Food prices were flat in April, and up by less compared to the year earlier than they were in March.

But beneath that headline, there’s been significant variation across food items.

Here’s what’s getting cheaper, what’s dearer, how you might be able to save and where to next for food prices.

What’s cheaper?

Looking at annual averages 10 years ago compared to modern prices, not a lot is cheaper.

Of the 147 detailed prices that Stats NZ tracks, only seven have recorded drops over 10 years.

Avocados were down 22 percent from a decade ago.

Infometrics chief economist Brad Olsen said that was largely due to supply. “There’s been much higher supply and much more challenging demand conditions in recent times, where there just hasn’t been as much demand.

“If we were having this conversation as well a decade ago, we probably would have been rejoicing at the fact that surely with low avocado prices, you know, housing must be so much more affordable.

“Anyone saying ‘your avocado on toast is contributing to your inability to buy a house’ was wrong to start with, but it’s even more wrong at the moment when avocado prices have come back.”

Second was onions, down 7 percent from $2.13 a kilogram to $1.99, on average.

A 700g bag of frozen prawns dropped 3 percent over 10 years, and a packaged pasta-and-sauce meal was down 1 percent.

Over just the past year, the biggest drops were in cucumbers, down 23 percent, olive oil, down 21 percent, the packaged pasta meals, down 16 percent, carrots down 14 percent and cauliflower down 11 percent.

What’s got dearer?

Everything else.

Over 10 years, the biggest increases in prices were for eggs, butter, sultanas, canned pink salmon, kiwifruit, bread, corned beef, cabbage, grapes, and fish and chips.

Eggs were up 151 percent over 10 years.

“That’s because we’ve changed how we produce eggs in New Zealand, we’ve got rid of battery and caged options and moved towards more free-range options, which has increased the cost of operating,” Olsen said.

Butter was up 143 percent.

ANZ economist Matt Dilly said butter prices had fallen in the past few months but were still high.

“Global supplies were very tight from mid-2024 to late 2025, thanks to strong demand and poor weather in every dairy exporting country except New Zealand. We are starting to see butter prices come down as butter production has increased in New Zealand, Europe, and the US.

“But you’ll also notice a step change in pricing between 2006-2016 and 2016-present. This reflects shifting consumer preferences away from vegetable oils and toward butter for health reasons.”

Sultanas lifted in price by 116 percent. Dilly said most came from Turkey and Australia.

“Turkey is the largest producer and exporter, and they’ve been hit with bad weather last year. This has pushed production down and prices up. Hopefully prices will fall over the next few months.”

Westpac senior economist Michael Gordon said there had been significant rain and frost damage to Turkish crops. “Poor harvest have also been an issue fro things like coffee and chocolate prices in recent times.”

Salmon was up 101 percent, kiwifruit 93 percent, bread 90 percent, corned beef 87 percent and cabbage 78 percent.

Olsen said kiwifruit was driven by strong demand and challenging harvest conditions.

Dilly said kiwifruit was highly seasonal.

“Right now we are transitioning from imported Northern Hemisphere fruit to domestic fruit. That’s still ongoing, so retail prices will continue to drop as the harvest continues. Red and Gold are mostly picked, but Green is still underway. However, prices are going up year over year, if you just look at the lowest prices of each season. Some of that will be due to an increase in orchard gate prices in recent years, especially for green kiwifruit.”

Corned beef was likely to be because fewer cattle had been available for processing, Olsen said. He said other meat had also increased in price, but corned beef was cheaper to being with so the proportional increase was higher.

A serve of fish and chips increased from $6.09 on average in the year ending April 2016 to $10.77 this year.

Olsen said there was pressure on fish generally and fish fillets were them most expensive single item on a per unit basis.

“Over time as well, you’ve seen increases in potato costs and the cost of your cooking oil and everything else… energy cost increases, you’ve seen packaging cost increases, and probably most importantly, increases to the minimum wage over time, which generally affects those in hospitality a whole lot more.”

In the past year, the biggest price increases have been in dried apricots, up 56 percent, courgettes up 42 percent, avocado up 36 percent, sliced white bread up 35 percent, beans up 26 percent and roasting lamb up 21 percent.

How can we save money?

Simplicity chief economist Shamubeel Eaqub calculated people could save money on things like school lunches by making swaps.

By switching from ham to peanut butter for sandwiches, school policy permitting, and muesli bars to muesli, they could save $5.10 a week on school lunches, he said.

A Sunday roast for four people would cost $22.24 per person using beef sirloin but only $8.17 for roast chicken.

Where to from here?

HIgher fuel prices are expected to push up food prices, but that has not shown through in the data yet.

Olsen said that was what he expected. “The fact that diesel costs have increased by basically double in the last two months – most people’s pricing structures don’t adjust that quickly themselves. We do expect they’re coming. We just think here’s a bit of a delay or a lag as those cost changes come through the supply chain.”

DIlly agreed it was too soon to seen an impact.

He said would take three to six months for price changes to go from the point of origin to retail, depending on the product.

“Some costs will be passed on more quickly than others, and some costs will be absorbed in the supply chain before it reaches the consumer. We are keeping an eye on it, but wouldn’t expect to see a noticeable change for another few months.”

Westpac senior economist Satish Ranchhod said the impact might not show up until the latter part of the year.

“Higher costs for fuels and fertilizers will push up production costs here and abroad. The usual delay with growing cycles and shipping means those higher costs take several months to pass through to food prices, and that’s compounded by shipping times for items we import.

“So, while the April food price figures were a little on the soft side of expectations, we’re likely to see more pronounced upward pressure on food prices over the coming months.”

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

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/18/sultanas-up-avocados-down-heres-how-food-prices-are-really-moving/

A Coroner says the deaths of two fishermen in Northland highlight the importance of wearing lifejackets while rock fishing – as well as the need for warning signs and flotation aids in dangerous areas.

Sarath Kumar Sasidharan-Nair, 37, and Ferzil Babu, 34, drowned when they were swept off rocks at The Gap, a fishing spot at Taiharuru, east of Whangārei, two years ago.

Sasidharan-Nair’s body was found in the water two days later, while Babu’s remains were only found late last year when they washed up on Coppermine Island in Bream Bay.

According to a report released on Monday by Coroner Janet Anderson, the friends travelled together to Taiharuru on the afternoon of 1 May 2024.

Other friends arrived at the same fishing spot later that afternoon but did not recognise Sasidharan-Nair’s vehicle. They assumed the pair had decided not to go fishing because the water was so rough and went home.

The men’s wives raised the alarm when they failed to return and did not answer their phones.

Police found some of the men’s property on the beach that evening and started a large scale search the next day.

Coroner Anderson ruled that both men had died by accidental drowning and noted that neither owned a lifejacket.

According to evidence provided by Surf Lifesaving New Zealand (SLNZ), 16 people – all men – had died while fishing from land in Northland between 2011 and 2024.

SLNZ said rock fishing could be “rewarding and exhilarating” but required careful preparation and a strong focus on safety.

The chief risks were large waves overtopping rocky platforms, knocking fishers off their feet and sweeping them into the water; and slippery rocks near the water’s edge, where fishers could easily fall while retrieving a catch or a snagged line.

Coroner Anderson said the men’s tragic deaths again illustrated the need to war life jackets and have access to flotation devices while rock fishing.

In November 2025 she called on the Whangārei District Council to install warning signs and flotation aids at The Gap.

The council told her it had done so, working with hapū to get the right wording, but the sign had since been removed by an unknown person.

Coroner Anderson urged the council to urgently reinstate signage so people would be aware of the danger.

Responding to the report, Water Safety New Zealand chief executive Glen Scanlon said a lifejacket could be the difference between life and death while rock fishing.

