USA’s Alex Ferreira celebrates after winning the freestyle skiing men’s freeski halfpipe final during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games.

There were no medals for New Zealand at the men’s freeski halfpipe final, USA’s Alex Ferreira taking home the gold at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.

The final run ended with Ferreira in first place (93.75 points), Estonia’s Henry Sildaru (93.00) in second and Canada’s Brendan Mackay in third (91.00).

Canada’s Brendan Mackay reacts after competing in the freestyle skiing men’s freeski halfpipe final run 3 during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games.

New Zealand’s Ben Harrington was ninth.

Earlier Harrington had led the Kiwi contingent after a clean first run saw him sitting at ninth, dropping to 12th during the second run.

Making it to the finals was “an insane feeling”, he said.

“My biggest goal was just to come out and land some runs. I had knee surgery just over a year ago, so it was a mission to get back here but we did it.”

Fin Melville Ives fell during the second run, leaving him unconscious and stretchered off.

USA’s Nick Goepper came in fourth after he crashed on his final jump as he attempted a switch double cork misty flip – a never-before-done halfpipe trick – to land on the deck of the halfpipe.

“I have no regrets,” he said to the crowd. “I’m going to be 35 in four years,” as he looked ahead to another Olympic Games.

USA’s Birk Irving finished in fifth and Britain’s Gus Kenworthy in sixth.

New Zealand has so far secured three medals in this year’s Games.

On Thursday, Zoi Sadowski-Synnott became the world’s most decorated Olympic snowboarder with her silver-medal run in the women’s snowboard slopestyle event.

Luca Harrington brought home bronze at the men’s freestyle skiing slopestyle last week, after Sadowski-Synnott also claimed New Zealand’s first medal of the games, taking silver in the big air event.

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

• Ben Harrington has qualified for the men’s freeski halfpipe final.
• Fin Melville Ives is in a stable condition after a fall left him unconscious and saw him stretchered off the snow.
• The finals are set down for 7.30am Saturday 21 February (NZ time).

Ben Harrington has qualified for the men’s freeski halfpipe final after a tense finish to the second run at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.

A tough competition saw three out of the four New Zealand athletes lose a ski in at least one of their two runs. Each competitor is ranked by their best run, with only the top 12 of 25 progressing to the final.

Harrington led the Kiwi contingent after a clean first run saw him sitting at ninth. The 24-year-old dropped to 12th place during the second run, making for a nail-biting wait while all the other athletes finished competing.

Making it to the finals was “an insane feeling”, he said.

“My biggest goal was just to come out and land some runs. I had knee surgery just over a year ago, so it was a mission to get back here but we did it.”

Speaking into the cameras on the slopes, Harrington dedicated his second run to teammate Fin Melville Ives, who had his own final hopes dashed after a fall saw him stretchered off the snow.

“Hey Finski, this one’s for you, brother. Love you, let’s go skiing,” Harrington said.

Melville Ives was the first competitor to drop into the halfpipe but lost a ski in both runs, putting him at 24th. He was assessed by medics following the second, more serious fall and stretchered off the snow.

Following the event, the New Zealand Olympic Team provided an update on his condition on social media, saying he was “stable and positive”.

Head coach Tom Willmott said “he took a big hit”, revealing the 19-year-old had been knocked unconscious.

“He’s in great care, our team doctor’s with him, his mum’s with him, and he’s doing okay. He was knocked out, but he’s conscious right now, he’s talking and he’s doing okay. He’s getting full checks, scans, x-rays, all the rest of it, just to fully rule anything out,” Willmott said.

“We had qualifying postponed due to the snow yesterday [Friday NZT] so today was the day, it was big Friday. He was using qualies as a warm up to the main event tonight [the finals, Saturday morning NZT] and he was all in, going real big.

“Fine margins, he was pushing his limits. He’s going to be devastated, he’s going to be gutted, you know. But he will pick himself up and he’ll come back from this because he’s a bit of a warrior.”

Fellow Kiwis Gustav Legnavsky and Luke Harrold also failed to qualify, ranking 14th and 15th respectively.

Harrold’s first run saw him in contention for the finals after he placed 11th, but run two saw the 17-year-old lose a ski.

“It was a tough day out there,” he said. “Training went well but, unfortunately, I couldn’t put down the run I wanted to in the two runs. I just want to say thanks to everyone who supported me through my whole journey, it’s been pretty incredible. I couldn’t put it down today for you guys but I know I will eventually.”

Legnavsky, 20, also lost a ski on his first run, and a clean second run was not enough to lift him into the top 12.

“I’m pretty bummed … I have more, I know I have more.”

The event involves competitors performing a series of tricks while skiing down a semi-cylindrical slope.

The final was set down for 7.30am Saturday, 21 February (NZT).

Kiwi Nico Porteous won gold in the event at the last Winter Olympics in Beijing in 2022.

New Zealand has so far secured three medals in this year’s games.

On Thursday, Zoi Sadowski-Synnott became the world’s most decorated Olympic snowboarder with her silver-medal run in the women’s snowboard slopestyle event.

Luca Harrington brought home bronze at the men’s freestyle skiing slopestyle last week, after Sadowski-Synnott also claimed New Zealand’s first medal of the games, taking silver in the big air event.

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

• Ben Harrington has qualified for the men’s freeski halfpipe final
• Fin Melville Ives is in a stable condition after a fall left him unconscious and saw him stretchered off the snow
• The finals are set down for 7.30am Saturday 21 February (NZ time)

Ben Harrington has qualified for the men’s freeski halfpipe final after a tense finish to the second run at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.

A tough competition saw three out of the four New Zealand athletes lose a ski in at least one of their two runs. Each competitor is ranked by their best run, with only the top 12 of 25 progressing to the final.

Harrington led the Kiwi contingent after a clean first run saw him sitting at 9th. The 24-year-old dropped to 12th place during the second run, making for a nail-biting wait while all the other athletes finished competing.

Making it to the finals was “an insane feeling”, he said.

“My biggest goal was just to come out and land some runs. I had knee surgery just over a year ago, so it was a mission to get back here but we did it.”

Speaking into the cameras on the slopes, Harrington dedicated his second run to teammate Fin Melville Ives, who had his own final hopes dashed after a fall saw him stretchered off the snow.

“Hey Finski, this one’s for you, brother. Love you, let’s go skiing,” Harrington said.

Melville Ives was the first competitor to drop into the halfpipe but lost a ski in both runs, putting him at 24th. He was assessed by medics following the second, more serious fall and stretchered off the snow.

Following the event, the New Zealand Olympic Team provided an update on his condition on social media, saying he was “stable and positive”.

Head coach Tom Willmott said “he took a big hit”, revealing the 19-year-old had been knocked unconscious.

“He’s in great care, our team doctor’s with him, his mum’s with him, and he’s doing okay. He was knocked out, but he’s conscious right now, he’s talking and he’s doing okay. He’s getting full checks, scans, x-rays, all the rest of it, just to fully rule anything out,” Willmott said.

“We had qualifying postponed due to the snow yesterday [Friday NZT] so today was the day, it was big Friday. He was using qualies as a warm up to the main event tonight [the finals, Saturday morning NZT] and he was all in, going real big.

“Fine margins, he was pushing his limits. He’s going to be devastated, he’s going to be gutted, you know. But he will pick himself up and he’ll come back from this because he’s a bit of a warrior.”

Fellow Kiwis Gustav Legnavsky and Luke Harrold also failed to qualify, ranking 14th and 15th respectively.

Harrold’s first run saw him in contention for the finals after he placed 11th, but run two saw the 17-year-old lose a ski.

“It was a tough day out there,” he said. “Training went well but, unfortunately, I couldn’t put down the run I wanted to in the two runs. I just want to say thanks to everyone who supported me through my whole journey, it’s been pretty incredible. I couldn’t put it down today for you guys but I know I will eventually.”

Legnavsky, 20, also lost a ski on his first run, and a clean second run was not enough to lift him into the top 12.

“I’m pretty bummed … I have more, I know I have more.”

The event involves competitors performing a series of tricks while skiing down a semi-cylindrical slope.

The final was set down for 7.30am Saturday, 21 February (NZT).

Kiwi Nico Porteous won gold in the event at the last Winter Olympics in Beijing in 2022.

New Zealand has so far secured three medals in this year’s games.

