AM Edition: Top 10 Security Intel Articles on LiveNews.co.nz for April 2, 2026 – Full Text

Source: New Zealand Government

New Zealand and the Cook Islands have signed a Defence & Security Declaration in Rarotonga today, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.

“New Zealand and the Cook Islands have a special constitutional relationship which has endured for six decades,” Mr Peters says. 

“Today’s Declaration is about setting a course together for the future.

“The strategic environment we face is more complex and contested today than at any other point since New Zealand and the Cook Islands formed our free association relationship in 1965. 

“In that context, it’s vital that New Zealand and the Cook Islands are clear, with one another and third parties, about the nature of our special relationship and our responsibilities to one another in the defence and security domains. 

“This Declaration outlines a set of important political commitments that the Cook Islands and New Zealand have made to one another which provide clarity on key aspects of our special constitutional relationship.

“It’s no secret that our two governments have had a series of serious disagreements since late 2024,” Mr Peters says. 

“As we debated how to get past these disagreements, it became clear that one of their root causes was the lack of a shared understanding about the requirements of our special constitutional relationship – especially as it pertained to defence and security matters and the extent of the consultation required between us.

“This Declaration resolves this former ambiguity and provides clarity to both Governments so that we can move forward focused on the future, not the past.”

The Declaration adds to the other important expressions of the New Zealand-Cook Islands relationship: the Cook Islands Constitution, the exchange of letters between Prime Ministers Norman Kirk and Albert Henry in 1973, the Letters Patent of 1983 and the Joint Centenary Declaration of 2001.

New Zealand’s paused financial support to the Cook Islands will be restored following today’s Declaration signing, Mr Peters says. 

“We earlier took a difficult decision to pause parts of New Zealand’s funding to the Cook Islands Government because there was no shared understanding of the nature of our special constitutional relationship. Now that we have come to a mutually satisfactory understanding of the underpinnings of our partnership, we are pleased to normalise all aspects of our relationship – including New Zealand’s financial support. 

“Throughout the past two years, New Zealand has never wavered from our steadfast commitment to the Cook Islands people and their strong attachment to the free association relationship between our two countries. 

“We are pleased to now have a shared certainty about the contours of that relationship, and we are grateful to Prime Minister Brown and his government for the constructive way they approached the negotiation of this Declaration.

“New Zealand and the Cook Islands people benefit from our special constitutional relationship. We look forward now to further enhancing the broad range of cooperation between New Zealand and the Cook Islands, as well as navigating together the complex strategic environment and the many shared challenges we face,” Mr Peters says.

The political commitments made in the Declaration are summarised below. The Declaration’s full text can be found here.

Declaration summary

The Cook Islands-New Zealand Defence and Security Declaration contains a series of commitments. 

The political commitments made by the Cook Islands to New Zealand in the Declaration are as follows: 

• To uphold the fundamental values upon which New Zealand citizenship is based (clause 2).
• To discharge its foreign policy and diplomatic relationships subject to the constitutional limits of free association (clause 5).
• To uphold the defence and security interests of New Zealand, the Cook Islands and the Realm as a whole (clause 6).
• To continue to permit the New Zealand Defence Force access to the Cook Islands’ territory (including EEZ) to fulfil its mandate and uphold shared security commitments (clause 9).
• To consult with New Zealand in good faith on matters of defence and security that may affect New Zealand’s interests and constitutional responsibilities (clause 10), including maintaining regular structured dialogue and providing information to New Zealand on defence or security matters upon its request and to the fullest extent possible (clause 13).
• To engage with New Zealand on any requests for defence and security before engagement with other partners (clause 14).

In return, New Zealand has committed to the Cook Islands that it will: 

• Remain the primary defence and security partner for the Cook Islands and provide defence and security capacity and capability building (clause 7).
• Uplift Defence engagement and uphold the responsibility of the New Zealand Defence Force for the Cook Islands (clause 8).
• Consult with the Cook Islands in good faith on matters of defence and security that may affect the Cook Islands’ interests (clause 10), including maintaining regular structured dialogue and providing information to the Cook Islands on defence or security matters upon its request and to the fullest extent possible. (clause 13).