“The very harsh reality shown by so many drownings is that we need to help each other make decisions which help us enjoy the water and get home safe. Rock fishers need to wear lifejackets and never underestimate the conditions.”

Scanlon said 237 people had drowned while fishing from land in New Zealand since 1980. Of those, 150 occurred while fishing from rocks.

A spokeswoman for the Whangārei District Council said the missing sign was being reinstated, and contractors would monitor it to make sure it remained in place.

The council was working with Surf Lifesaving New Zealand on installing floatation devices and additional safety signs at the site, she said.

Sasidharan-Nair was a registered nurse who had just started a new job in the emergency department at Whangārei Hospital.

Babu’s wife also worked at the hospital while he was seeking work and looking after their young son.

Coroner Anderson included SLNZ’s “five ways to survive” tips for rock fishing in her report. They are:

• Know how to float: Only go fishing from rocks if you know how to float well. Always wear a lifejacket and take a flotation device, like a life ring or a bucket, with you. Lifejackets will increase your chance of survival if you fall in.
• Find the safest place: Check conditions: tide, swell, weather, and local hazards. Always face the ocean and be alert for large waves which can knock you off the rocks.
• If in doubt, stay out: If the weather or conditions look dangerous don’t go fishing – wait for another day.
• Take care of yourself and others: Always fish together. If something happens, the other person can help. Wear light, warm clothing, a lifejacket and shoes with grip (not gumboots).
• Know how to get help: Always take a mobile phone; in an emergency call 111 and ask for police.

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

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/18/two-men-who-drowned-rock-fishing-werent-wearing-life-jackets-coroner-says/

An Australian with a calling and an Auckland radio host running on pure determination are the newly crowned national champions of stone skimming.

In pristine conditions, hundreds flocked to a remote corner of Lake Hāwea on Saturday to watch or toss a rock at the inaugural national competition.

Abbey McDonald, an Australian living in Queenstown, described her decision to enter the event as a feeling of destiny.

She quickly stole the show with a skim of 72 metres – the furthest of the day – then clinched the women’s final and a ticket to the World Stone Skimming Championships in Scotland in September. Her throw in the final was 42 metres.

“I’ve been waiting to find my career. I’ve been saying ‘should I go to uni? Should I not?’ And travelling around. And then this popped up and I just knew it was for me,” she said.

Stepping up to the platform, McDonald said she felt a sense of belonging.

“I had my support crew there, they had their hats on… and I just felt right at home.”

Auckland-based The Rock host Jay Reeve said his 51 metre winning throw in the men’s final using “a real dog” of a stone with a chunk of quartz in it was as much of a shock to him as anyone.

“Not even in my wildest dreams. Look at me, I’m not an athlete. I’m held together by duct tape, and pure determination and will, pretty much,” he said.

Reeve, originally from Tauranga, said he had not skimmed a stone in quite some time.

“That showed early, and then I managed to get one across the line in the final.”

They were among more than 130 competitors chasing glory – some competing under their real names while others opted for aliases such as Hans Skimmer, Splash Bandicoot and Skim Shadbolt.

Each had three attempts to send a stone dancing across the lake as far as possible down a designated lane.

Throws had to bounce at least twice and competitors had to keep both feet planted, while any that strayed too far to the side were instantly disqualified.

Competitor Sam Lockwood, from Arrowtown, said the perfect skim began with finding the perfect stone, which could not be wider than three inches (7.61cm).

“It’s got to be quite thick. I think the main problem for today is everyone’s been picking really thin stones. So it’s been catching at the end and it curls….I’ve got big hands luckily and I can handle a big wide stone,” he said.

Event organiser Richie Laming said Lake Hāwea offered smooth waters and near-perfect skimming conditions throughout the day.

“We’ve got an incredible high pressure system exactly over Lake Hāwea at the moment – sublime, calm conditions. If there was a day that New Zealand records were to be set, it is today,” he said.

Queenstown resident Ben Davies, better known as Skim Shady, said he made a last-minute call to enter after a few too many drinks one night.

He quickly found himself near the top of the leaderboard.

“I’ve been living down in Otago for years so there’s lakes everywhere, and as I’ve been walking my dogs and hanging out down by lakes, I just throw rocks now and again, and been doing pretty well at it,” he said.

“Here we are – top of the table, living the dream. It feels pretty good.”

For Wānaka competitor Don Elder, the real prize was simply a good day out.

“I’ve been training for months. It’s been a lot of hard work, sacrifices, and it all comes down to the day – and it wasn’t going to be me. But that’s okay. I had a huge amount of fun. It’s been one of the best days I’ve had here for a long time,” he said.

The championship was organised as a fundraiser for Melanoma New Zealand and to help raise awareness that the country has one of the leading melanoma diagnosis rates in the world, Laming said.

It would be the first of many, he said.

“We’ll definitely be having it as an annual, but we’re just discussing the biannual option or even having regionals or inter-provincials… the lake’s the limit,” he said.

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

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/18/first-ever-stone-skimming-champions-crowned-in-lake-hawea/

First Person – You could feel something special building for days, even before the NZ Warriors took the field.

On Air New Zealand planes to Brisbane, the cabins were filled with blue and green jerseys. Pilots and cabin crews dispensed “Up the Wahs”. In this city, Warriors jerseys were omnipresent.

On Friday, a line snaked down the shopping precinct on Queen Street as fans lined up to buy merch from the Warriors pop-up store – and meet former halfback Shaun Johnson.

New Zealanders like Brisbane; there are more of us there than in Dunedin, but this was high visibility Kiwidom. It felt like every local train had someone wearing a Warriors cap with its distinctive Tiki; every cafe had someone in a Warriors jersey, every sports bar a knot of Warriors fans.

On the opening night of the NRL Magic Round, it felt as if there were more Warriors supporters in the stands than fans of any of the other teams playing.

One estimate put the Kiwi contingent at more than 8000 in a stadium whose capacity is a little over 50,000, one of the biggest and certainly the most visible of the travelling groups of fans of the 16 teams playing.

An hour and a half before Sunday’s kick-off, Caxton Street leading down to Suncorp Stadium was packed. Police had already closed the roads with barricades.

Word had gone out that Warriors fans would meet at the Lord Alfred hotel, a watering hole both legendary and apparently historically significant for its Victorian pub architecture, to march – or hikoi as the fan organisers said – to the ground en masse. By 2.45pm, there were so many people outside the Lord Alfred, it took time for the leaders and drummer to get to the front and set everyone off. Slowly.

Then with flags flying, drums beating, the crowd of green and blue set off, chanting, to the stadium, past the gawking pubs and bars, past the watching police and security staff, the merch tents, and sponsors’ sideshows, into the ground.

There we congregated mostly in the northern stand, Kiwi territory, it was a mass of voluble partisan fans, The facing southern stand was more disputed, a stalemate of barrages from Warriors and Broncos fans.

Magic Round-goers are a festive bunch. The fans of 15 out of 16 teams travelled from around Australia for a good weekend; Warriors fans travelled from overseas and were there to make the most of every second.

The noise level on Sunday was staggering. It was enough to trigger warnings on iPhones. We were a long way from the image of New Zealanders as reserved, the “passionless people” of 1970s thinking.

This was the loudest game of Magic Round by a long way; when it was over and the Panthers played the Dragons in one last, ultimately dreary encounter, it sounded like a poorly attended Super rugby match at Eden Park – near silent. But for this game, fans sang, chanted, cheered ever Warrior move, jeering their opponents with gusto, toasting plays, bantering with neighbours, riding every tackle, every shift in the match.

“Ooh, aah, up the Wahs”, the stands chanted.