On Thursday, Zoi Sadowski-Synnott became the world’s most decorated Olympic snowboarder with her silver-medal run in the women’s snowboard slopestyle event.

Luca Harrington brought home bronze at the men’s freestyle skiing slopestyle last week, after Sadowski-Synnott also claimed New Zealand’s first medal of the games, taking silver in the big air event.

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

Ben Harrington has qualified for the Men’s Freeski Halfpipe final after a tense finish to the second run at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics in Italy.

Harrington led the Kiwi contingent after a clean first run saw him sitting at 9th. He dropped to 12th place during the second run, meaning a nervous wait for all the other athletes to finish competing, with only the top 12 progressing to the final.

Knowing he had made the finals was “an insane feeling”, he said.

“My biggest goal was just to come out and land some runs. I had knee surgery just over a year ago, so it was a mission to get back here but we did it.”

Speaking into the cameras, Harrington dedicated his second run to teammate, Fin Melville Ives, who had his own final hopes dashed after a fall saw him stretchered off the snow.

“Finski, that was for you, brother,” Harrington said.

Melville Ives was the first competitor to drop into the halfpipe but lost a ski in both runs, putting him at 24th.

The New Zealand Olympic Team provided an update on his condition in a social media post shortly after the event.

“Fin is with his family and being assessed by medical professionals. He is stable and positive.”

Fellow Kiwis Gustav Legnavsky and Luke Harrold also failed to qualify, ranking 14th and 15th respectively.

Harrold’s first run saw him in contention for the finals after he placed 11th, but run two saw him lose a ski.

“It was a tough day out there,” he said. “Training went well but, unfortunately, I couldn’t put down the run I wanted to in the two runs. I just want to say thanks to everyone who supported me through my whole journey, it’s been pretty incredible. I couldn’t put it down today for you guys but I know I will eventually.”

Legnavsky lost a ski on his first run, and a clean second run was not enough to lift him into the top 12.

“I’m pretty bummed … I have more, I know I have more.”

The event involves competitors performing a series of tricks while skiing down a semi-cylindrical slope.

New Zealand’s Nico Porteous won gold at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

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

A long-running police investigation has exposed a syndicate operating a drug importation and distribution network through the dark web.

Operation Solana, led by the National Organised Crime Group, had been ongoing for the last nine months looking at the alleged importation and distribution of methamphetamine, cocaine, MDMA and ketamine.

It led to 16 search warrants being carried out across Auckland and Hamilton on Thursday and Friday.

Police arrested 11 people and seized drugs and cash.

Detective Senior Sergeant Jason Hunt, from the National Organised Crime Group, said police would allege the group used dark web markets, encrypted messaging applications, and cryptocurrency services to obscure their identities and financial flows.

The drugs were being sent to New Zealand from the United Kingdom, Europe and the USA.

Hunt said the investigation started after a local syndicate was found using anonymous online marketplaces to carry out illegal activities.

Customs and overseas law enforcement agencies from USA, Australian Border Force, and Europe seized in excess of 200 kilograms of these controlled drugs at their borders destined for this syndicate, Hunt said.

Approximately $500,000 in cash had been seized during the search warrants along with guns, including a 3D printed one.

Eleven people, aged between 24 and 42, were expected in the Auckland District Court and Hamilton District Court on Friday facing charges of importing, possessing and supplying class A, B and C drugs, unlawful possessions of firearms and participating in an organised criminal group.

“Offending on the dark web is not invisible,” Hunt said.

“Police are increasingly equipped to identify and dismantle criminal enterprises that believe they can hide behind technology and encryption.

“These arrests send a clear message: if you are importing or dealing drugs through the dark web, we will find you, and we will hold you to account.”

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

A long-running police investigation has exposed a syndicate operating a drug importation and distribution network through the dark web.

Operation Solana, led by the National Organised Crime Group, had been ongoing for the last nine months looking at the alleged importation and distribution of methamphetamine, cocaine, MDMA and ketamine.

It led to 16 search warrants being carried out across Auckland and Hamilton on Thursday and Friday.

Police arrested 11 people and seized drugs and cash.

Detective Senior Sergeant Jason Hunt, from the National Organised Crime Group, said police would allege the group used dark web markets, encrypted messaging applications, and cryptocurrency services to obscure their identities and financial flows.

The drugs were being sent to New Zealand from the United Kingdom, Europe and the USA.

Hunt said the investigation started after a local syndicate was found using anonymous online marketplaces to carry out illegal activities.

Customs and overseas law enforcement agencies from USA, Australian Border Force, and Europe seized in excess of 200 kilograms of these controlled drugs at their borders destined for this syndicate, Hunt said.

Approximately $500,000 in cash had been seized during the search warrants along with guns, including a 3D printed one.

Eleven people, aged between 24 and 42, were expected in the Auckland District Court and Hamilton District Court on Friday facing charges of importing, possessing and supplying class A, B and C drugs, unlawful possessions of firearms and participating in an organised criminal group.

“Offending on the dark web is not invisible,” Hunt said.

“Police are increasingly equipped to identify and dismantle criminal enterprises that believe they can hide behind technology and encryption.

“These arrests send a clear message: if you are importing or dealing drugs through the dark web, we will find you, and we will hold you to account.”

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

A long-running Police investigation has exposed a New Zealand syndicate operating a drug importation and country-wide distribution network through the dark web.

Operation Solana, led by the National Organised Crime Group, dialled in on the illegal activities over the past nine months, involving importing and distributing substances such as methamphetamine, cocaine, MDMA and ketamine.

Sixteen search warrants were executed across Auckland and Hamilton on Thursday and Friday.

Police have made 11 arrests and seized significant quantities of illicit drugs and cash.

Police will allege the group used dark web markets, encrypted messaging applications, and cryptocurrency services to obscure their identities and financial flows.

The drugs were being sent to New Zealand from the United Kingdom, Europe and the USA.

Detective Senior Sergeant Jason Hunt, from the National Organised Crime Group, says the operation began after enquiries identified a local syndicate using anonymous online marketplaces to carry out its illegal activities.

“We have established this group allegedly imported and distributed these controlled drugs across the country,” he says.

New Zealand Customs and overseas law enforcement agencies from USA, Australian Border Force, and Europe have seized in excess of 200 kilograms of these controlled drugs at their borders destined for this syndicate.

The warrants resulted in further seizures of methamphetamine, cocaine, MDMA and ketamine.

Approximately $500,000 in cash has been seized.

Three firearms were also seized, including a 3D printed firearm.

Eleven people, aged between 24 and 42, are expected in the Auckland District Court and Hamilton District Court today facing charges including:

– importation, possession and supplying class A, B and C controlled drugs
– unlawful possession of firearms
– participating in an organised criminal group

Operation Solana shows Police is growing a capability to detect and disrupt offending occurring out of sight, in online and anonymised environments, Detective Senior Sergeant Hunt says.

“Offending on the dark web is not invisible.

“Police are increasingly equipped to identify and dismantle criminal enterprises that believe they can hide behind technology and encryption.

“These arrests send a clear message: if you are importing or dealing drugs through the dark web, we will find you, and we will hold you to account.”

Police will continue to target individuals and networks seeking to exploit digital platforms for drug harm within New Zealand communities.

ENDS

Jarred Williamson/NZ Police

MIL OSI

Six tertiary students have been awarded scholarships as part of efforts to support farmers and growers on-the-ground, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay and Associate Agriculture Minister Andrew Hoggard have announced.

“This Government is backing the sector by supporting the next generation of on-farm advisers,” Mr McClay says.

“Our On Farm Support Science Scholarships are an important part of our efforts to ensure the sector can provide specialised on-the-ground expertise and advice for farmers and growers.

“The successful programme has already started producing the next generation of advisers with four of the inaugural 2024 recipients having secured roles.”

The 2026 scholarships went to students enrolled in agricultural science, commerce, or environmental sustainability degrees.

The recipients were Lincoln University students Cameron Brans, Jack Green, Eibhlin Lynch, and Fraser Wilson, Massey University student Ella Hogan, and University of Canterbury student Cecily Holland. Each will receive $5,000 for the year. They have an interest in dairy, sheep, beef, horticulture, and arable production.

“Recipients in the scholarship programme are also mentored by members of the Ministry for Primary Industries On Farm Support team, providing hugely beneficial experience and networking opportunities,” Mr Hoggard says.

