Air Corporate data reveals 9 in 10 founders incorporated in Hong Kong do so remotely, driven by a 20% surge in Middle Eastern entrepreneurs seeking cost-effective operational alternatives to Dubai.

– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.

For the first time in her career, CJ Bott has had to learn how to lead without crossing the white line.

The Wellington Phoenix captain has spent much of the club’s breakthrough A-League season watching from the sidelines, since her https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/sport/584796/phoenix-captain-cj-bott-announces-pregnancy pregnancy announcement] i January.

There was never any chance she would miss Saturday’s grand final against Melbourne City at AAMI Park though.

“I’m definitely travelling,” Bott said. “You wouldn’t be able to hold me at home just yet.

“I’ve still got a few more weeks until I’m medically unable to travel, so I’m making the most of it. I’ll be there with bells and whistles, and I’ll lose my voice screaming on the sidelines.”

Bott played seven matches at the start of the season, before stepping away from playing duties, remaining involved with the squad in an off-field leadership role, as the Phoenix surged to the first grand final in the team’s five-year history.

She described her second season with the Phoenix was “definitely a different season”.

“It started off well, being on the field, and then having to take a step back, because of the pregnancy, it took a little bit to get used to and was a tough pill to swallow in many ways, because all I want to do is be out there and doing my part with the team.

“I think as the season’s progressed, and our new signings have stepped up and really embraced their roles, and the rest of the girls have also stepped up, they’ve done such an incredible job.

“I mean, there’s been some nailbiting moments of the season, but overall, they’ve done incredibly well and I’m just so proud of how they’ve handled the season.”

Coach Bev Priestman was determined to keep Bott closely involved this season, because of her leadership and experience within the group.

“It did take a little while to see where I best fit into that role, because I wanted to give [Mackenzie Barry] the time and the space and the energy and support to do her role as captain as well.

“It’s taken a bit of adjustment, but I think now I’ve figured out where I’m best fitted, and I really just try and support the girls in whatever way and whatever capacity they need me.”

Defender Emma Pijnenburg, who replaced Bott in the squad, said the Football Ferns international remained an influential figure within the team.

“She just has this aura and, when she speaks in the circle, everybody is hanging on to every word,” Pijnenburg said. “She has a lot of experience as well, a senior player in the team, and she brings a lot to the team, whether she is on the field or not,” .

The Phoenix finished the season in second place and came from behind to win the two-legged semifinal against Brisbane Roar to secure the grand final match-up, but Bott said it was not all plain sailing to get to the pinnacle game of the season.

“I don’t think it’s a shock, given the team we had at the start of the season, but based on all our injuries and unfortunate events that have occurred during the season, it is somewhat of a surprise that we’ve somehow managed to keep our heads above water and still perform, given all the difficulties this team’s been through.

“The season has been so important towards the development of women’s football in this country, in this city specifically, and I’m so excited to see what can happen in the weekend.”

Watching from the sidelines has not come naturally to Bott.

“I hate it,” she said. “It is so hard just sitting there and not being able to do anything, but I’ve had to embrace it.

“I’ve got no other choice in the matter and the girls need me no matter what. I’ve just had to bite my nails quietly and just be their biggest cheerleader.”

Bott arrived at her hometown club last season, after eight years playing professionally in Germany, Sweden, Norway and England, and was surprised by the level of professionalism at the Phoenix.

“I didn’t quite know what to expect coming in,” she said. “I knew they had access to world-class facilities, but I think that’s one thing, having the backing from the wider club and having the staff involved.

“Our staff are incredible, they are probably some of the most professional staff I’ve ever had.

“Besides the fact that a lot of our girls have to, unfortunately, work two jobs, it is the most professional environment I’ve probably been a part of and it’s the most enjoyable environment I’ve been a part of in a long, long time.”

Bott is off contract at the end of this season and definitely has plans to return to football in the future, and “absolutely” would like that to be with the Phoenix.

Before she can think about her playing future, she will have to handle a few more “nervewracking” moments in the stands, as the Phoenix women play for the club’s first piece of silverware.

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

All Whites forward Kosta Barbarouses knows the heartbreak of missing out on a Football World Cup squad, and now the happiness and relief of finally making it 16 years later.

Barbarouses has “no regrets” about his football journey, that has wound from Wellington to Western Sydney, including stops in Greece and Russia, and five different A-League clubs.

Now, his inclusion in coach Darren Bazeley’s 26-man squad for next month’s Football World Cup is reward for that persistence.

Barbarouses came agonisingly close to selection for the All Whites’ 2010 World Cup squad – so close that his boot sponsor had already prepared personalised World Cup boots, before then-coach Ricki Herbert finalised his team.

“I’ve even got the World Cup boots from Nike, personalised as well, and I never went,” the 36-year-old said. “I’ve still got those as an heirloom.”

This year’s version of the boots will mean even more to Barbarouses, who heard about his call-up for the tournament in North America while on school pick-up duty.

“I haven’t seen them yet, but now instead of my name, I’ve got my kids’ names on them, so I’m excited for those.”

Barbarouses described his club season with A-League wooden-spooners Western Sydney Wanderers as “disappointing”, but he never doubted his value to the national team.

“I always knew I was doing well for the national team, but obviously, you want to do well week to week and, honestly, I have been very disappointed.”

Barbarouses said the March window, when the All Whites played Finland and Chile in the FIA Series in Auckland, was crucial to pushing his case for a place in the World Cup squad. That period co-incided with him losing his starting role at club level.

“I’ll give myself a little bit of credit that I was able to stay professional and stay fit, and perform like I did in the March window,” he said. “I think that helped give [Bazeley] and probably the staff a lot of trust in me.”

After the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the All Whites fell short of qualification three straight times – with Barbarouses part of each failed campaign. The forward has played 31 World Cup qualifiers dating back to 2008.

“Being selected in the final squad feels great, to be honest, and it’s been a long and exciting four years full of ups and downs, and almost there now.”

Having booked his ticket, Barbarouses wants to get on the park, when the All Whites play Iran, Egypt and Belgium during the group stage.

With an injury to captain and leading goalscorer Chris Wood this year, Barbarouses has shared a role up front with Ben Waine.

“I would like to think I’m ready to play and I want as much of a playing role as possible, as I think everyone would.

“I think, even the past couple of windows, it’s clear to see that I’m well and truly up to it, and up for it as well.

“I’d love to see – like everyone in our country would – Chris Wood be there and scoring the goals for us, and I’ll be ready to support him and the team, whether that’s starting, coming on for 45 minutes, 10 minutes, five minutes.

“I’ll be ready and I’ll be ready to perform.”

For the 26 players selected, there has been celebrations.

Barbarouses’ family at the Strathmore fish and chip shop in Wellington were the first people he called with the news.

“Obviously, mum, dad, brothers, aunties, uncles, everyone’s just ecstatic.

“They know how hard I work, as do all of the boys, but they’ve seen my journey firsthand, so they’re very proud and excited for what’s to come in the next six weeks.”

While some players celebrated, others were left devastated.

Like Barbarouses in 2010, former Wellington Phoenix teammate Bill Tuiloma narrowly missed out on selection.

Tuiloma returned to New Zealand from US Major League Soccer in an attempt to secure more playing time and impress Bazeley, but ultimately fell short.

When Alex Rufer, Sarpreet Singh and Tim Payne had finished their face-to-face conversations with Bazeley on Wednesday, they knew they were capping off a tough club season with the Phoenix with something bigger to look forward to, but they were also “hurting” for Tuiloma.

“Unfortunately, Bill was left out,” Rufer said. “Bill is a very, very good player and an extremely strong person.