This was a crowd, working together and determined to tell their players they were there. A wall of noise for the Broncos, a wall of electricity for the Warriors. The body language of players suggested they were aware.

In defence, the Warriors were ferocious. In attack, they were unforgiving.

The Broncos were simply swept away.

This was no longer their Suncorp, their Lang Park.

At half-time the stadium played Poi E. Then the Warriors crowd sang Tūtira Mai Ngā Iwi.

There may have been a few moments in the second half when the Broncos struck back, and their own partisan supporters matched the Warriors’ supporters for intensity, but it didn’t last. The Warriors were disciplined, the crowd vociferous.

Ten minutes from the final whistle, the crowd were lifting the roof off the stand as time ran out for the Broncos.

“Oh, oh, we’re halfway there”; they sang.

“Oh oh, living on a prayer…”

With four minutes left, the crowd were on their feet.

“Hey, hey ya baby, Ooh, aah, I want to know, will you be my girl?”

When it was all over, the Warriors team remained on the field. They hadn’t won at Suncorp against the Broncos since 2018. Now they had claimed it and it was theirs by right.

As a final act, they came together and stood before the northern stand to acknowledge their crowd. The crowd surged forward like waves of the sea. Then it was the turn of hip hop artist Savage to perform for the fans, his Warrior Nation.

“Get up and shout, say it till the end, we are the Warriors 100%.”

The crowd of green and blue exulted.

Double try-scorer Dallin Watene-Zelezniak thanked the crowd: “There were so many fans here, it felt like Auckland”.

Tomorrow, there will be questions. There will be the routine worries of injuries and suspensions and next games to play, all the ongoing huff and puff of sport. There’ll also be time for the nagging question that always dogs the Warriors – can they actually win this thing?

But at that moment, in that place, there was only a wild swirling outpouring of energy and noise and purpose. A cacophony of joy and a shout of resolve.

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

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/18/warriors-fans-in-brisbane-a-wild-swirling-outpouring-of-energy-for-nrl-magic-round/

A National Party policy to prevent judges discounting sexual offenders’ sentences due to good character is a solution for a non-existent problem, a defence lawyer says.

But a victims’ advocate said it would be a huge relief for survivors who currently have to listen to “completely irrelevant” testimony about their perpetrator being a good person.

National revealed yesterday that if elected, it would scrap good character assessments for sexual offending sentences, so judges can no longer consider it when handing down a punishment.

“The result will be tougher sentences,” said justice spokesperson – and current Justice Minister – Paul Goldsmith.

“It’s just not fair to the victim to sit there in a courtroom and see their offender get a lighter sentence because of the words of a former coach or a boss. That’s not right,” Prime Minister Christopher Luxon added on Morning Report on Monday.

“We’re on the side of victims. We’re not on the side of offenders. And I’ll be really simple – no sex offender is a person of good character, period. I think all New Zealanders would agree with that.”

But Defence Lawyers’ Association co-founder Elizabeth Hall disagreed. She said judges considered a wide range of factors when they determined a sentence.

“Judges must take them into account, but that does not mean that a judge must afford a discount,” she said.

“Particularly in sexual offending cases, judges often don’t apply a good character discount, so I’m not sure that it’s going to make much difference at all in terms of either the type of sentencing or the length of sentence that will be imposed.”

The ability for judges to consider good character was important so people who had lived “blameless lives” and then made one mistake could be recognised for the contribution they had made to society, if the judge felt that was appropriate, she said.

Criminal lawyers were used to the justice system being “fodder for politicians to debate” in an election year, said Hall.

“It’s really pretending that there’s a problem and then offering what looks like might be a solution, that actually isn’t.”

But the government’s chief victims’ advisor Ruth Money said soon after National’s announcement she began receiving messages from sexual violence survivors “overwhelmed with joy”.

The current system was offensive for victims, she said.

“You’ve been sexually violated by someone, they’ve either been found guilty or they’ve plead guilty, and yet you have to hear at sentencing – quite irrelevant at times – letters and submissions about what a wonderful person they may be, which is not at all linked to the offending, let alone the fact that they have sexually violated you.”

Money had advised the government to scrap good character discounts for sexual offending, but said that should not apply across all crimes.

“You could accidentally drive, for example, and kill someone [but] you can’t accidentally sexually violate someone, so it is very different,” she said.

“That’s why the judge ultimately has the decision in their hands around sentencing for other crimes, because there may be that small number of cases where a good character reference is relevant, but it certainly isn’t for sexual violence.”

Money hoped the proposal would have bipartisan support.

Luxon was asked if the idea could be applied to other types of offending.

“We’re going to start with all sexual offending. I think there are legitimate instances where good character is appropriate if you think about a young person who makes a stupid decision with poor judgment,” he replied.

“But look, we’d be open to extending it and looking at it for other criminal offences as well.”

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

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/18/huge-relief-or-pretending-theres-a-problem-nationals-sexual-offenders-sentencing-policy/

Teachers say they are disappointed feedback fro the sector on replacing NCEA was not listened to.

The government on Saturday released further details about the new secondary school qualification framework, which was expected to begin replacing NCEA from 2028.

It would be replaced by the New Zealand Certificate of Education with more priority to be given to exams.

President of New Zealand Association for the Teaching of English, Pip Tinning, told Morning Report, the sector had been advocating to further strengthen NCEA rather than replace it.

“We were very aware that there were issues sitting within that qualification, however, it was working.”

But Education Minister Erica Stanford told Morning Report, under NCEA students were able to “game” the education system.

She said under NCEA students were getting too many credits from things like short barista courses or being able to paddle in water.

Tinning said the flexibility NCEA offered was one of its strengths.

There were issues with the structural makeup of NCEA, Stanford said.

“Chasing little tiny credits you can pick and choose between is a fundamental flaw in the system. The system is set up an and designed in a way that can be hugely gamed.”

Stanford said if a student was not getting the credits needed in English for example, the school could tell them to do a barista course to make up the credits.

“We have got a system that has been failing our kids… Let’s raise the bar and have aspiration for our kids.”

Stanford said there would be a “big announcement” on Monday afternoon about a pre-Budget investment in the education sector.

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

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/18/teachers-raise-concerns-as-ncea-replacement-confimed/

Luke Metcalf’s long term future may not be with the Warriors, but his short-term future has just become very important.

In-favour halfback Tanah Boyd went down with a suspected season-ending knee injury in Sunday’s 42-12 win over the Broncos in Brisbane.

Boyd suffered a suspected ACL injury in the opening minutes of the Magic Round clash.

Metcalf, who last week signed to join the Dragons next year, wasn’t in the line-up so Te Maire Martin replaced Boyd.

Coach Andrew Webster will now have to figure out his best pairing in the halves and who will join stand-off Chanel Harris-Tavita.

“We’ve got really good depth in that position.”

Luke Hanson and Jett Cleary are other options to play in the halves.

Webster said because of the bye and then the contract negotiations Metcalf wasn’t match ready and may not be available for next weekends game against the Dragons.

“We need to get him back doing reps because we don’t want to throw him back in and then he gets an injury, but he’ll be eligible for selection as soon as he is fit and done football.

“If he wasn’t important to us we would ask him to leave now and we don’t want him to, we want him to stay.

“He wants to stay, he wants to be a part of this, so he becomes important.”

Meanwhile, Boyd, who recently re-signed with the Warriors, was close to tears as he hobbled from the field.

“We’re not writing him off yet, but early indications say that it could be (ACL injury),” Webster said afterwards.

“It’s huge, we’ve had a great win here tonight and we’ve got one in there that doesn’t have clarity on his future. We really feel for him but fingers crossed hopefully it’s good news. It’s hard to get too excited when that happens.”

