Politics – LiveNews.co.nz

Fight Club at 30: toxic masculinity handbook or clever takedown of capitalism?

MIL OSI — Sun, 03 May 2026 01:57:57 +0000

Chuck Palahniuk’s first novel, Fight Club, is as relevant and controversial today as when it first hit shelves 30 years ago.

The story follows a depressed, insomniac unnamed narrator, who unknowingly creates an alter ego – the charismatic and anarchic Tyler Durden. In between having an on-off relationship with punkish Marla, the narrator and Durden create underground fight clubs, which form into “Project Mayhem”, a secret campaign of destruction and violence targeted at corporate America.

The book, written while Palahniuk was working as a truck mechanic, had humble beginnings: its first printing reportedly sold just under 5,000 copies. The 1999 film, directed by David Fincher and starring Edward Norton, Brad Pitt and Helena Bonham Carter, was a box-office disappointment but became a cult classic on DVD – leading viewers back to the book. More than 600,000 copies have now been sold.

Fight Club directed by David Fincher.

FOX 2000 PICTURES

. In the past decade, Fight Club has been adopted by key figures of the manosphere: an online ecosystem of misogynists and anti-feminists who are gaining influence, particularly among young men.

Three decades on, should we condemn Fight Club for the misogyny it has inspired – or is it more complex?

Satire, not manifesto

At only just over 200 pages, Fight Club is a breeze to read. Palahniuk’s prose is stripped down and punchy. Much of its time is spent with characters spouting aphorisms and pseudo-philosophy, rather than focusing on descriptions of scenery or specific details of events.

It’s very quotable:

“It’s only after you’ve lost everything … that you’re free to do anything.”

“You are not your job, you’re not how much money you have in the bank. You are not the car you drive. You’re not the contents of your wallet. You are not your fucking khakis. You are the all-singing, all-dancing crap of the world.”

This is reflected in the fast-paced, almost manic film, which repeats many of the book’s aphorisms (including these ones). Yet Fight Club is not a manifesto but a cynical satire of late 20th-century capitalism and globalisation, and the impacts it can have – particularly on men.

Critics have criticised Fight Club as promoting a toxic masculinity that would lead others to violence. Film critic Roger Ebert, for example, argued Fight Club is a “cheerfully fascist big-star movie” and “a celebration of violence in which the heroes write themselves a license to drink, smoke, screw and beat one another up”.

There are sadly many examples of people taking this message from the film. Students in my high school notoriously established their own fight club, followed by a swift crackdown. I’ll never forget the school assembly at which the principal declared anyone starting up a new club would be immediately suspended.

More concerning, however, has been the adoption of Fight Club and Durden by figures in the manosphere.

Author of Fight Club Chuck Palahniuk.

NEILSON BARNARD

Fight Club and the manosphere

Manosphere communities see the narrator’s alter ego, Durden, as a shift from “beta” to “alpha” male. They believe the narrator abandons the feminised, “cucked” version of himself to become a better man: masculine, brash and everything all men should want to be.

Talking to Vice reporter Paulle Doyle in 2017, manosphere member Kris Cantu argued Fight Club is a film about men’s rights.

He identifies with the narrator’s obsession with “consumerism and purchasing clothes and furniture for his high-rise apartment”, which reflects his own lifestyle in his 20s.

“It’s up to us to peel back those ways where we’re programmed to be a certain way, and acknowledge it, and deprogram ourselves,” he says, blaming “political correctness” for stopping “a lot of guys” who think like Durden from speaking out.

Naturally, these communities also read levels of misogyny that just isn’t there, in the book or film. These groups adopt many quasi-philosophical aphorisms from Durden, particularly the one or two that relate to women.

“We’re a generation of men raised by women,” Durden states at one point. “I’m wondering if another woman is really the answer we need.” This speaks to Palahniuk’s stated concerns that men often grow up without proper role models.

But it has been taken out of context in manosphere circles, to relay a belief women have taken too much power – and in doing so, are raising a generation of “feminised” men who need to reclaim their masculinity.

An opportunity to feel

Yes, Fight Club is a story about men discovering and reclaiming a sense of themselves in a changing world. But it’s far more complex than aggrieved men seeking to own their toxic masculinity.

In her review of the film, famed feminist Susan Faludi argued the story was about men realising they were trapped by the pressures of unending, impossible consumerism, as women had been for decades.

Faludi argued the narrator faced what she described as the “modern male predicament”:

“He’s fatherless, trapped in a cubicle in an anonymous corporate job, trying to glean an identity from Ikea brochures, entertainment magazines and self-help gatherings.”

In turn, he lives in a “world stripped of socially useful male roles and saturated with commercial images of masculinity”. In this context, the actions of the characters make a lot more sense. The idea of a “fight club” is not just an expression of extreme masculinity, but an opportunity for these men to feel something, in a culture that tries to remove all feeling.

As the narrator says, “you aren’t alive anywhere like you’re alive at fight club”. Even Project Mayhem itself has its redeeming qualities. While violent to an extent, Durden and his team only attack property. They go out of their way to avoid harming anyone.

Their major attack, in which they blow up corporate offices, is done at night – in a building where they have “guys on the inside”, ensuring no one dies. While obviously an extremely destructive act that would create chaos and real harm, this is an attack on corporate greed, not on innocent lives.

These men even fight in ways that subvert the most toxic elements of masculine norms. While old-school ideas of masculinity are based on the idea of the “self-made man”, the characters in fight club reject this. Palahniuk has stated, for example, that Durden’s ideas don’t really matter: what’s important is the sense of belonging they foster.

Community is seen throughout the book. The participants lose their names, the narrator himself has no name, and no one ever actually sees Durden apart from the narrator. These men are stronger together, not as individuals: a core message rejecting the individualising nature of modern society.

The film, in turn, is less an extremist manifesto than a diagnosis of how we got here.

Uniting against the hollowness

Palahniuk clearly criticises the forms of masculinity Durden embodies and the manosphere celebrates. While the text is most remembered for the clubs and their rules (“The first rule about fight club is you don’t talk about fight club”), it’s often forgotten that it ends with the narrator rejecting Durden, Project Mayhem and the violence he started.

It is not about the narrator becoming an “alpha”, but rather what Fincher called “a coming-of-age story about choosing a path to maturity”.

While the violence of the fight clubs gives the narrator the opportunity to feel something, it also only gets him so far. To properly mature, he needs to seek meaning and connection elsewhere – in the arms of Marla.

Notably, some manosphere men complain about this ending, as it doesn’t fit their ideology. Cantu, for example, calls it a “Hollywood ending”, saying “in a true Red Pill fashion it would have ended with Edward Norton throwing Marla to the side […] She’s what we call a ‘pump and dump’.”

This is a great example of manosphere men missing the point. Marla was not a “pump and dump” but a central character – the woman who allows the narrator to move on. As Faludi argues, when the narrator “sends the boys away” and “throws his lot in with the defiant, if deviant, woman he’s been afraid to court, he seems poised finally to begin life as an adult man”.

In “an increasingly hollow, consumerized world, that path lies not in conquering women but in uniting with them against the hollowness”, she says. The text is, as she claims, somewhat feminist in its conclusion.

Cultural malaise for men

In a world where “gender wars” are possibly stronger than ever, it has been easy to gloss over the complexity of Fight Club.

The book has also become a victim of a culture with a real dearth of texts that explore these issues with real nuance. Palahniuk himself has noted this, when asked about how he feels about the book being taken up by manosphere groups.

“I feel a little frustrated that our culture hasn’t given these men a wider selection of narratives to choose from,” he said in 2017. “Really, the only narratives they go to are The Matrix and Fight Club.”

Palahniuk went on to write many more novels, selling millions of copies. His latest, Shock Induction, was published in 2024. His 1999 satire Survivor, which follows the last hours of the survivor of a puritan cult, is set to be filmed in Auckland this year.

If we push through the muck, think pieces and misreadings from manosphere figures, Fight Club has a lot to offer.

It was prescient, predicting a violence and mayhem we are now, sadly, watching play out in real time. But it may also, in the end, give us a way forward. With an ending in which peace for the narrator is found in the arms of Marla, this way forward could be one based in connection between people of all genders, rather than the further fights between the “two sexes”.

That is the real legacy we should take from it.

Simon Copland is honorary fellow in sociology, Australian National University

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

The Bezos of it all: The Met Gala’s billionaire moment

MIL OSI — Sun, 03 May 2026 01:57:54 +0000

Source: Radio New Zealand

Was Karl Lagerfeld too problematic to serve as a 2023 theme? Was TikTok, which had just been deemed a national security threat by the US government, an appropriate sponsor for 2024’s gala? And just how small can designers make Kim Kardashian’s waist? (This one comes up almost yearly.)

But the 2026 gala, celebrating the accompanying exhibition, “Costume Art,” that gathers examples of clothed bodies from across the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s curatorial departments, has proven especially contentious.

Elected amid growing public anxiety over income inequality, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced he will skip the A-list gathering.

A guest’s Karl Lagerfeld-themed cape is unfurled at the 2023 Met Gala. Lagerfeld, known for his Chanel designs and acerbic judgments, was the center of that year’s exhibition.

Neilson Barnard/Getty Images via CNN Newsource

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“My focus is also on affordability and making the most expensive city in the United States affordable, and that’s what I’m looking to spend a lot of my time focused on,” he told news site Hell Gate last month.

