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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MIL OSI

New Zealand SailGP

11.30am Sunday, 15 February*

Wynyard Point, Auckland

Live updates on RNZ

*Start time has been changed due to the weather

Kiwi SailGP driver Phil Robertson hopes the high-speed crash between New Zealand and France on Auckland’s Waitematā Harbour will force a rethink of racing format for the rest of the 2026 championship.

Competition was suspended during race three of New Zealand SailGP, after the two rivals collided during the sprint to the first mark. Replays showed the Black Foils apparently lose control of their rudder and spin into the path of the French, whose boat flew over the bow of Amokura.

All crew were quickly accounted for, but two sailors – one from each team – were injured and rushed ashore to hospital.

The rest of the fleet continued around the mark, but the contest was called off, as they headed back towards the scene of the crash, where the two boats were still entangled midcourse.

Soon after, organisers suspended racing for the day. The French boat was towed back to Wynyard Basin, but Amokura lay in pieces on the harbour and likely be out of action for quite a while.

The incident shook up the entire fleet, with Italian team driver Robertson recounting his own close call in the build-up.

“It’s obviously pretty hectic,” he said. “You never really want to see anything like that.

“It’s a bit shocking, but it’s racing and it was a racing incident that went on out there.”

Auckland-born Robertson described how the New Zealand boat initially veered towards his boat, but seemed to regain control to avoid that contact.

“I saw them in my peripheral, as they started sliding towards us, then took a glance over my shoulder and saw them spin out. I didn’t really see the rest, until we stopped and looked back, and saw two boats on top of each other – it’s not very nice to see that.

“These boats are pretty hard to control at those high speeds and everyone’s pushing like mad on those reaches. They got a bit slidey, which is very natural to happen, and slid towards us, but you trust they’re going to get grip again and they did.”

New Zealand SailGP is the first time the fleet has raced with 13 boats, with Artemis Sweden joining the championship this year.

At last month’s season-opener in Perth, the Spanish boat suffered damage in practice and was unable to compete.

Organisers hope to add another team next year and have experimented with splitting the fleet into two heats of seven.

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“I think it’s the shortest racecourse in SailGP and 13 boats… yeah, I don’t know,” Robertson offered. “I think questions will be asked.

“I think when it’s conditions like this, I think that [two fleets] will be the expectation. We know it’s going to be tricky and there will be crashes, but it just minimises the risk, when there’s a bit more space on the course.

“Bigger courses sure, 13 boats no problem, but I think small courses and big breeze, when everyone’s on the limit of control already, it’s probably a smart idea to start having that conversation seriously.

“I assume a few sailors will be asking a few questions.”

Despite the Auckland incident, British driver Dylan Fletcher still favours the bigger fleet.

“I’d rather it stay as one fleet,” the defending SailGP champion said. “It doesn’t honestly feel that different, whether you’ve got 11 or 13.

“It’s relatively similar. Even at the start, you’ve got that separation.

“From my point of view, I love the racing with 13 boats. It’s unfortunate we won’t have that for a little bit of while now, but that’s the way it is.”

Robertson has been a SailGP fixture since the professional sailing began in 2019, steering teams from China, Spain and Canada, before joining the Italian outfit last year.

With a weather bomb forecast for the North Island this weekend, the local lad was quizzed about the prospect of racing in big winds on the Waitematā at Friday’s official media conference.

His reaction: “You wet your pants a little and move on.”

Italy narrowly avoided their own disaster, when they were caught in a gust of win that almost tipped them over during the build-up to race one. They barely managed to regain equilibrium and bring their boat back down on both hulls.

Sunday racing has already been moved forward a few hours to avoid the worst of the weather, but most drivers anticipate even more testing conditions on day two.

“Look, the accident was obviously extremely unfortunate, but I don’t think anyone’s really going to change,” Robertson said. “It’s a little bit out of the ordinary and you trust everyone’s being careful out there.

“That’s probably a situation I don’t think anyone envisioned, a boat spinning out and getting run over. It’s always in our mind that someone may crash in front of you, but coming from that position the Kiwis were in and into the French like that, no-one’s really thought about that situation before.”

“I think all the sailors are pretty shaken up, seeing that sight. It’s not something you want to see and I’m sure it affects everyone a bit.”

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

Sailors from the New Zealand and France teams have been rushed to Auckland hospital, after a high-speed collision in race three of the New Zealand SailGP event off Wynyard Point.

Racing was suspended, when the two boats came together on the opening leg, with the Black Foils seemingly losing control of their rudder and spinning back into the French.

France had nowhere to go and flew over the bow of Amokura, as their rivals disappeared up the course towards the first mark. As they rounded the mark and headed back towards the two entangled boats, race organisers called the race off and safety crews rushed to the wreckage.

All crew members were quickly accounted for, but two sailors – one from each team – were injured and taken ashore, conscious and alert.

The Black Foils later confirmed grinder Louis Sinclair was in stable condition with compound fractures to both legs.

“This one was super scary and above the margins,” said France driver Quentin Delapierre. “Hopefully, we will find some solutions, so we never see this kind of stuff again.

“I cannot say anything about the incident – everything happened so quickly and it is super cloudy in my head.

“I didn’t review the footage, so I cannot say accurate things, but it was probably the scariest I have experienced.