Both New Zealand and the Cook Islands have committed not to enter into activities, agreements or arrangements with other partners that would undermine the commitments set out in the Declaration

MIL OSI

Source: Radio New Zealand

New Zealand will resume about $29.8 million in annual funding to the Cook Islands as the two countries sign a defence and security declaration.

Signed by New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown, the declaration comes more than a year after Brown formally signed a strategic deal with China.

New Zealand had not been informed of the details or consulted ahead of time, despite the Cook Islands as a realm country being expected to do so on constitutional matters, defence and security.

Brown has maintained that expectation did not extend to the China deal, and that the deal did not include defence matters.

However, it did include cooperation with China on ocean infrastructure and transport.

Peters’ office had warned such a lack of transparency could have significant security implications.

This new declaration aims to clear up any ambiguity, setting out a shared understanding of the nature of both countries’ relationship regarding defence and security of the Cook Islands.

While the China deal remains in place, the New Zealand side believes the declaration will prevent similar deals being conducted without the details being communicated to New Zealand in future.

“This declaration resolves this former ambiguity and provide clarity to both governments so that we can move forward focused on the future, not the past,” Peters said at the signing.

Both sides have also been discussing over the past 18 months what the Cook Islands can cooperate with China on – and what it can’t.

Peters said it was vital the Cook Islands and New Zealand be “clear with one another and third parties, about the nature of our special relationship and our responsibilities to one another in the defence and security domains”.

The declaration includes clauses about a “deepened cooperation” between the two countries, and while it sets out that the Cook Islands has control over it internal affairs and can pursue its own foreign policy and diplomatic relationships, those are subject to the constitutional limits of free association – the model the two countries have operated under for six decades.

It says New Zealand is “committed to remaining the primary defence and security partner”, and both partners acknowledge that means timely, transparent and good-faith engagement on defence and security affecting either partner – with subclauses laying out the specifics in finer detail.

New Zealand’s Defence Force will have continued access to Cook Islands territory, and will uplift defence engagement.

Peters confirmed New Zealand’s financial support – about $29.8m annually, which has been on pause for two financial years as a result of the disputes – would be restored following the signing.

He said it had been a difficult decision to pause the funding.

“Now that we have come to a mutually satisfactory understanding of the underpinnings of our partnership, we are pleased to normalise all aspects of our relationship, including New Zealand’s financial support.

“Throughout the past two years, New Zealand has never wavered from our steadfast commitment to the Cook Islands people and their strong attachment to the free association relationship.

“We are pleased to now have a shared certainty about the contours of that relationship and we are grateful to Prime Minister Brown and his government for the constructive way they approached the negotiation of this declaration.”

Peters embarked on his one-day trip to Rarotonga on Wednesday in a Defence Force 757 to attend the signing after an informal meeting with Brown at Peters’ home last month.

That meeting was Brown’s first substantive discussion with either Peters or New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon since late 2024, although diplomatic discussions have continued between officials.

After Peters’ arrival in Avarua, Rarotonga, yesterday evening he and Brown met this morning to conclude the final details of the agreement.

Cook Islands and New Zealand relations were also strained from October 2024 after Brown proposed a separate passport for Cook Islanders.

Brown confirmed the following February – and just weeks before Brown signed the China deal – the passport idea was off the table after “New Zealand bared its teeth”.

New Zealand has also been concerned about the Cook Islands’ shipping registry, brought to a sharp point after Finland seized a CI-flagged vessel carrying Russian oil.

The ship Eagle S had been suspected of causing a power cable outage and damaging or breaking four internet lines in the Baltic sea.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

New Zealand has not joined in the latest international call for responsible use of AI by the military, but has been taking part in the UN talks about autonomous weapons.

AI has been used in unprecedented ways in the war in Iran, for instance in drawing up hit lists and targeting missiles, according to overseas media reports.

Forbes has called it “the first AI war”.

Australia, Canada and the UK were among this country’s Five Eyes group partners that endorsed the non-binding call issued by the third summit on “responsible artificial intelligence in the military domain”.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said no one was sent to the summit in Spain in February, unlike the second summit in 2024 when the NZDF had someone there.

