watching.

The trial is set down for three weeks.

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

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Army court martial: Victim did not try to hide her actions, says prosecution

Source: Radio New Zealand

The court martial is being held at Burnham Military Camp. RNZ/Nathan McKinnon

The complainant in a court martial of a solider accused of assaulting his former partner has been honest and upfront, even offering damaging information about herself, the prosecution says.

The army corporal, who has interim name suppression, is facing two charges of male assaults female.

The charges were downgraded this morning from two counts of strangulation.

Judge Tini Clark told the military panel on Tuesday morning that the prosecution had amended the charges due to a discrepancy around the date of the accusations.

During cross-examination on Monday by defence lawyer Andrew McCormick, the complainant conceded she was unsure whether the events happened in 2018 or 2019.

A specific charge of strangulation was introduced into law at the end of 2018.

It carries a maximum penalty of seven years’ jail, compared to two for male assaults female.

In his closing address, prosecutor Captain John Whitcombe said the woman’s evidence had been truthful and consistent throughout, including about her own bad behaviour.

He said when being cross examined by the defence the woman was asked about hitting the accused.

“Her answer immediately was – with a glass. She volunteered that she had hit him with a glass. She wasn’t trying to minimise that or hide her actions on that evening. She was honest and upfront about what she had done,” said Whitcombe.

He said the complainant’s evidence was straightforward and consistent throughout.

However the lawyer for the soldier said the woman had concocted a story when her future in the military was threatened.

Defence lawyer Andrew McCormick said in his closing address that the woman claimed, without evidence, she had marks on her neck on both occasions after being strangled.

“She conceded that her neck would have been visible all week when these marks, she says, were there. But no one said anything.”

He said her evidence was that people did see the marks, but did not want to say anything to her about them.

McCormick said it was more likely that no one mentioned the marks because the incidents did not happen.

On Wednesday morning Judge Tini Clark will give her summing up, before the military panel makes their decision on the case.

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

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Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei welcomes historic waka Hōkūle’a to Tāmaki Makaurau

Source: Radio New Zealand

The historic waka hourua Hōkūleʻa returns to Tāmaki Makaurau after 40 years. Tamaira Hook / WIPCE

Hōkūleʻa, the Hawaiian double-hulled voyaging canoe that helped spark a revival of Pacific navigation, returned back to Tāmaki Makaurau after 40 years.

Hōkūleʻa and her sister vessel Hikianalia were welcomed into Ōkahu Bay by Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, joined by Haunui, a waka hourua from Te Toki Voyaging Trust.

Waiata, pūtātara and a pōwhiri marked the historic moment, with around 200 people gathering along the shoreline waiting for the waka to appear.

The arrival is part of her six-month stay in Aotearoa during the Moananuiākea Voyage, an 80,000-kilometre haerenga (journey) around the Pacific.

The crew were welcomed to Te Tii Marae in Paihia on Friday, after a 17 day sail from Rarotonga, their last major leg for this year.

It was an emotional occasion as some crew who were in their 20s when the Hōkūle’a first arrived in New Zealand, were now the master navigators heralding in the next generation of Polynesian wayfinders.

Waiata, pūtātara and a pōwhiri marked the historic arrival of waka Hōkūle’a to Ōkahu Bay, Tāmaki Makaurau – 40 years after she last made landfall in Aotearoa. Kohu Hakaraia / WIPCE

A vessel that revived an ancient practice

Hōkūleʻa, whose name translates to “Star of Gladness”, was launched in the 1970s to demonstrate the deep-sea voyaging knowledge of Polynesian ancestors.

Haunui waka Kaihautū Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr (Tainui) said his 1976 voyage from Hawaiʻi to Tahiti showed the world that Indigenous Pacific navigation had never been a myth or accident.

“For centuries, we grew up with stories of how our ancestors sailed to places like Hawaiʻi, Rapanui and South America,” he said.

“But the difficulty for us, is that as we grew up, everybody tells us that those stories are fairy tales. That there’s no way people who don’t have a book and a pen can achieve these kinds of stuff.”