Then there is the matter of the evening’s sponsors. While fashion brands or tech behemoths like Instagram typically underwrite the affair, this year Amazon co-founder and executive chair, Jeff Bezos, and his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, are the event’s main benefactors. They are also honorary chairs. (Co-chairs Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams and Vogue’s Anna Wintour remain the official hosts, while Saint Laurent is sponsoring the exhibition catalogue.)

After the Met announced the Bezoses’ participation, many social media users — who are the Met Gala’s most enthusiastic promoters, tuning into Vogue’s livestream and analysing looks for days afterwards — called for a boycott.

This has materialised as actual protests from groups including Everyone Hates Elon (as in Musk), which over the past few weeks has papered New York City with posters also urging a boycott. “The Bezos Met Gala: Brought to you by worker exploitation,” reads one, in reference to the allegations of labour violations that have long swirled around Amazon’s e-commerce business.

“Boycott the Bezos Met Gala” posters have appeared across New York City leading up to the gala on the first Monday in May.

Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images via CNN Newsource

The recurring criticism has not stopped the gala from raising enormous funds: last year, it brought in a record US$31 million (NZ$52.5m). (By contrast, the New York Philharmonic’s Opening Gala raised US$3.3m in 2025.)

Max Hollein, the museum’s director and chief executive officer, said he saw the Met Gala as part of “the history of American philanthropy,” where people across the political spectrum support culture and other causes.

“Right now, maybe there’s an added layer of scrutiny, an added layer of attention to that,” he said. “But we will always be grateful for that support from various different sources.”

The Met Gala is the primary fundraiser for the Met’s Costume Institute, which houses over 33,000 objects spanning seven centuries. (It is oft-repeated that the Costume Institute is the only museum department that raises its own funds, although that is not accurate; every department receives money from the museum’s overall operational budget, and supplements that with fundraising.)

One of the exhibition rooms for 2024’s “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion.”

Jeenah Moon/Reuters via CNN Newsource

The gala’s funds support acquisitions of garments and accessories, but also the institute’s reference library, which holds over 800 periodicals and 1500 designer files pertaining to the history of fashion and clothing, dating back to the sixteenth century.

The funds also support a conservation lab and storage space, as well as the Costume Institute’s gallery spaces, including the 4300-square-foot Anna Wintour Costume Center and the brand-new nearly 12,000-square-foot Condé M. Nast Galleries. Salaries for its 29-person staff also come from gala funds.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, left, and designer Aurora James at the Met Gala in 2021. Ocasio-Cortez’s dress, by James, reads “TAX THE RICH.”

Mike Coppola/Getty Images via CNN Newsource

The new galleries, located just off the museum’s Great Hall, will allow the Costume Institute’s exhibitions to remain open for much longer, increasing the reach and scope of the department’s shows.

“It is one of the greatest collections of fashion, of costumes,” Hollein said. Preservation and storage are “more challenging, more expensive” than for drawings or paintings, he said.

“I think it’s really important for people to understand, when we talk about the Met Gala, the money really goes into preserving this collection.”

It is the presence of bold-faced names and the sheer amounts of money surrounding the event that seem to court the most controversy.

Over the past two decades, Wintour has helped transform the party from an archetypal charity benefit into a celebrity-fueled phenomenon — an effort that has led to bigger and bigger ambitions for the museum, alongside ever-increasing ticket prices for gala attendees. Individual tickets are priced at US$100,000 for 2026, while a table sells for US$350,000, and guests must be invited by the museum to buy tickets.

Caroline Kennedy and Jack Schlossberg at the 2017 Met Gala.

George Pimentel/WireImage/Getty Images via CNN Newsource

The perception that the event is tone-deaf means that critics are eager to pounce and cry hypocrisy when, say, Republican Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wears a dress that reads “Tax the Rich” (as she did in 2021). Last year, Kennedy heir (and former Met Gala attendee) Jack Schlossberg, who is now mounting a congressional campaign in Manhattan, called for a boycott of the event in an Instagram post, citing “so much happening around the world and at home.” (The post has since been deleted.)

For most, it is not the museum that warrants criticism, but the involvement of the Bezoses. On the morning of the gala, a group of organisations including the Service Employees International Union, the Strategic Organizing Center and the Amazon Labor Union will stage a Ball Without Billionaires, a fashion show in downtown New York in which workers from businesses including Amazon, Whole Foods and The Washington Post (all linked to Bezos) as well as Starbucks and Uber will serve as models, wearing clothes by ethically-minded designers.

“If there is that money to sponsor this gala, there should also be money to pay the workers fairly,” said Cindy Castro, a New York-based designer who immigrated to the US from Ecuador, and whose pieces will appear at Monday’s event.

“I want to raise awareness about our safety issues that we’re having in the Amazon warehouses,” said April Watson, an employee at an Amazon Warehouse in northeast Georgia who will model in Monday’s show.

She said that she and her fellow workers are pressured to pick and pack at faster and faster rates, receiving warnings that can lead to termination when their pace falls in the bottom 5 percent. “When I try to work fast with very heavy items, it’s easy for me to do too much, and it has led me to be injured.”

She continued, “I want to do what I can to help there be systemic change that would make the warehouse safer for employees like myself.”

In a statement to CNN, an Amazon spokesperson said of their warehouse worker expectations, “Safety is our top priority and at the core of everything we do. Amazon does not have fixed quotas at our facilities. Instead, we assess performance based on safe and achievable expectations and take into account time and tenure, peer performance, and adherence to safe work practices.”

In 2012, Amazon sponsored the Met Gala and Jeff Bezos served as honorary chair. He posed at that year’s gala alongside Anna Wintour, Miuccia Prada and Carey Mulligan.

Steve Eichner/WWD/Getty Images via CNN Newsource

This is not Bezos’s first time as the Met Gala’s honorary chair. In 2012, Amazon sponsored the gala and the tech titan held the honourific, posing with the likes of Wintour, Miuccia Prada and Carey Mulligan.

While Watson was not working at Amazon then (she joined the company in 2021), she said, “My perception of him was different.”

Back then, Bezos was worth an estimated US$18.4 billion, according to Forbes, which made him the 26th richest person in the world. Now, he’s worth an estimated US$224bn, and ranks fourth.

These days, Watson said, “Jeff Bezos seems almost like royalty. He is so wealthy, and I know that he is the one that started Amazon – he’s very creative, and he’s a good organiser. He built it. And now I feel like he’s celebrating his success and just not interested in us who are at this bottom tier.”

The Bezoses’ recent high-profile outings — including a splashy wedding in Venice and a series of appearances at Paris Couture Week in January — have also made the gap between their lifestyle and that of most others more apparent. That has made them a more visible target, too.

Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos arrive at Schiaparelli during Paris Couture Week in January.

Neil Mockford/GC Images/Getty Images via CNN Newsource

And yet, without their support, this year’s Met Gala — and its promotion of fashion as an art form, and of the notion that celebrities can craft a narrative through clothing that entertains us or even helps us better understand our world — may have been more modest in scale.

“What is important is that you need to evaluate the integrity of the institution, the profoundness of our program, and the proper use that is being applied for these funds,” said Hollein.

What the Bezoses are providing funds for, he said, are the museum and Costume Institute’s ethos and initiatives, not a donor’s personal agenda.

“This is not a show on Amazon. This is not a show on Lauren Sánchez’s dresses. One needs to be really clear that what our donors are supporting is the program of the Met, and the ideas of our curators, and the integrity of the institution,” he said. “And they don’t want to have it any other way. That’s exactly the donors that we want, and those are the donors that museums like ours need to have.”

Wintour told CNN in late 2025 that Sánchez Bezos would be “a wonderful asset to the museum and the event,” calling her a “great lover of costume and obviously of fashion.”

Indeed, it is because of the Costume Institute and Met Gala that so many see fashion as they do today. Hollstein pointed to last year’s show on Black dandyism, for example, or this year’s, which will highlight “not only the dialogue between different arts about the dressed body, but different body types.”

A museum, after all, is not a donors’ playground, but a place for the world to access art.

“I always wanted to see the Met museum. I love art,” Watson said. “Museums in general allow ordinary people — anyone — to come in and see, face to face, these priceless pieces of art.”

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

Global Sumud Flotilla calls on NZ government to intervene after Israeli interception

MIL OSI — Sat, 02 May 2026 23:53:05 +0000

Source: Radio New Zealand

Global Sumud Flotilla boats were intercepted by the Israeli Defense Force. GLOBAL SUMUD FLOTILLA / SUPPLIED

The Global Sumud Flotilla is demanding the New Zealand government intervene to uphold international law, after being intercepted by Israel.

It said 22 boats carrying aid for Gaza were illegally intercepted in international waters near the Greek island of Crete.

New Zealanders Jay O’Connor, Mousa Taher, Julien Blondel, and Sean Janssen were among the 175 people detained.

O’Connor had received a concussion and a possible broken rib, while Blondel was hit in the face, the Global Sumud Flotilla said.

“These citizens are part of a completely legal action onboard vessels that are lawfully exercising navigation rights under article 87 of UNCLOS – to deliver essential aid, open a humanitarian corridor to Gaza, and break the illegal siege on Gaza by the Israeli regime,” it said.

Israel’s foreign ministry had called organisers “professional provocateurs” and said it would not allow “the breach of the lawful naval blockade on Gaza”.

Global Sumud Flotilla said that Blondel had assured the team he was “up to be continuing this going forward,” as the rest of the Flotilla continues to sail.