“Farm advisers have a vital role to play in providing on-the-ground support to farmers and growers. These students are the future of the advisory sector and will help keep our food and fibre sector thriving.”

Note to editors:  
Biographies of the successful scholarship recipients can be found below.

Name: Cameron Brans
University: Lincoln University 
Degree: Bachelor of Commerce (Agriculture)
Home region: Waipawa, Central Hawke’s Bay
Background: Cameron has an interest in sustainable meat and arable production and diversification on-farm. He’s seeking a career in an advisory role that combines scientific and business aspects of agriculture.

Name: Jack Green
University: Lincoln University
Degree: Bachelor of Agricultural Science (Hons)
Home region: Auckland
Background: Jack has been on an exchange at Cornell University (US) for a semester. His study in 2026 will focus on the growing complexity of data and software on New Zealand dairy farms. He’s seeking a career in agri-tech and farm consultancy.

Name: Fraser Wilson
University: Lincoln University 
Degree: Bachelor of Commerce (Agriculture)
Home region: Gore, Southland
Background: Fraser was raised on a sheep and beef farm and is most interested in the sheep industry. He’s seeking a career in rural banking, agribusiness, and has a long-term goal of farm or agri-business ownership.

Name: Eibhlin Lynch
University: Lincoln University
Degree: Bachelor of Agricultural Science (Hons)
Home region: Whanganui
Background: Eibhlin was raised on a dairy, sheep and beef farm. She’s been on an exchange at University College Dublin in Ireland to learn how the country is tackling similar environmental challenges and consumer pressures within the agricultural sector. She’s seeking a career in farm advisory combining science and rural services.

Name: Ella Hogan
University: Massey University
Degree: Bachelor of Agricultural Science
Home region: Dannevirke
Background: Ella is passionate about supporting the sheep and beef sector through science-based advisory work. She is interested in connecting research and policy with practical farm management to help farmers build resilient, sustainable businesses.    

Name: Cecily Holland
University: University of Canterbury
Degree: Bachelor of Science, and Bachelor of Social and Environmental Sustainability
Home region: Wellington
Background: Cecily is interested in horticulture, regenerative agriculture, and helping growers adapt to climate change and improve soil health. She’s seeking a career to work as a sustainability consultant or adviser.

MIL OSI

There are major injury concerns for both the women’s and men’s Wellington Phoenix sides.

They have lost two New Zealand internationals to serious injuries ahead of their respective round 18 A-League matches.

Football Ferns fullback Lara Wall and All Whites attacking midfielder Sarpreet Singh will both be sidelined for up to eight weeks.

The Phoenix women have had more than their fair share of injuries this season.

Wall tore her left calf in the defeat to Central Coast Mariners at Porirua Park on Sunday, while Singh injured the medial collateral ligament (MCL) in his left knee in his much-anticipated Phoenix return against Western Sydney last Friday night.

As well as potentially sidelining her for the remainder of the Ninja A-League regular season, the calf injury unfortunately rules Wall out of the Ferns’ upcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 qualifiers in the Solomon Islands.

Singh is likely to miss the All Whites matches against Finland and Chile at Eden Park at the end of next month, on top of the Phoenix men’s next five Isuzu UTE A-League matches.

All Whites fullback Tim Payne has also been ruled out of Saturday’s derby against Auckland FC with a hamstring injury.

The second-placed Phoenix women play at Melbourne Victory on Friday night.

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

Neurology patients are facing long wait times to see a specialist, with one woman getting a same day appointment as a tourist in France, then facing a four-month wait back home.

It comes as a new study from the University of Otago in Wellington shows neurologists would struggle to keep up with the increase in demand for the diagnosis and treatment of conditions such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease and stroke.

One Southland woman, who didn’t want to be identified, was told it would be four months before she could see a neurologist in New Zealand, after she began having seizures on holiday in France.

Over there, even as a tourist, she said she was able to see a neurologist that same day, after her husband noticed something was amiss.

“I had a funny incident that he noted, and he wondered if I’d had a stroke or something, so he ended up taking me to the hospital there,” she said.

“They did MRIs and CTs and things, and they thought it was a TIA – a Transient Ischemic Attack, so they put me on medication for that.”

A TIA was also known as a mini-stroke.

But back home, the episodes continued – she said she would zone out for a few minutes, and then be left very confused for the next half hour.

She made an appointment with her GP, who referred her to a neurologist privately through health inurance, but the earliest appointment was January 2026 – four months away.

“I was really surprised, because I’d seen a neurologist in France much quicker. We did have to pay, but I don’t think it was too much – I think it was like a thousand dollars or something. It wasn’t astronomical.”

Her seizures were getting worse – up from one a week, to one every two days – and her GP redirected her through the public system.

She finally saw a local neurologist in November, who diagnosed her with epilepsy.

“They got me on medication, and I haven’t had a seizure since,” she said.

The University of Otago study found New Zealand ranked well below other high-income countries when it came to numbers, with 83 neurologists, public and private, as of the report’s time of writing in 2024.

That was one per 74,000 people – just over half that of Australia – and far below the recommended best practice level found by one Australian workforce model of one per 28,000 people.

David Ross, who lives in Huntly, said he was surprised by those numbers, he was referred to a neurologist in late January, and the first thing he received was a letter apologising for the wait time, which was seven weeks.

“And the idea, of course, of going private is that you might go through a bit quicker, but it looks like it’s not going to be.”

Nearly $600 to see someone privately, and a seven week wait – David nearly picked up the phone and said, “forget it”.

But he didn’t want to lose his place on the waitlist – and luckily, he wasn’t waiting in pain.

“It’s okay, I just need to get an opinion on what they recommend for my condition. It looks like Parkinson’s because I shake a bit sometimes, but other times, I’m fine.”

But it wasn’t getting any better, and he and his family would like some answers.

“It doesn’t give you a lot of confidence in the overall system.”

Neurologist Dr David Gow, a regional chief medical officer at Te Whatu Ora, said the national health agency was committed to giving New Zealanders timely access to healthcare and strengthening the workforce.

“We know that, as part of this, we need to grow our healthcare workforce, and this is not exclusive to neurology.”

Health targets like shorter wait times applied to neurology, as for all specialities.

“We value research papers like this one as they can be considered alongside our own workforce planning,” he said.

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

Parliament’s last order of the week was to debate something the minister in charge of the bill has admitted is not really a priority.

The government has introduced a bill to make English an official language, to ridicule from the opposition, and a fierce defence from Winston Peters.

The legislation would see English be recognised as an official language alongside Te Reo Māori and New Zealand Sign Language.

It would not affect the status or use of Te Reo Māori and New Zealand Sign Language as official languages.

Just two pages long, the legislation states that English has long been a de facto official language, but not set out in legislation.

The bill is in the name of the Justice Minister, Paul Goldsmith, who was reluctant to sing its praises.

“It’s something that was in the coalition. It wouldn’t be the top priority for us, absolutely not. But it’s something in the coalition and it’s getting done.”

Goldsmith did not speak at the first reading.

Instead, Winston Peters led the speeches on Thursday.

Peters said other jurisdictions such as Canada, Ireland, and Wales had English language legislation of their own, which indicated the “importance” of putting it into legislation.

“This bill won’t solve the push of this virtue signalling narrative completely. But it is the first step towards ensuring logic and common sense prevails when the vast majority of New Zealanders communicate in English, and understand English, in a country that should use English as its primary and official language,” he said.

The New Zealand First leader, who was made to wait nearly an hour and a half to deliver his speech, argued the proliferation of te reo Māori in health and transport services meant people were getting confused.

In other cases, they were being put in danger, claiming first responders did not know where they were going, and boaties were unable to interpret charts.

“With the increase in recent years of te reo to be used in place of English, even when less than five percent of the New Zealand population can read, write, or speak it, it has created situations that encourage misunderstand and confusion for all. And all for the purpose to push a narrative.”

Peters’ speech drifted into a lengthy historical anecdote, with an example of “out of touch bureaucrats” in the Soviet Union building, costing, and installing chandeliers based on weight “for production bonuses, rather than shape and design”, which was leading to ceilings being ripped out.

“And the then-President Khrushchev, upon finding this out, asked this question: For whom is this illuminating? As for whom, are the circumstances we now finding ourselves in with the use of te reo as a means of important communication now, illuminating what?”