While Boyd was upbeat and supported his team-mates afterwards, Webster said it was obvious that he was hurting.

“You can see that he is emotional, upset.”

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

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/18/warriors-contemplate-their-next-move-at-halfback/

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

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/18/auditions-for-the-next-james-bond-are-finally-underway/

A man has been found dead at a Waimamaku property in Northland.

Emergency services were called to the Wekaweka Road property about 8.45pm on Sunday.

“The circumstances surrounding his death are currently unexplained, and police are now working to establish the full circumstances of how he died,” Northland CIB detective senior sergeant Christan Fouhy said.

The property will undergo a scene examination on Monday and a post-mortem examination will be carried out.

Police would like to hear from anyone who was in the area who may have information.

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

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/18/man-found-dead-at-northland-property-police-investigating/

Is this the most beautiful commute in the world?

Maybe that is going too far but for the hundreds of cyclists who for the first time on Monday morning pedalled along the new Te Ara Tupua cycling and walking path between Ngauranga and Petone it might have seemed so.

The sun came up over the Hutt’s eastern hills around 7.30am as a plane was going overhead towards Lyall Bay, a ferry was making its way towards Somes Matui , the Waterloo-to-Wellington train was rattling past and the traffic was going at better-than-congealed pace along SH2 into town.

So far, so usual.

But the other transport link, the other commute, was far from usual.

“I’ve been actually dreaming of this,” said one rider as they prepared for their inaugural trip to work off of Petone Esplanade.

He rode off into the barest of southerlies and with the sun coming up over his shoulder.

The wind test for manual bikers versus electric, particularly into a stalwart northerly on a path further out from the lea of the hill, has yet to come.

The first 100m and the cyclist had already covered about $8m or so worth of track-building. The 4.1km trail came in at a $349m price-tag Transport Minister Chris Bishop had noted on opening day he wasn’t happy with.

That, and the lack of toilets halfway to Ngauranga, or at Ngauranga, might be the only quibbles.

Bishop who lives in Days Bay can now ride from his front door to Parliament and barely touch a road.

But until now commuter riders did not see it, focused tightly as they had been on their front wheels avoiding debris and staying well within the shoulder of the motorway.

Now they get to look up and out towards Baring Head. The logging trucks that had been on their right shoulders were now well away on the other side of Metlink’s Hutt Valley Line.

“Beautiful,” said one arriving atop the gentle slope of the bridge at the southern end the vaults the rail line. “Every day’s a happy day.”

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

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/18/cyclists-commute-at-sunrise-on-the-beautiful-te-ara-tupua/

The Fitch credit ratings agency is warning the introduction of local government rate caps could increase the risk of credit downgrades across the sector.

The government is planning to introduce legislation this year that will eventually limit council rate increases to 4 percent, from 2029.

Fitch reviews the credit ratings of 18 councils across New Zealand.

Paul Norris, senior director at Fitch Ratings, said they had generally held a positive view of the sector, given the flexibility councils have had to raise revenue.

He said it was early days and some councils may yet be able to get exemptions from rate caps.

However, he said overall he probably expected it to weigh on credit profiles across the sector.

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

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/18/rates-caps-could-raise-risk-of-credit-downgrade-for-new-zealand-fitch-warns/

QR scams are on the rise, according to a global cybersecurity company.

Known as ‘quishing’, a QR code’s landing website is swapped out for another, where some sort of payment is sought. The scammers’ aim is to get credit card details entered.

Cybersecurity company ESET says these scams were nearly non-existent a year ago, but now make up one in 10 scams.

New Zealand manager Scott Leman says the stakes are high with QR codes, because they bypass traditional IT security.

“People might receive an email that has a QR code in it, or they might be seeing it out in the world somewhere, and they’re taking their mobile phones, they’re scanning that QR code, clicking on the link that it refers to, but it’s actually not going to the legitimate website and sending them through to somewhere that has been created by the scammer,” he told Nine to Noon on Monday.

“That’s then asking them to either log in to their Google account or their Microsoft account or perhaps enter some credit card details to make a payment. And that’s where they’re then losing their login details and credentials or losing their credit card information.”

He said to be wary of emails from people they did not recognise, or if they did not have any anti-virus software installed on their device.

“It could be an email that’s pretending to be from New Zealand Post, for example, and saying, ‘Hey, you have a package that’s on hold from Customs – scan this QR code to make payment to get it released, and please do it as quickly as possible to prevent any delays.’

“You then get your phone out, you scan that link, it goes through to a bad website, and then you then lose your credit card details.”

In March, quishing made up about 4 percent of cyber scams – rising past 9 percent in April, a “significant increase when a year ago we weren’t seeing any of these types of attacks at all”.

“QR codes are becoming effective because they have just become so much more mainstream… People are seeing QR codes appearing in places like parking meters and even churches to make donations and all sorts of things. So it’s becoming just a more commonplace in culture.”

Dodgy QR codes could also put malware on your device, Leman said.

“I think probably one of the bigger risks as well is not necessarily even putting in your credit card information, but if it then prompts you to log into your Google account, your Gmail account [or] Microsoft 365 login and password field, and then you then go and put in your business’ Microsoft credentials into that.

“And that’s where hackers or bad actors can then go in and potentially breach a business using those credentials. And so, yeah, there’s risk across the board.”

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

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/18/qr-codes-scammers-favourite-new-way-to-take-your-money/

New Zealand has a new star pairing in 49er sailing.

Seb Menzies and George Lee Rush have become the youngest 49er world champions in history after a stunning comeback win in France.

The 21-year-old duo added the world crown to the European title they claimed in Greece last year, striking gold in a dramatic final race at the 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 World Championships.

The Kiwis started the two-race medal series on top of the standings and extended their lead to five points with victory in the first race.

However they crossed the start line early in the final race and were forced to do a restart which dropped them to the back of the 10-boat fleet.

They were in ninth place heading into the final leg but made the call to gybe away from the rest of the fleet and their aggressive move paid off as they found stronger pressure and surged through the field to finish fifth and grab the world title.

“I don’t really have the words,” Menzies said afterwards. “It’s an amazing feeling. The final race was incredibly stressful, but we managed to fight our way back and stay in touch when it mattered.”

Lee Rush said the pair never panicked despite the disastrous start.

“We knew everything was still incredibly close, so the key was just staying calm and keeping ourselves in the race,” he said. “There were moments where the Germans had us, then the Dutch got close, and the Austrians came charging through late. We just kept our heads down and gave ourselves a chance.”

The pair only realised they had secured gold in the closing moments of the race.

“We left it until the very last minute,” Lee Rush said. “That final gybe set away from the fleet made the difference, but even halfway down the last run, we still weren’t counting anything.

“I actually said to Seb, ‘Just make sure we don’t fall out [of the boat] or do anything stupid now!’ We didn’t know we’d won until we crossed the line.”

The result continued New Zealand’s remarkable pedigree in the 49er class. It was the country’s first world title in the event since Peter Burling and Blair Tuke won in Geelong in 2020.

New Zealand crews had now claimed Olympic medals in the class at four consecutive Games, including Burling and Tuke’s gold at Tokyo 2020 and Isaac McHardie and Will McKenzie’s silver at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

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

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/18/sailing-kiwi-crew-become-youngest-world-champions/

The owner of Auckland’s Sylvia Park has posted a “robust” full-year result, with a higher operating profit as rental income and occupancy improved, but its bottom line fell as property valuations decreased.