“Full support to Team NZ and also my teammates. Hopefully, everyone is OK.”

Delapierre would not reveal which of his crew was injured and could not speculate on whether his boat would be back on the water for Sunday.

“At the moment, it looks difficult for us to race tomorrow, but nothing is impossible, so we’ll see.”

Unsurprisingly, the Black Foils did not put anyone up for media questions, but driver Peter Burling and strategist Liv Mackay were both spotted – shaken, but apparently uninjured – afterwards.

“A member of the Black Foils is being treated at Auckland Hospital, following a collision with the France boat during racing today,” they later posted on social media.

“The team member was transferred in a stable condition. All five other athletes onboard returned to base safely.

“Further updates will be given when available.

“Thank you for the support and aroha at this time.”

Later, they named Sinclair was the injured crew member.

“Sinclair is receiving treatment for compound fractures to both legs, but is in a stable condition.”

New Zealand SailGP marks the first occasion 13 boats have contested racing, with the addition of Artemis Sweden for this year’s series. Spain missed the season’s opening event at Perth, after suffering damage in practice, but the fleet was at full strength for the first time at Auckland.

All 13 teams were jostling for position off the startline, making the tight run to the first mark chaotic. That leg is usually the fastest of the race, exacerbating the risk.

Next year, organisers hope to add a 14th team to the championship and will likely split the fleet into smaller heats of seven, as they for practice racing currently.

Sunday’s forecast suggests even more wind on the course, with racing brought forward a few hours to avoid the worst of the current weather bomb over the North Island.

“I don’t know what’s the league position, but probably tomorrow, we need to take some decisions to avoid this kind of stuff,” Delapierre said. “We were probably above the margin today, so we’ll see what happens.”

Delapiere admitted the fleet size may have contributed to the accident.

“It’s probably part of the equation, but it’s way more complicated than that, so I don’t want to say too much.”

This is New Zealand’s second major crash in as many events.

Moments into the season-opening race at Perth last month, the Black Foils collided with Switzerland, losing their stern, and were unable to race again that weekend.

They faced an anxious repair process over following weeks, but Amokura was apparently back to full integrity for their home regatta, as the home team finished third and first in the first two races to lead the event into race three.

This time, the damage to boat and crew is even more serious.

After the Perth incident, NZ driver Peter Burling was judged at fault and became the first to incur demerit points under newly introduced SailGP ‘Super Licence’ protocols.

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

Sailors from the New Zealand and France teams have been rushed to Auckland hospital, after a high-speed collision in race three of the New Zealand SailGP event off Wynyard Point.

Racing was suspended, when the two boats came together on the opening leg, with the Black Foils seemingly losing control of their rudder and spinning back into the French.

France had nowhere to go and flew over the bow of Amokura, as their rivals disappeared up the course towards the first mark.

The windward hull of the NZ boat has been sliced in half, so they won’t be seen on the water again this weekend.

As they rounded the mark and headed back towards the two entangled boats, race organisers called the race off and safety crews rushed to the wreckage.

All crew members were quickly accounted for, but two sailors – one from each team – were injured and taken ashore, conscious and alert.

NZ driver Peter Burling stayed on his boat, overseeing the salvage. He and counterpart Quentin Delapierre looked shaken.

Race three has been abandoned, and organisers have cancelled Saturday’s remaining races.

This is New Zealand’s second major crash in as many events.

Moments into the season-opening race at Perth last month, the Black Foils collided with Switzerland, losing their stern, and were unable to race again that weekend.

They faced an anxious repair process over following weeks, but Amokura was apparently back to full integrity for their home regatta, as the home team finished third and first in the first two races to lead the event into race three.

This time, the damage to boat and crew is even more serious.

After the Perth incident, NZ driver Peter Burling was judged at fault and became the first to incur demerit points under newly introduced SailGP ‘Super Licence’ protocols.

New Zealand SailGP marks the first occasion 13 boats have contested racing, with the addition of Artemis Sweden for this year’s series.

Spain missed the season’s opening event at Perth, after suffering damage in practice, but the fleet was at full strength for the first time at Auckland.

All 13 teams were jostling for position off the startline, making the tight run to the first mark chaotic. That leg is usually the fastest of the race, exacerbating the risk.

Next year, organisers hope to add a 14th team to the championship and will likely split the fleet into smaller heats of seven, as they for practice racing currently.

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

The SailGP professional sailing league returns to the ‘City of Sails’ for the second event of the 2026 series, performing in front of an expanded Wynyard Point grandstand.

Can New Zealand bounce back from last year’s disappointment and a hectic few weeks of repairs to their boat, or will the Aussies retain bragging rights on the Waitematā Harbour?

Follow all the action with RNZ’s live blog:

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

Sailors from the New Zealand and France teams have been rushed to Auckland hospital, after a high-speed collision in race three of the New Zealand SailGP event off Wynyard Point.

Racing was suspended, when the two boats came together on the opening leg, with the Black Foils seemingly losing control of their rudder and spinning back into the French.

France had nowhere to go and flew over the bow of Amokura, as their rivals disappeared up the course towards the first mark.

The windward hull of the NZ boat has been sliced in half, so they won’t be seen on the water again this weekend.