Opposition MPs ridicule bill

Opposition MPs questioned the government’s priorities, expressing ridicule, exasperation and concern at the bill.

Beginning his contribution with, “Ngā mihi, great to be here in Aotearoa today,” Labour MP Duncan Webb said only the “wandering mind” of Peters could explain what Russian chandeliers had to do with the English language.

Webb said language was a “moving thing”, with New Zealand English containing words from across the Pacific.

“A silly piece of legislation, that Winston Peters, in his jurassic thinking, wants to put before his sub-sub-sub-section of voters, because they get a little bit anxious because the library in Christchurch is called Tūranga. A big building full of books, with big signs to it, but because it doesn’t say ‘library’ they don’t know it’s the library if they’re New Zealand First voters.”

Webb said when the Treaty of Waitangi was signed, all the laws of England applied, of which an English language law was not one.

“What’s the official language of the United Kingdom? Well, it doesn’t say, it is not set out there in legislation. There is no English Act or United Kingdom Act which sets out English as an official language, but I’m pretty sure they’re comfortable with the fact that it’s an official language of England and the United Kingdom.”

Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick said the government “wants us distracted” while the country experienced severe weather events, and unemployment was as high as it had been in a decade.

“They want us divided, and they want regular people exhausted, fighting amongst themselves. Some out there say that this government is stupid. Unfortunately, Madam Speaker, I think that they know exactly what they are doing,” she said.

“The English language is not under threat. We are literally speaking it and debating in it right now. This is a bill which is an answer to a problem that does not exist, a problem which this government is trying to create in the minds of people across this country, in place of the very real problems of the climate crisis, record homelessness, inequality and infrastructural decay.”

Swarbrick said Te Reo Māori and New Zealand Sign Language had been “fought for”, while English was “literally beaten” into people.

“In plain English, for all members of this government, this bill is bullshit, and you know it.”

Te Pāti Māori MP Oriini Kaipara delivered her contribution entirely in te reo Māori.

“This bill is a waste of time, and a waste of breath,” she said.

Labour MP Dr Ayesha Verrall spoke of her mother’s upbringing in the Maldives, where she worked hard to learn English, arrived in New Zealand on a Colombo Plan scholarship, and went on to become an English teacher.

“That’s pretty special, kind of ironic, to think that someone who, for whom English wasn’t their first language, gave so much in terms of enjoyment of English and English literature to her students.”

She said she sat in her mother’s classes in the 1990s when politicians were “race baiting”, warning of an ‘Asian invasion’, and using English in a “very powerful and destructive” way.

“When we speak in the English language, we have impact beyond our words. As politicians, we create permission for people to do things outside this House. So that’s what happens when politicians indulge in racism. The English language can be used as a weapon, and that can lead to people having violent acts committed against them,” she said.

Verall then referred to the 1990s politician directly – Peters.

First reading on hold

Peters had promoted his contribution, set to begin at 4pm, on social media.

But an opposition filibuster on the previous bill on the order paper meant his speech did not begin until 5:25pm.

With Parliament needing to break for the week at 6pm, government MPs did their best to hurry the bill along, with ACT’s Simon Court, and National MPs Tom Rutherford and Carl Bates rising for very short contributions to commend the bill to the House.

“It’s simply practical, constructive common sense,” Court said.

National’s Rima Nakhle took issue with Swarbrick’s use of the word “bullshit”, and accused the opposition of theatrics.

“How about we just calm it down a little, and stop the theatrics, and talk about what this is. And it’s OK. We’re only making English official. It’s not the end of the world.”

The House adjourned with two speeches still to go.

With Parliament in recess next week, it meant MPs would have to wait until 3 March for the debate to pick up again.

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The Black Foils are drawing heavily on the strength of injured grinder Louis Sinclair as they come to grips with the horror crash that all but destroyed their F50 boat during New Zealand SailGP last weekend.

As the 13-boat fleet sprinted off the startline of Saturday’s third race, NZ driver Peter Burling seemed to lose control of Amokura’s rudder and swerved sharply into the path of France, whose boat ploughed over the top of bow, slicing it in two and leaving Sinclair with compound fractures in both legs.

He underwent surgery on the weekend and was pictured on social media overnight, leaving hospital on his own two feet.

“I just want to really commend Louis for how he’s handled himself throughout this whole incident,” Black Foils wing trimmer Blair Tuke said. “He’s been amazing really in true Louis fashion, and holding true to the values and characteristics we hope all our team members instil.

“Amazingly calm right from the first incident out on the water to the surgery in Auckland Hospital and as he comes out now for what will now be quite a long recovery back to full health.

“With his calm demeanour and unique sense of humour, he’s really brought strength to all of us through this time.”

The New Zealand team have spoken publicly for the first time since the high-speed crash that shocked thousands of spectators watching from the massive grandstand on Wynyard Point.

Team bosses Tuke and driver Burling are still processing exactly what happened in those fateful seconds before, during and after impact.

“We started off with a great two races, and were really enjoying the conditions and feeling comfortable in the boat,” Burling recalled.

“We started off race three and were going down reach one to windward of the Italian boat. We ended up high on the foil and ended up sliding sideways.

“We hit a system limit, which drastically escalated that situation, and had to take quite drastic action to avoid the Italian boat to leeward, which resulted in us touching down. Obviously, the incident followed that.”

Burling said once the spray had cleared, he could see his four crewmates safe, knowing strategist Liv Mackay was on the other side of the boat out of harm’s way.

“At that stage, you’re thankful everyone’s safe, but very quickly we realised Louis had his legs stuck in the bottom of the cockpit and we can only commend Louis on his demeanour through that time.

“It was incredible to see someone in a situation like that remain so calm, and be such an instrumental part of telling us what he was feeling and where the pressure was, and getting the two boats apart.

“I think we can all learn a lot from Louis through this time and it’s pretty incredible to see the way he responded in the situation, but we’re also incredibly proud of the rest of our team and the way everyone came together in a tough situation, and the French team as well.

“They were dealing with situations on board, but definitely came straight to our aid.”

French strategist Manon Audinet sustained several abdominal bruising, when she was catapulted forward on impact, breaking the steering wheel. She is also under medical observation and is recovering well,

Burling has replayed the incident over and over in his mind, but has also had the benefit of a myriad other perspectives on the incident.

“The thing with SailGP is there are so many camera angles, all the audio and all the different aspects,” he explained. “It’s really nice in some ways to know that your memory of the whole situation was pretty accurate.

“It’s also interesting some things you didn’t see or weren’t concentrating on at the time, how everything unfolded.

“It’s all part of the wider review process from here.”

New Zealand SailGP represented the first occasion all 13 teams raced on the water together, and other drivers suggested jamming that many boats onto the compact Waitematā Harbour course in tricky wind conditions probably didn’t help the situation.

Organisers responded by splitting the fleet into smaller heats on Sunday, increasing safety, but possibly detracting from the spectacle.

SailGP is still investigating the incident, but has already ruled New Zealand and France out of the Sydney regatta next week.

Inspections have confirmed Amokura’s central pod and port hull emerged relatively unscathed, and can be used to repair the damage to the French boat. Because they did not cause the impact, returning France to the startline will take priority.

Given the extent of damage to their boat, the Kiwis are probably waiting for completion of the next new boat, which SailGP CEO Sir Russell Coutts indicated could be June.

“From here, we’re still working out that exact path forward,” Burling said. “We definitely won’t be in Sydney and SailGP is still undertaking that wider planning process around when the Black Foils will be back on the startline.

“We’re having to play a little bit of a waiting game now.”

In the meantime, the mending continues.

“For the wider team, mental and physical health is paramount through this time,” Tuke said. “We’re just taking it day by day to make sure everyone is supported in the way that they need as individuals.

“It was a really horrific incident and how we manage our path back from here is really important.”

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Wānaka snowboarder Zoi Sadowski-Synnott is yet to decide how she’ll celebrate becoming the sport’s most decorated Olympian.

The 24 year old picked up the silver medal in the Slopestyle final at the Winter Olympics in Italy overnight following up her silver medal performance in the Big Air earlier in the programme.

She now has five Olympic medals following her bronze in the Big Air in 2018 and gold in the Slopestyle and silver in the Big Air from 2022.

“I’m so happy that it’s over,” Sadowski-Synnott told RNZ.

“It has been such a big build-up and so much work has gone into this.”

Her immediate plan now is to watch the remaining New Zealanders compete at the Games.