Haunui, a double-hulled voyaging canoe carrying the mana of Kāwhia Moana and the Tainui people, was restored in Aotearoa and blessed for open-ocean voyaging. Tamaira Hook / WIPCE

He said for hundreds of years, they grew up knowing that deep-sea navigation was what they could do as a people, “but sometimes you have that belief dropped out of you”.

That changed, he said, when Hōkūleʻa’s founders sought help from Micronesian master navigator Mau Piailug of Satawal.

Mau agreed to lead the historic 1976 voyage, bringing with him ancestral knowledge of reading stars, currents and swell patterns.

“He brought back the practice of how to sail canoes across vast distances without a pen or paper or instruments,” Barclay-Kerr said.

“That voyage reopened an 800-year-old pathway.

“That canoe was only supposed to do one journey. And now, 50 years later, she’s sailing into Auckland.”

Billy Richards (Oʻahu) is an original member of Hōkūleʻa, the Polynesian canoe whose voyage from Honolua Bay to Tahiti marked the first deep-sea journey of its kind in over 600 years. RNZ / Layla Bailey-McDowell

Billy Richards (Oʻahu, Hawai’i) is an original member of Hōkūleʻa, and was in Auckland for her arrival and WIPCE.

He is part of what voyagers call the ʻohana waʻa, the “family of the canoe”. A community that has grown significantly since the early years of Hōkūleʻa.

“At one time there was just one canoe,” he said.

“Now there are 27 voyaging canoes in the ocean.”

He told RNZ his interest in voyaging began long before Hōkūleʻa was built. His father kept a copy of Te Rangi Hīroa’s Vikings of the Sunrise, a book he would “sneak in and read” as a child.

“People had always thought that every voyage or every island was discovered by accident, that they drifted there or what not – but no,” he said.

“Once I learned about Hōkūleʻa being launched, I remember thinking I’d love to be part of that.”

He was eventually invited to join the training crew in the summer of 1975, and recalled joining the training crew on Hawaiʻi Island.

“Where they lived there was no wind, so they’d motored around for a month,” he said.

“When we finally reached the breeze, I could see they were lost. I’d sailed before, so I started translating what the captain was asking for… Eventually they said, ‘Get up here!’ and I’ve been there ever since.”

Hōkūle’a arrival in Honolulu from Tahiti in 1976. Phil Uhl

Now 77, Richards said voyaging had shaped most of his adult life.

“I had plans for my life, but they turned upside down,” he said.

“But I like to say that since that time, I’ve lived with one foot in the present and one foot in the past.”

He said he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I love this. And I always say that I’m at my healthiest mind, body and spirit when I’m on the canoe.”

Hōkūleʻa and her sister vessel Hikianalia were welcomed into Ōkahu Bay by Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, joined by Haunui, a waka hourua from Te Toki Voyaging Trust. Tamaira Hook / WIPCE

Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia will now spend the coming weeks in Tāmaki Makaurau, where Te Toki Voyaging Trust is running daily waka excursions for Indigenous educators attending the World Indigenous Peoples’ Conference on Education (WIPCE).

The visit also marked 40 years of voyaging relationships between Aotearoa and Hawaiʻi, a kaupapa that Polynesian Voyaging Society CEO Nainoa Thompson will speak about at WIPCE on Wednesday.

“Aotearoa, land of the long white cloud, I mean, an extraordinary place. It is a powerful definition of our country, Polynesia,” Thompson said.

“They reminded us how connected they are to their earth, to their oceans, to their place, and the things they fortify in their world that they bring into the 21st century.”

He said the next phase of the Moananuiākea Voyage in Aotearoa would focus on strengthening ties between Pacific voyaging communities.

“We want to use this time very wisely in the time that we are there and see if we can do one thing, bring our Polynesian people together, especially from the voyaging communities, train together, work together and look at the transition of leadership to the next 50 years.”

Hōkūleʻa and her sister vessel Hikianalia were welcomed into Ōkahu Bay by Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei on Tuesday. Tamaira Hook / WIPCE

The waka will be docked near the New Zealand Maritime Museum over the next week, with opportunities for public engagement and dockside tours as weather allows.

Later this month, the crew will sail north to Aurere, the home of the late Māori Pwo navigator and waka builder Sir Hector Busby, to honour his role in reviving Māori deep-sea voyaging.

Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia will remain in Aotearoa through the cyclone season before resuming the Moananuiākea Voyage next year.

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

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Bilateral Investment Treaty with UAE now in force – Business Council created

Source: New Zealand Government

The NZ-UAE Bilateral Investment Treaty (NZ-UAE BIT) has entered into force, providing another framework to promote greater economic cooperation between our two countries, Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay has announced.

“This Treaty will help promote and facilitate investment, by providing investors in New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates with clear rules,” Mr McClay says.

“Together with the NZ-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) which entered into force in August, it will help create the conditions for increasing two-way investment.”

“High-quality foreign investment is a critical source of capital for New Zealand to keep building a competitive and productive economy. This Government is working hard to enable it.”

Mr McClay says the UAE is a significant and increasing source of investment globally, and this high-quality treaty will promote New Zealand to UAE investors.

HE Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of Foreign Trade stated: “The UAE-New Zealand CEPA was a historic milestone in our economic partnership, and a transformative opportunity to enhance private sector engagement. Now with the Bilateral Investment Treaty in force, we will continue driving the momentum forward and deepening our investment ties. Together, these agreements will pave the way for increased cooperation between our business sectors, benefiting both our economies.”

Mr McClay and Minister Al Zeyoudi, meeting in Singapore today, also signed a joint statement welcoming the establishment of the New Zealand – United Arab Emirates Business Council. The Council will further strengthen trade, investment and private sector engagement between the two countries.

The UAE is one of New Zealand’s largest markets in the Middle East, and a gateway into a US$500 billion economy that is growing and diversifying rapidly. 

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Strengthening New Zealand’s education system

Source: New Zealand Government

The Government is taking the next step in strengthening New Zealand’s education system with the Education and Training (System Reform) Amendment Bill passing its first reading today.

“We are focused on delivering a high-performing, responsive education system that sets all students up for success. Significant progress has already been made on establishing a knowledge-rich curriculum, lifting attendance, enhancing teacher training, strengthening learning support, and improving school property delivery. This Bill will ensure that system-level settings are aligned to effectively deliver these priorities,” Education Minister Erica Stanford says.

“A key part of this bill will raise the quality of initial teacher education (ITE). For years, principals, teachers, the Education Review Office (ERO), and more recently the TALIS report have raised concerns about the quality and consistency of initial teacher education. This needs to change so our teachers are better equipped in the classroom.”

The function of setting standards for ITE programmes and for teacher registration will move from the Teaching Council to a new standard-setting function within the Ministry of Education.

“We are also placing the teacher registration standards within this Ministry-based function because of their critical role in driving quality in ITE. When registration standards are clear, rigorous, and aligned with what we expect new graduates to do, universities and ITE providers must design their programmes to ensure graduates can meet those expectations. The registration standards are an essential lever for strengthening the quality and consistency of initial teacher education. 

“This will help deliver better outcomes in the classroom for our young people,” Ms Stanford says.

Other proposals in the bill include:

  • Establish the New Zealand School Property Agency as a new Crown agent with a primary focus on maintaining and building school property.
  • With the introduction of a new age-appropriate, detailed and clear health curriculum (which includes Relationships and Sex Education), replace the requirement for community consultation with a requirement for schools to inform parents about RSE and how it will be taught. Parents will continue to have the right to opt their children out.
  • Strengthen school curriculum settings, including requiring regular rolling curriculum reviews.
  • Transfer regulatory functions for private schools and school boarding hostels from the Ministry to ERO.
  • Strengthen the education system’s response when ERO identifies a school of ‘serious concern.’
  • Update school attendance exemption processes to improve clarity and compliance.
  • Require schools to participate in the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) to help inform investment and focus to ensure best possible outcomes for students.
  • Allow NZQA to recognise and record micro-credentials, ensuring completeness of students’ Record of Achievement.
  • Make improvements to the charter school model to support school choice and innovation. 

“When the Government takes education seriously, so do parents, students, and schools,” Mr Seymour says.    

“School attendance matters for the future of this country, and we are fixing it. The Bill tightens provisions for attendance exemptions for students. Principals will no longer have the power to determine whether absence is justified or unjustified.