As they rounded the mark and headed back towards the two entangled boats, race organisers called the race off and safety crews rushed to the wreckage.

All crew members were quickly accounted for, but two sailors – one from each team – were injured and taken ashore, conscious and alert.

NZ driver Peter Burling stayed on his boat, overseeing the salvage. He and counterpart Quentin Delapierre looked shaken.

Race three has been abandoned, and organisers have cancelled Saturday’s remaining races.

That’s the second event in a row that the Black Foils have suffered major damage.

New Zealand SailGP marks the first occasion 13 boats have contested racing, with the addition of Artemis Sweden for this year’s series.

Spain missed the season’s opening event at Perth, after suffering damage in practice, but the fleet was at full strength for the first time at Auckland.

All 13 teams were jostling for position off the startline, making the tight run to the first mark chaotic. That leg is usually the fastest of the race, exacerbating the risk.

Next year, organisers hope to add a 14th team to the championship and will likely split the fleet into smaller heats of seven, as they for practice racing currently.

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

New Zealand SailGP

4pm Saturday, 14 February

11.30am Sunday, 15 February*

Wynyard Point, Auckland

Live updates on RNZ

*Start time has been change for the weather

Amid considerable fanfare, SailGP has returned to Auckland, building on a wildly successful – not for the home team though – debut in 2025.

The wait for availability of the Wynyard Point site proved well worthwhile, when spectators crammed the giant grandstand on the waterfront to watch Australia claim honours last year – and organisers promise bigger and better this time round.

Here’s what you should know about the professional sailing event.

History

Sail Grand Prix was created in 2018 by billionaire Larry Ellison and Kiwi sailing legend Sir Russell Coutts, loosely based on the America’s Cup, where both its founders originated from.

Unlike the ‘Auld Mug’, this format was designed for high-speed racing in identical F50 catamarans around spectator-friendly courses near the shoreline.

Many of the crews are also involved in the America’s Cup, so this event enables them to remain fully professional sailors between four-year cycles, albeit in a different class of boat.

The fleet began with just six teams, but has since doubled in size, with the addition of Brazil and Italy last year, before adding Sweden as the 13th entry for 2026.

Guided by Tom Slingsby, Australia have dominated the league, winning the first three editions and finishing runners-up in the last two. Spain were 2023/24 champions, while Great Britain triumphed in 2024/25.

Another feature of the competition is known as the ‘Impact League’, which rewards teams for promoting sustainability and inclusivity within their organisations. Winning teams receive prizemoney to donate to charities and New Zealand took 2021/22 honours.

Format

Each regatta takes place over a series of tightly contested fleet races (up to seven) across two days, with teams gaining points based on their placings and the top three qualifying for the final at the end of the weekend.

Overall results from each stopover count towards season rankings, with the top three again qualifying for the series final.

Black Foils

New Zealand did not contest the inaugural SailGP series, but joined the fleet in 2020, under the leadership of America’s Cup supremo Peter Burling and sidekick Blair Tuke.

Their distinctive boat Amokura was launched the following year and has suffered several accidents since.

In 2023, its mast was struck by lightning in Singapore, as it was being towed back to base, frying its electrical systems. The NZ crew were already ashore, collecting their winners’ prize, but Danish grinder Martin Kirketerp – who was helping return the boat to port – was taken to hospital with an electric shock.

Later that same season, Amokura’s wing collapsed while racing at Saint-Tropez. No-one was hurt, but the damage was too serious to continue racing and repairs could not be carried out before the next round at Taranto, Italy.

In March 2024, the NZ team announced their ‘Black Foils’ nickname, aligning with other famous Kiwi sporting outfits.

Burling and Tuke have won Olympic and world championship gold, won and defended the America’s Cup and sailed around the world (separately), but SailGP success has eluded them. They finished second in 2022/23 and third the last two years.

Form

The 2026 series has had only one stop so far, at Perth, with the defending champion British team picking up where they left off last year, heading off Australia and France in the event final.

Sweden won two of the seven preliminary races, but finished last in the seventh to place fourth, while Canada also showed their ability with victory in the last race.

New Zealand were off to the worst-possible start to their campaign, damaging their stern in a collision with Switzerland during the opening race and, while the Swiss were able to return to the water on the second day, the Kiwis were shorebound for the rest of the weekend and faced some time pressure to repair their board for the Auckland leg.

They are now at the bottom of the table with no points, alongside Switzerland and Spain, who also suffered malfunctions off Perth.

New Zealand SailGP

New Zealand was originally included on the 2021/22 championship schedule, with Lyttelton Harbour, Christchurch, as the venue on an alternating arrangement with Auckland’s Wynyard Point.

Covid-19 delayed the NZ stopover until 2023, with Christchurch hosting the very successful event, and it returned there the following year, when the Auckland waterfront site was unavailable.

This time, racing was not possible on the opening day, due to dolphins on the course, and Coutts vowed not to use the venue again.

Instead, Auckland staged the 2025 event, fully justifying the decision to develop Wynyard Point, with a grandstand that is expected to hold more than 10,000 spectators and break the SailGP attendance record, along with unticketed viewing along the shoreline.

Kiwi Phil Robertson skippered Canada to victory at the inaugural 2023 NZ SailGP, Burling steered the Kiwis home in 2024, but the Black Foils struck electrical problems at Auckland, with the Aussies dominating the weekend.