Hāhona Ormsby and Samuel Leason are currently regrouping with the others in Greece.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it understood up to six New Zealanders had been caught up in the interception.

It told RNZ on Saturday that it was aware of allegations made about the treatment New Zealanders had faced while in custody.

“Consular officials in Wellington, New Zealand’s Embassies in Rome and Ankara, and New Zealand’s Honorary Consul in Greece have been working throughout the night and over the past few days to gather information, provide advice to families, and support New Zealanders involved,” it said.

“Immediately following the interception of the flotillas on Thursday, the New Zealand government made it clear to Israel that the safety of New Zealanders involved was paramount and that international law must be upheld. These and other views were made clear to Israel’s Ambassador to New Zealand and by New Zealand’s Ambassador to Israel, stationed in Ankara.”

The ministry added that New Zealand had a long-standing ‘do not travel’ advisory in place for Gaza, explicitly warning against any attempt to enter by sea.

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

Small quake wakes Wellington, followed by jolt in East Cape

MIL OSI — Sat, 02 May 2026 23:27:50 +0000

Source: Radio New Zealand

Magnitude 5.2 earthquake off the East Cape on Sunday 3 May 2026. GeoNet

A second noticeable quake has struck the North Island, this one on the East Cape, following an earlier tremor in Wellington.

The Wellington region had an early morning jolt from a magnitude 4 earthquake on Sunday.

The quake struck 10 kilometres northwest of Porirua at 3.15am, and registered at a depth of 22 kilometres. Its epicentre was in the sea, near Mana Island.

The tremor attracted more than 2000 ‘felt it’ reports on the government seismology website GeoNet.

Almost all of them came from the Wellington region, but some people felt the quake at the top of the South Island.

The second measured 5.2 and hit at 9.19am 25km west of Te Araroa, East Cape, at a depth of 32km. Nearly 800 reported feeling it to the Geonet website.

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

Small offshore quake wakes Wellington

MIL OSI — Sat, 02 May 2026 19:27:48 +0000

Source: Radio New Zealand

123rf

The Wellington region had an early morning jolt from a magnitude 4 earthquake on Sunday.

The quake struck 10 kilometres northwest of Porirua at 3.15am, and registered at a depth of 22 kilometres.

Its epicentre was in the sea, near Mana Island.

The tremor attracted more than 2000 ‘felt it’ reports on the government seismology website GeoNet.

Almost all of them came from the Wellington region, but some people felt the quake at the top of the South Island.

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

ACT’s plan to toughen immigration rules

MIL OSI — Sat, 02 May 2026 18:42:52 +0000

Source: Radio New Zealand

The ACT Party says immigration rules need to be tightened. RNZ

ACT is proposing a shakeup of immigration policy, with a six-point plan including deporting serious offenders no matter how long they have been in the country.

It would also include a $6 per day infrastructure surcharge on temporary work visas and a five-year welfare stand-down for all residence class visa holders.

ACT leader David Seymour says it will make the system work better for New Zealand, and rebuild confidence in immigration by restoring fairness and accountability.

He says the country needs new migrants to grow and develop, but his proposed system would only welcome people if they share values of tolerance, freedom and democracy, and help build infrastructure and play by the rules.

“Success requires a common set of expectations; respect our freedoms, uphold our democratic values, contribute to infrastructure, speak English, obey the law, and fill genuine gaps in the economy,” he said.

Seymour said immigration had enriched New Zealand, and in less than 200 years the country had gone from a “series of isolated villages” to a network of modern cities.

“From those who arrived in open boats 700 years ago, to those who arrived at Auckland Airport this morning, our country has been built by people willing to make a journey to try and build something better,” said Seymour.

He said people were asking why something “doesn’t quite feel right with immigration”, and ACT believed their suspicions were correct.

Seymour blamed successive governments for letting a skilled-migration system become a “general-purpose labour tap”.

“They have failed to enforce the rules they set.

“They have allowed infrastructure to fall further behind. And they have asked too little of people who want to benefit from the Kiwi character without supporting it.

“The rate of settlement has overwhelmed the ability to provide infrastructure.”

Seymour said his party’s policy would restore the “basic bargain” that New Zealand was built on.

The six-point plan includes;

Deporting serious offenders, “no matter how long they’ve been here”
Expire categories under Accredited Employer Work visas every year
Introduce a five-year welfare stand-down for all residence class visa holders
Introduce a $6 per day infrastructure surcharge on temporary work visas, on top of existing charges
Extend basic English language requirements to all work visa types
Establish a dedicated overstayer enforcement unit within Immigration New Zealand.

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

Silver Fern legend Casey Kopua comes out of retirement to help Magic

MIL OSI — Sat, 02 May 2026 08:57:53 +0000

Source: Radio New Zealand

Casey Kopua played 187 games for the Magic. Photosport Ltd 2017 www.photosport.nz

The Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic have named Silver Fern legend Casey Kopua as an interim replacement player ahead of their ANZ Premiership clash against the Stars.

The long-time Magic stalwart is joining the side to provide defensive cover for Oceane Maihi, who will have her load managed when they meet the Stars tomorrow.

Grace Walsh has also been named as a temporary replacement player. The shooter has been brought in to replace Saviour Tui, who is unavailable due to injury.

The franchise said Kopua will add a wealth of experience and leadership to the environment, with the former captain stepping back into the Magic dress to support the group.

Magic head coach Mary-Jane Araroa said both players would bring valuable qualities to the group.

“Casey brings a huge amount of experience and leadership, and she knows exactly what it means to wear this dress. She’s been a big part of this environment before and will add real calm and direction for us,” Araroa said.

“Grace has worked hard for her opportunity. She’s a player who brings energy and a willingness to learn, and we’re looking forward to seeing her step into this environment.”

Last year Kopua shocked the netball world when she answered an SOS to play in Australia’s Suncorp Super Netball, part-way through the season.

The 40-year-old retired from top flight netball in 2019 after the Silver Ferns won the World Cup.

But Kopua’s stint at the injury depleted Giants was successful and her leadership on court lifted the players around her.

Both players will be available for selection for tomorrow’s game in Auckland.

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

Peace activist urges government to reject US proposal to help reopen Strait of Hormuz

MIL OSI — Sat, 02 May 2026 07:27:51 +0000

Source: Radio New Zealand

Valerie Morse. Johnny Blades / VNP

A peace activist is urging the New Zealand government to reject a US proposal to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

The shipping route has been largely blocked by Iran since February, causing the price of oil to soar.

Peace Action Wellington spokesperson Valerie Morse feared New Zealand’s involvement would be an endorsement of the conflict.

“We are of the view that the responsibility for the situation sits squarely with the United States and Israel,” she said.

“Their illegal and unprovoked war was the catalyst for the situation, and an end to the war is what will resolve the situation.”

A spokesperson for Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters said New Zealand had received “initial and preliminary information”.

“We are in the process of asking questions and seeking more information about this preliminary proposal.

“Accordingly, we are not close to a point where the New Zealand government would be making any decisions about it.”

Morse urged the government to condemn the Iran war, to give New Zealand confidence that it would not get involved.

“We have not heard an unequivocal statement from the New Zealand government making it clear that this is an illegal war.

“Until we hear that, I don’t have any confidence, and I don’t think many people have any confidence, that New Zealand is not going to sign up for some further US military engagement.”

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

NZer in flotilla intercepted by Israel has concussion and possible broken rib, wife says

MIL OSI — Sat, 02 May 2026 02:13:13 +0000

Source: Radio New Zealand

Global Sumud Flotilla boats were intercepted by Israeli Defense Forces. GLOBAL SUMUD FLOTILLA / SUPPLIED

The wife of one of the New Zealanders in the flotilla intercepted by Israel in international waters says he has a concussion and possible broken rib.

Jay O’Connor, Mousa Taher, Julien Blondel and Sean Janssen were among almost 180 people who had disembarked on the Greek island of Crete.

Flotilla organisers said they were illegally abducted after Israel boarded, disabled and destroyed boats in the flotilla headed for Gaza.

Israel’s foreign ministry had called organisers “professional provocateurs” and said it would not allow “the breach of the lawful naval blockade on Gaza”.

Greece said 31 people of the 176 people who disembarked at a port in Crete were transferred for first aid.

O’Connor’s wife, Chrissy O’Connor, had not yet been able to speak with him.

“I’ve received some messages from him and he sent through a recorded voice message, so I’ve heard his voice and I’ve seen a photo,” she said.

“So that’s a huge relief… so I know some things but still waiting to be able to speak with him properly,” O’Connor added.

“It’s better than not knowing, at least I know he’s off the boat, he’s safe even if he’s a bit roughed up.”

O’Connor said she did not know for sure how her husband was but that he had a concussion and potentially a broken rib.

“That’s just from the brief message I had from him, I don’t know what the outcome of medical assessment was at the moment.”

Jay O’Connor had not yet shared details of how he was injured, his wife said.

Reuters reported two activists, identified as Saif Abu Keshek – a Spanish national of Palestinian origin and Brazilian Thiago Avila had been detained.

The Spanish and Brazilian governments issued a joint statement calling Israel’s action blatantly illegal and outside its jurisdiction, Reuters said.

Israel said Abu Keshek was suspected of affiliation with a terrorist organisation and Avila of illegal activity, and both would be taken to Israel for questioning.