“Although we observe when resourcing allows, New Zealand is a not a member of REAIM,” MFAT said.

The US endorsed an earlier call from the 2024 summit of REAIM, a European government initiative.

The summits have been trying to nut out a blueprint for armies using AI but there remains no international law or legally-binding treaty that bans the use of lethal autonomous weapons.

Their calls to action have been described as “modest”.

The latest call said military AI “can and should” contribute to peace and security, for instance, by reducing exposure of military personnel and civilians to danger, and helping decisions to be faster and better.

But its risks had to be corralled within frameworks of international humanitarian and human rights law, it said.

In March, NZ permanent mission staff in Geneva took part in the UN talks on lethal autonomous weapons, MFAT said.

These revolved around work by a group of government experts on the conditions where autonomous weapons could be developed and used legally.

The March talks referred to a new report by a leading Swedish thinktank that said militaries must change their AI weapons buying practices to build into them political commitments to responsible use.

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute said in the US the Pentagon had previously stressed that its flagship Replicator initiative – to build fleets of thousands of drones focused in the Indo-Pacific – was based on policies for ethical use of AI.

But it added, “the tension between acquisition speed and thorough legal, safety and ethical review remains unresolved in public documentation.”

More recently, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has hit the accelerator on emerging tech development, while at the same time deriding “stupid rules of engagement” aimed at reducing mistakes and civilian casualties.

The Stockholm study said militaries seeking speed were turning to commercial AI solutions rather than the traditional approach of ordering what they need, custom-made. This was leading to the fielding of “minimum viable capabilities” often without a whole lot of pre-testing.

“States may even knowingly accept governance trade-offs under acute security or operational pressures,” it said.

The commercial, minimum viable approach has been gathering pace at the New Zealand Defence Force in the last year.

The study said governments should invest in evaluation mechanisms for military AI, and strengthen that by clear thinking in the military about what they want the AI they buy to do, backed up with solid ways to assure commercial suppliers’ tech was set to meet political obligations.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

A former Navy ship commander faced an earlier complaint of unwanted touching before she was acquitted at a court martial of inviting a junior officer to kiss her on the cheek.

Bronwyn Heslop was the commander of HMNZS Canterbury when she was alleged to have encouraged a junior officer to kiss her by tapping her own cheek in a bar, during a deployment in Fiji in March 2023.

She was found not guilty of doing an act to prejudice service discipline at a court martial in February.

The earlier complaint of touching – revealed in documents released by the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) to RNZ under the Official Information Act – alleged that Commander Heslop “placed her hands on a member of the NZDF’s neck and shoulders without their consent and made comments that made them feel uncomfortable”.

Military police found there was not enough evidence to lay a charge, but the complaint did result in “administrative action” taken by command.

The NZDF said a command investigation followed the two complaints against Commander Heslop in 2024, to determine whether there was a “pattern of behaviour” inconsistent with the NZDF’s core values. It concluded with administrative actions, which can range from counselling to warnings.

Commander Heslop’s lawyer Matthew Hague said she denies any wrongdoing in relation to all the allegations.

Heslop became the first female officer to be in charge of a Royal New Zealand Navy vessel, when she took command of HMNZS Moa in 1998.

She became the ship commander of HMNZS Canterbury in April 2022, and the NZDF said she had reached the natural end of that tenure by September 2025.

She is now in a shore-based role in Military Maritime Operation Orders.

Survivor: ‘They hung her out to dry’

A survivor of sexual assault said Commander Heslop was hung out to dry while more serious sexual allegations against men in the military were dealt with behind closed doors.

Karina Andrews had her statutory name suppression lifted to speak out about the sexual abuse by her father, former Air Force Sergeant Robert Roper, which started when she was six years old.

As a child, she was interviewed by members of the Royal New Zealand Airforce in the same room as her abuser.

Andrews, who was involved in the early stages of NZDF’s Operation Respect when it was launched in 2016, said things haven’t improved as much as they should have, and that the “old boys’ club” where men in the military looked after their own was still “alive and kicking”.

Andrews said the alleged behaviour in both complaints against Commander Heslop were not fitting for a ship commander.