“We spent some time with him and it’s normal you’re going to be hurting when you don’t make the team, but I think he’s in a good headspace, and he’s still going to train and keep ticking over, because anything can happen.

“He’ll most likely be over in America, back home with his family and who knows? He’s still got that mentality to keep ticking over, and make sure that he’s ready and available, if need be.”

The All Whites can make changes to their squad before the tournament, should any injuries occur.

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

The flotilla departs tomorrow with 54 boats and nearly 500 participants from 45 countries on the eve of Nakba Day.

MARMARIS – The Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) issued a definitive declaration today from the port of Marmaris, confirming that its nonviolent mission to break Israel’s illegal siege of Gaza will proceed. The fleet departs tomorrow, joining forces with the Freedom Flotilla Coalition to launch 54 boats carrying nearly 500 participants from 45 countries. As the world mobilizes after 78 years of Palestinian dispossession, occupation, and erasure, the flotilla will be at sea, sailing toward Gaza, maintaining that commemoration without action is no longer enough.

Four New Zealanders are set to continue on this mission to break Israel’s illegal siege. These individuals are Samuel Leason, Hāhona Ormsby, Mousa Taher, and Julien Blondel.

After a month defined by maritime violence, illegal abductions, and the documented torture of international human rights defenders by the israeli Occupation Forces (IOF), our fleet has regrouped and expanded in preparation for the final leg of its journey to the shores of Gaza where they will deliver food and aid to Palestinian children and families continuing to live under israel’s brutal occupation.

The Strategic Mandate for Action

The decision to proceed is grounded in visceral mandates. While Gaza’s healthcare system continues to face total collapse, the Flotilla’s medical fleet serves as a direct, civilian-led humanitarian intervention. GSF organizers emphasized that as the Israeli regime attempts to make the blockade the permanent status quo, the strategic risk of inaction has become far greater than the risks of sailing.

This determination follows the return of Steering Committee members Saif Abukeshek and Thiago Ávila, who were released on May 10 after ten days of illegal detention and systemic abuse and torture at the hands of the israeli state as well as the beating and sexual abuse of flotilla volunteers who were illegally intercepted and detained in European international waters on 29 April. Their return is a testament to international mobilization, yet their release does not constitute true freedom while over 9,500 Palestinians remain trapped in a system of torture and impunity.

For the Flotilla, the moral imperative of direct action against the israeli regime far outweighs the risks of remaining silent in the face of ongoing genocide and ethnic cleansing. In parallel with the maritime departure, a land convoy is currently staging in North Africa. Comprised of dozens of trucks and hundreds of participants from over 30 countries, this overland mission is moving through Libya toward the Rafah border crossing.

Defying the Machinery of Impunity

The mission has further evolved into a universal struggle for liberation. Representatives from the Rohingya community and other oppressed peoples have joined the fleet, framing Gaza as the tip of the spear in a global uprising against genocide.

A Direct Challenge to Global Complicity and State Piracy

Flotilla organizers explicitly condemned the complicity of the Greek government, the European Union, and other flag states whose silence allowed the IOF to carry out abductions in international waters, over 1,000 km from Gaza, with total impunity.

Parallel to technical preparations, international legal experts finalized a global accountability strategy at a legal symposium held last week. This includes immediate legal prosecution and potential proceedings at the International Criminal Court against the israeli state and governments providing diplomatic and logistical cover for these crimes; exploring legal actions in more than 30 countries; and continued demands for sanctions against and reparations from the israeli state for its ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people.

GSF continues to demand formal accountability for the violence and sexual abuse inflicted on participants. GSF maintains that civilian maritime missions are firmly protected under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), a framework the Israeli state and its allies are currently dismantling.

A Direct Challenge to Political Cowardice

The mission stands as a direct challenge to world leaders who have offered only calibrated statements and letters while witnessing the continued genocide and starvation of Gaza. While 14 UN Special Rapporteurs, the Prime Ministers of Spain and Brazil, and 19 members of the U.S. Congress have spoken out, the U.S. State Department has issued threats against its own citizens rather than defending them from attacks in international waters. This response is being documented as a legal and political fact.

In the absence of state intervention, people of conscience are acting as the physical barrier between military brutality and Palestinian lives. As the flotilla sets sail, movement and Palestinian civil society leaders are coordinating global protests on land, with over 400 actions planned across 47 countries on May 15 and 16. The horizon is not negotiable.

MIL OSI

Moana Pasifika is not the only club facing closure since the Super Rugby Pacific competition kicked off in 2022.

The Melbourne Rebels suffered a similar fate at the end of the 2024 season, which reduced the then-12-team competition to 11.

There are calls for changes to mitigate what many believe is the growing risk of the competition going under.

Last weekend’s New Zealand Rugby (NZR) annual general meeting (AGM) heard all five of New Zealand’s franchises – the Blues, Chiefs, Crusaders, Highlanders, and Hurricanes – were bleeding money in 2025.

Moana Pasifika, which could be called the financially weakest of all the clubs, was doomed to follow the Rebels into oblivion for many reasons.

That reality was announced last month, with funders and current licence holders, the Pasifika Medical Association (PMA), announcing they were backing out because of financial challenges.

This decision comes after extensive consideration of the financial, operational and strategic realities facing the franchise, as well as professional rugby in New Zealand.

Moana Pasifika said on 15 April, that despite the tireless dedication of players, staff, and supporters, it is no longer viable to continue the franchise at this level of competition.

“This is one of the hardest decisions we have ever made. We are immensely proud of our players, staff, and the community who have supported our team over the years,” Moana Pasifika chair Dr Kiki Maoate said.

“Across our rugby, pathways and community programmes, we have been able to support a growing hub of Pacific talent across multiple sporting codes, both locally and in the Pacific region. This is something we are extremely proud of and will continue to support and advocate for as best we can.

“Our commitment now is to ensure a smooth transition for everyone affected and to celebrate our legacy by finishing the season strong.”

The Moana Pasifika Charitable Trust was founded by Savae La’auli Sir Michael Jones KNZM and Tuifa’asisina Sir Bryan Williams KNZM in 2021, with a mission to create the first professional Pacific rugby team.

It is that ‘Trust’ model which is now believed to have been a downfall that has limited the franchise’s ability to secure long-term funding from sponsors.

World Rugby and NZR both stepped in the initial stages, but both organisations have stated publicly they will not do that now, leaving the club and its owners to either stay firm on their decision to close or sell to interested buyers.

Enter Kanaloa Consortium – backed by a number of Pasifika heritage former All Blacks.

Kanaloa’s CEO Tracy Atiga said they have been given until 15 May – tomorrow – to send in their proposal to NZR to save Moana Pasifika for disbanding.

She has also said that part of that NZR agreement is for Kanaloa to get the support of both PMA and the New Zealand Rugby Players Association (NZRPA).

She has been outspoken about what she calls unsupportive stance taken by both the PMA and the NZRPA who had, as she claimed, shown no interest in getting Kanaloa’s proposal or bid supported.

However, both PMA and Moana Pasifika chief executive Debbie Sorensen and NZRPA’s Rob Nichol have stated that Kanaloa should send their proposal to NZR, if they were serious about their bid.

Kanaloa, which was known to many until the revelation that Moana Pasifika was going to close, had initially sent a proposal to PMA’s Sorensen last year but did not get any response, and had also bid for a franchise license in 2020/2021 but were also unsuccessful.

A point of interest: Kanaloa threatened to sue NZR in November 2020, because they claimed the union breached its own rules by granting Moana Pasifika a licence, even though the new franchise did not properly participate in the tender process.

Anyway, NZR has also stated they are open to discuss any proposal that would save Moana Pasifika.