Chrissy O’Connor said the flotilla was an international humanitarian organisation with citizens from across the world, that included her husband.

“He’s a trained paramedic and an engineer… I think he has wanted to be able to use his skills in a practical way to do something,” she said.

The New Zealand delegation of Global Sumud Flotilla said Hāhona Ormsby and Samuel Leason were not among those taken to Greece.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has been approached for comment.

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

New state of the art cancer treatment machine at Dunedin Hospital

LiveNews Publisher — Sat, 02 May 2026 01:18:17 +0000

Source: New Zealand Government

Cancer patients across the lower South Island will benefit from more precise and advanced treatment with a new $4.3 million Linear Accelerator (LINAC) machine at Dunedin Hospital, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.

High-precision, targeted cancer treatment
Next-generation technology
Shorter treatment times for patients

“This is a significant step forward for cancer care in the South, giving patients access to more advanced, highly targeted treatment closer to home,” Mr Brown says.

Dunedin Hospital operates three LINAC machines. This latest generation unit replaces one that had reached the end of its working life, ensuring patients continue to receive vital treatment for cancer, as well as some debilitating benign conditions.

“The new machine can target very small lesions to within one millimetre and can deliver radiation to tumour sites from many different angles. This allows higher doses of radiation to be delivered while minimising damage and side‑effect risks to surrounding healthy areas, including critical areas such as the brain.”

“The updated software also allows clinicians to treat multiple tumours at the same time, reducing overall treatment times for patients and allowing for some treatments that are not possible with older models.

“It also supports ongoing service development by giving clinical teams the opportunity to train on the latest technology and continue improving how care is delivered.”

The installation is part of a wider programme to upgrade and expand cancer treatment capacity across New Zealand, including a recent installation at the Taranaki Cancer Centre, with more planned across the country.

Mr Brown says the Government is focused on improving cancer outcomes for New Zealanders.

“Investments like this about building a stronger future for cancer care in the South, ensuring patients and their communities have access to quality, modern cancer treatment closer to home, now and for many years to come.”

MIL OSI

Ministry of Justice consults sector on victim support changes

MIL OSI — Sat, 02 May 2026 01:12:57 +0000

Source: Radio New Zealand

123RF

The Ministry of Justice is reviewing how victims of crime are supported.

It has sought feedback through a Request for Information (RFI) from service providers, advocates and others in the victim support sector, to better understand how services are delivered and where improvements are needed.

The Ministry of Justice told RNZ it was the first time it had requested this specific information.

“The ministry will use the information received to inform service delivery requirements for future commercial processes. In addition, the ministry considers market engagement and analysis, such as the use of an RFI, to be one of the tools it can use periodically when services are approaching expiry, to query, test and or validate sector perspectives,” it said.

The ministry said the responses reflected a broad range of views.

“The responses reflect the respondents’ views on the delivery of victim services throughout New Zealand, including those not funded by the Ministry of Justice.”

The review comes as the contract with the current non-government organisation service provider, Victim Support, neared expiry.

“In preparation for the expiry of the current contract, the ministry used part of the RFI to analyse the market and test our assumptions about what services the market offers.”

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

Minister joins game bird season opening weekend

LiveNews Publisher — Fri, 01 May 2026 22:02:37 +0000

Source: New Zealand Government

Hunting and Fishing Minister James Meager was among the tens of thousands of Kiwis who watched the sun rise from a maimai this morning, taking part in New Zealand’s annual game bird hunting season opening.

“This year, instead of firing the shotgun, I was riding shotgun alongside Fish & Game rangers who every year give up their own chance for a Saturday shoot, to help ensure the morning is safe and fair for all,” Mr Meager says.

“We travelled from South Canterbury’s Wainono Lagoon to Lake Opuha and then down to Temuka, connecting with fellow hunters while conducting compliance activities. This work largely involved checking licences and bag limits and ensuring everyone was having a good time.

“I saw strong compliance from our hunters, as expected. Hunters are one of New Zealand’s best conservation assets, and it was great to be with Kiwis from all walks of life who had come together to take part in such a special tradition.

“Fish & Game has around 60 staff rangers and 150 volunteers who undertake this important compliance work, many of whom are passionate hunters themselves and have skipped an opening weekend shoot for more than a decade to help keep fellow hunters safe on one of the largest weekends in the hunting calendar.

Mr Meager also has a message for those who may seek to disrupt, annoy or harass hunters going about their lawful activities this season: don’t.

“Ensuring compliance and safety is one thing. But vigilantes flying drones into the faces of Kiwis who are lawfully going about their business, or blocking access to public land, is totally unacceptable.

“These disrupters fail to understand that game bird hunting goes beyond simple recreation. It’s about sustainably harvesting food, teaching the next generation important skills, and maintaining connections to our outdoor heritage that stretch back for generations. It’s also about managing game-bird populations, looking after wetlands, waterways and wildlife habitats, and making sure this tradition stays sustainable for years to come.

“As Minister, I remain committed to my priority of making it as simple as possible for Kiwis to go hunting and fishing in New Zealand. I’m progressing a strong portfolio work programme, including significant reforms to modernise and strengthen Fish & Game. This will provide more game bird hunting opportunities and enhance its focus on improving our fisheries and game bird habitats for all New Zealanders to enjoy.”

MIL OSI

Why am I not getting the full pension rate? Ask Susan

MIL OSI — Fri, 01 May 2026 20:57:38 +0000

Source: Radio New Zealand

RNZ money correspondent Susan Edmunds. RNZ

Got questions? RNZ has a podcast, ‘No Stupid Questions’, with Susan Edmunds.

We’d love to hear more of your questions about money and the economy. You can send through written questions, like these ones, but even better, you can drop us a voice memo to our email questions@rnz.co.nz.

You can also sign up to RNZ’s new money newsletter, ‘Money with Susan Edmunds’.

Why does the first person turning 65 in a couple only receive the reduced shared-superannuation amount? Why not the higher single-person amount, until the second person in that couple is 65?

You’re right that when the first person in a couple turns 65 and qualifies for NZ Super, they receive the sharing pension rate of $984.28 a fortnight before tax, not the rate for someone who lives alone, which is $1294.74.

That’s because the system is designed on the basis of shared living costs between a couple. The “shared” reference is in relation to a couple being able to split their household costs, not that they are sharing the pension itself.

“New Zealand’s social security system is built on the understanding that people in a relationship share costs and support each other financially,” the Ministry of Social Development confirms. “The different rates for couples are applied regardless of a partner’s eligibility for NZS.

“For example, if a New Zealander is over 65 and eligible for NZS, and they have a partner who is younger than 65, the person over 65 will receive NZ Super at the couple’s rather than ‘shared’ rate.”

I know there is debate from time to time about whether it is still appropriate to assume that couples share costs and are willing to support each other in the case of other types of government support.

Why does the Sorted KiwiSaver retirement calculator use the assumption that my income will have an annual increase of 3.5 percent? I find that to be a wildly out-of-date assumption.

If anything, my income has reduced, due to a decline in relative purchasing power. How can I find an honest, genuine forecast tool?

I asked Sorted about this. Personal finance lead Tom Hartmann told me that the assumptions used in calculators were what actuaries had advised were appropriate.

He said there had to be some assumption of income growth across a person’s career and that 3.5 percent figure was widely used.

He pointed out that, while it was probably unreasonable to think you were getting 3.5 percent wage growth consistently each year, people would go through periods where pay stagnated and then might shift to a new job, and their pay might jump up.

Over the past 10 years, the average annual growth rate was about 4 percent, although that included a period with a strong inflation spike.

It’s really hard to find a tool that will match an individual’s specific circumstances. I suppose your best option here is just to be aware of the assumptions and keep them in mind, when you’re looking at the calculations.

My wife has a KiwiSaver account with a modest balance. She is employed on a casual/oncall basis as a nurse at a medical practice.

She has not been called in since January, so no wages and no contribution to her saver account. She asked me if she should withdraw her KiwiSaver and put it in a term deposit.

She is 68 years old.

This really will come down to what you want or need the money for.

At 68, there are no restrictions on how and when she accesses her KiwiSaver money. If she’d like to have some available in a term deposit, she could withdraw the money to do so and keep her KiwiSaver account open to make contributions from her future work.

I’m not in a position to give personalised financial advice, but generally, people are told to align their investments to their investment profile. If you don’t need the money for a while, it’s usually worth keeping it invested with some exposure to growth assets.

KiwiSaver can be an easy way to do this, but if you do need the money now, it’s usually worth putting it in a low-risk investment, such as a bank deposit.

I’m a New Zealand citizen, have been a permanent resident in Australia for 50 years and worked in New Zealand for approximately four years. Where does that sit with qualifying for a pension from New Zealand?

You can use your time living in Australia to meet the New Zealand residency requirements for NZ Super.

While Australia’s pension is means-tested and people who move from New Zealand to Australia have to meet those requirements, that does not apply to Australians moving to New Zealand.

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

The Detail: Medical migration only option for many blood cancer sufferers

MIL OSI — Fri, 01 May 2026 17:27:47 +0000

Source: Radio New Zealand

Former cancer patient Andrew Mackintosh speaking at parliament. Supplied

The Oz/NZ great divide when it comes to treating blood cancer

This week, actor Sam Neill announced he was cancer free, after groundbreaking treatment for lymphoma blood cancer in Australia.

Now he’s fighting for the lifesaving CAR T-cell therapy to be available for blood cancer patients across Australia, fronting a media campaign there calling for public funding of the treatment.