Teams

Australia: Tom Slingsby (driver), Tash Bryant (strategist), Nina Curtis (strategist), Iain Jensen (wing trimmer), Kinley Fowler (flight controller/grinder), Sam Newton (grinder), Jason Waterhouse (flight controller/tactician), Tom Needham (reserve)

Brazil: Martine Grael (driver), Marco Grael (grinder), Mateus Isaac (grinder), Rasmus Kostner (flight controller), Pietro Sibello (wing trimmer), Paul Goodison (strategist), Richard Mason (reserve), Breno Kneipp (grinder)

Canada: Giles Scott (driver), Billy Gooderham (flight controller), Paul Campbell-James (wing trimmer), Annie Haeger (strategist), Georgia Lewin-LaFrance (strategist), Tom Ramshaw (grinder), Tim Hornsby (grinder/technical director), Alex Sinclair (grinder)

Denmark: Nicolai Sehested (driver), Tom Johnson (wing trimmer), Ed Powys (flight controller), Anee-Marie Rindom (strategist), Hans-Christian Rosendahl (grinder), Luke Payne (grinder), Kahena Kunze (strategist)

France: Quentin Delapierre (driver), Manon Audinet (strategist), Leigh McMillan (wing trimmer), Jason Saunders (flight controller), Olivier Herledant (grinder), Bruno Mourniac (grinder), Timothy Lapauw (grinder), Enzo Balanger (reserve), Amelie Riou (reserve)

Germany: Erik Kosegarten-Heil (driver), Kevin Peponnet (wing trimmer), James Wierzbowski (flight controller), Anna Barth (strategist), Will Tiller (grinder), Linov Scheel (grinder)

Great Britain: Dylan Fletcher (driver), Hannah Mills (strategist), Stuart Bithell (wing trimmer), Luke Parkinson (flight controller),, Nick Hutton (trimmer/grinder), Neil Hunter (grinder), Kai Hockley (development), Ben Cornish (reserve), Ellie Aldridge (development)

Italy: Phil Robertson (driver), Ruggero Tita (alternate driver), Kyle Langford (wing trimmer), Andrea Tesei (flight controller), Will Ryan (grinder), Enrico Voltolini (grinder), Jana Germani (strategist), Maelle Frascari (strategist), Jimmy Spithill (reserve driver)

New Zealand: Peter Burling (driver), Blair Tuke (wing trimmer), Leo Takahashi (flight controller), Liv Mackay (strategist), Louis Sinclair (grinder), Marcus Hansen (grinder)

Spain: Diego Botin (driver), Florian Trittel (wing trimmer), Joel Rodriguez (flight controller), Nicolle van der Velden (strategist), Joan Cardona (tactician/grinder), Bernard Freitas (grinder), Matthew Barber (grinder)

Sweden: Nathan Outteridge (driver), Julia Gross (strategist), Chris Draper (wing trimmer), Any Maloney (flight controller), Brad Farrand (wing trimmer), Julius Hallstrom (grinder)

Switzerland: Sebastian Schneiter (driver), Arnaud Psarofaghis (wing trimmer), Bryan Mattraux (flight controller), Stewart Dodson (grinder), Arno de Planta (reserve), Maud Jayet (strategist), Matt Gotrel (grinder)

USA: Taylor Canfield (driver), Michael Menninger (wing trimmer), Hans Henken (flight controller), Andrew Campbell (strategist), Anna Weis (grinder), Peter Kinney (grinder), Mac Agnese (grinder), Harry Melges IV (reserve)

Weather

In a case of imperfect timing, New Zealand’s North Island – including Auckland – is under storm warning this weekend, which has already forced a couple of changes to event scheduling.

Friday practice racing was cancelled, with only New Zealand, Spain and Germany allowed out on the water to test their recent modifications before racing begins in earnest.

In anticipation of worsening conditions on Sunday afternoon, the second day’s racing has been brought forward to 11.30am.

Everyone is talking glowingly of great sailing conditions, but maybe not so great for spectators.

Asked about the expected big winds, Auckland-born Italy driver Phil Robertson replied: “You wet your pants a little and you move on.”

Where to watch

Organisers have increased the size of the already impressive Wynyard Point grandstand by 30 percent to more than 10,000 seats. Boats will whistle past so close, you can almost reach out and touch them.

Other vantage points around the harbour include any of the wharves as far as Bledisloe Wharf on the city side, Westhaven Marina and Stanley Point on the North Shore.

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

SailGP’s fastest may just have found even more speed.

Rockwool Denmark have never won the professional sailing league, but have the distinction of clocking the fastest-ever speed in the F50 boat, when they reached 103.93km/h at Sassnitz, Germany, last August.

In the process, they became the first team to top 100km/h.

As the fleet prepares for the New Zealand SailGP at Auckland this weekend, the Danish have confirmed they will join forces with American Magic in a deal reportedly worth US$60 million (NZ$99.3m), as they strive for more consistency in their racing performance.

American Magic founder Doug DeVos is one of the world’s leading investors, with ownership of the Orlando Magic NBA basketball franchise, but the organisation is perhaps best known to Kiwis as a challenger for the America’s Cup at Auckland and Barcelona.