“I’m just really stoked and proud to support the rest of the New Zealand team.

“After that I don’t know what comes, but I’m pretty keen to ride some powder or go to the beach and go surfing, I don’t know.”

After topping the qualifying round, Sadowski-Synnott headed into the third and final run of the Slopestyle final in fourth place, but turned in a flawless display to finish just 0.35 points behind Japan’s Mari Fukada, who took home gold.

“I was definitely feeling a lot of pressure. I took my time at the top though and just took it all in and felt really grateful that I had the opportunity to be here and represent my country no matter the result and so I just tried to do what I do best.

“I was proud of the run that I put together.”

She said it was an incredible feeling to reach the podium again.

“I can’t believe that I have another Winter Olympic medal, I’m just really grateful I was able to put it down when it mattered. I could really feel the support of New Zealand.”

She told Reuters she had “definitely not” imagined such success when she took up snowboarding at age eight. She said there were “zero expectations” for someone from New Zealand, a country not known for winter sports prowess.

“Just being a Kiwi, we’re always a bit of the underdog,” she said. “Any chance we get to show who we are on the world stage, we’ll try and do our best.”

Her drive began simply with “that feeling of slowly getting better and learning new tricks,” she said. “I just love the feeling because it makes me feel alive.”

Meanwhile, Dane Menzies finished seventh in the men’s Slopestyle final.

-RNZ with Reuters

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Zoi Sadowski-Synnott has won silver in the women’s Snowboard Slopestyle event, in a final run that left viewers on the edges of their seats.

The win secures New Zealand’s third medal of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Italy.

After topping the qualifying round, Sadowski-Synnott was up last in the line-up of 12 women. Her run one score of 73.01 immediately took her to third place, despite coming off early on one of the rails.

She dropped to fourth during round two, where she remained after her 77.61-scoring run when, despite some impressive jumps, she again came off early on the second rail.

However, the 24-year-old managed to turn the competition around in her last attempt, with a clean run bringing her up to second place with a score of 87.48 – just 0.35 points behind Japan’s Mari Fukada, who took home gold.

The win marks Sadowski-Synnott’s fifth Olympic medal.

It was a longer than expected wait for competitors, after heavy snow saw the event postponed on Tuesday (local time).

Earlier, Dane Menzies missed out on a medal in the men’s Snowboard Slopestyle final.

The 20-year-old from Wanaka was also 12th in the line-up after placing first in the qualifier, and got off to a strong start.

Run one earned him a solid score of 76.10, his best in the event, but run two saw him drop to fifth place with a score of 21.03.

Menzies was unable to up his score with a clean run on his last attempt, scoring 34.61, leading to a seventh place finish.

He only needed another three points to crack the top three.

China’s Su Yiming won the event with a top score of 82.41.

New Zealand has now secured three medals in this year’s games.

Luca Harrington brought home bronze at the men’s Freestyle Skiing Slopestyle event last week, while Zoi Sadowski-Synnott claimed New Zealand’s first medal of the games, taking silver in the Big Air event.

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Dane Menzies has missed out on a medal in the Snowboard Slopestyle final at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Italy.

The New Zealander was 12th in the line-up and got off to a strong start.

Run one earned him a solid score of 76.10, but run two saw him drop to fifth place.

Menzies was unable to up his score with a clean run on his last attempt, leading to a seventh place finish.

He only needed another three points to crack the top three.

The women’s Snowboard Slopestyle final, where Zoi Sadowski-Synnott will bid for another medal, is due to kick off at Thursday 2.30am NZT.

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The Hurricanes have entered the chat.

After sitting out round one with the bye, the Canes will open their campaign in the capital on Friday night against a buoyant Moana side bringing Pasifika bragging rights back from Lautoka. Jordie Barrett is back after a sabbatical in Ireland while Japan captain Warner Dearns makes his Super Rugby debut. Coach Clark Laidlaw will also have plenty of fire-power from the pine in the form of All Blacks Cam Roigard and Billy Proctor.

For Moana, it was a case of ‘Ardie who? as Tana Umaga’s men pulled off one of the toughest tasks in Super Rugby, victory in the sweltering fortress of Lautoka over the Drua in round one. They return to Wellington for the first time since the Canes crushed them 64-12 to close out their 2025 campaign.

Umaga has opted to give seven debutants a run at the caketin, while Sam Moli will lead the team with Miracle Faiʻilagi to bring impact from the bench.

After surviving gruelling New Zealand derbies in round one, the Highlanders and Chiefs will collide in another all-kiwi clash under the roof in Dunedin. A clutch Cameron Millar penalty and gutsy defence in the dying stages saw the Highlanders earn their first win since May of 2025 as they upset the defending champion Crusaders in round one.

The Chiefs’ win came in far more controversial fashion, with All Blacks lock Tupou Vaa’i’s early try against the Blues awarded at the time, later ruled to constitute an illegal action as he left the ground to launch over two defenders. The result struck however, unlike many passes in a clunky display by both sides. The same fixture closed out the regular 2025 season with the Chiefs taking a 41-24 victory.

Closing out the weekend is one of Super’s greatest rivalries. The Crusaders and Brumbies have engaged in several iconic battles over 30 seasons, including the 2000 and 2004 deciders. It was a typically thrilling encounter the last time these sides met, the Crusaders snatching a 33-31 win courtesy of a late George Bell try. Round one brought contrasting fortunes for both teams, the defending champion Crusaders edged by their southern rivals while the Brumbies battered the Force 56-24 in Perth.

Elsewhere, the Blues head across the Tasman to meet the Force with both teams searching for their first wins of the season and the Waratahs host the Drua in Sydney.

Other selection notes

A big weekend for Japanese rugby with both Dearns and Mamoru Harada making their debuts, Harada named on the bench for Moana Pasifika.

Also joining Super Rugby ranks will be newcomers Alefosio Aho, Faletoi Peni, Simon Peter Toleafoa, Lolani Faleiva Konrad Toleafoa former Brisbane Bronco Israel Leota, all earning callups for Moana.

Cortez Ratima will sit out the trip to Dunedin for the birth of his second child while Emoni Narawa will play his 50th match for the Chiefs. Jona Nareki will also notch his half century for the Highlanders.

Injury ward

The Chiefs will be without bruising flanker Samipeni Finau who is recovering from while Wallace Sititi is out for the week with a hamstring niggle. Du’Plessis Kirifi misses the next fortnight for the Hurricanes as he manages a calf complaint while Ruben Love’s ankle will keep him out of action for the next month at least.

Moana are still without former All Black Augustine Pulu, lock Jimmy Tupou and the promising young Niko Jones. For the Highlanders, Finn Hurley is still at least three weeks from a return while Xavier Tito-Harris and Andrew Knewstubb could be back for round three.

The Blues are down their two top locks with Sam Darry out with concussion and Patrick Tuipulotu still recovering from a shoulder injury, targeting a round six return.

Team lists

Hurricanes vs Moana

Kick-off: 7:05pm Friday February 20

Sky Stadium, Wellington

Live blog updates on RNZ

Hurricanes: 1 Xavier Numia, 2 Asafo Aumua, 3 Siale Lauaki, 4 Hugo Plummer, 5 Warner Dearns, 6 Devan Flanders, 7 Peter Lakai, 8 Brayden Iose, 9 Ereatara Enari, 10 Brett Cameron, 11 Fehi Fineanganofo, 12 Jordie Barrett (c), 13 Bailyn Sullivan, 14 Josh Moorby, 15 Callum Harkin

Bench: 16 Jacob Devery, 17 Pouri Rakete-Stones, 18 Tevita Mafileo, 19 Matolu Petaia, 20 Brad Shields, 21 Arese Poliko, 22 Cam Roigard, 23 Billy Proctor

“It was a huge crowd against Moana last year, so hopefully we can create that again and put in a performance that gets our fans excited and gets them coming back for the rest of the season.” – Hurricanes coach Clark Laidlaw

Moana Pasifika: 1 Abraham Pole, 2 Samiuela Moli (c), 3 Feleti Sae-Ta’ufo’ou, 4 Veikoso Poloniati, 5 Alefosio Aho, 6 Semisi Paea, 7 Konrad Toleafoa, 8 Dominic Ropeti, 9 Siaosi Nginingini, 10 Patrick Pellegrini, 11 Tuna Tuitama, 12 Faletoi Peni, 13 Glen Vaihu, 14 Israel Leota, 15 Simon Peter Toleafoa