“Treatments like this – CAR-T therapies and others coming through in a rapidly changing medical world – I hope to be available to everyone who needs them in Australia and NZ [and worldwide],” he said.

CAR T-cell therapy genetically modifies the patient’s immune cells to target and kill the cancer cells.

When chemotherapy he was undergoing in New Zealand stopped working to treat his blood cancer, Neill was accepted into an Australian clinical trial for the T-cell therapy. It was his last option and it worked.

“It’s science at its best,” said Neill, who is patron of Snowdome medical foundation, which has been pushing for the therapy to be accessible to everyone.

The same battle for access to the best blood cancer treatment is going on in New Zealand, but there are stark differences between the two countries in what’s offered to patients and their survival rates.

In Australia, CAR T-cell therapy is already available in the public health system for certain blood cancers at certain hospitals, and the government is set to announce a rollout of the specific therapy used in Neill’s treatment in the next two months.

Here, there is no funded CAR-T therapy. Blood Cancer NZ head of advocacy Rosie Shaw says New Zealanders have to go offshore for the treatment that costs more than NZ$700,000 per patient.

Shaw says a privately funded CAR-T clinical trial is underway in New Zealand and, if it is successful, it could lead to funded treatment, but nothing is promised and the New Zealand health system is grappling with introducing expensive, but revolutionary new blood cancer therapies and medicines.

She says Neill’s news brings a lot of optimism to an issue that is little understood.

Last week, the Blood Cancer NZ charity presented its State of Blood Cancer report at parliament, which detailed the burden of blood cancer for the first time.

There are 100 different types of the disease, including leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma. It is estimated 27,000 Kiwis live with blood cancer, one in 18 will develop it in their lifetimes.

It is the third-leading cause of cancer death, but in most cases, it cannot be prevented or screened for, and it cannot be removed by surgery.

It can be cured or treated with medicines and, in some cases, a stem cell (bone marrow) transplant.

Like Neill, Auckland man Andrew Mackintosh initially had chemotherapy for his aggressive form of lymphoma and it also stopped working.

Andrew Mackintosh receiving treatment. Supplied

Unlike Neill, who had access to revolutionary therapy, Mackintosh’s only lifesaving, cancer-curing option was a stem cell transplant, but he was told he would have to wait in the queue, because there was not enough hospital space or medical staff to treat him immediately.

Eight months later, he got the transplant. In Australia. He says he would have waited 1-2 months, but he was too sick to travel.

By then, he was so ill, he was not sure he would survive. He’s grateful the transplant cured him, but he is angry that the delay cost him, his family and taxpayers.

“The gaps that I had in the system, they cost me more. They cost me in terms of the outcomes that I’ve got, they’ve cost me in terms of not being able to get back to the workforce.

“They’ve also cost the health system, because that entire eight months that I was waiting, I was on very expensive drugs, I was seeing the haematologist every week, I was getting blood tests done, I needed monitoring, I needed tests. It’s not saving the health system money by not providing these services.

“They gave me the treatment that I waited for eventually and then I needed more help out the back side of it, so I’m angry that there’s no point – not even a cost-saving benefit – to not providing these outcomes. It’s just hurting everyone, including the taxpayer.”

Macintosh decided to speak about his experience at Blood Cancer NZ’s presentation to parliament last week, because he says other patients who have fallen through the gaps are “too sick, too busy fighting their disease or the system to speak up”.

“Others are no longer here.”

Just last month, he watched his father die, after he was diagnosed with leukeamia.

“It was brutal watching what could have happened to me, happen to him,” he told the group, but he worried about the next generation of his family.

“I am here today to speak as a patient, as someone who has lost his father to blood cancer and as the parent of a potential future patient.

“I need to know that, if a blood cancer or blood disorder diagnosis is in my son’s future, that this preventable harm will be prevented and that his standard of care will not be riddled with gaps that he has no choice but to accept.

“As a parent, I want him to live. I want him to have the best possible outcome.”

In response to the Blood Cancer report, the government said it would set up a taskforce.

Mackintosh says it is the first step in stopping the so-called medical migration of New Zealanders seeking faster, better, but more expensive treatment overseas and stopping the persistently high death rate.

“Especially on the medicines front, we need the funding opened up to Pharmac to fund the blood cancer medicines appropriately. I’ve heard haematologists say we’re 20 years behind in New Zealand on that stuff.

“We also need to close some of the gaps in terms of treatment differences across the country, so removing what gets called the ‘post-code lottery’ for cancer patients, and the other big one from my perspective is the infrastructure including the number of people in the workforce.”

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

NRL: NZ Warriors dynamo Jackson Ford avoiding Dally M, Origin hype

MIL OSI — Fri, 01 May 2026 17:13:10 +0000

Source: Radio New Zealand

Jackson Ford celebrates his try against Canberra Raiders. Andrew Cornaga/Photosport

Over the course of eight years, Jackson Ford has made a point of keeping an even keel on his NRL career that has navigated the usual highs and lows.

Right now, the tireless NZ Warriors front-rower is seemingly tolerating the highest point of that journey, transformed into an 80-minute player that leads his team in tackling (332) and run metres (1487), while dominating the competition in metres after contact (619).

Most surprisingly, he sits three points clear atop Dally M Medal polling, thrusting his name into the forefront of State of Origin selection debate.

Ford bears these accolades reluctantly and does his best to avoid social media acclaim.

“I don’t like it,” he grimaced. “Trying to get my missus to stay off is my main goal … even my mother, she likes to look at it.

“It’s not easy. You’re always getting tagged with stuff and I’ve got mates on group chat that are always sending me stuff, but I try not to buy into it, because I know how easy it can go the other way.

“There are probably a lot of blokes copping it for things, so I try not to buy into it.”

At times like these, Ford is blessed with teammates who can and will keep him grounded.

Although he claimed he hadn’t fielded a phone call from NSW Blues coach Laurie Daly yet, at least he hadn’t received any bogus dial-ups from anyone pretending to be Daly.

“Thank God those phone calls aren’t happening this year,” he chuckled. “The fake phone calls have been happening the last couple of years, but nothing this year.

“There’s all sorts of little games they like to play around the changing rooms, but they haven’t started this year.”

Jackson Ford feels uncomfortable with the accolades coming his way. Andrew Cornaga/Photosport

That window of opportunity may be closing fast, as Ford’s incredible form makes a genuine approach more likely.

Over the opening eight weeks of the 2026 campaign, he has amassed 31 points in the player-of-the-year standings, including maximum six points in three games (Sydney Roosters, Canberra Raiders and Melbourne Storm) and five points in another two (Newcastle Knights and Gold Coast Titans).

Ford never envisaged this run at the start of the season.

“Definitely not,” he said. “Three weeks in, it was a bit of a shock and somehow it just keeps rolling on.

“I’ve just got to keep playing my game, not get too far ahead of myself and keep giving my best performance for the boys.”

If this series represents the pinnacle of his performance, Ford is reticent to dwell too much on the depths, since he debuted for St George-Illawarra Dragons in 2019, but could not secure a regular spot in first grade.

After crossing the Tasman to Mt Smart, he logged 24 games for the Warriors in 2023, mostly as an edge forward, as they fell one win short of the grand final, but slipped out of the rotation towards the end of a disastrous 2024 campaign.

“Obviously, if you’re losing a fair few games in a row, that’s the hardest, but at the moment, we’re winning games and on a high.

“Looking back on it now, I’m grateful for everything that’s driven me to the player I am today, all those hard times and stuff like that. Without those times, I probably wouldn’t be here today.”

Ford re-invented himself as a middle forward last season, initially off the bench, but grabbing a starting role, after co-captain Mitch Barnett was sidelined by a knee injury, and holding that spot to the end.

When Barnett was still rehabbing to start 2026, Ford inherited the No.10 jersey and refuses to give it back. His emergence as an every-minute player has proved a gamechanger for coach Andrew Webster, who has had to get his head around new interchange rules.

“It’s huge,” Webster said. “With the new rule, if you play three middle forwards before halftime, you can’t be openminded if an OB [outside back] or halfback goes down.

“If you can only use two before halftime, it keeps you open if something goes off script, then you can adjust. We’ve been really lucky we’ve used that new rule really well.

“You could throw Sam [Healey] on with 50 minutes to go or 30 minutes to go at hooker, but that means you’ve locked your four in and you’ve got no versatility. A Jackson Ford gives you that balance and we’re really grateful for it.

“It’s definitely special. It would be no good having someone who could play 80 minutes, if they couldn’t perform at a high level for 80 minutes. It’s no good having that guy out there, if he can’t do his job or he’s taking short cuts, but he’s awesome.”

Aside from the impressive stats he has accumulated, Ford has become the heartbeat of a team that feed off his effort.

Jackson Ford takes the ball up against Gold Coast Titans. Brett Phibbs/Photosport

“He’s a workhorse, eh,” young forward Demitric Vaimauga marvelled. “He’s always in the picture.

“Something I take from his game is just showing up for your mate. I want to be a reliable player and he’s epitome of it.

“Eventually, I want to get there. Eighty minutes is a big ask, even for Jacko, but he seems to do it, week in and week out, and eventually I want to get my game there.”

While completing games has become part of Ford’s trademark, he admitted it was never his intention.

“Not really, I wouldn’t say I’ve strived to be that 80-minute guy – it’s just come upon me. It’s been pretty crazy to start and then stay, but it seems to be working.”