“The Secretary of Education will set the standards and rules for principals to apply to absences. The new rules will be set once the Bill passes its third reading. What I can say is that inconvenience will no longer justify absence.  

“Every child deserves the opportunity to learn and grow in ways which are more specific to their needs. The Bill will allow sponsors to meet student demand and hold a single contract for multiple charter school campuses. Charter schools are changing lives. Geography should not preclude children and families from having more education options. The Bill will also increase the length of charter school contracts to 20 years to provide more certainty.”  

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Sand recall: Product safety ‘entering a completely different landscape’

Source: Radio New Zealand

The recalled sand products. Supplied

The changing way people shop and the sheer volume of products is making product safety harder to police, says Consumer NZ.

It says the recall of coloured sand products over asbestos fears shows product safety rules for kids toys and craft materials are not fit for purpose, with the rise in giant e-commerce retailers.

Several coloured sand products have been recalled, including a 14-piece sand castle building set and containers of blue, green and pink magic sand sold at K-Mart, and the Educational Colours rainbow sand and creatistics coloured sand, which was sold by half a dozen retailers.

Several schools that use the products have closed while they worked out what kind of cleanup is required.

Anybody who has the sand at home is urged to immediately stop using it and check the MBIE and Worksafe websites for details of what to do next. It should not be thrown in a rubbish bin, or vacuumed up.

Consumer NZ head of research and advocacy Gemma Rasmussen told Checkpoint that by law, all products should be covered by the Consumer Guarantees Act and one of the guarantees within that Act is that products must be of an acceptable quality, meaning they must be safe.

But she said one of the fundamental issues with product safety was the speed and amount of products coming into the country

“I think we are entering a completely different landscape. If you look at the way product safety used to operate in New Zealand, there were things that were deemed high risk like prams, nightwear, things like that, and then we have product safety standards to regulate the market. And products would be coming into the market at such a slow rate that we were actually able to keep on top of that.

“Now we’ve got retailers like Temu and Shine that are pumping out products at such a fast rate and I think retailers in a way need to compete, they need to be offering more products. And with the cost of living, people are often wanting things to be cheap and fast and affordable, and I think this is a bit of a conundrum for regulators.”

She said the amount of money that the government was putting towards product safety did need to be escalated, “because this is an issue that is only going to continue to grow”.

Rasmussen said there needed to be global online product safety registers.

“So as soon as a product is deemed to be unsafe and whether that’s on an international online platform or through a local marketplace, as soon as a product is flagged to be a risk, that means that other countries can have an understanding and put out that recall notice. Because the way in which we’re working at the moment, is it’s getting onto the shelves and then people can be affected and we have to go through the recall notice, and really, you want it to be happening at a point where it’s before it’s reached the shelves.”

Who pays for the clean-up?

The cost of getting rid of asbestos contamination could potentially run into tens of thousands of dollars, and Rasmussen said the responsibility for those costs ultimately laid with the retailer.

“They have the obligation to sell you a product that is fit for purpose, so as your first step you can go through the disputes tribunal and show the costs that have been incurred, and that would be capped at about $30,000 in terms of the amount you’d be able to get back.”

She said it could cost more than that for businesses and classrooms, and they may need to get a lawyer and take it to the district court to get compensation.

But an asbestos removal expert said people worried about contaminated sand should have samples tested before committing to a costly and disruptive clean-up.

Asbestos Removal Association president Chris Saunders told Checkpoint it was best to have tests done first before committing to anything.

He said just because the products had been recalled, it did not necessarily mean every bucket was contaminated.

He said tests may come back negative and save owners a lot of money, but stressed it was still early days.

“The initial alarm bells have certainly worked to raise awareness, but in terms of determining what the appropriate response is, it is very site specific and that really is led by sampling and testing of the product.

“Testing costs are not that expensive, but if you end up needing to do a full decontamination procedure, that can be a very expensive exercise, in the tens of thousands.”

He said things like carpet and drapes may need to be stripped out, and these would all have to be replaced, adding to the costs.

Testing was just the first step, but he advised people to be patient, as the laboratories were currently backed up with a large number of samples.”

“So it’s taking a while to get a result… but if you get three positive responses, that’s going to tell you it’s a big problem.”

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