At Auckland 2021, their boat ‘Patriot’ capsized and almost sank during round-robin stages of the Prada Cup. While they returned to competition for the challenger semi-finals, they were quickly dispatched by Italians Luna Rossa.

Four years later, they suffered an identical fate and, last October, announced they would not contest the next America’s Cup off Naples in 2027.

Instead, the organisation has created a new training facility at Pensacola, Florida, where the Danish SailGP outfit will now develop their programme.

“It’s super exciting,” driver Nicolai Sehested. “I think it’s a vote of confidence that such a cool team as American Magic believe in our team and what we’ve built over the last few years.

“It gives us the opportunity to go all the way, which we’ve dreamt of since we started.”

“We’ve been watching SailGP grow in terms of the excitement, the fans, the number of teams and incredible venues, but also the product is incredibly compelling,” said American Magic chief executive Mike Cazer.

“We’ve been rooting for it and, along the way, we said we needed to be part of this incredible league.

“We believe in this team and what Nicolai and his team have developed is a high-performance platform on the water, but also their values off the water. We’re embracing the Danish character of the team, we’re investing in it and we’re developing it.”

NEW SPEED RECORD!! 103.93KM/H@SAILGPDEN officially break both racing and overall F50 speed record!#SailGP pic.twitter.com/Y4wktdvJUX

— SailGP (@SailGP) August 16, 2025

SailGP boss Russell Coutts hinted that American Magic’s interest may accelerate the creation of a second-tier ‘minor league’ to the professional sailing competition.

“American Magic bring a lot of expertise, not just in the sailing field, but in the business field,” he said. “To have them involved in the league and driving the league forward is enormous.

“The training centre at Pensacola is a state-of-the-art facility. They have an objective to train young talent, we obviously have a need to train young talent, so those goals are aligned.

“We are looking at a smaller catamaran, probably 25-30 feet [7.5-9 metres] long.

“We think there’s a model similar to other minor leagues in professional sports. We can develop a product that allowed the top young athletes in the world to develop their skills and be drafted into the top teams.”

That’s a hugely exciting pathway going forward, he said.

Denmark joined SailGP in 2021 and won their first event at Abu Dhabi last November.

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

The All Whites will play England as a part of their final preparations for this year’s FIFA World Cup.

The two sides will meet in Florida on 6 June, five days out from the start of the tournament.

England, who went through World Cup qualifying with a perfect sevens wins in their European group, are currently ranked four in the world and New Zealand 85.

The game will see the All Whites face their highest-ranked opponent in 17 years and they will clash with England for just the third time in history.

New Zealand last faced England in 1991, losing two friendlies in Auckland and Wellington.

“Our strategy over the last year has been to take on top-ranked sides to ensure we are in the best place to perform at the tournament, and this match gives us a final opportunity to really test ourselves against one of the favourites,” All Whites coach Darren Bazeley said.

“England are a great side with big names all over the pitch, but we want our players to face that type of challenge so we can work collectively to find solutions against top teams.

“This match should be a great occasion but also a critical part of our final preparation before we face Iran in Los Angeles at the FIFA World Cup 2026.”

Prior to departing for the World Cup the All Whites will play two home games in March against Finland and Chile as part of the FIFA Series 2026.

At the World Cup, New Zealand play Iran, Egypt and Belgium in group G, while England will face Croatia, Ghana and Panama in Group L.

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

New Zealand’s reputation for low levels of corruption has taken a hit for the fourth year in a row.

In global organisation Transparency International’s latest Corruption Perception Index – a survey of surveys measuring how corrupt a country is thought to be – New Zealand’s score has fallen two points.

New Zealand still ranked highly in fourth place alongside Norway, and behind Denmark, Finland and Singapore.

“We used to be first in the world and we’ve just seen a continual drop down the ladder – about 10 percent in four years,” Transparency International New Zealand chairperson Anne Tolley said.

“It sort of feels like the wheels are coming off a bit and that’s really dangerous for our democracy.”

Voter fraud allegations and a lack of transparency around political lobbying and funding are some of the top concerns, with prosecutions for bribery, deception and misuse of public funds adding to potential reputational damage.

“A strong democracy has people feeling very confident about those democratic systems and wanting to take part,” Tolley said.

Corruption perception versus reality

Transparency International’s concerns were mirrored in the pilot report released Tuesday from the Anti-Corruption Taskforce, lead by the Serious Fraud Office.

The report looked at how big the issue of fraud and corruption was within public agencies and how well-equipped they were to find and prevent it.

“Cases of internal fraud and corruption are almost certainly being under-reported, due to a number of factors, and the true scale of the issue remains unclear,” the report said.

It highlighted the need for a national anti-corruption strategy, according to Tolley, and it was crucial for New Zealand’s reputation as a small trading nation reliant on global relationships.

“The world’s become more conscious of dirty money – that money is that’s derived from the drug trade and prostitution and modern slavery,” she said.

“We’re all more aware of being sure that we are we are investing and trading with a country that has good systems in place to stop that.”

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

Explainer – NZ Post is closing service counters and cutting delivery days. What is the future of mail going to look like?

So, is mail delivery as we know it just going to vanish?

Not so fast, says NZ Post CEO David Walsh, who says the agency is in the midst of a massive transformation in the face of rapidly dropping mail numbers.