Has there been a point where he wanted to put his hand up for an early sub?

“Basically, by the 20-minute mark and the whole last 60, but I try to push that to the back of my mind and just keep going,” he chuckled.

Only one Warriors player has ever won the Dally M Medal – then-captain Roger Tuivasa-Sheck took ultimate honours from fullback in 2018.

If Ford is to become the second, he must overcome something of a hoodoo under Webster’s tenure in charge.

Three years ago, halfback Shaun Johnson led with one round remaining, but with his team already safely in the playoffs and voting conducted behind closed doors, he was rested from the final game and Newcastle Knights fullback Kalyn Ponga took maximum points to edge him by one vote.

Last year, when voting went dark after round 12, halfback Luke Metcalf – Johnson’s successor – led the pack, but five weeks later, he too went down with a season-ending knee injury.

“Far out, I feel like I’m a curse on these guys,” Webster declared, when reminded of this past misfortune.

“Shaun got robbed, I can’t do anything about that.”

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

Who could be the next Prime Minister of Solomon Islands?

MIL OSI — Fri, 01 May 2026 17:13:04 +0000

Source: Radio New Zealand

RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

Solomon Islands could have a new prime minister next week.

The court of appeal has ordered the current prime minister Jeremiah Manele to call Parliament by the 7th of May to face a motion-of-no-confidence in his leadership.

The court dismissed Mr Manele’s appeal against Chief Justice Sir Albert Palmer’s earlier ruling to that effect.

Appeal court Judges Sir Gibbs Salika, Howard Lawry, Gina Nott delivered their ruling this afternoon in the High Court precinct in Honiara amid a heightened police presence.

The ruling is the latest in a series of court cases following Manele’s refusal to call parliament after mass defections from his coalition government in March.

Speaking to local media outside the court the lawyer representing the opposition group Gabriel Suri welcomed the ruling.

“The court of appeal ruled that the prime minister must take all necessary steps before the 7th of May to call parliament,” Suri said.

The attorney general John Muria Jr expressed disappointment in the ruling, but told Solomon Business Magazine the court had spoken.

“I still yet have to go through the whole judgement and then advise the prime minister on what (are) the appropriate steps to take,” John Muria Jr said.

Potential end to political impasse in sight

The ruling brings the country one step closer to a potential resolution of a drawn out political impasse which began in March after a mass resignation of government ministers and MPs.

Now in a new coalition of parties withing the opposition the group claims to have the support of 27MPs in the 50 seat parliament.

However its attempts to convert that numerical superiority into a transition to power have been thwarted so far with prime minister Jeremiah Manele refusing to call parliament and face a leadership vote on the floor.

In ruling on a judicial review brought earlier this month by the new coalition against Manele’s refusal to call a sitting, the Chief Justice Sir Albert Palmer stated that the Prime Minister was under a “constitutional duty” to ensure a motion of no confidence was brought before Parliament at the earliest opportunity and that not doing so is “unlawful”.

Sir Albert also said if the prime minister failed to call parliament the Governor-General can call Parliament, and the Speaker is ordered to ensure the motion of no confidence is prioritised.

Who could become the next PM?

The new coalition whose leaders have referred to themselves as the government in waiting have yet to publicly nominate someone from their ranks as the next prime minister.

This decision could make or break the alliance on internal loyalties alone.

So far only the former foreign minister Peter Shanel Agovaka has publicly stated his desire for the top job telling RNZ Pacific in March that it had been offered to him in exchange for his resignation from government.

However, the leader of the largest party within the new coalition is Frederick Koloqeto and it was his 12-member party’s departure from government that meant Jeremiah Manele lost his majority in parliament.

There are also at least two former prime ministers within the new coalition namely Gordon Darcy Lilo and Rick Hounipwela and of course the Leader of the Opposition Matthew Wale.

The choice of prime ministerial candidates has been the bane of political parties seeking to form government in the Solomon Islands because no MP is legally tied to a political party and can jump ship at a moment’s notice.

It is also worth mentioning that the new coalition group which had maintained the support of 28 MPs for several weeks saw a crack in its solidarity on Sunday when the MP for South New Georgia Rendova and Tetepare, David Gina, joined government and was sworn in as the minister for rural development.

David Gina, standing third from left in the front row, was pictured with the opposition bloc in March. He has now defected to join the government. Supplied/Office of the Leader of the Opposition

Anything can happen

Even if the new coalition puts forward a prime ministerial candidate and parliament is finally called there are still several potential outcomes for the current political impasse.

The motion-of-no-confidence is conducted by secret ballot and the nomination of prime ministerial candidates can be made on the floor so with a 27-23 split it would take just a few absetentions and judas votes to sway the outcome either way.

And of course between now and Tuesday, Manele might still regain his majority if he can woo enough MPs unhappy with the prime ministerial candidate that emerges or how potential future ministerial portfolios are being divvied up within the new coalition.

For now the only certainty is that Manele has been ordered to call parliament on Tuesday, and the country’s leadership is on the line.

Meanwhile, police have called for public calm while the democratic process runs its course.

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

MHESI Joins Partners to Launch SPACE-F Batch 7, Pushing Thai FoodTech to the Global Stage, Highlighting the Wellness Economy as a New Economic Engine

MIL OSI — Fri, 01 May 2026 16:18:05 +0000

Source: Media Outreach

BANGKOK, THAILAND – Media OutReach Newswire – 1 May 2026 – Prof. Dr. Yodchanan Wongsawat, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI), led the National Innovation Agency (Public Organization) or NIA, along with Thai Union Group PCL, Mahidol University, and leading corporate partners including Thai Beverage PLC, Nestlé (Thai) Ltd., and new partner Foodland Ventures from Taiwan, to launch “SPACE-F Year 7”. This is Thailand’s first global foodtech startup incubator and accelerator program, continuing the success of solving food industry challenges through sustainable innovation.

SPACE-F Batch 7

Prof. Dr. Yodchanan spoke about elevating “SPACE-F Batch 7” to the policy level and building awareness, stating that MHESI aims to present food innovation products from the startups in this batch at the upcoming Cabinet meeting. This will allow the Prime Minister to taste them, raising awareness that FoodTech is the nation’s new future. The products will be presented to the Cabinet in the next two weeks.

Regarding the core concept of combining technology with “Thai taste,” Prof. Dr. Yodchanan emphasized that no matter how advanced the technology is, it must maintain the “Nice taste of Thailand.” He cited a “high-tech omelet” he previously tasted as an example, noting that there is still room for improvement to make it taste closer to an authentic Thai omelet so that the technology can truly win over consumers’ hearts.

The MHESI Minister continued that regarding food innovation under the Wellness Economy, this year focuses on using the Wellness Economy as a New Growth Engine. This is not limited strictly to food but includes AI, ICT, and software, aiming to push Thailand into a global Wellness Tourism Hub with support from the BOI in connecting investment opportunities.

Prof. Dr. Yodchanan further stated that regarding the use of biodiversity and quality ingredients (Biodiversity & GI), startups will be encouraged to utilize Thailand’s rich biodiversity and GI products as substitutes for imported raw materials. This will help reduce costs and create a unique identity.

“As for connecting the ‘Thinker’ with the ‘Doer,’ this program emphasizes linking startups with large industrial corporations and investors. This helps startups in the Accelerator group advance toward Series A or B funding, while helping the Incubator group learn business and pitching experiences from their seniors to cross the business ‘Death Valley.’ Furthermore, regarding food and nutrition security in the era of war: in the current global conditions facing wartime situations, Food Security and Nutrition Security are vital. This program is an opportunity for startups to create innovations that help solve problems for the whole world, with the government working closely with SPACE-F to create new services and products,” the MHESI Minister said.

However, “SPACE-F Batch 7” features 20 participating startups from 10 countries, focusing on the Proof of Concept (POC) strategy to ensure they can tangibly grow toward commercialization on an international scale.

Dr. Krithpaka Boonfueng, Executive Director of the National Innovation Agency (NIA), stated that NIA aims to strengthen the potential of startups and innovative entrepreneurs to overcome business crises and grow commercially in a tangible way. Over the past 6 years, the SPACE-F program has concretely reinforced its role as a regional food innovation hub by incubating and accelerating over 100 startups from 18 countries worldwide, generating a total funding value of over 5.1 billion THB. For the SPACE-F Year 7 program, it marks another major milestone of leapfrog growth, setting a new international record with an all-time high of 204 applicants, continuously increasing from 156 in Cohort 6 and 148 in Cohort 2, reflecting the confidence of global startups in the program’s potential. Concurrently, the program has significantly expanded its international reach, with applicants from 57 countries worldwide, up from 34 countries in the previous cohort, affirming that SPACE-F is a truly global platform connecting and driving world food innovation.