“NZR is open to receiving proposals that present a long-term and sustainable plan for Moana Pasifika,” a NZR spokesman said, adding “that opportunity is available for the next few weeks”.

For Kanaloa that period ends on Friday.

‘The model doesn’t work’

It is going to be telling to see how things play out in the next few days and week.

Media reports in Aotearoa say that reports tabled at the NZR AGM indicate all five of New Zealand’s teams made losses last year and the private equity investors who hold varying stakes in those teams have called for changes, including a possible move to full private ownership.

“When we got involved, we knew the Hurricanes were losing money. The model doesn’t work,” Malcolm Gillies, a co-owner of the Wellington-based Hurricanes, told the Rugby Direct podcast.

“Unless there’s change, it’s not going to work. You’ve got five franchises in New Zealand and none of them are making a lot of money. The whole system has to change.

Gillies believes the competition in its current form is unsustainable.

“If it stays the way it is now, I fear for it. If there’s change then I believe we’ve got a product. But if it doesn’t, I believe it’s going to die. That’s my honest opinion.”

NZR contracts and retains control over Super Rugby Pacific players under the current system.

Full private ownership would follow the England and France situation, where clubs directly contract the players.

Moana Pasifika players basically come under the Pacific Rugby Players (PRP) association, which has stated their ultimate focus is making sure players’ welfare are looked after.

It is their number one job, chairman Valentine Tauamiti told RNZ Pacific this week.

So right now, PRP will request discussions on any proposal they see might fit the bill. Thus, their request to NZR that the Kanaloa bid gets discussed.

While Atiga and Kanaloa have yet to send their proposal through, a number of things needs to be verified:

• How has their management record been? Has Kanaloa successfully managed sports teams to the magnitude of a Super Rugby franchisee in the past?

Records show Kanaloa had tried to get into the Major Rugby League in the USA three years ago also but failed. But Atiga is confident they have the money, the experience and the people to fund and manage Moana Pasifika, fulfilling all the requirements that needs to be met, with international player fees paid out on top of players’ contracts.

• Do they have a viable and sustainable business plan?

The reality on the ground is Super Rugby clubs need more than NZ$15 million to survive annually. And there is no guarantee ticket sales, TV rights and sponsorship endorsements will meet that need annually. Atiga and Kanaloa believe their model will work and ensure financial safety going forward.

• Will Kanaloa be able to have security, or guarantee, that would cover the costs if the franchise folds?

This is a critical factor that would need to be part of any sale agreement. Buyers must prove they have the added security, in the form of a building or assets, that can be used to meet the financial demands, ensuring there are no debts left when a franchise folds. RNZ Pacific understands this is one area both the PRP and the NZRPA demand as being part of any proposal.

RNZ Pacific has been reliably informed that the PMA is selling its Christchurch building, the Maoate House, which is now on the market.

Sorensen has been asked to confirm the sale, but it is believed that is being done as part of the funding agreement when the PMA took up Moana Pasifika.

Moana Pasifika has two more games to go this season, one at home next weekend and the other away in Australia.

Whether those two matches will be their last as a Super Rugby Pacific team – or the start of a revamp – is anyone’s guess right now.

One thing is clear: NZR and the stakeholders involved will need to act fast if Moana Pasifika is to be saved.

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

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

University entrance has long been the gold standard result from our schools – but there’s hope that planned changes will improve life for those who want to tread a different path

Just three of every 10 school leavers head to universities, those halls of learning long considered to be the gold standard of education.

But a tradie can earn as much as a policy analyst – and a plumber’s job can’t be done by artificial intelligence. Some studies suggest that the retirement-age pay gap between both paths has closed.

There’s also no rule to say you can’t do both, and having a construction career under your belt is a good way to go into an engineering degree, for example.

Today on The Detail we talk to two experts in the area of education pathways – both welcome the shifting of government funding from fees-free university tuition to vocational education and trades training.

Josh Williams is the principal consultant for the Skills Development Group, and former head of the Industry Training Federation. He’s also been a senior policy manager at the Ministry of Education and has been involved in managing school transition programmes such as Youth Guarantee and Gateway.

Skills Development has issued a White Paper called Multiple Pathways to Success which discusses this issue.

Williams says we need to make it really clear what the alternative pathways from school to work are.

“Because at the moment we’re pigeon-holing people into ‘it’s university, or not university’.

“Well, what’s in the ‘not’?” he says.

“Getting university entrance can’t be the only goal of 13 years at school.

“We have to prepare our young people for a wider range of opportunities, and in particular that exposure and experience which means they’ll be able to make that successful step and find their pathway.”

One block when it comes to this is called ‘parity of esteem’ – where non-university pathways aren’t seen as prestigious, and the qualifications levels aren’t equitable.

“Although even the phrase ‘parity of esteem’ pretends like there’s two things, there’s academic and there’s vocational. I kind of reject that and honestly where the situation’s going now where we’re talking about a shared curriculum that has industry subjects and curriculum subjects sitting within a shared curriculum I think is very positive.

“Look, every young person is on a trip to the workforce.”

Williams says the whole idea behind NCEA was that it could recognise and reward learning from a much wider range of things.

“Effectively any credit on the framework could count towards your NCEA. That flexibility was absolutely seen as a strength, but that flexibility was also ultimately a bit of a weakness, because the assessment system that came in under NCEA has effectively been grafted on to a schooling system that hasn’t changed very much.

“The main game is to chase a thing called University Entrance because it’s really the only clear recipe in the whole cookbook of school. Everything else is a bit of an add-on.

“Certainly it was the case that the flexibility of NCEA could be misused, that ultimately kids could come out with an NCEA qualification that was made up of an incoherent grab-bag of things that didn’t really add up to a purposeful direction or a set of foundation skills for employability.”

Williams says there are a range of schemes that exist that do work, such as Gateway, but at the moment only about 15 percent of our Year 11 to 13 population access them.

It’s hoped that a change in the curriculum will help build better connections between schools and the workplace.

Dr Michael Johnston, a Senior Fellow from the think-tank New Zealand Initiative, has written a report called Working Knowledge – Designing Industry-Led Subjects for Students and Schools.

He chaired a 2024 Ministerial Advisory Group for the Education Minister on the development of a knowledge-rich curriculum for English and mathematics. He’s now a member of the Curriculum Coherence group, which advises on the development of knowledge-rich curricula across all school subjects.

He’s been in Germany studying their system and tells The Detail today what he does – and doesn’t – like about it, and what we could adopt.

Johnston says in New Zealand there’s never been a formal national curricula for vocational education at secondary school.

“We’ve had technology for a long time, but not subjects that are so completely geared towards getting young people into apprenticeships and tertiary training, where these subjects will be very responsive to the needs of industry. This is the first time were we would have had formal curricula for that kind of subject.”

Johnston also questions the qualifications framework and the parity between them.

“We see Bachelor’s degrees at Level 7, and most trades qualifications at Level 4. Why is that? Do we really think that to be a skilled electrician is trivial compared with getting a Bachelor of Arts?”

Asked what makes him think we have an opportunity now to change things, Johnston says he’s “an eternal optimist”.

“It comes down ultimately to a cultural prejudice, and I think that is borne of a time when, first of all, I would say university education was of higher quality, and when far fewer people went to university, so it had this elite status.

“And to be fair in those days it probably did lead to the higher incomes on average. But I think those days are gone.”

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

ONTARIO, US – Media OutReach Newswire – 13 May 2026 – With demand for smarter, more efficient outdoor living solutions continuing to rise across Germany, Garvee has launched its 2026 Garden Upgrade concept for the summer season. Centered on labor-saving garden work, self-sufficient living, weather-ready relaxation, and indoor freshness, the product lineup is designed to help homeowners transform their gardens into functional, comfortable, and enjoyable spaces.