“New Zealanders are communicating differently,” he said.

“I think we’ve all experienced that in our personal lives as well, and that change has been going on for quite some years.”

Here’s what you need to know about how NZ post is changing.

What’s happening to NZ Post?

The agency is in the middle of what it’s called “a period of transformation,” shifting its emphasis towards parcel delivery and consolidating many of its services.

In October, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment approved changes to the Postal Deed of Understanding between the Crown and NZ Post, allowing them to change some of their procedures.

The changes approved include:

• Permitting a minimum frequency of 2 days delivery to urban, PO Box and private bag addresses, or 3 days for rural. The days must be spread throughout the week. Formerly, 3 days per week urban and 5 days rural were required.
• Allowing a minimum 500 total postal service points, then down to a minimum of over 400 after four years. Previously a minimum 880 points were required.
• The ability to convert up to 5 percent of delivery points to communal points annually.

For consumers, this boils down to likely fewer delivery days and postal counters.

Deed change doesn’t automatically result in operational change to NZ Post’s services, Walsh has said, but it gives the network more flexibility to make changes.

It announced back in 2024 that it would be gradually combining its two separate mail and parcel networks into one operation.

“For customers – this means your mail and parcels will eventually be delivered by one person, rather than two separate deliveries made by a Postie and a Courier,” Walsh has said.

That’s all basically because mail volumes have dropped dramatically.

How bad has it gotten?

“It wasn’t that long ago we were delivering 700, 800 million mail items a year,” Walsh said. “We think in the next 12 months that could be well under 150 million mail items.”

According to NZ Post’s latest annual report, 158 million mail items were delivered in fiscal year 2025, down from 187m in 2024, while 88 million parcels were delivered, up from 84m in 2024.

“Parcels have grown significantly over the last three or four years, and mail has declined significantly in the same time,” Walsh said.

New Zealand addresses currently receive less than two letters each per week, compared to 7.5 in 2013, a spokesperson told RNZ.

The service has started to move back upwards after heavy losses – after a $56m loss in 2023, there was a $14m loss in 2024, and a $2m loss in 2025, according to their annual report.

The transformation toward parcel delivery is still in progress, Walsh said.

“When and how that happens we’re still progressively working our way through change, but that will depend on where volumes get to over the next few years. It’s too early to say exactly when.

“We believe it’s a good solution to maintain a great mail service.”

Consolidating parcel and mail delivery into one would be more economical, he said.

“Having one person deliver down the street is clearly more efficient than having two, so that is the goal.”

So, we’ll get mail less often?

Although the changes to the Deed of Understanding now lets urban delivery be as few as two days a week, that hasn’t happened so far.

“We haven’t moved to twice a week yet, that is still something that will respond to as we see changing demand for mail services,” Walsh said. “If there is a permanent change in frequency we will certainly communicate that in advance.”

It’s hardly a transformation unique to New Zealand. Mail services around the world have been dealing with lower volume and higher costs. Last year, Denmark became reportedly the first country in the world to end its national letter delivery service entirely.

John Maynard of the Postal Workers Union of Aotearoa recently criticised some of the cuts and changes on RNZ’s Midday Report.

“It’s one thing that people will want to use emails over the old traditional mail system, but it’s quite another thing for a state-owned enterprise to act in a manner which consistently undermines people’s confidence in an institution.”

Could you no longer get mail delivered to your house?

That’s one of the concerns raised by the union to RNZ late last year.

The Deed of Understanding now allows for up to 5 percent of delivery points annually to be changed to communal points – such as a cluster of boxes which service multiple addresses on a street.

Maynard told RNZ the suggestion to stop delivering to individual home letterboxes was “sort of hidden away in the document”.

“Putting the letterboxes in clusters makes it easier for the company to sack all the posties and have them delivered by vans which wouldn’t have to stop at your house, they’d put your mail at the end of the street,” he said.

However, Walsh said, the changes were more geared towards new developments, such as entrances to apartment buildings.

“There is both what the deed permits and what I expect us to continue to do”.

NZ Post also said in a statement, “we do not have widespread plans to move to communal delivery, and customers who currently have an individual letterbox can expect their delivery to continue as normal.”

While the deed does allow for consolidation of some delivery points, Walsh said, “From the perspective of NZ Post, if you’re in urban New Zealand and you have a letterbox outside your house, it’s almost certain we will continue to deliver to your house.”

However, he said NZ Post needs flexibility for new subdivisions or developments in rural areas.

“That will mean that we can continue to offer good service to those areas.

“As more households come on, that’s more points for us to deliver, but every site is having less mail be delivered too, so that makes it incredibly expensive for us to maintain to those new sites being developed.”

The Deed of Understanding says that “Any proposed change requires reasonable notice and community engagement before any conversions.”

What about my local post shop? Is it closing?

NZ post also announced recently that it would close 142 service counters in convenience stores, pharmacies and libraries around the country, leaving 567 still operating.

Walsh said NZ Post had a “robust process” looking at what services were being used the most and where, when it came time to decide on closures.

“The data I have at the moment is that about around 90 percent of urban New Zealanders will be within 4km of a retail site” once the changes are in effect, he said.

To find out what’s happening in your area see the NZ Post Website list.