However, she said the alleged behaviour did not warrant a court martial, and she felts the military was prosecuting the less serious cases to show they were still doing something about the culture.

“Pretty pissed off that they would use that to say ‘hey, we’re doing something with Operation Respect’, they hung her out to dry, because they needed a win,” she said.

Andrews said if similar allegations were made against a male, it would not have resulted in a court martial.

“I know that there have been some women that have been rail-roaded into making a closed disclosure, because the military can deal with that, and nine times out of ten it is because it’s a high ranking staff member that has performed a sexual assault, that’s still the old boys looking after their own, and that hasn’t changed,” she said.

Andrews said she had spoken directly to two female NZDF staff who complained of sexual assault by male staff in the past two years, who had their complaints dealt with internally.

RNZ asked the NZDF about the allegations of its treatment of the two women, but the NZDF has not responded directly.

It said the sex of the accused person was not a factor in their decision to lay a charge in Commander Heslop’s case.

It also added that members of NZDF are free to report concerns to other independent agencies, such as the police.

Meanwhile, the Auditor General’s survey of more than 6000 defence personnel found that 78 people (1.3 percent of respondents) experienced unwanted sexual activity in the 12 months to March 2023.

It found junior uniformed women were particularly affected, with 7.2 percent of them among respondents reporting unwanted sexual activity, and 24.6 percent reporting some form of inappropriate sexual behaviour.

Andrews said she felt that the unwanted sexual behaviour was under-reported, based on her wide contacts in the military and people who had come to her for advice on how to proceed on a complaint.

NZDF said it had made significant progress with Operation Respect, since the review in 2020.

A refreshed Operation Respect strategy with a 20-year outlook was released in June 2024, it said.

NZDF: Charge needed to be laid in alleged kissing incident

The NZDF said there was a well-founded allegation of an offence under the Armed Forces Discipline Act (AFDA) regarding the alleged kissing incident, and that they were legally required to lay a charge.

It said the charge first went to summary trial, and Commander Heslop later was given the right to elect court martial – which she chose to do.

Commander Heslop’s lawyer Matthew Hague said her decision to select court martial was a necessary step to access her basic right to a fair legal process.

“A summary trial lacks the protections afforded to all other New Zealanders, such as the right to legal representation and a trial presided over by an independent Judge,” he said.

Following Commander Heslop’s electing court martial, a decision still needed to be made by the director of military prosecutions to proceed the case to court martial.

NZDF said allegations referred to the director of military prosecutions must satisfy both the evidential and public interest tests.

“If an accused at summary trial elects trial by court martial, this will normally weigh in favour of laying the charge or charges before the court martial, provided the evidential test is met,” it said.

“As the evidential test was deemed met in this case, the charges proceed to court martial,” said the NZDF.

Law professor: discretion needed in Armed Forces Discipline Act for lower level allegations

Retired Auckland University law professor Bill Hodge sat on court martial panels for sexual assault cases when he served in the US Army.

He said he was perplexed as to why Commander Heslop’s case ended up in front of a court martial.

“I wondered why it is at that level, that’s the most senior level, it’s a lot of valuable time of valuable experienced people, and it looked like they should not be spending their time on this type of case,” he said.

He said the allegations were at a relatively low level, and based on his knowledge of military courts, the allegation of soliciting a kiss on the cheek wouldn’t even have reached the level of a summary court.

Hodge however said he understands how a ship commander can be held to a higher standard.

Hodge said there needs to be more discretion in the Armed Forces Discipline Act, where even if a charge is well founded, there could be the option of selecting a form of punishment akin to “company level punishment” – such as training, warning and counselling.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Chris Penk and Penny Simmonds have been promoted to Cabinet, as the prime minister reshuffles his ministerial lineup.

The reshuffle also sees first-term MPs Cameron Brewer and Mike Butterick made ministers outside Cabinet.

The changes were necessitated by the upcoming retirement of Judith Collins, as well as Dr Shane Reti’s decision to stand down at the election.

Collins’ defence, space, and GCSB and NZSIS portfolios have been given to Penk, Paul Goldsmith takes on responsibility for the public service and digitising government, and Chris Bishop picks up the attorney-general role.

Bishop’s position as Leader of the House has been given to Louise Upston.