Building the Foundation with Greater Efficiency

Every successful garden transformation begins with organization and preparation. Garvee’s Garden Cart is designed to support heavy-duty garden tasks with high load capacity, strong stability, and reliable movement across grass, gravel, and even snow. Its removable side meshes make it suitable for transporting irregular, oversized, or bulky items with ease.

Hex Wire Mesh, which is not only strong and durable but also incredibly easy to cut, bend, and install, you can effortlessly define your garden’s boundaries or protect your vegetable patches.

Supporting Self-Sufficient Living

The trend toward self-sufficiency continues to grow in Germany, with more households seeking fresh, organic produce from their own outdoor spaces. Garvee’s Metal Nesting Box helps bring that lifestyle closer to home by providing a durable, easy-to-clean solution for poultry keeping. With its multi-compartment structure and optimized ventilation, the Metal Nesting Box creates a comfortable environment for hens while supporting the daily convenience of fresh eggs at home.

Creating a Relaxing Outdoor Retreat

After the hard work is complete, Garvee’s Hanging Chair with Metal Frame offers a comfortable centerpiece for outdoor relaxation. Designed with the unpredictable German summer in mind, the chair includes a complimentary rain cover that can be quickly deployed during sudden showers, helping keep cushions dry and ready for use.

Extending Summer Freshness Indoors

Garvee’s 2026 summer upgrade concept also extends into the home. The Portable Air Conditioner provides flexible cooling with an easy-to-move design, helping households stay comfortable during midday heat. To complete the indoor-outdoor atmosphere, Garvee’s Artificial Plant brings lifelike greenery into the living space without watering, pruning, or maintenance. Together, these products create a seamless comfort experience from garden to home.

For more products, please visit Garvee or search “Garvee” on Amazon.

Hashtag: #Garvee

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.

A broken collarbone couldn’t stop Kiwi equestrian Tim Price from delivering one of his best-ever results, as he surged to silver at the Badminton Horse Trials.

In a remarkable finish on Monday (NZ time), Price climbed from 10th after the dressage on the opening day, to sixth in the cross country phase, before jumping clear to secure silver.

The experienced multiple Olympian credits his upbringing with his parents and two brothers on a Canterbury farm for sparking his interest in the global equestrian stage.

“We had a small horse stud, 50 acres odd in Oxford, and there were horses coming out our ears,” the 46-year-old, Price said.

“I was working with horses young and old, and it was very normal to be dealing with horses every day.”

At the family-run block, stallions were bred to mares, before the pony club, show jumping and eventing competitions shaped the direction of Price’s life.

The three-time Olympian calls England home where he’s found a special rural corner of countryside with his wife Jonelle, who also competes at the highest level in three-day eventing for New Zealand.

“Down here in Dorset we’re in the middle of nowhere. It’s a beautiful farm with an excellent equestrian facility, owned by a great man who puts a lot into this estate,” Price said.

Of the husband and wife duo, Jonelle was the first to wear the silver fern at the 2012 Olympics Games in London.

The eventing power couple have represented New Zealand together now at Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024.

Price said his silver medal at Badminton is only just starting to sink in after a couple of days.

Before the event, he tried his best to keep his broken collarbone from a biking injury under wraps.

“It wasn’t something I really wanted to make public in the last few big events, so I just said I had a busted shoulder,” he said.

“Badminton has eluded me. It’s a very difficult event to win. It’s tricky to get the best out of your horse so early in the northern hemishpere season.”

“I was really happy with the result with Falco, he was just class all the way through.”

The 17-year-old gelding is a superb jumper, however only time will if he can compete at the next Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

“He’s now been second at one of the biggest five star events at Badminton, he was sixth at the Paris Olympics, he’s been a great horse, not just for me, but for New Zealand in teams.”

“He’s getting a little on the older side, in two years time is the Los Angeles Olympics – that might just be a little late in his career for him.”

Nonetheless, Price has his sights firmly set on the World Championships with Falco later this year in Aachen in Germany.

“Possibly Burghley in the autumn – just to show everyone how cool he is.”

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

Three-time America’s Cup winner Blair Tuke won’t be a part of the on-water crew for next week’s America’s Cup preliminary regatta in Sardinia.

Tuke, who won the cup in 2017, 2021 and 2024, will instead be involved in Team New Zealand’s onshore development.

A release from the team said Tuke would continue to transition into a more executive and strategic role, focused on the speed development of Taihoro and performance of the sailing team in the lead up to the America’s Cup defence in Naples in 2027.

“I am really excited by the challenge of transitioning into another phase of my career within a team I have had such success with,” Tuke said in the statement.

“The team as a whole is under no illusions as to how tough a fourth straight defence will be, so playing my part and utilising my experience will hopefully continue to contribute to its ongoing success.”

Tuke formed a formidable partnership with skipper Peter Burling in their Americas Cup successes, in trimmer/flight controller roles

Burling left Team New Zealand just over a year ago, later saying [https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/sport/579918/peter-burling-says-control-team-new-zealand-wanted-over-him-was-just-crazy it wanted to exert too much control over him.

New Zealand will have two crews competing in Sardinia in two AC40s.

The number one boat will have the helming duties shared by skipper Nathan Outteridge and 20-year-old Seb Menzies, and will feature trimmers Andy Maloney and Iain Jensen.

The second development boat will have Erica Dawson and Jake Pye take the dual-helm positions, joined by trimmers Serena Woodall and Josh Armit.

The eight-boat fleet has dual entries from New Zealand, Great Britain and Luna Rossa, alongside single-boat entries from La Roche-Posay Racing of France and Team Alinghi from Switzerland.

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

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Sir Graham Henry wants to bring a simplistic approach to the table as he returns to the All Blacks fold as a selector.

Head coach Dave Rennie confirmed on Tuesday that Henry would join him and assistant coach Neil Barnes as selectors, with the All Blacks having their first test of the year against France in Christchurch’s new Te Kaha Stadium on 4 July.

Henry, 79, said one of the things he had learned during his coaching career, which included a Rugby World Cup title with the All Blacks in 2011, was sharing responsibility with the players.

That involves “everybody being on the same page and spending the time to ensure that happens so that everybody feels comfortable with what they’re trying to do”, he told Morning Report.

“I think that’s the key, giving players additional responsibility and ownership, and the more ownership they have, I think, the better they play. That’s how we approached it 20 years ago.”

The sport appears different now, but Henry said the same approach should ring true.

“I haven’t been in a coaching group for some time. It appears to be more complicated. And maybe that’s more difficult, but simplicity is key, I think. The more simple we can keep the game, I think the better the boys will play,” Henry said.

“The pressure is even greater today because the athletes are bigger and faster, so you’ve got less time to make decisions. The simplicity of what you’re trying to do is key, so that you actually can function. If it gets too complex, it makes it extremely difficult.”

Henry said the selectors had an extensive list of players to consider. “The competition for the All Black team is very real, and there’s a lot of very good players, and there’s going to be some very good players who don’t get selected, which is a healthy situation, but difficult for them, obviously.”

He said it was tough leaving players out. “But that’s the job, isn’t it. So you’ve just got to do your best. And I think making sure that you select correctly is a very important part of the side playing the best it can play.”

Henry coached Wales from 1998 to 2002 and the British and Irish Lions in 2001, before being All Blacks head coach from 2004-11. His record with the All Blacks was 88 wins from 103 tests. More recently, he was involved with the Black Ferns set-up during their World Cup winning campaign in 2022.