Bench: 16 Mamoru Harada, 17 Tito Tuipulotu, 18 Lolani Faleiva, 19 Allan Craig, 20 Miracle Faiilagi, 21 Melani Matavao, 22 William Havili, 23 Tevita Ofa

“It’s a great opportunity to showcase the depth within our group, if we want to get all the way to the end of this competition, we’re going to need everybody.” – Moana coach Tana Umaga

Highlanders vs Chiefs

Kick off: 7.05pm Saturday February 21

Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin

Live blog updates on RNZ

Highlanders: 1 Ethan de Groot, 2 Jack Taylor, 3 Rohan Wingham, 4 Oliver Haig, 5 Mitch Dunshea, 6 Te Kamaka Howden, 7 Sean Withy (VC), 8 Lucas Casey, 9 Folau Fakatava, 10 Cameron Millar, 11 Jona Nareki (50th Highlanders Game), 12 Timoci Tavatavanawai (C), 13 Jonah Lowe, 14 Caleb Tangitau, 15 Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens

Bench: 16 Henry Bell, 17 Josh Bartlett, 18 Sosefo Kautai, 19 Will Stodart, 20 Veveni Lasaqa, 21 Adam Lennox, 22 Reesjan Pasitoa, 23 Tanielu Tele’a

“The Chiefs are a bit like the Crusaders, stacked with All Blacks and have performed very well in recent seasons, so another huge challenge for us and one we are looking forward to.” – Highlanders coach Jamie Joseph

Chiefs: 1 Jared Proffit, 2 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 3 George Dyer, 4 Josh Lord, 5 Tupou Vaa’i (vc), 6 Kaylum Boshier, 7 Jahrome Brown, 8 Luke Jacobson (c), 9 Xavier Roe, 10 Josh Jacomb, 11 Leroy Carter, 12 Quinn Tupaea (vc), 13 Daniel Rona, 14 Kyren Taumoefolau, 15 Etene Nanai-Seturo

Bench: 16 Tyrone Thompson, 17 Benet Kumeroa, 18 Reuben O’Neill, 19 Seuseu Naitoa Ah Kuoi, 20 Simon Parker, 21 Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, 22 Tepaea Cook-Savage, 23 Emoni Narawa

“These local derbies are brutal. There is no inch given and it will go up another notch against the Highlanders who are coming off an equally tough win against the defending champions Crusaders.” – Chiefs coach Jonno Gibbs

Force vs Blues

Kick off 9.35pm Saturday February 21

HBF Park, Perth

Blues: 1 Joshua Fusitu’a, 2 Bradley Slater, 3 Marcel Renata, 4 Laghlan McWhannell, 5 Josh Beehre, 6 Anton Segner, 7 Dalton Papali’i (c), 8 Hoskins Sotutu, 9 Finlay Christie, 10 Stephen Perofeta, 11 Caleb Clarke, 12 Pita Ahki, 13 AJ Lam, 14 Cole Forbes, 15 Zarn Sullivan

Bench: 16 Kurt Eklund, 17 Mason Tupaea, 18 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 19 Che Clark, 20 Torian Barnes, 21 Sam Nock, 22 Xavi Taele, 23 Codemeru Vai

“Going over there, we know we need to be at our best. We’ve taken a lot of lessons from last week and the focus is on being accurate, disciplined, and connected for the full 80 minutes.” – Blues coach Vern Cotter

Crusaders vs Brumbies

Kick off 3.35pm Sunday February 22

Apollo Projects Stadium in Christchurch

Live blog updates on RNZ

Crusaders: 1 Finlay Brewis, 2 George Bell, 3 Fletcher Newell, 4 Antonio Shalfoon, 5 Jamie Hannah, 6 Dom Gardiner, 7 Ethan Blackadder, 8 Christian Lio-Willie, 9 Noah Hotham, 10 Rivez Reihana, 11 Sevu Reece, 12 David Havili (c), 13 Braydon Ennor, 14 Chay Fihaki, 15 Will Jordan

Bench: 16 Codie Taylor, 17 Tamaiti Williams, 18 Seb Calder, 19 Tahlor Cahill, 20 Corey Kellow, 21 Louie Chapman, 22 Taha Kemara, 23 Leicester Fainga’anuku

“We always look in the mirror first. Collectively, we could have done some things a little differently, but it is what it is. We’ve got to look forward now and take what we learned into the game we’ve got at home on Sunday.” – Crusaders coach Rob Penney

Waratahs vs Fijian Drua

Kick off 9.35pm Friday February 20

Allianz Stadium, Sydney

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Dairy prices rose again at the global dairy trade auction overnight – continuing a reversal of last year’s downward swing and raising questions about whether a $10 milk payout could be back on the table.

The average price rose 3.6 percent to US$4028 a tonne – it follows the 6.7 percent rise a fortnight ago, and is the fourth consecutive increase of the year.

Rabobank Dairy Analyst Emma Higgins said it was a “very good result” for New Zealand dairy farmers, with meaningful gains across key products.

The price of wholemilk powder, which strongly affects farmer payouts, rose 2.5 percent to US$3706 a tonne.

Prices for other products were mostly stronger, including a sharp increase in butter which rose over 10 percent.

“Overall, the event reinforced a couple of things. First is that there is improving demand sentiment across the dairy complex,” Higgins said.

“With current current dairy commodity prices where they are, the question begs whether we’ll start to see an increase in the farmgate milk price forecast for the 2025/26 season.”

Higgins was cautiously optimistic, adding there was still a lot of milk available on the global market at the moment.

“We’ve had some incredibly strong growth in the European Union, particularly driven from Ireland, France and Poland. And then if we think about the United States, we’ve seen consistently strong milk production for the majority of 2025.

“That was the reason that we saw weaker commodity prices at the back half of last year. It was the reason that we saw farmgate milk prices slashed by Christmas time.

“Now we’ve got the situation where demand is starting to improve, and at the same time, we’re starting to see perhaps some signals as we move through 2026 that supply environment will start to tighten up.”

She said current market dynamics would suggest there was support for lifting the current milk price forecast from where it sits at that midpoint range of $9, up to somewhere around the $9.50 per kilogram of milk solid mark.

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Legislation to formally recognise all those who have served New Zealand in times of war as part of Anzac Day commemorations has passed in Parliament today.

“Honouring our service personnel on Anzac Day is one of our most enduring national traditions,” Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Paul Goldsmith says.

“It binds us to our history and to the story of who we are as a country, while providing an opportunity to reflect on the courage and extraordinary sacrifice of those who have served to defend and protect New Zealand and our allies.

“However, the Anzac Day Act was in desperate need of updating. It failed to acknowledge conflicts after 1966, meaning many service personnel were excluded from official commemorations under the law. The modernised law more accurately reflects public sentiment about who we honour on Anzac Day.”

Veterans Minister Chris Penk says, increasingly, New Zealanders are using the occasion of Anzac Day to reflect on the loss of loved ones in war and in warlike situations, including United Nations missions, other multi-force groupings, and service alongside allied forces.

“Kiwis also commemorate the loss of family members who served as civilians in medical units, and the Merchant Navy during the two World Wars. Others remember those who tragically died while training for conflict.

“The updated Act will now also cover the service of members of allied forces who participated in the first landing on Gallipoli, including personnel from countries such as France and India.

“These changes are well overdue, and come into effect before Anzac Day 2026, meaning that this year will be the first time our national commemoration formally recognises all those who have served New Zealand in times of war.

“We will remember them.”

Mr Goldsmith says the passage of the legislation strengthens the integrity and relevance of one of New Zealand’s most important days of remembrance.

“Preserving the memory of those who fought to defend our country, and of those who served in other vital roles during times of war, is a critical part of safeguarding New Zealand’s history and national identity.”

MIL OSI

Blues captain Dalton Papali’i will leave New Zealand rugby at the end of the Super Rugby season to play in France.

The Blues have confirmed the 28-year-old will take up an opportunity with French Top 14 team Castres Olympique.

Papali’i, who made his Blues debut in 2017, said the decision was extremely tough to make, but the timing felt right at this stage of his career.

“This club means everything to me. I grew up dreaming of wearing the Blues jersey and representing my country. I’ve been lucky enough to live that dream for a long time,” Papali’i said.