Key numbers for the 12 months ended March 2026 compared with a year ago:

• Net profit $50.4m vs $56.9m
• Revenue $271.4m vs $263.7m
• Operating profit before tax $126.2m vs $116.6m
• Property valuation loss $37.8m vs $11.6m loss
• Final dividend 1.4 cents per share vs 1.35 cps

Kiwi Property Group, which was one of the country’s biggest landlords, has a vast portfolio that includes Sylvia Park, the 38-storey Vero Centre, The Base in Hamilton, and was planning a major town development in Drury.

KPG said the opening of Ikea adjacent to Sylvia Park in December had driven a significant improvement in foot traffic in the area, up nearly 8 percent over the four months since opening, compared to the prior year.

KPG said net rental income increased by 4.3 percent to $202.4 million, and the company is awaiting settlement of the $205m sale of ASB North Wharf at Auckland’s Wynyard Quarter in late May.

Its portfolio occupancy was at 99 percent, compared to 96.9 percent in the prior year, while its total portfolio was valued at $3 billion, which reflected a fair value decline of 0.9 percent amid a cooler market.

During the year, it sold The Plaza shopping centre in Palmerston North for $118.9m.

Chief executive Clive Mackenzie said KPG was focused on disciplined execution.

“Near-term priorities include progressing selective initiatives to further enhance portfolio quality, including completion of Sylvia Park’s southern enhancement project and the Vero Centre upgrade, alongside continued progress at Drury through the staged completion of land sales,” Mackenzie said.

“We will also continue to carefully manage operating costs and capital expenditure, while recycling capital from non-strategic assets where appropriate.”

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

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/18/sylvia-park-owner-posts-robust-full-year-result-ikea-driving-more-foot-traffic/

A builder says Christchurch is seeing an increasing amount of half-finished two-bedroom developments with less appetite in the market.

Carl Taylor, a builder and the head of Combined Building Supplies Co-operative, told Nine to Noon, it was a problem he was seeing for himself in Christchurch and was likely also the case in Auckland.

He said lots of builders had thought it was really easy to get into developments in recent years, but now many units, especially two-bedrooms, were sitting unsold.

In March alone, Taylor said 79 percent of all consents issued in Christchurch were for multi-unit developments.

“It’s pretty easy to notice when you’re driving round town you’ll see notices with five units available and eight in the whole development.

“They’re just not selling, so we’re starting to see effects in the market. It becomes a vicious cycle.”

Taylor said some two-bedroom townhouses were still selling, and there were lots of builders creating fantastic products, if they had a garage and a little bit of land they were still in demand, but many had no carparking or garage.

He said there was quite a lag from when consent was granted to when the building could actually be constructed.

In 2021 to 2022, Taylor said, a builder was able to go out and intensify and buy a piece of land and smack five or so units on it, but this was now changing.

At that time, the value in price had doubled almost overnight, Taylor said, making it an attractive option for builders, but now too many people had done that.

Taylor said when he looked at two-bedroom townhouses from January through to March, there had been over 512 – but when he looked at ones that didn’t have a garage there were only 56.

In March, Taylor said there were 331 consents for units.

As a result, Taylor said there were developments staying half-built where the builder had gone bust and it had to be put up for mortgagee action.

“We’re in that position where we’ve just overbuilt these things.”

He said there were 84 current listings online for two-bedroom townhouses in Christchurch.

In some cases, Taylor said people who had purchased a townhouse in 2021 or 2022, who had sold in 2025 or 2026, were getting about $100,000 less than they had paid.

There was an appetite for stand-alone, more traditional three-bedroom homes, Taylor said.

“I was speaking to an agent yesterday, he had 22 groups through just over a two-week period, but with units, they’d be lucky to get single digits in three weeks. So I believe people want to go back to that traditional housing.”

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Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/18/christchurch-townhouse-boom-seeing-half-finished-developments-across-city/

Motorists are being advised to expect delays following a crash on Auckland’s Southern Motorway.

Police were called to the two-vehicle incident near Randwick Park shortly before 6am on Monday.

Fire and Emergency said crews were working to extract one person from their vehicle.

State Highway 1 citybound between the Takanini and Hill Road on-ramps was down to one lane while emergency services responded.

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

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/18/delays-after-crash-on-aucklands-southern-motorway/

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and education minister Erica Stanford are set to make an education announcement in Lower Hutt this afternoon.

They’re speaking to media at Boulcott School.

This is a pre-budget announcement ahead of Budget Day on 28 May.

The livestream is due to begin around 2.30pm.

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

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/18/live-christopher-luxon-and-education-minister-erica-stanford-to-make-education-announcement/

A cat rescuer who tames, desexes and rehomes stray felines is worried a bureaucratic battle could put his operation on pause.

Tony Hitchcock has run Feral No More from the small Rangitīkei town of Marton for the past three years with no issues or complaints.

But a move to Eketāhuna is proving problematic because, so far, the Tararua District Council says he hasn’t met the requirements to make him exempt from its three-cats-per-property bylaw.

Hitchcock said he wasn’t sure why. He had rehomed several hundred cats down the years, although he had kept some, such as ginger female Pay Back.

“She’s one of the best rodent control ‘office-furs’ in the whole of the North Island. I’ve had her five years. She was supposed to be given away twice, but the people didn’t show up for the adoption.”

Hitchcock’s packing up from his leased land in Marton – the lease has run out – after buying a section in Eketāhuna, where he wants to continue running his rescue. The move hasn’t been as simple as he’d hoped.

“In Marton, I moved here approximately three years ago. I’ve taken hundreds of cats out of the area, mainly from the outskirts of town.

“Cats are a big problem in the rural towns, especially around the outskirts of them. There’s fields for miles around, which provide a food source. There’s rats and rodents.”

He captures the cats using cages, slowly luring them in with food so they don’t suspect a thing.

He then gets them microchipped and desexed, mostly out of his own pocket, before finding homes for them. He registers the cats under his name, transferring ownership when they’re adopted.

It’s not always easy work and he has scars to prove it – one finger is completely bent.

“Four or five operations on that from one cat mauling. The cat’s still here. He’s a good guy, now. He wasn’t at the time.”

Council bylaw sticking point

Hitchcock said he liked cats, he just didn’t think there should be millions of them running wild.

So ahead of his move, he approached the Tararua District Council.

He said he met with officials only on Friday the week before last. After telling them of his plans, including building a small cattery, and providing references, the council had now told him his operation fell foul of its bylaw.

The council in Marton had a similar bylaw limiting cat numbers, but Hitchcock said his work wasn’t a problem there, and he usually had between a dozen and two dozen cats on his land.

In a statement, the Tararua council confirmed it met with Hitchcock to discuss the requirements of its bylaw about keeping animals, including meeting animal welfare standards and the effect on neighbours and surrounding property.

“Information received so far has shown that these requirements are currently not being met,” the statement said.

“[The] council has also received community concerns regarding the operation of the proposed cat rescue within a residential area.

“Once we have received satisfactory information showing appropriate hygiene, housing and other animal management arrangements are in place, we are happy to receive and consider an application from Mr Hitchcock for a permit.”

The council said it was “continuing to engage” with him.

He said he was told he wouldn’t get a permit and that was that. He wasn’t happy with this, saying he hadn’t been given a chance to discuss issues the council raised.

Mini Vadke runs a cat and dog rescue in Palmerston North, and said she hadn’t come up against red tape there.

It all depended on the local council, however, she said.

“I think that’s what Tony’s council needs to realise – if you’re not going to help him or fund him, the least you could do is leave him alone.

“He’s not hurting anyone. The cats are all snipped and chipped. They’re going to not reproduce, and provide rodent control.”

The council bylaw exempts registered charities that operate like the SPCA, but partly due to head injuries from playing sport Hitchcock said he hadn’t applied for this status because he wasn’t good with paperwork.