He gave an insight into the role of a selector, saying there was a huge amount of statistical information now available on players compared to his time with national side, but that was a back-up to the main job.

“At the end of the day, you watch players play, and if you watch them for a long time – you don’t watch the game when you’re selecting, you just watch the individuals – you get a very good sense of whether they can do the job or not,” he said.

Players could be observed over an extensive period of time. “You know by viewing them whether they can put it in at the next level.”

Henry said he hadn’t missed the pressure of being involved at the top level, but was “very humbled” to be asked by Rennie and excited by the opportunity.

“I love the game. I think the game has got some challenges right now, so I’d like to try and help improve the game in this country, if I can.”

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

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A hantavirus “contact” case has been quarantined in Pitcairn after a short transit in Tahiti over the weekend, French Polynesia’s local government says.

Arriving from San Francisco, the passenger, described as a US citizen, had briefly transited in Tahiti and Mangareva on 7 May 2026 (local time) “without neither local authorities nor the French State being informed”.

When local authorities became aware of the situation, French Polynesia’s government said they held an emergency meeting.

“The person concerned does not present any (hantavirus) symptom and is presently isolated in quarantine in Pitcairn,” the government said in a statement on Monday.

“She will not leave Pitcairn Island to transit via French Polynesia as long as she presents a potential risk to others.”

The statement said the government would continue to closely monitor the situation over the next five days regarding the evolution of the person’s condition.

• What exactly is the hantavirus outbreak and how worried should we be?

Meanwhile, French Polynesia and France stand “ready to support Pitcairn in the coming days, should the need arise”.

Pitcairn Island, located East of French Polynesia, is a British Overseas Territory in the Pacific, with an estimated population of less than 50.

Most residents are descendants of the HMS Bounty mutineers who settled there in 1790.

Returning from a cruise that started on the southernmost tip of South America [Ushuaia (Argentina) to Cape Verde], the passengers were transferred by boat to the island of Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands on 10 May.

Three people have died since the outbreak, and five passengers (who left the cruise ship MV Hondius before the outbreak was declared) have been confirmed to have been infected with hantavirus.

One of five French people flown back to France is showing symptoms of hantavirus, French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said on Monday.

The infected case has since developed symptoms that later required intensive care, but have since stabilised.

“One of them showed symptoms in the repatriation plane,” Lecornu posted on X.

“These five passengers have immediately been placed in strict isolation until further notice …They are getting medical treatment and will undergo tests and a medical check-up.”

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has recommended that people evacuated from the cruise ship should quarantine for at least 42 days either at home or in hospital and undergo daily health checks.

WHO said the actual quarantine process is being managed by each individual country.

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

As New Zealand grapples with rising energy costs and uncertain supply chains, questions about our fuel security and food security are becoming tightly knotted together.

Our country relies year-round on our covered crop growers to produce affordable quality fresh produce. This includes 95% of our tomatoes, capsicums and cucumbers. Many of them operate glasshouses that sweep across from South Auckland to Bay of Plenty. Most of them rely on natural gas, waste oil or coal heating to maintain growing temperatures.

“Energy costs are currently about 40% of a grower’s overhead, heating is rapidly becoming one of the sector’s largest and most volatile operating costs. Keeping the heating on is seriously impacting our growers’ ability to keep operating. While many growers currently have their fuel supply locked in through contracts, the real risk is what happens when those contracts run out, and remaining on gas could become unaffordable,” says Dinah Cohen, General Manager of Covered Cropping NZ.

Dr Anya Seward from Earth Sciences New Zealand says the sector could turn to a more local solution, by rather ironically, looking underground.

“Simply, there is no more efficient way to produce heat than by starting with pre-existing heat. Using the geothermal heat directly in our earth’s crust offers a 24/7, low-emissions heating alternative that is more energy efficient than fossil-fuel burners and electric heating” says Seward.

To help growers search for alternative solutions, Seward and her team from Earth Sciences New Zealand and GeoExchange NZ have launched a new “Geothermal for Glasshouses Calculator” . This free online calculator is designed to help covered crop growers assess whether switching from fossil fuel heating to geothermal heating could be technically and economically viable. Growers have already been testing the tool to explore potential heating demand, fuel displacement, emissions reductions, and indicative cost considerations for their specific need.

Seward says the motivation in creating the tool was because geothermal heat presents a major opportunity for the glasshouse industry to reduce exposure to fuel shocks.

“This tool is about giving growers practical, science‑based insights so they can see what geothermal heating could mean for their business and for the resilience of the wider food system.”

Cohen says the calculator responds directly to questions growers are asking.

“Growers want reliable information about alternatives. Having a tool that’s specifically designed for glasshouse operations and grounded in New Zealand conditions is incredibly valuable. This helps turn geothermal heat from a concept into something growers can genuinely evaluate.”

“Speaking of the concept, it’s important for New Zealand to know that the use of geothermal heat in greenhouses is common overseas, even in places you don’t typically associate with the word ‘geothermal’, like the Netherlands” adds Cohen.

While geothermal energy is often associated with known hotspots like Taupō and Rotorua, the developers of the tool stress that its potential is far broader.

“One of the key messages we want to get across is that geothermal isn’t just for a few regions or industries. Across much of New Zealand, low‑temperature geothermal heat is readily available and suitable for many uses currently met by gas below 100°C, from space and water heating to food processing and concrete curing. Higher-temperature hotspots can also support more demanding industrial processes” says Dr Seward.

“But to make realistic progress, New Zealand needs to invest in nationwide geothermal datasets and more tools, like this calculator, that are catered to other industries. Crucially, we also need ways to de‑risk development for potential end users, such as regionally distributed test bores and pilot projects that can confirm what’s in the ground and what it would take to use it. That kind of early investment is one reason greenhouse geoheat has scaled overseas, including in the Netherlands, where developers have drilled much deeper. We’re seeing encouraging signals in the Geothermal Strategy for New Zealand the government released last month. We have a long way to go, but the opportunity seems worth it.”

The Geothermal for Glasshouses Calculator is available now: https://data.gns.cri.nz/geoheat/

This initiative is supported by the Ministry for Primary Industries’ Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund and Vegetables NZ and Tomatoes NZ, and in collaboration with Earth Sciences New Zealand and GeoExchange NZ.

MIL OSI

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

The New Zealand Army has completed its first Exercise Balikatan in the Philippines, improving its ability to fight a modern war amid the heat, humidity and venomous snakes and insects of the jungle.

New Zealand, Australia, Philippines, United States, Canada, France and Japan celebrated the successful completion of Balikatan 2026 during a closing ceremony at Camp Aguinaldo, Manila last week.

Balikatan, meaning “shoulder to shoulder” in the local Tagalog language, is a bilateral US-Philippines annual exercise designed to strengthen regional security through combined air, land, sea, cyber and space operations featuring maritime drills, coastal defence training, joint live-fire exercises and humanitarian projects.

Around 70 New Zealand Defence Force personnel, primarily from the NZ Army, have been in the Philippines for Exercise Balikatan since mid-April.

About 40 of those personnel are a NZ Army light infantry platoon group from 2nd/1st Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment, which was integrated into an Australian Army light infantry company from 5th/7th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment, to form Combat Team Jackal.

The NZ Army light infantry platoon has participated across a range of scenarios, shoulder to shoulder with Australian, Philippine and US personnel against a fictitious opposing force, as part of larger formations that cannot be easily replicated in New Zealand.

They also took part in jungle training delivered by the Philippine Marine Corps, and close-combat shooting in the jungle environment.

The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) also deployed movement operators, health specialists, cyber specialists, communications experts, and other supporting personnel, gaining valuable experience and demonstrating capability to partners.