“The Blues gave me my chance, backed me, and helped me become the player and person I am. This was a really hard decision, but the opportunity in France is something that works well for where I’m at in my career with my young family.

“I’m fully committed to finishing my time here the right way. I love this club, the people, and our supporters, and I’ll keep giving everything I’ve got into the season ahead.”

Papali’i played 37 tests for the All Blacks after debuting in 2019, but played just once for the national side in 2025.

Papali’i (98 games) is on track to become a Blues centurion during Round 3’s match against the Brumbies in Canberra.

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Follow Our Changing World on Apple, Spotify, iHeartRadio or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Over the last three decades the rise of fast fashion, and the explosion of plastics in our clothes like polyester and nylon, has created sustainability and environmental issues.

Globally 92 million tonnes of textile waste is produced each year, and an estimated half a tonne of unwanted clothes is sent to landfills in New Zealand every five minutes. The fashion industry is a major contributor to carbon emissions, and each wash of petroleum-based textiles produces more microplastic pollution that gets into our waterways.

Enter the European UPWEARS project, which aims to use science and innovation to tackle these problems.

Future fashion

“We are expecting to have a totally new, sustainable and innovative supply chain for the textile industry,” says Dr Yi Chen.

UPWEARS is a four-year, €7 million (NZ$13.7m) research project involving 14 partners from seven countries, one of which is New Zealand’s Bioeconomy Science Institute. While the project is led by the French national research institute INRAE, Yi is the UPWEARS New Zealand lead, based on the Institute’s campus in Rotorua (previously Scion).

It is a lofty goal. One that they have split into different sections to tackle; replacing plastic-based yarns with natural ones that will biodegrade, creating new textile processing technologies that are more energy efficient, designing smart sensing ‘e-textiles’ and figuring out if there’s a way to recycle existing textile waste.

The project is funded by Horizon Europe, the EU’s key funding programme for research and innovation. New Zealand can bid for funding by applying with European partners and the New Zealand government pays back to Horizon Europe what is received in grants.

This international collaboration is key, says Yi. The Bioeconomy Science Institute has expertise in biomaterial development, and the campus has biodegradation facilities that will be vitally important for later in the project to test whether the clothing they create can break down. The European partners bring state-of-the-art research facilities like particle accelerators and large-scale additive manufacturing, as well as textile industry knowledge.

The project kicked off in November 2024 with a meeting in France and the next gathering will take place in Rotorua in 2027.

At that stage, they hope to have produced a prototype example of ‘clothing of the future’ – a smart cycling suit with built-in sensors capable of analysing your sweat or environmental conditions. All made from natural fibres that can be reused or biodegrade at the end of the clothing’s life.

Creating clever yarn for smart clothing

In one of the chemistry labs on campus Dr Robert Abbel holds up a clear plastic bag with two fibres inside. One is a pale-yellow colour. This is what their European partners send to him – samples of the natural-based yarns they have developed made from hemp and European flax.

The other is a dark black colour, a result of Robert’s efforts to make this yarn able to conduct electricity.

To do this he makes use of a molecule called lignin which is naturally found in wood but is stripped out as waste in the paper-making industry. But Robert has found a way to put this waste to use.

“We process the lignins into nanoparticles and then give them a high temperature, so-called carbonisation, treatment. So they turn into carbon. That means they get conductive. And then we deposit them on the yarns in order to make the yarns conductive so that they can be woven into functional textiles.”

Their collaborators will use these conductive yarns in their aim of creating smart textiles – sensors that are part of the clothing that can monitor different health or environmental markers, such as breathing and heart rate, or air pollutants.

But they will need something to mount these sensors on, and work is underway on that too in Rotorua.

Putting paper-making skills to new use

Senior technologist Sean Taylor spends much of his time in one of the oldest labs on campus. Once it would have been used to investigate how best to make paper out of wood pulp. Now Sean is applying this knowledge to new research questions.

Cellulose, the main strengthening component of wood, is the most abundant polymer on Earth, and is the basis of papermaking. Now, Sean says, while demand for paper production seems to be waning, there’s growing interest in using cellulose to replace plastic polymers wherever possible.

Sean has been combining cellulose from different sources (different tree species have different length cellulose fibres) with waste lignin to produce a paper-like material that’s stiff, robust and water resistant. Perfect to mount a sensor on for this new smart clothing.

As well as this innovation around biomaterials, some of the Rotorua-based UPWEARS team are also investigating whether there are solutions for existing textile waste.

End of life

In a garage-like space at the back of the campus, Louise Le Gall flicks leavers and pushes a satisfyingly-large red button to switch the big yellow extrusion machine on.

As it hums to life, she explains that it uses a combination of heat and mechanical pressure exerted by two turning screws to melt and mix whatever is fed into it. Louise is currently researching whether she will be able to give used textiles a new lease of life using this machine.

The goal is to take different types of materials and use them to create 3D printing filament, but it is all about characterising what you are working with, she explains.

“You have to know how to play with the parameters to obtain the product you want at the end. So in the case of the UPWEARS project, we have some textile waste. You can have nylon, you can have polyester, you can also have cotton. And our goal is to find which parameter we’re going to choose to mix all that together in the machine, without burning one material and melting the other.”

If it works, they’ll use this recycled textile filament to 3D print padding to be used in the sportswear. Which the team are hoping will be ready for a test run in Whakarewarewa Forest Park in Rotorua in 2027.

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The Hurricanes have named All Blacks Du’Plessis Kirifi and Jordie Barrett as co-captains for the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season.

It marks the first time that Barrett has been named in a captaincy role at the Hurricanes, adding to his leadership credentials as All Blacks vice-captain.

Kirifi, who has picked up an injury in training and is set to miss the Hurricanes opening match of the season against Moana Pasifika on Friday night, returns to the role after he was named as a Hurricanes co-captain for the first time last season.

“It’s a great honour to be backed by the coaches and playing group to co-captain the side alongside Du’Plessis this season,” Barrett said.

“Playing for the Hurricanes has always meant a lot to me and I’m confident we have the squad to have a successful season. We have a great group of leaders who I know will support Du’Plessis and I throughout the season, and we can’t wait for the competition to begin.”

Kirifi is looking forward to captaining the team alongside his fellow former St Francis Douglas Memorial College student.

“Leading the Hurricanes alongside Jordie is not only an honour, but extremely humbling. The love I have for this team, the region, and its people is immense, and I’m excited for the challenge that’s in front of us and what we can do together.

“O le ala i le pule o le tautua. The pathway to leadership is through service. We can’t wait to serve this team and its people to the best of our abilities.”

Barrett, 28, first played for the Hurricanes against the Sunwolves in 2017 and has made 111 appearances and scored 794 points for the club.

Kirifi, also 28, made a try-scoring debut against the Waratahs in 2019 and has since become a mainstay in the Hurricanes squad, featuring in 93 matches.

“The co-captains are an exciting pair,” Hurricanes head coach Clark Laidlaw said.

“They are two outstanding professionals, Hurricane men through and through, who are super competitive around their performance. They connect really well across the team on and off the field, and they bring a different lens to our environment.”

Together, Kirifi and Barrett head a five-man leadership group known as Ngā Kaitiaki, alongside last year’s co-captains Brad Shields, Asafo Aumua and Billy Proctor.

“We feel Ngā Kaitiaki needs to lead the club between the five of them. With Jordie and Dupes as the co-captains, we believe it’s a really strong leadership model,” Laidlaw said.

“We’re all working well together behind-the-scenes in pre-season to drive the group forward. Jordie’s come back in with a real enthusiasm after being away, and Dupes is quite similar, apart from picking up a little niggle in pre-season.

“He came back early from his All Blacks rest and was training particularly well, so once Dupes is fit again and they’re both on the field and leading the team, it will be exciting. We’re looking forward to it.”

The Hurricanes open their 2026 Super Rugby Pacific campaign against Moana Pasifika in Wellington on Friday night.

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An Ōtorohanga man in his 80s is devastated by the damage and disarray at his flooded home after the weekend weather event – save the silver lining of a saved pet goat and an heirloom teddy bear that survived the waters.

Kio Kio Station Road resident Colin Payne had to be rescued by a boat, after floodwaters came through his property in the early hours of Saturday, when the region received between 150 to 300 millimetres of rain.

He said he had a feeling on Friday night that things could get bad when the water came up to his gate, which prompted him to move his campervan to a friend’s house in the town centre before returning home.