He was now considering it, although it wouldn’t happen quickly.

“I’m rather stressed and anxious for what I see is no good reason,” he said. “Having a nine-week delay on things is bad enough. It’s not my livelihood but it is my life.”

Hitchcock is trying to find short-term foster homes for some of the rescue cats.

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

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/18/bureaucratic-battle-could-put-cat-rescuers-operation-on-pause/

The family of murdered police office Lyn Fleming say the way she died was was “nothing short of barbaric”.

Senior Sergeant Fleming and Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay were on foot patrol in Buxton Square in the early hours of New Year’s Day last year when they were hit by a car driven by Hayden Tasker.

Tasker, 33, was today found guilty at the High Court at Christchurch of murdering Fleming and seriously injuring Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay.

Speaking after today’s verdict, Fleming’s sister Jo Brown paid tribute to her sister.

“Lyn, you should have been able to live out your retirement with your beautiful grandson and wander the hills of your beloved Howard Valley.”

She said the manner of Fleming’s death was “nothing short of barbaric”.

“We were woken up on New Years’ Day by the most heart-breaking news any family could receive.”

Brown said Fleming’s father passed away earlier this year, and he had been heartbroken by the loss of his daughter..

“I promised my Dad I would carry the torch and attend court every day on his behalf. I fulfilled my promise, Dad, and we got the result you so desperately wanted.”

She said the family were grateful for the work of the first responders and hospital staff.

“We know how hard you battled to keep Lyn alive so we could say good-bye.”

Brown said the family also thanked the witnesses who had to relive the events in court.

Aren Olsen – Fleming’s son – also spoke today and said 1 January 2025 was the hardest day his family had ever had to live through.

“Sitting at Mum’s bedside, watching the person we loved slowly slip away from the world.

“The second hardest day has been every day since then.”

He said while nothing would bring their loved one back to them, the family has seen accountability today.

“For that we are eternally grateful to the prosecution team, to everybody who did everything they could to get us the result that we’ve seen today.”

Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay, who was also injured in the incident, thanked his colleagues in the investigation team who had “worked tirelessly” to get this result.

“I am deeply grateful to them and all of my police colleagues.”

He said he was still grateful and proud to wear a police uniform.

“I look forward to many more years in the job, and I am lucky for that.”

Deputy Commissioner Mike Pannett said the trial has been challenging, especially for Fleming’s loved ones.

“There will never be a good ending for Lynn’s family and out thought are with them today.”

He said Fleming would have been proud of the professionalism of her colleagues who handled the case.

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

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/18/nothing-short-of-barbaric-police-officer-lyn-flemings-family-grateful-for-guilty-verdict/

Pilot Tim Brown and guide Sean Roach have been named as the pair who died in a helicopter crash in Mt Aspiring National Park.

The helicopter, a Eurocopter AS350 B3, belonged to The Alpine Group, which is owned by the Wallis family.

In a statement, The Alpine Group confirmed one of its helicopters was involved in the crash in the upper Te Naihi River in South Westland on Sunday morning.

A company spokesperson said the men were was taking part in a guided hunting operation in clear and calm conditions.

“We are devastated to confirm that both pilot Tim Brown and guide Sean Roach were tragically killed. Both were highly experienced and valued members of a close-knit team,” they said.

“Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with their families and loved ones during this difficult time.”

The company says it will cooperate fully with transport investigators to determine exactly what happened.

Cromwell detective sergeant Sarah Waugh said police received reports of the crash at 9.50am on Sunday.

“The helicopter was a chartered craft, and the occupants were on a hunting trip,” she said.

“Three others from the hunting group were located on the ground and taken to safety.”

The helicopter wreckage would be removed in the coming days and taken to Wellington for further analysis.

“We have confidence in those investigations and will cooperate fully to determine exactly what happened,” the Alpine Group spokesperson said.

The company is run by brothers Toby and Jonathan Wallis, sons of the late aviation pioneer Sir Tim Wallis.

The group thanked police, Rescue Coordination Centre, Otago Southland Rescue Helicopter Trust, the Queenstown Alpine Cliff Rescue team and emergency services for their response to the crash.

The Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) are investigating the crash.

Two of Sir Tim’s sons, Matthew and Nick, died in separate helicopter crashes in 2018.

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The government will spend $131 million on improving students’ reading, writing and maths in this year’s budget, the Education Minister Erica Stanford says.

Stanford made the pre-Budget announcement alongside Prime Minister Christopher Luxon at Boulcott School in Lower Hutt on Monday.

Another 12 initiatives as part of primary and intermediate school education reforms would boost achievement and close the equity gap, Stanford said.

“[Children] will see more resources in their hands, more tutoring catch ups, more time with intervention teachers, and more help with a teacher at the front of the class who knows how to teach maths, reading and writing best practice.”

The new maths initiatives included:

• Maths hubs to improve teacher confidence and capability
• Hands-on maths resources and games for all Year 0-8 classrooms
• 36 additional Maths intervention teachers
• A new times table and division check at Year 5

The new literacy initiatives included:

• New writing workbooks for Year 4 and 5
• A digital writing tool for all Year 6-8 students
• New “decodable” books for older learners in Year 3-10
• A 12-week structured literacy programme for those who are struggling
• A new Year 2 Literacy Check, covering reading, comprehension, writing, spelling and basic punctuation (joining the existing Year 2 Maths Check)
• Guidance for teachers to improve the teaching of literacy, with supporting videos and resources.

There would also be a new reading action plan called Read to Succeed – joining the Make it Count maths plan and Write it Right writing plan.

Asked whether teachers would be overloaded with so many extra workbooks, Stanford said she had been asking schools what would make the biggest difference.

“This is coming directly from the sector themselves, and we are delivering it,” she said.

“Nothing is compulsory, but at least we’re making it free of charge.”

The initiatives would contribute to the government’s target of seeing 80 percent of Year 8 students achieving the expected curriculum level for their age in reading, writing and maths by December 2030, Stanford said.

“Parents will have more information at each step of their child’s journey about how they are doing at school and students will be better set up for success when they enter high school.”

Very early signs reforms are working – minister

Stanford said fresh data released on Monday showed “very early signs” of success with last year’s maths and literacy curriculum changes.

“No one is claiming mission accomplished just yet,” she said.

“But these early results give us optimism and confidence that our reforms are moving in the right direction.”

Stanford said the investments would “level the playing field, reducing costs for schools and backing evidence-led reforms”.

There were early signs the government’s education reforms were already working, she said.

The latest Curriculum Insights and Progress Study looked at student achievement in late 2025 – three terms into previous reforms – and the results “surpassed expectations”, she said.

“A statistically significant improvement of 5 percent in writing and 6 percent in mathematics for Year 6 students between 2024 and 2025 interrupts New Zealand’s long-term decline in achievement between Year 4 and Year 8 and will better set these students up for success at high school.”

The minister credited teachers for that improvement.

Achievement in other areas and year groups was flat, which is what the government expected as the new curriculum was bedded in, Stanford said.

She expected to see “accelerated progress” over time.

The package would be funded from a mixture of new and reprioritised money, but Stanford would not reveal further details before the Budget.

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America’s Cup winner and Olympic gold medallist Blair Tuke says the government should scrap its Fisheries legislation.

Tuke was speaking to the Primary Production select committee on behalf of the Live Ocean Foundation alongside ultramarathon swimmer Jono Ridler in response to the Fisheries Amendment Bill.

The bill makes changes to catch limits and the handling of on-boat monitoring footage with the aim of growing exports.

Several environmental groups have called for the bill to be stopped, while fishing companies say it helps modernise a system that has worked well for New Zealand for decades.