In the lead up to Balikatan, defence cooperation between New Zealand and the Philippines has been strengthened.

In the past two years, New Zealand and the Philippines have signed a Mutual Logistics Supporting Arrangement, held bilateral defence talks, signed the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement, participated as an observer to Exercise Balikatan in 2025, and held an inaugural maritime dialogue.

The NZDF’s participation in Balikatan reflects a strategic commitment to strengthening regional partnerships, enhancing tactical and operational interoperability, and contributing to regional stability in support of the international rules-based system in the Indo-Pacific.

Lieutenant Colonel Jason Tinsley, Senior National Officer for the contingent says New Zealand is fortunate to have likeminded partners within the Indo-Pacific region.

“A shared sense of purpose for maintaining stability and promoting the international rules-based order has made for an excellent working relationship with our partners on Exercise Balikatan.”

The unique environment of the Philippines has provided a valuable training ground.

“Unlike our Australian and Filipino colleagues, we are not routinely exposed to the dangers of heat, poisonous snakes, and virus-carrying insects,” Lieutenant Colonel Tinsley said.

“Facing and overcoming these challenges provides an excellent opportunity to enhance combat effectiveness in environments very different to New Zealand.”

The NZ Army light infantry platoon group as part of Combat Team Jackal is now taking part in Exercise Salaknib, also in the Philippines and involving the host country, Australia, Japan, the United States, and for the first time New Zealand.

Salaknib’s focus is conducting complex, multi-domain operations, including live-fire events, aviation and counter mobility operations and jungle training.

MIL OSI

Explainer – The internet is filling with panic about hantavirus, but is it really as dangerous as Covid-19? Here’s what we know so far.

Three deaths and several infections on a cruise ship off South America has raised alarms for many, in a world where some are still mentally and physically recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic.

“This is not going to be another coronavirus pandemic, from all we know about this agent,” said epidemiologist Michael Baker – a man who knows his pandemics and was one of New Zealand’s most prominent experts during Covid-19.

“This is not another Covid,” World Health Organisation Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has also said. “The current public health risk from hantavirus remains low.”

What’s happening with this outbreak? Could it come to New Zealand?

Three people have died and at least six others appear to be infected after an outbreak of hantavirus on the cruise ship MV Hondius, which was travelling around South America last month.

Passengers on the cruise ship have been evacuated in the Canary Islands. One New Zealander has been confirmed to be among them.

That person will eventually return home.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed that “we are providing consular assistance to a New Zealander on board the MV Hondius. This will include repatriation assistance.”

MFAT indicated no further information on the New Zealander would be provided for privacy reasons.

“We currently have no reason to believe that any New Zealanders have contracted hantavirus,” said Dr Richard Jaine, deputy director of public health for the Ministry of Health.

“However, it is important that we respond appropriately and take all possible steps to manage any potential risk to individuals or the public.”

The person may likely face precautions on their return to New Zealand.

“Depending on the risk it is possible this may also include a period of quarantine for any exposed individual on their return to New Zealand.”

What is a hantavirus?

Hantavirus is typically spread by the inhalation of contaminated rodent droppings.

This particular strain, the Andes virus, is endemic to Argentina, and is the only strain of hantavirus that has been known to have human to human transmission – typically through very close contact such as sharing a bed or food.

Its symptoms typically include fever, headache, muscle aches and gastrointestinal symptoms.

Hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS), a severe respiratory illness that can develop, has a case fatality rate up to 50 percent. It’s the same thing that killed Betsy Arakawa, the wife of the late actor Gene Hackman, last year.

“The (hantavirus) in the Americas are particularly dangerous because they have a fatality rate of about 40 percent,” Baker told RNZ Afternoons. “They’re very unpleasant infections if you get them.”

No vaccines or specific treatments exist for hantavirus, but quick hospital care can often prevent symptoms turning deadly.

Hantaviruses are found in small mammals such as rats, mice, voles, shrews and lemmings, but no New Zealand rodents carry these viruses, University of Auckland associate professor of infectious diseases Dr Mark Thomas said.

“The only way a New Zealand resident could become unwell with a hantavirus infection would be as the result of travel to a country where the virus is present.”

WHO has said the investigations so far suggest possible exposure to rodents during bird watching activities.

“A Dutch couple, who unfortunately have now died, probably got infected in Argentina, and the other thing that was very bad luck was that the Andean species of this hantavirus is the only one that has occasionally caused person to person transmission,” Baker said.

How is it transmitted?

Hantavirus is contracted from direct contact with urine, droppings or saliva of infected rodents, or rarely through rodent bites.

But the Andes variant has shown some ability to move between humans in certain conditions.

“Andes virus has demonstrated limited human-to-human transmission in previous outbreaks, typically occurring among close contacts and within household settings, generally requiring prolonged close exposure,” WHO’s database states.

However, Covid-19 is a far more efficient airborne respiratory virus that spreads much easier than hantavirus does.

Human-to-human transmission of hantavirus is rare and requires prolonged and direct exposure to a case, Jaine said.

“This isn’t like the flu or Covid-19.”

Cruise ships have often been incubators for diseases and outbreaks.

Baker said the combination of the Andes hantavirus and cramped quarters on board a ship have made for a “really bad sequence of events”.

“The ship environment presents an increased risk due to close living quarters, shared indoor spaces, prolonged exposure, and frequent interpersonal interactions, all of which may facilitate transmission,” WHO wrote.

Health authorities in several countries have also been tracking passengers who had already disembarked and anyone who may have come into contact with them.

The lengthy incubation time of the virus – as long as eight weeks – could also complicate efforts to contain the disease.

So is this really going to be Covid-19 part 2?

The general consensus for now is that while it’s worrying and health authorities are paying close attention, this isn’t the same kind of quick-spreading disease Covid was.

“It has all those echoes from a very tough period in our history,” Back said, with an infection that’s come from an animal to humans. But it’s not the same kind of illness.

“It’s very different. They’re usually very hard to catch. There are several hundred cases a year but they are linked to rodents.”

The images of masked medical workers and return of contract tracing is bringing back memories of the pandemic for many people. “Covid PTSD” is a real thing, with people anxious about a return to lockdowns and cracking dad jokes on social media about stocking up on toilet paper.

Is there any danger of it turning into a global pandemic?

So far, the advice is not to panic.

“This is not the start of an epidemic. This is not the start of a pandemic,” Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, director of WHO’s Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Management, said at a press conference.

“I think it’s very important that listeners are not overly concerned about this particular outbreak … It is being very well managed,” Baker said.

Viruses do mutate, so health authorities are taking the hantavirus situation very seriously, Baker said.

“They’ll certainly be looking at it to see if it has changed in any way.”

For the passengers on the ship, “precautions being taken are very intense,” he said.

“Anyone being evacuated is going to be treated as if they are quite infectious.”

WHO’s emergency alert and response director Abdi Rahman Mahamud told AFP he believed any further spread would be “a limited outbreak” if “public health measures are implemented and solidarity shown across all countries.”

WHO has said it advises against implementing any travel or trade restrictions based on current information about the hantavirus.

The majority of the approximately 150 passengers and crew on board the cruise ship appear not to have contracted the virus.

“If it was highly infectious it wouldn’t just be maybe half a dozen people infected on this ship,” Baker said.

“You’d see a high proportion of people on board showing some evidence of infection.”

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

Incoming All Blacks coach Rennie and his star flanker Ardie Savea have steered Kobe Steelers to the top seeding in Japan Rugby League One’s knockout stage.

The Steelers clinched victory in a key final match of the 18-round regular season, winning 24-19 away to arch rivals the Kubota Spears.