NZ Post says it has invested $290 million into infrastructure and automation.

NZ Post has also opened up new retail hubs for sending, collecting and returning parcels in Auckland, with more planned around the country, and five large processing centres.

How will these changes affect people who rely on the post?

The decision to close outlets has upset some smaller communities, who worry about the impact on older customers or those without easy access to alternatives.

Manjit Singh has a postal service in his shop in the rural Waikato town of Te Kauwhata, and told RNZ recently the decision to close it “doesn’t make sense to me at all”.

“Right opposite my shop, there’s an old-age home, and people quite enjoy our service. They will have to go to Huntly or Pukekohe.”

“It’s easy for millennials and younger generations, but older people will really struggle,” Springfield Superette owner Raj Kumar of Rotorua told RNZ recently.

Stuart Dick is the chair of the board at the Magazine Publishers Association and general manager at Are Media which publishes weekly magazines including the New Zealand Women’s Weekly and the Listener.

“It is concerning that NZ Post are neglecting their core service and customers by reducing delivery days,” he said.

“Thankfully there are alternative delivery networks growing to provide some coverage, and the majority of magazines are sold via retail outlets.

“However this does not absolve NZ Post of their core purpose to ‘Deliver what people care about’ which includes the magazine subscriptions that our readers love, along with many other things Kiwis rely on their national postal network to deliver.”

Walsh said NZ Post was aware of those concerns.

“We will continue to work with those senders that have specific time requirements around them. We may not have perfect answers for everyone but we are absolutely committed to working with those senders to see what we can do to support their requirements.”

He said NZ Post’s goal was to make the changes with as little disruption as possible.

“It’s not easy, it’s clearly going to have impacts on some people, but we’re trying to get that balance right.”

Will mail ever go away entirely?

Asked if NZ Post as we know it is just going to vanish entirely at some point, Walsh said it was simply responding to changes in the culture.

“The way New Zealanders communicate, what they choose to receive, is choices that we don’t make, so we are responding to those changes and that’s really what we’re reflecting.”

NZ Post’s pivot to parcels also means it is more directly competing with services such as Aramex and DHL.

“It is a very competitive delivery market out there,” Walsh said.

“I’m proud of how well NZ post both competes and operates. We have made some pretty significant investments over the last few years to make sure we can continue to scale up our parcel and parcel delivery services.”

However, the Postal Union’s Maynard told Midday Report he was still concerned about what the future might hold.

“I think we’re going to see some more reductions in NZ Post services allowed for under the deed. I think this sort of thing will continue, pressure from the government, for NZ Post to cut costs and give the cash back to the government.”

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

Luca Harrington has claimed New Zealand’s second medal at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics in Italy, taking bronze at the men’s freestyle skiing slopestyle event.

Norway’s Birk Ruud took gold, while silver went to American Alex Hall.

Harrington – one of the youngest competitors at 21 – was fourth on course, followed by fellow New Zealander Ben Barclay in sixth. Each had three runs to post their top score.

Barclay was the first competitor to land a complete run, earning a solid first run score of 69.40. Harrington came out swinging and was lacing together a super stylish run, but came unstuck on the switch triple cork 16 on jump two.

Run two was a throwaway for both Kiwis, with the triple cork 1620 continuing to give Harrington trouble, and Barclay coming off a rail early at the top of the course.

That left Barclay sitting in fifth place and Harrington in ninth going into the third and final run.

Harrington managed to clean up in run three, this time stomping his landing on the triple cork 1620 and finishing off with a clean 1440 on the third and last jump.

His score of 85.15 took him to third place, and earned New Zealand’s second medal of the games.

Barclay dropped in for his third run but once again came off a rail too early, finishing eighth overall.

Harrington said the day had been “a battle” for all competitors.

“We didn’t get perfect conditions, but that’s part of our sport. I was feeling a lot of pressure, a lot of crazy emotions going on being here at the Olympics, being in the finals and wanting to do everyone proud. Putting something down that you’re proud of was hard. I did not land my first two runs, which made that even tougher, but on that final run, I took a step back and kind of embraced the moment and managed to gain that confidence and managed to go through my full run clean,” he said.

“Standing at the top, representing New Zealand, representing my family, wearing an Olympic bib in the finals, that was such a special moment. I think that’s what motivated me to really embrace that and land that last run. To get rewarded with a haka from my team was such an honour.”

Barclay had been hoping to put down cleaner runs based on the tricks he had trained, but was happy enough with the outcome, adding that he was “over the moon to see Luca Harrington on the steps at the end”.

“To get a front row seat the last few years to the amount of hard work, dedication and sacrifice that Luca and his coach Hamish MacDougall have both put in with the sole goal of this, to see it pay off for them – I can’t even describe how that feels. They worked so hard, put so much blood, sweat and tears and true mahi into it. He really clutched up in the end and he got it. I genuinely don’t think anyone deserves it more.”

Birk Ruud of Norway earned the gold medal after an impeccable first run. Alex Hall, the gold medallist four years ago in Beijing, won silver under cloudy skies on the slopes in the mountain town of Livigno to extend Team USA’s remarkable run in the event over the years.