Tuke said New Zealand was responsible for the fourth-largest ocean space in the world, but the legislation would further entrench bottom trawling and fail to protect habitats – many of which could take centuries to recover.

“For a country surrounded by the moana, when it comes to ocean stewardship we are not leading – in fact, if it was sport, I would say we don’t even rank.”

Ridler said that while the bill did not specifically promote bottom trawling, the amendments “in aggregate prioritise short-term, bulk harvesting over broader ecosystem impacts”.

“It prioritises economic gain and bulk harvesting, including bottom trawling, while reducing safeguards to protect the environment. This increases the pressure on at-risk species and vulnerable habitats.”

He said their second concern was a weakening of environmental safeguards.

Fishing company opposes public access to boat footage

Moana New Zealand general manager Mark Ngata said New Zealand’s largest Māori-owned seafood company would be open to having an independent officer of Parliament review boat footage, but it should not be made public.

He said the company had begun using on-boat cameras eight years before it became mandatory, and having the ministry check footage was “more than sufficient”.

“We have always had the view of transparency, but also collecting information, otherwise you can’t make good decisions on what’s happening out there … it’s very important to maintain the privacy of our fishermen.

“We believe that having an organisation like the ministry out there that’s that watchdog, if you like, we think that’s more than sufficient.”

When questioned by New Zealand First’s Mark Patterson about whether an independent officer of Parliament could do that job instead, he said “trust comes from working together and solving problems … something like that could be considered”.

Overall, he said the bill was an important step for modernising fisheries management, improving responsiveness, efficiency, and certainty.

“We consider the bill to be a natural evolution of the quota management system reflecting advances in monitoring, reporting, and data availability.”

Canterbury council fears for biodiversity

Speaking for Canterbury Regional Council, councillor Genevieve Robinson said it had “serious concerns” that the proposed law risked undermining the council’s ability to meet its obligations to protect biodiversity and threatened species.

“Canterbury has the largest coastal marine area jurisdiction of any regional council in this country. More than 40 percent of our jurisdiction is coastal marine area, and that includes nationally significant ecosystems.”

“Several aspects of this bill move fisheries management away from ecosystem-based management. In particular, the council is concerned about the narrowing of the total allowable catch considerations, the reduced transparency around the onboard cameras, and the increased flexibility around annual catch entitlement carrying forward.”

She said catch limits should be set on an ecosystem-wide basis, and footage from fishing boats should be publicly accessible.

“This bill should not weaken its ecosystem safeguards, reduce transparency, or undermine our own regional councils’ ability to protect under the New Zealand coastal policy statement.”

A flotilla of crafts, from fishing boats and yachts to kayaks and stand up paddle boards, surrounding a floating ‘ban bottom trawling’ banner at Mission Bay in Auckland, New Zealand in a show of opposition to bottom trawling in the Hauraki Gulf marine park (file image).

Greenpeace

Speaking for Greenpeace, Ellie Hooper said the current balance of protection versus profit for New Zealand’s waters was “drastically off kilter” and extractive industry had been prioritised.

“It’s extremely clear that this bill, if it was passed, would take ocean policy in this country further in that wrong direction, prioritising extraction and removing the very few environmental checks and balances that exist in the Fisheries Act to stop further decline.”

She said the bill was “rotten and must be rejected in its entirety”.

“The idea that the minister would be able to disregard the environmental principles currently in the act as if fishing happens in a vacuum and doesn’t have an impact on other species or habitats is kind of non-sensical to us.”

She said they opposed the introduction of five-year catch limits, shortened judicial review timeframes, and exemptions for fishing camera footage from the Official Information Act.

“We note the issues with privacy from the industry, but there is surely a way that we can rectify this with blurring all the releases of segments of footage. This industry does have a large impact on the ocean environment, and locking up that footage from public view is not going to rebuild trust in the commercial sector’s activities.”

“Having a fine that could potentially be five times higher for somebody releasing evidence of environmental damage versus someone who actually did that damage in the first place, we think is pretty egregious.”

Young Ocean Explorers

Steve Hathaway from marine educational charity Young Ocean Explorers said the waters around New Zealand once had abundant crayfish, snapper and other stocks – but things have changed.

“Our goal is to ensure we have a thriving ocean for future generations, and we’re on the coalface with Kiwi kids. We’ve personally given presentations to over 150,000 kids around Aotearoa and we’re hearing regularly that this generation of kids are really concerned about the planet and the ocean they’re inheriting.

“Most of New Zealand is actually ocean, about 93 percent of it, and it’s thought over 80 percent of our natives live there … a very old friend of mine told me that he wouldn’t stop to have a fish at 90-Mile Beach until he saw the ocean was pink, where he knew there’s enough snapper that he would get a good feed. These days are long gone.

“I’ve seen crayfish and scallops in abundance, and something we thought would never run out. They should be our God-given right as Kiwis to harvest, but now our Northlands were not allowed to take either of them, as numbers are so diminished. How has it been so poorly managed that it’s got to this place?”

He said New Zealand needed an ambitious goal for the future of its oceans.

‘Minor updates and modernisations’ – Fishing company

Fishing company Solander Group’s managing director Paul Hufflett said many of the other submitters were making “a lot of noise” and talking “off subject”.

“What we’re dealing with is effectively an update to a piece of legislation that has served New Zealand incredibly well for the better part of 30 years,” he said.

“Really we’re just talking about some relatively minor updates and modernisations of a robust piece of legislation that’s put New Zealand in an excellent position to go forward for another 30 years.”

He said they supported the minister having the power to make five-year Total Allowable Catch decisions, supported excluding boat footage from the OIA, opposed the 20-day time limit on judicial review, opposed the introduction of alternative deem values for inshore and deep water bycatch, and strongly supported allowing fish to be returned to sea.

Ngāti Porou settlement body was not consulted

Whangaokena ki Onepoto Takutai Kaitiaki Trust spokesperson Keryn Goldsmith said the trust was not consulted over the bill.

She said the Crown was obliged to engage with them on any Fisheries legislation that affects regulations in the area under their settlement.

“We’re not opposed to the fisheries reform, rather our submission supports improvements to the fisheries system, provided those changes operate consistently with the statutory and deed-based recognition arrangements already provided and agreed between Ngāti Porou and the Crown.”

She said the Ngā Rohe Moana o Ngā Hapū o Ngāti Porou Act and the deed to amend the deed of agreement 2017 were binding on the Crown.

“They establish a bespoke framework that must be taken into account whenever fisheries decisions or decision making affects our Rohe Moana. Those obligations apply throughout the legislative development, not just at implementation, and they are not displaced by generic public consultation processes.

“As drafted, the bill would reduce scrutiny. It would compress participation time frames, concentrates discretion with decision makers, and limits accountability. Considered together, these changes risk narrowing the practical space in which hapū are able to exercise their authority and responsibilities that parliament has already recognised from a kaitiaki perspective.”

She said the Crown’s obligation was to engage with Ngāti Porou hapū on any amendment to fisheries legislation that affected the recognition and fisheries mechanisms.

“That consultation did not occur prior to the introduction of this bill. This is not merely a procedural irregularity, it is a breach of statutory and deed-based obligations owed to Ngāti Porou hapū. The Crown cannot meet those obligations by treating Hapu as one voice among many in a generic public submission process.”

Goldsmith said they did not oppose the reforms, but they must proceed in a way that honours existing commitments.

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The off-season coaching turnover in the Australian NBL reached new heights when two more teams joined the recruitment process for a head coach in recent weeks.

The New Zealand Breakers have been working to secure a replacement for Petteri Koponen since late February, when it was announced the Finn would be departing the club.