Bishop, who was also National’s campaign chair, was widely tipped to lose some ministerial portfolios to ease his workload to free him up for the campaign. Instead, it is the role of campaign chair that he has had to relinquish, to Simeon Brown.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said Bishop had a “massive workload” with housing, transport, infrastructure, RMA reform, and his new attorney-general role, and losing the campaign chair was a consequence of that.

Luxon said the two had a “very positive conversation” and he “absolutely” trusted Bishop.

“He’s key to our team, he’s a critical part of our senior leadership group,” he said.

Luxon denied it was anything to do with rumours Bishop was running the numbers against him last year.

“I think you’re really overthinking this,” Luxon said.

He said Brown was equally capable of chairing the campaign, as part of his “brains trust” which included Bishop, Upston, Goldsmith, and Finance Minister Nicola Willis.

Simmonds takes up Reti’s science, innovation, and technology portfolio, and his universities role has been disestablished to make Simmonds the minister for tertiary education.

She had previously been minister for vocational education, as well as environment. The latter has been given to Nicola Grigg, who remains outside Cabinet.

Goldsmith also becomes the new minister for Pacific Peoples, with Luxon admitting National did not have Pacific representation.

“I freely admit we don’t have a Pasifika person in our National Party team and in our Cabinet. That’s something that we’re working very hard on. As I’ve said to you before, we need to make sure we continue to work as we go to 2026 on the campaign on getting great candidates from the Pasifika world.”

Brewer, who has been chairing Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee (a weighty role which often leads to a ministerial promotion) has been made minister of commerce and consumer affairs and minister for small business and manufacturing, while Butterick will become minister for land information.

Luxon said he wanted to make a “super small business minister” role by giving Brewer the two roles, while Butterick was a “natural leader” of National’s rural MPs.

Brewer would also take over supermarket reforms, as the previous Commerce and Consumer Affairs minister Scott Simpson had a conflict which had led to Willis taking responsibility.

Other changes include Brown picking up the energy portfolio from Simon Watts, who in turn takes over Brown’s minister for Auckland role.

Luxon said the past few weeks had underlined how important energy security was, and so was giving the role to a “senior” minister.

He said he had not lost confidence in Watts.

Luxon acknowledged Collins and Reti’s departures.

“New Zealand is better for Judith and Shane deciding to enter public service and I am grateful to count them both as friends. On behalf of the government and the National Party, I wish them all the best for their futures outside Parliament.”

Matt Doocey remains in Cabinet, and has not picked up any portfolios other than his existing mental health role.

He had been the sole South Island representative in Cabinet, but that has now doubled with Simmonds’ addition.

The changes come into effect on Tuesday, 7 April.

Luxon had not reshuffled his lineup since January 2025, other than to promote Scott Simpson to a role outside Cabinet following Andrew Bayly’s resignation.

The reshuffle applies to National Party ministers only, meaning ACT’s Brooke van Velden will continue in her portfolios despite her decision to retire from Parliament at the election.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Chris Penk and Penny Simmonds have been promoted to Cabinet, as the prime minister reshuffles his ministerial lineup.

The reshuffle also sees first-term MPs Cameron Brewer and Mike Butterick made ministers outside Cabinet.

The changes were necessitated by the upcoming retirement of Judith Collins, as well as Dr Shane Reti’s decision to stand down at the election.

Collins’ defence, space, and GCSB and NZSIS portfolios have been given to Penk, Paul Goldsmith takes on responsibility for the public service and digitising government, and Chris Bishop picks up the Attorney-General role.

Bishop’s position as Leader of the House has been given to Louise Upston.

Simmonds takes up Reti’s science, innovation, and technology portfolio, and his universities role has been disestablished to make Simmonds the minister for tertiary education.

She had previously been minister for vocational education, as well as environment. The latter has been given to Nicola Grigg, who remains outside Cabinet.

Brewer, who has been chairing Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee (a weighty role which often leads to a ministerial promotion) has been made minister of commerce and consumer affairs and minister for small business and manufacturing, while Butterick will become minister for Land Information.

Other changes include Simeon Brown picking up the energy portfolio from Simon Watts, who in turn takes over Brown’s minister for Auckland role.