The win leaves Kobe top and the Saitama Wild Knights second, handing them a bye through the first round of the play-offs while the third-ranked Spears must play an elimination final.

The outcome also increases the likelihood of a short preparation time for Rennie when he takes charge of the All Blacks for the first time ahead of their first test of 2026 – a Nations Championship fixture against France in Christchurch on 4 July.

Kobe are guaranteed to be involved in either the Japanese final on 7 June, or the third-place match a day earlier.

The All Blacks will have less than a month with Rennie, along with attack coach Mike Blair, the Scotsman who works under Rennie at Kobe and has been included in the new-look New Zealand coaching staff.

Savea – who is a contender to be named All Blacks captain – will also have little time on the ground before probably being called into Test duty.

Despite missing the Super Rugby Pacific season, Savea and Kobe team-mate Anton Lienert-Brown are both in contention for All Blacks selection under clauses in their Japan sabbatical contracts.

Kobe produced a strong finish to the season to claim top spot, with co-captain Brodie Retallick enjoying a standout campaign.

In a remarkable feat, former All Blacks lock centurion Retallick topped the try-scoring list for all teams with 17 – leaving him one short of the competition season record.

There is a two-week break before the two Japan elimination finals are played.

The first match will pit fourth-placed Tokyo Sungoliath against the fifth ranked Black Rams Tokyo.

The teams’ respective captains are long-time All Blacks team-mates and test centurions Sam Cane and TJ Perenara.

The defending champion Brave Lupus Tokyo – coached by Todd Blackadder and featuring All Blacks first-five Richie Mo’unga – snuck into the knockout stage in sixth.

Their elimination final against the Kubota Spears – a rematch of last year’s final – could be the last in Japan for the 31-year-old Mo’unga, who was New Zealand’s first-choice playmaker at the last two World Cups.

His first two seasons of a three-year contract brought successive titles for the Brave Lupus.

Under New Zealand Rugby stipulations, Mo’unga is ineligible for the All Blacks’ opening Nations Championship tests on home soil, along with the four-test Greatest Rivarly tour of South Africa.

Meanwhile, the season is over for ninth-placed Toyota Verblitz, who have a strong Kiwi connection.

Steve Hansen is the club’s director of rugby while fellow-former All Blacks coach Ian Foster is head coach and former All Blacks Aaron Smith and Mark Tele’a are in their playing ranks.

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

A political party named “Palestine Free From the River to the Sea” has been formed to contest the upcoming general election.

The party explicitly supports a single democratic state with equal rights for all from the river to the sea in the historic land of Palestine.

“We chose the party name to reflect our belief in freedom for all people,” says party President Paul Hopkinson, “but also to challenge the creeping fascism that seeks to silence our speech as a thought crime. Our party name itself is illegal in Queensland and Germany. They fear that the public will realise that we only ask that Palestinians have the same human rights that we all enjoy and our government claims to support.”

Aotearoa/New Zealand has a special responsibility to the Palestinian people as one of 33 nations to vote for the partition of Palestine in 1947. This precipitated the violent ethnic cleansing process known as the Nakba or Catastrophe.

MIL OSI

MIL OSI

Anyone returning to New Zealand from the cruise with the deadly hantavirus outbreak, could be put into quarantine.

It’s believed only one New Zealander is on board the MV Hondius, which is docking in the Canary Islands in Spain on Sunday evening (NZ time).

Three people have died after catching the virus.

The Ministry of Health said it is working closely with the World Health Organisation and international partners to support repatriation efforts. Dr Richard Jaine said there is no reason to believe that any New Zealanders have contracted the virus.

He said repatriation plans would include a thorough health assessment. He said it’s important to take all possible steps to manage any potential risk to the public.

He said depending on the risk it is possible it may also include a period of quarantine for any exposed individual on their return to New Zealand.

Dr Jaine said New Zealand’s health services are well-placed to respond if there is a case of hantavirus in the country, but he said human-to-human transmission of hantavirus is rare and requires prolonged and direct exposure to a case. He said it isn’t like the flu or Covid-19.

The head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has travelled to Tenerife to reassure residents that there’s a low risk of contracting the disease when the ship arrives.

The WHO had assessed the global risk as low and said the risk for New Zealand specifically, is low.

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

Police are investigating a complaint of a sex attack in an Auckland hotel linked to a visiting international footballer in March.

The NZ Herald reports the case involved a player from the Cape Verde football team during a four-team FIFA series, also involving New Zealand, Finland and Chile.

“Police can confirm an allegation is under investigation, reported to us on 10 April 2026 in central Auckland,” a police spokesperson told RNZ.

“We are unable to comment further at this time.”

RNZ has also approached NZ Football for comment.

The tournament from March 27-30 was part of the All Whites’ build-up towards next month’s FIFA World Cup in North America. The home side lost 2-0 to Finland, but beat Chile 4-1.

Ranked 69th in the world, Cape Verde have qualified for the World Cup as one of nine African teams, after winning a group that included Cameroon, Libya, Angola, Mauritius and Eswatini (formerly Swaziland).

They will be based in Tampa, Florida, and will contest a pool featuring Spain, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay.

During their visit to New Zealand, they lost 4-2 to Chile and drew 1-1 with Finland, both games at Auckland’s Eden Park.

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

“This will be a free-for-all, will it?” RNZ host Guyon Espiner – with tongue in cheek – asked Media and Communications Minister Paul Goldsmith on Midday Report last Wednesday.

“We’ve got no Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA), so I can go for it?”

Moments earlier, the minister had announced the government’s intention to scrap our official broadcasting watchdog.

RNZ Nights host Emile Donovan opened his show that night with a blast of bleeped-out spoof swearing. Stuff political reporter

Glen McConnell kicked off his TikTok post with a video volley of bleeped bad language, before explaining the differences between the internet and the airwaves – but airwaves are not a free-fire zone just yet.

Goldsmith’s just-released statement also said new legislation “will be drafted in the coming months”.

“The BSA will continue in its role until it is passed into law.”

There’s also an election in the coming months and Goldsmith went on to tell Midday Report the change wasn’t likely before then.

(The BSA also handles complaints about election advertisements with a fast-track system during the election period. That might come in handy if the campaign is a nasty one)

A change of government may mean it never happens.

Why scrap the 37 year-old watchdog anyway?

Media policy is rarely an election-year priority. National-led governments are usually hands-off.

Internal Affairs Minister Brooke Van Velden scrapped a slow-moving, four-year review of media regulation soon after the current government took over in 2023.

Culling the BSA wasn’t in any of the government’s action plans either, but in the last month, Goldsmith had hinted at it.

ACT, which this week claimed the minister’s announcement as a ‘sweet victory’ – was pushing him in that direction.

ACT ran a public petition and drafted a members’ bill to scrap the BSA. An ACT newsletter last month chided the media minister for not falling into line, asking: “Does Paul Goldsmith get paid over $200k just to sit on the fence?”

ACT’s Parmjeet Parmar, chair of the select committee conducting the BSA’s annual review last week, challenged BSA top brass to “justify its existence”.

The Free Speech Union – which said the BSA was censorious – joined in and so did the Taxpayers Union, condemning the $1.7m annual cost to the taxpayer and the cost to broadcasters, which paid levies for the BSA (although only at $250 for every $500,000 of turnover.)

Big-name broadcasters – including those pinged in the past for breaching broadcasting standards – also joined in on the air. Among them, Mike Hosking who said “good riddance” this week.

The issue that catalysed the calls to kill the BSA in recent months was its decision last year to consider a complaint it had received about Sean Plunket describing tikanga as “mumbo jumbo” on his live-streaming outlet, The Platform.