“The SPACE-F program is considered a vital mechanism in driving the development of a strong and comprehensive foodtech startup ecosystem by systematically connecting knowledge, technology, and the industrial sector together. Particularly, it provides opportunities for startups to co-develop and test real products (Proof of Concept: POC) with large corporate partners, as well as access expert networks and world-class infrastructure. This includes testing protein innovations focused on appearance, freshness, and taste with Thai Union; developing modern health and nutrition solutions with ThaiBev and Nestlé; utilizing deep-tech research laboratories from Mahidol University; and enhancing fundraising capabilities from Foodland Ventures, which plays a crucial role in reducing business risks and effectively increasing the chances of commercialization. For SPACE-F Year 7, it aims to elevate startup development through 2 main programs: the Incubator Program, which focuses on laying business foundations and developing prototypes into market-ready products, and the Accelerator Program, which focuses on accelerating business expansion through connections with strategic partners and investors. This covers 7 key areas of the food industry: 1) Personalized Nutrition, 2) Future Protein, 3) Circular Food Systems, 4) Smart Manufacturing, 5) Sustainable Production, 6) Food Safety, and 7) Novel Consumer Experience, to build high-potential startups capable of developing quality new products that directly meet market demands, ready to compete and grow sustainably on the global stage.“

Ms. Sirichit Jiraruangkiat, Senior Director – Group Innovation at Thai Union Group PCL, revealed, “As a co-founding partner of the SPACE-F program, Thai Union Group PCL continues to drive the development of Thailand’s foodtech startup ecosystem. We aim to support breakthrough growth by promoting the development and testing of innovations at the industrial level, particularly through the Proof of Concept (POC) process, to elevate the standards of future protein products to compete internationally. Thai Union prioritizes the application of modern food production and preservation technologies, covering everything from maintaining product quality and freshness and developing appealing appearances to sensory research to create textures and flavors that effectively meet the demands of global consumers. Simultaneously, the SPACE-F program remains committed to a ‘No Equity Taken’ approach, allowing startups to retain full ownership of their innovations, maintain business agility, and grow independently and sustainably in the long term.”

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pasit Pakawatpanurut, Deputy Dean for Research and Innovation, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, further added, “With expertise in food science, nutrition, biotechnology, and related fields, Mahidol University serves as an academic powerhouse and innovation infrastructure, providing startups with access to advanced laboratories, pilot plants, and modern research equipment. They also receive in-depth consultation from a team of expert researchers to successfully transition research into products that truly meet global market demands (Lab-to-Market). This collaboration is therefore a key mechanism in driving sustainable food innovation and enhancing Thailand’s competitiveness as a global foodtech hub. Mahidol University’s involvement in the SPACE-F program also plays a vital role in strengthening the country’s foodtech startup ecosystem in the long run.”

In addition, another key partner is Thai Beverage Public Company Limited, which places great importance on continuous research and development, believing it to be essential for startups. As a sponsor of the SPACE-F program, they are pleased to be part of an ecosystem that enhances the potential of foodtech startups and provides business and technological guidance to help startups discover solutions that truly meet the needs of the global food market.

Ms. Jenica Conde Cruz, Business Manager – Cereal Partners Worldwide & Incubator at Nestlé (Thai) Ltd., also stated, “Nestlé, a global leader in food and beverages, plays a vital role as a strategic partner of the SPACE-F program. We aim to elevate foodtech startups through the transfer of Research & Development (R&D) knowledge and product development experience under the ‘Good food, Good life’ concept. Nestlé also provides in-depth consultation to support the development of products that meet Nutrition, Health, and Wellness needs, while promoting the use of innovation to tackle global food industry challenges. In parallel, Nestlé also drives the development of innovations that align with sustainability goals by opening opportunities for startups to learn together with experts from our global research center network, in areas of food preservation technology, eco-friendly packaging, and responsible sourcing.”

Victor Chen, CEO of Foodland Ventures Co. closed with, “Foodland Ventures, a leading Venture Capital firm and Accelerator from Taiwan, has joined as a strategic partner in the SPACE-F program to push foodtech startups to expand their businesses into international markets. We aim to act as a bridge connecting innovation from Taiwan with food industry networks in Thailand and Southeast Asia. With expertise in key technologies such as Restaurant Automation, Alternative Protein, and Smart Supply Chain, Foodland Ventures is ready to support startups through access to the Taiwanese market and resources, providing investment and business strategy consultation, and connecting them with the industrial sector to test solutions in real-world environments. This collaboration marks a significant step in building a ‘FoodTech Corridor’ between Thailand and Taiwan to elevate startup potential and drive the food industry toward a sustainable global future.”

The “SPACE-F Year 7” program also introduced 20 startups from 10 countries worldwide: South Korea, Spain, Canada, USA/Argentina, Australia, Singapore, UK, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, and Thailand, selected for this year’s program. All will have the opportunity to co-develop and test real innovations with leading industry partners, covering product development, industrial-level testing, and commercialization in the real market

Such collaboration is a key highlight of the program, providing startups the opportunity to test technology and innovations in real-world environments, reducing development limitations, and increasing the chances of creating business models that accurately meet market demands.

10 FoodTech Startups Joining the Accelerator Program

Terra Bioindustries Inc (Canada): Upcycles agricultural and food industry waste into high-value ingredients such as sugar, protein, and fiber for use in the food, biotech, and chemical industries.
Nucaps (Spain): Develops functional protein ingredients using microencapsulation technology to wrap active substances and probiotics, enhancing nutritional value, reducing costs, and improving taste to effectively promote consumer health.
BeNatureBioLab (South Korea): Develops functional ingredients using nano and microencapsulation technology from natural proteins to wrap active substances and probiotics, increasing the stability, absorption, and efficiency of substances in food, supplements, and health products.
Kinava (South Korea): Converts food waste into biofertilizer, biochar, and biogas within hours using HydroThermal Carbonization (HTC) technology, which reduces odor, energy use, and emissions.
ComexSoft (Spain): A near real-time market intelligence platform that collects and organizes retail data, matching similar products specifically developed for accurate decision-making.
PROTINOS (Thailand): High-protein noodles made from egg whites and soybeans containing complete essential amino acids, created using enzyme incubation techniques, serving as food to help care for and protect health.
SicPama (South Korea): A QR ordering and payment platform with a CRM system that links social media with actual service usage and repeat visits, helping restaurants measure returns and increase revenue.
Nourish Ingredients (Australia): High-performance animal-free fats created via precision fermentation to solve the taste and texture issues of plant-based alternative foods by mimicking the key fats found in meat and dairy products.
Kresko RNAtech (USA/Argentina): Nutrients from biological RNA found in natural foods, developed by AI and biotechnology to be more stable and better absorbed, for use in dietary supplements and health products.
Agrifreeze (Singapore): Develops freezing technology using Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) to control the formation of small ice crystals, reducing food damage and maintaining quality close to fresh products.

10 FoodTech Startups Joining the Incubator Program

Eatwellconcept (Thailand): An AI-powered personalized therapeutic diet platform for NCD patients, offering real-time nutritional guidance by dietitians to improve health and quality of life.
AmaranthLab (UK): Protein ingredients from amaranth for GLP-1 (Glucagon-Like Peptide-1) nutrition to control blood sugar levels and satiety, for use in various functional food products.
Openfarming (Saudi Arabia): An AI operating system for food distributors that converts orders from multiple channels into real-time data, enabling automated demand forecasting and dynamic inventory management without changing existing workflows.
Zuppar Reborn (Thailand): Biodegradable fruit and bakery stickers made from pineapple waste, replacing plastic labels with an alternative that can decompose into fertilizer.
VeriPura (Thailand/Singapore): An AI and Blockchain platform for automated document management and product traceability, making food exports to Europe easier and more compliant with regulations (EU).
YiXingYuan (Taiwan): A modular small-scale fruit processing factory (Factory-in-a-box) utilizing High Voltage Electric Field (HVEF) technology to process fruits directly at the source, preserving product quality while reducing energy use, costs, and spoilage.
JOLA (Thailand): Vitamin-infused jelly pet food that develops DIY treat products, such as jellies for dogs and cats, focusing on natural ingredients, good nutrition, and creating a shared experience between owners and pets.
UPLI (UK): A precision fermentation platform to create functional proteins with characteristics similar to human breast milk, used to increase nutritional value in food at an industrial scale.
Emerald Plast (Thailand): Biodegradable food materials and packaging made from starch and bioplastics to replace traditional plastics, reducing environmental impact and enhancing sustainability image.
Squizify (Thailand): A digital food safety platform integrating software and IoT devices to automatically track, monitor, and manage food business standards, complete with real-time data analysis.

https://www.nia.or.th/

Hashtag: #NIA #NationalInnovationAgency

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

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

New home consents up 11 percent in year ended March 2026 – Building consents issued: March 2026 – Stats NZ news story and information release

LiveNews Publisher — Fri, 01 May 2026 10:52:52 +0000

Source: Statistics New Zealand

New home consents up 11 percent in year ended March 2026 – news story

1 May 2026

There were 37,813 new homes consented in Aotearoa New Zealand in the year ended March 2026, up 11 percent compared with the year ended March 2025, according to figures released by Stats NZ today.

“New home consents increased in the year ended March 2026, following decreases in each of the previous three years,” economic indicators spokesperson Michelle Feyen said.

In the year ended March 2026, the number of stand-alone house consents was 17,444, up 9.2 percent compared with the year ended March 2025. There were 20,369 multi-unit homes consented, up 13 percent over the same period. Multi-unit homes include townhouses, flats, apartments, and retirement village units.

Of the multi-unit homes consented in the year ended March 2026, compared with the previous year, there were:

16,407 townhouses, flats, and units (up 14 percent)
2,237 apartments (up 6.1 percent)
1,725 retirement village units (up 8.1 percent).

Visit our website to read the full news story and information release and to download CSV files:

For media enquiries contact: Media team, Wellington, media@stats.govt.nz“>media@stats.govt.nz, 021 285 9191

The Government Statistician authorises all statistics and data we publish.