Prime minister Christopher Luxon said the past few weeks had underline how important energy security was, and so was giving the role to a “senior” minister.

Luxon acknowledged Collins and Reti’s departures.

“New Zealand is better for Judith and Shane deciding to enter public service and I am grateful to count them both as friends. On behalf of the government and the National Party, I wish them all the best for their futures outside Parliament.”

The changes come into effect on Tuesday, 7 April.

Luxon had not reshuffled his lineup since January 2025, other than to promote Scott Simpson to a role outside Cabinet following Andrew Bayly’s resignation.

The reshuffle applies to National Party ministers only, meaning ACT’s Brooke van Velden will continue in her portfolios despite her decision to retire from Parliament at the election.

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

Source: New Zealand Government

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced a refreshed ministerial lineup to continue fixing the basics and protecting New Zealand’s future.

“New Zealanders are facing economic challenges brought on by conflict in the Middle East and its effect on fuel supply across the world,” says Christopher Luxon.

“Having a strong ministerial team with real-world experience to deliver our response is crucial. Today’s reshuffle reflects that and brings in new talent.

“Having successfully delivered significant reforms from outside Cabinet, Chris Penk will now join Cabinet, picking up the Defence, GCSB and NZSIS, and Space portfolios. Chris’ time in the NZDF leaves him well placed to lead the work our Government has done in raising the status and capability of our armed forces.

“Penny Simmonds also joins Cabinet with responsibility for Tertiary Education and Science, Innovation and Technology. Penny has successfully delivered reforms to the vocational education sector, also from outside Cabinet, and will bring her extensive governance experience to her new portfolios.

“The past few weeks have underlined how important energy security is and as such I will be elevating the Energy portfolio to senior minister Simeon Brown.

“Chris Bishop becomes Attorney-General and Paul Goldsmith takes responsibility for the Public Service and Digitising Government, and Pacific Peoples portfolios.

“Louise Upston will become Leader of the House and Simon Watts will be Minister for Auckland.

“Nicola Grigg becomes Minister for the Environment and Scott Simpson becomes Minister of Statistics and Deputy Leader of the House. 

“Joining as a Minister outside Cabinet, Cameron Brewer becomes Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and Small Business and Manufacturing, and Associate Minister of Immigration. Mike Butterick becomes Minister for Land Information and Associate Minister of Agriculture.

“Finally, I acknowledge the public service of Judith Collins and Shane Reti who, between them, have dedicated almost 40 years to representing their communities in Parliament.

“Judith was first elected in 2002 and since then, has held numerous different ministerial portfolios and served as Leader of the Opposition. This term, she has delivered the Defence Capability Plan, advanced New Zealand’s space industry and modernised of our public service.

“In Shane’s 12 years in Parliament, he has served as Deputy Leader of the Opposition and has delivered key reforms as a minister, including improving the commerciality of our science sector to boost incomes and create jobs. He has also played a key role in projects that will benefit New Zealanders for generations, like the third medical school and expanded cancer screening.  

“I would also like to acknowledge the staff who have supported Judith and Shane throughout their time here.

“New Zealand is better for Judith and Shane deciding to enter public service and I am grateful to count them both as friends. On behalf of the Government and the National Party, I wish them all the best for their futures outside Parliament.”

These changes will come into effect on Tuesday 7 April.

MIL OSI

Source: Radio New Zealand

Parts of the Far North are still cleaning up and some whānau are unable to return to their homes one week after a major storm battered the district.

The settlement of Whirinaki was worst hit in the deluge of 26 March, but many other areas around the Hokianga Harbour – including Wekaweka Valley, Waimamaku, Panguru and Pawarenga – were inundated and isolated.

Months’ worth of rain, more than 300mm, fell in 48 hours.

That was despite last week’s red heavy rain warning applying to the northeast coast, not western areas such as Hokianga.

Ruth Tautari, who is leading the recovery for the Whirinaki Trust, said the river burst its banks and flooded a roughly 2km stretch of State Highway 12 through the middle of the settlement.

The speed with which the water rose shocked even those who remembered the infamous 1999 floods.