In his two seasons with the Breakers, Koponen won the Ignite Cup, but twice finished near the bottom of the 10-team league.

Koponen said he was after a new challenge.

The Auckland-based club has yet to announce who will take the reins but it is an increasingly competitive market with the Cairns Taipans and more recently Melbourne United and Adelaide 36ers also seeking a new coach.

The Taipans parted ways with Adam Forde in the coaching role in February but he remains with the club in a remote role.

Former Breakers coach Dean Vickerman left United after nine seasons to head to Japan, where he will replace another former Breakers coach, Mody Maor, at Nagasaki Velca in the inaugural B.League Premier next season.

A day after Vickerman’s announcement 36ers coach Mike Wells exited the NBL to return to the United States for family reasons. Wells had signed a contract extension through 2028 with the 36ers a week before changing his mind.

Wells has since signed with an American college as an assistant coach.

The drawn-out search appears more a reflection of the competitive coaching market than any lack of urgency from the Breakers.

Tall Blacks coach and Breakers assistant, Judd Flavell, had the experience to be considered for the top job after 17 seasons in an NBL assistant coaching role across two clubs, but he was another coach snapped up by Japanese basketball with the Shinshu Brave Warriors.

Reports out of Australia suggested the Breakers were close to getting Canada’s national team coach Gordon Herbert, considered to be “one of the most accomplished coaching figures in international basketball.”

Herbert had coached Bayern Munich in the EuroLeague for a year and a half before a mutually beneficial parting of ways in December. The club was on an eight game losing streak when Herbert left.

But five days after first reports of Herbert’s links to the Breakers the same Australian publication was saying the deal was off was with the Breakers.

The Breakers have had nine head coaches in 23 seasons and president of basketball operations Dillon Boucher said the next coach would come from a global search and would need to be capable of taking the Breakers to the top of the NBL rankings.

Despite not having a coach locked in, the Breakers have signed four players since Koponen’s departure and already had three players – import Parker Jackson-Cartwright and New Zealanders Izayah Le’Afa and Reuben Te Rangi – on the roster from last season.

Star forward Sam Mennenga re-signed with the club on a two-year contract in March, two-time NBL champion Dejan ‘DJ’ Vasiljevic was signed on a one-year deal in April from the Adelaide 36ers, guard Preston Le Gassick was signed from the NBL1 in May and days later Tall Black small forward Carlin Davison re-signed with the club on a new one-year contract after coming up through the ranks of being a development player with the Breakers.

“We will integrate our homegrown talent with international player depth and experience, to provide the competitive edge needed to bring more silverware home to Aotearoa,” Boucher said.

The Breakers have a recent history of making coaching changes late in the off-season.

Koponen joined the Breakers in July 2024, three months before the season tipped off, after Maor quit in May 2024.

Maor took the top job in May 2022, stepping up from an assistant role after Dan Shamir quit with a year left on his contract.

As the countdown to the 2026-27 NBL season continues, new coaches will arrive at clubs with either a couple of roster spots to fill, or in the case of Cairns nearly a whole roster to build.

The tip off details for the upcoming season is expected to be released next month.

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New Zealand First might want the government to buy back BNZ and meld it with Kiwibank to create a banking competitor to take on the Australian big banks – but there’s limited evidence that it would work.

NZ First leader Winston Peters said at the weekend that the decision to sell the bank in the 1990s was a disgrace.

The bank encountered problems in the 1980s when it expanded into corporate lending after market deregulation.

The Crown coughed up not once ($634 million) but twice ($720m, with the help of another investor) to save it, before it was eventually sold to National Australia Bank, which still owns it.

Speaking at a campaign event at the Trusts Arena in West Auckland, Peters said the new entity – to be known as “National Bank of New Zealand” – would be commercially run and designed to compete more aggressively with the major Australian-owned banks operating in New Zealand.

He estimated buying the bank would cost “$7.5 billion upwards”.

Government-owned Kiwibank has struggled to have an impact in the sector and has been described as a “one-armed boxer” hampered by a lack of capital.

University of Auckland emeritus professor Tim Hazledine said improving banking competition was a worthwhile goal but reducing the number of major brands was unlikely to achieve it.

“Rather than buying back the Bank of New Zealand and merging it with Kiwibank, the government should use its ownership of Kiwibank to position it as a ‘fighting brand’ and reduce interest rate margins,” he said.

“That could put pressure on the big four Australian-owned banks to follow suit.”

Sam Stubbs, founder of Simplicity, said purchasing BNZ would require a willing seller.

“There isn’t one there. That means the price is likely to be high which will limit the ability of the bank to offer cheaper mortgages and higher term deposits. Even if it did work and demand grew, the government of the day would need to spend more taxpayer money to expand, we need that money spent on hospitals.”

He said he could understand a desire to go back to the “good old days” of state-owned banks.

“But I suspect a better and much cheaper for the taxpayer way to achieve the same thing is for Kiwibank to be renamed the National Bank of NZ and listed with only NZ shareholders and let KiwiSaver funds provide the billions required to make it a serious, publicly owned bank.

“Public ownership does not have to mean government ownership. If only New Zealand investors can own shares a listed Kiwibank would be publicly owned, we would be selling the family silver to the family.”

Other sectors in which the government has a strong ownership stake include power – where it owns 51 percent of three of the country’s four major electricity gentailers – and airlines, where it owns 51 percent of Air New Zealand, have their own challenges.

The government bought back KiwiRail in July 2008.

University of Auckland senior finance lecturer Gertjan Verdickt said there was “ample” evidence that NZ First’s plan was not a good idea.

“I have an entire paper on the railway industry in the 1930s: we show that governments are more likely to give money to politically connected railways, not those in economic need.

“Interestingly enough, it doesn’t change profitability, you see employment growth down, but wages of current employees go up. In other words, it doesn’t help the railway, it helps employees, especially the c suite. Also, the chances of those railways going bankrupt actually goes up. So, all in all, bad idea.”

He said there had also been an international study looking at how government ownership and involvement in a banking system affected performance between 1989 and 2004.

“They uncover an interesting pattern of changing performance differences between state-owned and privately-owned banks around the Asian financial crisis. They find that state-owned banks operated less profitably, held less core capital, and had greater credit risk than privately-owned banks prior to 2001. Again – troubles in paradise.”

He said there was some evidence that consumers would benefit if a Government bought a bank. After a bailout, there were lower loan spreads, longer maturities for loans and less collateral held.

“Overall lending goes up but if you see which type of lending, it is politically driven. This to me doesn’t outweigh the risks.”

Kōura founder Rupert Carlyon said in the energy market, the companies had underinvested in generation to keep prices high.

“It is also telling that the government couldn’t put money into KiwiBank and then the private sector were unwilling to, due to its low profitability.

“Let’s figure out where the problems lie and then we can go from there. In my mind, really good regulation is needed and solves the problems.”

He said it would help to have good regulation requiring banks to minimise costs for customers, such as with an annual review of customers’ accounts to ensure they were set up efficiently, and an annual fee letter setting out what fees, interest payments and other relevant sources of revenue applied so customers could compare what they were paying to what they would be charged at other banks.

“Around small business lending and risk appetite, I am not sure there is a huge amount that can be done here – this is the one place where increased competition would be very helpful but we need to let banks set their own risk appetite. SME banking is the issue here. But the government owning BNZ and telling them to relax their credit criteria is not the answer either. Maybe the answer is that we need to instruct KiwiBank to focus primarily on SME banking and give up on corporate and retail banking.”

Kernel founder Dean Anderson also said there was no evidence.

“I think the commentary on government intervention and forced acquisitions raises serious concerns for investors and global relations. Maybe too much time in the Trump sphere.”

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