It’s highly unlikely that comment would be upheld as a breach of standards, even if it did offend more than one complainant. The BSA often rules that offence doesn’t override freedom of expression.

Its critics claimed this extended its authority over the internet. Some claimed the BSA would soon come after blogs and podcasts, although the BSA insisted those were not covered by the law that defined its jurisdiction.

Does no BSA mean broadcasting without accountability?

The BSA itself has been among those calling for reform for years.

Our fractured, pre-internet media regulation system also has the New Zealand Media Council (NZMC) covering non-broadcast news outlets, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and the Classification Office headed by the chief censor.

The BSA is the only one backed with an act of parliament allowing it to financially punish broadcasters and even take them off the air for serious breaches of the standards it applies.

Goldsmith told RNZ broadcasters currently faced more formal oversight than other media – and he preferred the self-regulation of the NZMC.

ACT leader David Seymour agreed.

“In a free society, people form different organisations to achieve together what they can’t achieve alone,” he told journalists last month. “The Media Council is an example of that.

“The BSA is forced on us and the funding of it is forced on people by parliament,”

Founded as the Press Council in 1972 by newspaper publishers, the NZMC now handles complaints about original online content too – including that of broadcasters TVNZ and RNZ.

Media outlets agree to abide by its principles voluntarily to reassure readers they are accountable.

It does not impose fines, prevent publication or order apologies, but members must take their medicine by publishing its rulings on upheld complaints.

Goldsmith has formally urged the state-owned broadcasters to lift public trust in themselves and the wider media too, but the most active media lobby group – Better Public Media (BPM) – claimed this week that taking out the BSA could drive down standards.

Rush to judgement

“He’s removing an enforceable standards regime with a regime that is, in a sense, ‘best intentions’,” BPM deputy chair Dr Peter Thompson told Mediawatch.

“If we expand the role of the NZMC, which by and large does a very professional job, that would extend some of the standards, but I don’t think what is proposed is clear and the fact that the minister hasn’t even worked through the options… suggests that this is a premature announcement.

“Other countries have created platform-neutral models that include both some form of industry self-regulation and co-regulation with a statutory body behind it, so I think we’re remaining an anomaly in the current environment, far from removing one,” said Thompson, an associate professor in media at VuW, who has scrutinised media policy for more than 25 years.

“These standards have evolved over time and the BSA conducts a significant amount of research… and looking at how audiences are engaging in the media. If a member decided that it didn’t want to abide by those standards, the most it could actually get in terms of consequence is public criticism.

“Say, a foreign billionaire coming here to New Zealand, buying up a chunk of the shares in a media company, ousting its board and then dictates a new set of editorial standards. If that billionaire happened to have a penchant for conspiracy theories or a right-wing view of the world, I would say that that’s actually a very dangerous scenario, if there is no mechanism for enforcing [standards].”

Different – but same?

The Media Council’s principles are similar to the broadcasting standards, which also echo the guidelines reputable media companies have for their own newsrooms, but extending the authority of the Media Council over willing broadcasters means they will still have to respond to similar complaints.

Media law expert Stephen Price pointed out this week that the Media Council currently upholds two to three times more complaints than the BSA.

“That’s partly because – irony alert – the BSA takes the right to freedom of expression under the New Zealand Bill of Rights act very seriously,” he wrote. “The Media Council, not so much.”

There’s also no means of appealing a Media Council decision, whereas Broadcasting Standards Authority rulings can be challenged in court. The Media Council frequently asserts the media is not obliged to avoid causing offence (or perceived ‘harm’), but it does not consider complaints about taste and decency or law and/order matters.

Extending its remit to broadcasting complaints would also seriously extend the Media Council. Its members – a mix of senior editors and laypeople – have other jobs, and its annual budget is tiny (currently about $330,000) and shrinking, like many of the media organisations that provide it.

The wisdom of the crowd?

Predictably the BSA opponents and free-speech advocates applauded the government decision, but some journalists and editors resent the watchdog too.

“Complainants to [the Media Council] and the BSA are generally politicised whingers,” veteran political editor Richard Harman declared. “We have a pluralistic media market, that should be enough.”

The broadcasting minister has suggested media that irritate the public will lose support or even go out of business. Maybe media that operate only online – not on public airwaves – should have the freedom to do that unregulated?

“If you are running a media organisation that persistently can reach tens of thousands or even millions of people, then I think you have some degree of power,” Thompson said. “That’s the debate that hasn’t happened here.”

Advertisers under the radar

Another outfit that self-regulates its area of the media without much controversy is the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

The ASA’s annual report also noted pointedly: “Processes anchored in legislation are usually more complex, take longer and cost more – for the parties involved in the complaint or the taxpayer.”

News and editorial content is not the same as advertising, but many complaints about both are about being misled.

“Advertisers need to be aware that, if you can’t prove it, you can’t say it in ads,” longserving ASA chief executive Hilary Souter told Mediawatch.

“I think we dealt with our first internet ad in 2004,” she said. “In general, all of the rules apply, regardless of whether the medium’s 100 years old, 10 years old or was set up last week.”

Its boards accommodate advertisers, agencies, media companies and public members, and – unlike the news media regulators – it’s ‘platform-neutral’.

The ASA 2025 annual report out last week said the number of ads complained about was up 48 percent on 2024. More than three-quarters of ads complained about were accepted for review by the complaints board.

Two of the five ads that generated the most complaints were provocative political advocacy ads that had to be pulled – but generated plenty of coverage.

Is self-regulation working to uphold standards there – and against agents who play fast and loose with rules?

“In 2024, there was a drop,” said Souter, also the current president of the International Council for Advertising Self-Regulation, which meets in Italy this week.

“That was probably the bigger story. Over $4 billion was spent on ad placement in 2025, so the proportion of ads that we get complaints about is pretty small.

“There are quite a few incentives for [brands] to get that right, not wrong in terms of alienating their customer base.”

The ASA’s codes are currently up for review and public input.

Among the things up for debate are ‘shifting community standards’ and ‘widespread offensiveness’.

“If a billboard is seen by lots of people, but we only get three complaints, does that mean it’s not widespread?” Souter said. “It had the potential to be widespread, but people didn’t come to us.”

While Souter is a global advocate of self -regulation, she says our media regulators can all save time and big money for those who object to bad ads or bad news, but can’t afford to go legal to get a verdict.

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

ASKALAN, OCCUPIED PALESTINE – The legal team of the Global Sumud Flotilla has confirmed that Saif Abukeshek and Thiago Ávila will be released in the coming hours. Both will ultimately be transferred to an immigration detention center in Egypt, where they will remain in custody until their deportation is carried out. The GSF legal team is still actively coordinating through diplomatic channels the release of both to happen in the same transport.

We celebrate this news as a victory and a reminder that international mobilization and sustained pressure exerted worldwide has an impact. We ask the world to continue to pressure for their release until Saif and Thiago are safely returned home. We also ask for the same sustained pressure to be applied to the release of our Tunisian friends and the nearly 10,000 Palestinian political prisoners and hostages being held illegally in israeli prisons.

We demand explanations from the European Union, and specifically, Greece, after days of silence and complicity, and we call for immediate sanctions against Israel for this illegal abduction and for the constant violations of international law and the human rights of the Palestinian people.

These detentions are not exceptional. They are an extension of the same system of imprisonment, administrative detention, torture, and impunity imposed on the Palestinian people for decades, now expanded beyond Palestine’s borders into international waters.

We will remain mobilized until all Palestinian political prisoners and hostages are freed; and in the same spirit, until our Tunisian comrades are freed. Free Palestine.

MIL OSI