“Within a 10 minute period, the water went from touching the road to running fully down the centre of the main highway, a metre high. It was pretty crazy.”

Tautari said 65 homes had been affected.

“Nine whānau homes were lost or damaged where the water went through. We have three whānau who are in emergency accommodation, we’ve got another three who are living with their whānau off site, and the other ones are living in the drier parts of their homes.”

Much of the clean-up was focussed on removing a deep layer of silt.

“In some parts it’s quite deep. About mid-thigh height, deeper in some places. We’ve got workers on diggers clearing access ways, clearing silt from whānau homes, and then we’ve got another couple of work crews in the river, removing some of the debris and slash that’s come down.”

Tautari said the silt had been contaminated by flooded septic tanks and was causing health problems, especially now it was drying out and turning to dust.

“There’s obviously respiratory issues and coughing, and a couple of people have gone down with sicknesses … The smell is gross.”

She said everyone had been evacuated safely before water swept through their homes.

Tautari said locals were grateful for the “huge support and awhi” they had received.

Whirinaki’s usual evacuation centre at Moria Marae was cut off by floodwaters, so Kōkōhuia Marae in Ōmāpere opened its doors to the evacuees until it was safe to go home.

Marae were also continuing to feed workers involved in the clean-up.

Green MP Hūhana Lyndon spent days visiting storm-battered settlements on either side of the Hokianga Harbour, including Whirinaki.

“All the debris, all the trees, all sorts came down. The river broke its banks in five places. It flooded right through the middle of the valley and cut off roads, services and flooded out homes. There’s massive silt damage across many homes and some are completely uninhabitable.”

If that was not bad enough, Whirinaki had also been hit by fire.

One of the flooded homes burnt down on Sunday night in a blaze thought to have been caused by water getting into the wiring.

“So the haukāinga have now commissioned an electrician to do a full assessment of the water-logged homes, because you need to start repairing or finding alternatives for these whānau. And you can’t do that if the blinkin’ house burns down.”

The soaring price of fuel was putting more pressure on flood-affected residents.

“We’re trying to keep whānau at home so services get out to them, and they don’t have to go looking for kai and access to supermarkets and driving to Kaitāia when the roads are so bad.”

Lyndon said some residents were getting the “0800-number merry-go-round” as they tried to contact the many different government agencies they needed to deal with.

After the January flood in Ōakura, the Whangārei District Council ran a series of highly successful “drop-in clinics” where people could talk to all agencies and service providers in one place.

She urged the Far North District Council to do something similar.

Areas that recorded the highest rainfall included the isolated Wekaweka Valley, just north of Waipoua Forest.

Max Osborne said he had seen many storms since he moved to the valley since 1974, but none as damaging as last week’s deluge.

He said the force of the water piled up rocks three metres deep against a bridge, diverting the river and flooding homes further downstream.

After being cut off for days, Osborne and a neighbour walked around the buried bridge and a major slip, then hitchhiked to the nearest town for supplies.

Power and communications were out for days and the road reopened on Tuesday night, five days after the storm.

Osborne said he was fortunate because his home was undamaged.

Kaikohe-Hokianga Community Board member Jessie McVeagh said she had been door-to-door with Civil Defence crews to check on residents in places like Wekaweka Valley.

Further downstream, in Waimamaku, the whole valley had filled up a like a lake.

Some people still lacked basic necessities, she said.

“There’s places now that still don’t have water and we’re calling in for drinking water and tankers now. And containers to collect it, because some people have lost everything.”

Ruth Tautari said the past week had been tough, but the storm had brought out the best in her community.

“Everyone’s been helping each other, and we’ve been really resilient, but you can see the toll and the trauma and the heartbreak in our whānau and it’s heartbreaking to see. The positive side of it, it’s really good to see the strength of the community working together.”

The Far North District Council said it was now clear the west of the district had suffered the worst effects of the storm.

Rapid Response Teams and the Defence Force had so far distributed food and water to nine towns and settlements, from Kaitāia in the north to Waimamaku in the south.

As of Wednesday, 377 homes had been assessed, and portable toilets, skips and septic tank assessments had been provided.

All 99 roads affected by flooding or slips had reopened, but 11 still had restrictions in place such as being reduced to one lane.