Payne slept at about 9.30pm, not expecting that floodwaters would gush through his property, and also not knowing about the state of emergency declared in Ōtorohanga around 1am.

He woke up about 4.30am to find his bed surrounded by water.

The only thing Payne managed to pull out of the water before his rescue boat came – besides his medication and clothes – was an heirloom teddy bear and its chair, which was inherited from his great-great-grandparents.

Returning to check on his house for the first time on Sunday, Payne struggled to come to terms with the rooms with knocked over fridges, a fallen TV, and sentimental items strewn over the muddy floors, in rooms where they would have floated for hours.

“Coming in and seeing the mess here is a bit devastating, 85 years of collections … personal stuff and family stuff and heirlooms,” said Payne.

“How do you describe it… I mean daunting, devastated, everything, just suddenly your life’s expired in a sort of roundabout way, if you understand what I mean, from an asset … the biggest trick is you gotta be very careful walking around in the silt because it’s very slippery.”

A silver lining amidst the chaos of his flood-damaged home and having to write off his drowned vehicle – Payne was relieved to find out that his pet goat Sophie survived, thanks to the help of neighbours.

“At least my good friend Sophie’s been rescued, that’s my favourite friend, my goat.”

Payne’s partner, Frances Rawling – who was not at the house that night – said it was hard to know where to begin when faced with the mammoth task of cleaning up.

“Once the mould sets in… it’s hard to imagine being here again,” she said.

The couple said they have a house in Te Kuiti where they can stay in the meantime.

On Sunday morning the rain resumed, and a community member with a quadbike came to help take Payne’s two steers to a safer place.

Craig Janett, who had been helping out, said he felt for the Kio Kio Station Road residents.

“A lot have been lost, one bloke down here lost all his lifestyle block… lost all their stock, washed away, just devastation, the river, the rubbish in the river, the drums, just everything rubbish.”

Payne was moved by the kindness of the community.

“Kio Kio Station Road, K-K-S-R stands for kind, caring, supportive residents, and believe me, that applies to everyone in this street.

“Here’s two people coming this morning and taking my stock away… I know damn well that they’ll be well looked after and they’d take them away and put them onto safer ground, and that’s the kind of community we have in K-K-S-R.”

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Amelia Kerr has officially been confirmed as White Ferns captain.

Kerr takes over in all formats from fellow Wellingtonian Sophie Devine who stepped down as captain following the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in October.

The 25-year-old, who has represented the White Ferns in 172 internationals, will take on the permanent leadership mantle of both the ODI and T20I sides, having previously led the side in two ODIs and two T20Is.

Her first official outing in the position will be in the T20 and ODI series against Zimbabwe later this month.

“Growing up it was my childhood dream to represent New Zealand and to now have the opportunity to captain my country is a massive privilege,” Kerr said.

“I am following an exceptional group of leaders who have captained the White Ferns before me, so I don’t take the responsibility lightly.

“The captaincy doesn’t change who I am, I am still the same person and will give everything I can to lead this group and hopefully bring our country success.”

Since making her international debut in 2016 at the age of just 16, Kerr has gone on to score 3757 runs and take 201 wickets across both formats and is already the White Ferns’ third all-time leading wicket-taker and fifth all-time leading run-scorer.

Kerr said her leadership philosophy was centred around putting people first.

“One of my favourite quotes is: ‘He aha te mea nui o te ao? He Tāngata, He Tāngata, He Tāngata.

“We are people first. As a group we look out for each other, we celebrate each other’s success and we represent our people.

“Encouraging others and building belief around us so we can all be the best we can be both as people and as cricketers.”

Amelia Kerr at a glance

WHITE FERN #188

• Youngest player to ever debut for the White Ferns (16 years and 27 days)
• Highest ever individual ODI score for the White Ferns (232* v Ireland 2018)
• Only New Zealand player ever to win the ICC World Player of the Year (Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy)
• 2022 Commonwealth Games Bronze medal winner
• 2024 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup winner
• 2024 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Player of the Tournament
• 3x winner of the NZC Debbie Hockley Medal
• White Ferns third all-time leading wicket-taker (201 wickets)
• White Ferns fifth all-time leading run scorer (3757 runs)

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SailGP boss Sir Russell Coutts has confirmed this weekend’s split-fleet experiment will become the norm next year, when the professional fleet grows to 14 teams, but reaction from teams is divided.

New Zealand SailGP off Auckland’s Wynyard Point was marred by a crash that put the Black Foils and France out of the event – and probably more to come – and raised questions about the safety of having 13 boats charging off a start line together at high speed.

Sailors from both teams were hospitalised, with Kiwi grinder Louis Sinclair suffering compound fractures on both legs and French strategist Manon Audinet being assessed for abdominal bruising, after being thrown forward on impact and breaking the boat’s steering wheel.

In response, organisers decided to divide the fleet in two for Sunday’s racing to reduce the risk of more mayhem.

“We’ve been trialling that format for a while now, because we are going to that format next year for all racing,” Sir Russell said.

“It doesn’t really affect that situation that happened yesterday, because they were sailing in a straight line and it could happen with two boats in a match race.

“What it does remove is the congestion at the bottom mark gate and sometimes at the top mark gate. It just means less boats on the racecourse, particularly when they’re going in opposite directions, and particularly when it’s gusty and the course of the boats is varying a lot.

“In reality, it probably wouldn’t make much difference on the first leg of the course.”

Drivers provided varying reviews of the smaller fields, with some insisting they preferred the bigger fleet, while others relished the ability to sail without their heads on a constant swivel, checking for impending danger.

One of those not convinced was NZ-born Italy driver Phil Robertson, who actually predicted the reduction before it happened.

“I think it was what the sailors wanted and it was the reasonable thing to do, but the spectacle was compromised a bit,” he said. “It will probably get a heavy review and we’ll definitely have some suggestions on how to make the racing a little safer with all the boats on the course, because I think it’s good to have everyone out there.”

Sir Russell acknowledged the feedback was mixed.

“Some of them like the bigger fleet and there’s competitive elements to that too,” he said. “Some think they start better in the bigger fleet, some think they’re better in a small fleet.

“It’s competitive sport and you have to balance the politics with the real desire to make it a safer situation. That’s the role of the league to step in and say we think it’s going to provide safe racing by splitting the fleet in certain conditions, so we did it today.

“Once we grow to seven-and-seven, then eight-and-eight, split fleet will be absolutely fine. We weren’t planning on doing it this weekend, but clearly, with the conditions, it was the prudent thing to do.

“Ultimately, if it’s a question of safety over visual experience, clearly safety has to govern that decision.”

Coutts’ ultimate vision is for a 20-team championship, with split fleets of 10 boats.

Because the French were not at fault, their boat will be repaired first and, ironically, that may entail using the salvageable parts of the New Zealand boat to replace damage to the French boat.

The Black Foils were docked eight event points for causing the impact and presumably driver Peter Burling will incur more demerit points on his new licence, on top of the three he earned in a collision with Switzerland at Perth last month.

“There is a new boat under construction in Southampton, but I checked last night and that’s not due to be completed until June,” Sir Russell said. “Eventually, the league will have two spare boats, so if you had a situation like that, they would race the next day in a different boat.

“We’re not at that level yet. We’re still a relatively new sports property and we’ve got to get to that point.

“I think the reality is they’re out of the season standings now. Realistically, they’re not going to score any points for the first three events at least and they’re going to get some penalty points.

“They’re obviously one of the top teams in the league and it’s a tragedy that it’s happened to them, but that’s sport. Sometimes you get the unexpected and unwanted situations, but they’re a good team and they’ll come back.”

Meanwhile, Coutts confirmed Auckland would likely be retained on the SailGP calendar, despite delays in formalising a hosting agreement next year.

He admitted the hold-up was a clash with Ocean Race round-the-world event, which will also stop in Auckland early next year.

“Everyone’s super-enthusiastic, including SailGP. We’ve agreed all the major terms, the financial terms to have it here long term.

“The one stumbling block is the Ocean Race, which has an agreement prohibiting other events within 5km of their race. They are saying they don’t want SailGP at this point, but I think eventually, they will realise it’s a win for everyone to have both events here.

“I think it’s a win for Auckland City and both events. We’re restricted in our shipping dates, so we can make the event before and the event after.”

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