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MIL OSI

Calls for government to release list of who will get fuel priority

MIL OSI — Fri, 01 May 2026 09:12:46 +0000

Source: Radio New Zealand

An energy security expert says the list of fuel priority users should be released now. (File photo) RNZ / Quin Tauetau

It has been five weeks since Finance Minister Nicola Willis said she was consulting with industries on who would be included in a list for priority fuel, and an energy security expert says the list needs to be released now.

Earlier this week, Shane Jones told Checkpoint officials were finalising the list but didn’t want to rush it and would confirm a timeline at another time.

The government’s National Fuel Plan, outlined rationing measures that would be taken if supplies started running dry.

Resembling the Covid alert levels, the plan had four ‘phases’. New Zealand was at phase one.

Phase 2 would see homes, businesses and the public sector encouraged to conserve fuel. Phase 3 would see fuel prioritised for life-preserving services and phase 4 would see stricter intervention in fuel distribution.

Nathan Surendren, chairperson of Wise Response Society, told Checkpoint, he wanted to see the list of priority users for fuel in phase 3 released now.

“We need certainty around this… people need to plan.”

So far, fuel supply in New Zealand had been pretty stable, he said, but he believed that could be coming to an end.

He thought the government was being “far too relaxed” about the situation.

“Nicola Willis in that meeting five weeks ago said we’d have a plan within two weeks… it’s three weeks past that deadline which was self-imposed…seems to be an ideological reluctance to signal this is a crisis.”

Surendren said the government was “foot-dragging” and he didn’t understand why.

A statement sent to Checkpoint, from the office of Willis, said there had been more than 1900 submissions by businesses and industry bodies on the plan and the feedback was being incorporated into the plan.

The statement did not say when a list of businesses would be released, but said the government was ready to move into the next phase of the plan if needed.

It said the fuel supply in New Zealand was sufficient and orders were confirmed until the middle of June.

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

The business impact of weather warnings

MIL OSI — Fri, 01 May 2026 06:57:54 +0000

Source: Radio New Zealand

A large tree fallen at a restaurant in Whakatāne during Cyclone Vaianu. RNZ/ Robin Martin

Authorities should consider the impact on businesses of people staying home when they weigh up the safety considerations involved with wild weather warnings, one data analyst says.

Data from Dot Loves Data shows the impact of weather warnings on 12 April, as Cyclone Vaianu hit New Zealand.

Compared to every other Sunday of 2026, excluding Easter Sunday, it showed Northland spending was down 48 percent. Auckland’s was down 46.5 percent, Waikato was down 52.58 percent, Bay of Plenty down 68.32 percent, Gisborne down 51.6 percent and Hawke’s Bay was down 56.34 percent.

“It’s highest in the areas most closely impacted by the Cyclone’s forecast path and decreases correspondingly the further each region is located,” director Justin Lester said.

“While we think as New Zealanders and human beings, that we’re all autonomous human beings, the reality is we’re actually more like sheep. If someone tells us to do something, we do it.

“And New Zealanders are compliant. They do tend to follow rules, not everybody, but most. So when we get a missive from the MetService or the government around a warning, we follow the rules.

“That’s great. It’s really good to see that, and people are prioritising life safety and family safety. But what we also have to understand for decision-makers is, look, these transactions, the level of spend has a massive decline. There are real-world implications, so it needs to make sure that it’s being done accurately and with a good level of information, and with due care for the potential impact on a local economy as well.”

Brad Olsen, chief executive at Infometrics, said there might have been an impact on spending anyway, because of the weather being bad.

“Yes we should always be careful with the alerts we put out. I don’t think anyone in MetService or whoever they are now is sitting there and thinking, you know what, I think it would be a fun day to just issue a red alert for lols. So, you know, from that purpose, I don’t think that weather forecasters or those involved with emergency management should have much regard for economic trends there.

“They shouldn’t ever have in their decision making, should I or shouldn’t I issue an alert based on what it might do to spending in the local area? I think that’s not their remit… but like I say, I’m not sure that it’s the alert itself or if it’s more the, there’s a correlation causation question there.”

Civil Defence Minister Mark Mitchell said weather warnings played a crucial part in helping businesses make informed decisions to mitigate weather-related economic impacts and keep people safe.

“Warnings are advisory and do not impose any restrictions on people or businesses. It is the weather itself, not the warnings, that primarily causes the economic impacts.

“History shows that poor preparation, poor response, and poor decision-making in relation to severe weather events comes with significant economic and human cost. It is not surprising that economic activity slows down during periods of severe weather, but businesses are getting much better at planning ahead for weather-related disruption.

“Weather events are likely to become more frequent and severe, and it is important that all organisations have business continuity arrangements, and insurance, to help them get through.

“Central, regional, and local government will provide as much information and support as possible to communities but ultimately, they are responsible for making their own decisions around how to prepare and respond to severe weather events. The best response to these events is a whole of society response.”

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

Parent of teen who only eats plain foods ‘terrified’ child could go blind

MIL OSI — Fri, 01 May 2026 05:57:54 +0000

Source: Radio New Zealand

A public health poster. Amy Williams/RNZ

A parent of a teenager who eats only plain foods including bread, crackers and pasta says it’s terrifying to learn such restrictive diets can cause permanent vision loss.

It follows two eye specialists’ warning there were children in New Zealand who had gone blind due to malnutrition.

Sarah and her husband have tried everything to get their son, whose eyesight was good, to eat a balanced diet.

“He is a very plain beige food eater and he’s been like that from a very young age.”

She said her son will eat only plain foods such as bread, crackers, chips, pasta and brown rice.

“It’s really hard. You can get angry, you can get sad, grumpy, you know we’ve tried every which way to get him to eat.”

When he was diagnosed with autism, and later avoidant restrictive intake disorder, it came with some relief but Sarah said the worry was still there about his health.

Her son had regular check-ups, saw a paediatrician and took a nutrient drink three times a day alongside oral vitamin supplements.

“He hasn’t had any health issues from the lack of food that he’s had at this stage but it is frustrating, it’s heartbreaking, it is all of the above when you’re trying to feed a child something they have no intention of eating.”

It was a surprise to Sarah to learn her son’s eye health could be affected by his restrictive diet.

“It’s terrifying and it is surprising also when we have gone through medical specialists and that’s never come up.”

Paediatric opthalmologists Dr Julia Escardo-Paton and Dr Rasha Altaie had seen children who don’t eat fruit and vegetables suffer from vitamin A deficiency, which could lead to blindness.

Dr Julia Escardo Paton (L) and Dr Rasha Altaie. Amy Williams/RNZ

This included one boy who ate hot chips and Pringles and another who only ate chicken nuggets and chips.

They were urging parents concerned about their children’s diet to visit their GP.

Meanwhile, two population studies looking into the eye health of children aged seven and 12 are underway, a first for New Zealand that will provide local data for researchers currently relying on overseas studies.

University of Auckland associate professor and optometrist Joanna Black is leading the research.

“It’s really concerning that children are experiencing preventable vision loss for any reason,” she said.

“That’s really what we’re trying to address in these studies is working out how from a primary care perspective we can detect it earlier and make sure children get the follow up that they need.”

Researchers were collecting data for the 12 year-olds and analysing the data collected on seven year olds, which tested the vision of 1200 children from 83 schools.

“There’s definitely been referrals made to ophthalmology services in hospitals where the cause of reduced vision hasn’t been explained by other things that have been found such as refractive error.”

Refractive errors were common eye conditions that could make vision blurry, such as near and far-sightedness.

Black said the 12-year-olds would be asked some environmental questions including about cost of living pressures on their families.

“Nutrition’s become quite an important topic in eye health because it has been linked to a number of different conditions.”

Blind Low Vision said it knows of nine people who were registered blind, whose vision loss was caused by poor diet.

Its chief executive Andrea Midgen said that’s a small handful of 16,000.

“Of course it’s concerning and currently with the cost of living and people struggling to put great nutrition on the table it’s a very complex issue,” Midgen said.

“It’s something that government and various ministries and charities like ourselves are trying to focus on.”

Children were eligible for free vision testing before they started school and again in year seven, when they were at intermediate.

“We talk a lot about health of our hearts and slip slip slap for sun but eye health is just so critical and needs more importance placed on as children make their way through the school system.”

Sarah said when her son was diagnosed with avoidant restrictive intake disorder, it helped her to understand his restrictive eating.

“They can hold everything together when they’re out but once they get home that’s when things fall over a bit,” she said.

“As you can imagine around dinnertime for someone that has had to process the whole day before them… and you try to feed them food, he just can’t mentally eat it.”

Looking ahead, she hoped for a bright future for her son.

“Things already are tough for a child like that, they battle a little bit more with everything they do every day, so our hope really is that he’s healthy and happy and can function independently going forward as he gets older.”

Sarah said she would keep an eye on his vision and continue to get his eyesight tested each year.

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

‘New Zealanders are like sheep’: The business impact of weather warnings

MIL OSI — Fri, 01 May 2026 05:28:21 +0000

Source: Radio New Zealand

A large tree fallen at a restaurant in Whakatāne during Cyclone Vaianu. RNZ/ Robin Martin

Authorities should consider the impact on businesses of people staying home when they weigh up the safety considerations involved with wild weather warnings, one data analyst says.

Data from Dot Loves Data shows the impact of weather warnings on April 12, as Cyclone Vaianu hit New Zealand.