The council was due to decide on Thursday whether to extend the state of emergency in place across the district since the 26th of March.

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

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-NZ-AU)

NEW YORK, April 01, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Hall Chadwick Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: HCACU) (“HCAC”) and REEcycle Holdings, Inc. (“REEcycle”) today announced the execution of a non-binding Letter of Intent (“LOI”) for a proposed de-SPAC business combination.

The proposed transaction values REEcycle at approximately US$600 million, assuming no redemptions by HCAC public shareholders, with REEcycle existing shareholders expected to roll 100% of their equity into the combined publicly listed entity. The transaction is expected to include a minimum US$50 million PIPE financing at US$10.00 per share, providing committed capital at closing and supporting the execution of REEcycle’s near-term growth strategy.

The transaction comes at a pivotal time for U.S. critical minerals policy. China currently controls an estimated 90% of rare earth separation and processing and ~93% of permanent magnet manufacturing globally.¹ In response, the U.S. Government, through Department of Defense and Department of Energy initiatives, has committed billions of dollars to strengthening domestic critical mineral supply chains, including rare earth processing.² REEcycle has been awarded and is drawing upon US$5.1 million of Defense Production Act funding, supporting the advancement of its domestic rare earth processing capabilities.

REEcycle is advancing a technology-led solution to rare earth supply constraints. Its proprietary recycling process extracts and separates rare earth elements from end-of-life electronics and industrial products, offering a faster, lower-capex and scalable alternative to traditional mining. This approach enables near-term domestic supply while reducing exposure to geopolitical disruption.

The global rare earth market was valued at approximately US$19 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach ~US$36.7 billion by 2034, with recycling expected to grow at an accelerated rate as demand for domestically sourced materials increases.³

REEcycle’s Executive Chairman and largest shareholder is Mick McMullen, a highly respected mining executive with over 30 years of leadership experience across global mining and capital markets. He is best known for his tenure as President and CEO of Detour Gold Corporation, where he grew the company’s market capitalisation from C$2.1 billion to C$4.9 billion in nine months, culminating in its acquisition by Kirkland Lake Gold.⁴ His investment in REEcycle reflects strong conviction in recycling-led onshoring.

“We are addressing a critical U.S. supply gap with a faster and more capital-efficient solution than traditional mining, scalable across the U.S. and globally. This is both a technology opportunity and a national security priority.”

— Mick McMullen, Executive Chairman, REEcycle Holdings

Hall Chadwick Acquisition Corp. raised US$207 million in its Nasdaq IPO in November 2025 and is focused on transactions in critical minerals and industrial technology sectors.

“REEcycle represents a rare combination of proprietary technology, experienced leadership, and direct alignment with U.S. critical minerals strategy. We see this as a platform capable of becoming a meaningful domestic supplier, and we are excited to bring that opportunity to public investors.”

— Alex Bono, CEO, Hall Chadwick Acquisition Corp.

Exclusivity

The parties have agreed to a 60-day exclusivity period to undertake due diligence and negotiate a definitive Business Combination Agreement.

Non-Binding Letter of Intent

The LOI is non-binding and subject to the execution of definitive agreements, completion of due diligence, required approvals, and customary closing conditions. There can be no assurance that a transaction will be completed.

Important Information

This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding the proposed business combination, including expected structure, financing, timing and benefits. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, including the ability to execute definitive agreements, obtain approvals, satisfy closing conditions and maintain listing status. This press release does not constitute an offer or solicitation of securities. In connection with the proposed transaction, HCAC intends to file a registration statement on Form S-4 with the SEC. Investors are urged to review these materials when available at www.sec.gov. No obligation is undertaken to update forward-looking statements except as required by law.

1 CSIS, “China Rare Earth Restrictions,” 2025.
2 U.S. State Dept., “Critical Minerals Fact Sheet,” 2026.
3 Grand Research Store, “Rare Earth Market Report,” 2025
4 Globe and Mail, “Kirkland–Detour Gold deal,” 2019; Business Wire, “Kirkland Lake Gold acquisition,” 2019.

– Published by The MIL Network

Source: Radio New Zealand

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