The slopestyle event features skiers who slide across rails and perform aerial tricks to impress the judges with difficulty and originality. The best score from each skier’s three runs determines the rankings. Ruud’s superb first run put him at the top of the leaderboard from the start. Hall tried to catch him but fell backward after coming off a rail in his third run.

Final scores came in at 86.28 for Ruud, 85.75 for Hall and 85.15 for Harrington. Ruud, 25, pumped his fists and hugged the other medallists as he took the podium. Hall, 27, clapped his hands and smiled. Team USA have earned a slopestyle medal in every Olympics since the event was introduced to the schedule in 2014. Jesper Tjader, the bronze medallist in Beijing, was in medal contention going into his third run of the day but crash-landed off a rail, sending one of his skies flying.

Zoi Sadowski-Synnott earlier claimed New Zealand’s first medal of the games, taking silver in the Big Air event on Tuesday.

It was a record third medal in the event for Sadowski-Synott, who took silver in Beijing in 2022 and bronze in Pyeongchang in 2018.

Like Harrington, she was also honoured by her teammates with a haka following her win.

– RNZ / Reuters

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

Luca Harrington has claimed a bronze medal for New Zealand in the men’s freestyle skiing slopestyle event overnight at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics in Italy.

Birk Ruud of Norway took the gold medal, while silver went to American Alex Hall.

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One of the survivors of the Christchurch terror attack says the terrorist is just seeking attention with his Court of Appeal bid.

White supremacist Brenton Tarrant is serving a life sentence without parole for the mass shootings in March 2019 and has gone to the Court of Appeal to overturn his convictions and sentence.

Temel Atacocugu, who was shot during the massacre at Al Noor Mosque, said he believed this was all for the terrorist’s entertainment and so he could get the public’s attention again.

“He doesn’t want to be forgotten, but he lost that chance. He is forgotten already. I don’t think it will make any difference to his conditions in jail after all this court case is finished,” Atacocugu said.

Atacocugu was shot nine times in the attack and said it was still challenging for him physically and mentally.

He has been watching the court hearing via livestream in Christchurch and said it was difficult to see the terrorist’s face on screen.

“When I saw his face on the screen, flashbacks started bombarding my mind, and remembering that day. And my body reacted and was aching and my disabled arm on my left side. So it’s not easy for us to be still dealing with this court case,” he said.

The terrorist should stop with the self-pity and face what he had done like a man, Atacocugu said.

Federation of Islamic Associations chair Abdur Razzaq said the latest court appearance by the Australian terrorist followed a well-known pattern used by convicted right-wing terrorists globally to exploit legal systems in order to regain publicity, amplify their ideology and inspire online supporters.

The white supremacist was following an almost identical trajectory to the man responsible for the 2011 Norway attacks that killed 77 people, he said.

“After initially confessing guilt, the Oslo terrorist systematically exploited the Norwegian and European legal systems through repeated court actions following his 2012 conviction, including cases in 2016, 2017, and again in 2024, largely focused on alleged prison conditions. This is quite similar to the Australian 15 March terrorist who is now exploiting the NZ legal system claiming he pleaded guilty under duress by torture,” Abdur Razzaq said.

The terrorist was using the New Zealand legal system not to seek genuine redress but to re-enter the public arena, garner repeated media reporting and ensure continued visibility, he said.

The legal challenges brought societal costs to the March 15 families, who were already suffering from PTSD and large financial costs, Abdur Razzaq said.

“Unfortunately, as a society, we must confront an uncomfortable reality.”

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

A new study of over 50,000 children in the US found that spending four or more hours a day on screens is associated with a higher prevalence of mental health problems. This association is mediated by reduced physical activity and disrupted sleep routines. (ref. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-026-06609-1 )

February 9, 2026. A new Nature Portfolio study reveals that excessive screen time in children is associated with significantly detrimental mental health outcomes across several disorders: ADHD, anxiety, behavioural problems and even depression.

According to clinicians from Flow Neuroscience, a company behind the first FDA-approved non-drug, non-invasive depression treatment, the issue is even bigger than the study reveals, as these children are often overprescribed antidepressants and have limited treatment alternatives due to their age.

Based on data from over 50,000 US children aged 6-17, the study revealed that excessive screen time, categorized as four or more hours per day, is associated with increased odds of mental health issues, raising the likelihood of depression by 61%, anxiety by 45%, behavioural or conduct problems by 24% and ADHD by 21%.

“What is most concerning about these results is the high probability of depression,” says Dr. Hannah Nearney, M.D., clinical psychiatrist and UK Medical Director at Flow Neuroscience. “While there are effective treatments for depression, treatment from a young age can present challenges that may further negatively impact a patient’s life, partly due to the side effects associated with antidepressant use. Unfortunately, non-drug alternatives are often limited to talking therapy, leaving a gap in the provision of services and exposing vulnerable children to increased risk.”

According to the study, physical activity emerges as the most influential protective factor between screen time and mental health problems, accounting for up to 39% of that relationship.

In comparison, irregular bedtimes are culpable for up to 23,9%, and short sleep duration explains around 7,24% of the relationship between screen time and mental health issues.

“What’s most important is that we now know the main determinants and protective factors regarding a range of mental health issues in children. The odds can be significantly reduced with adjustments in behaviours such as physical activity, and expanding the tools we can use to combat these illnesses,” highlighted Dr. Nearney.

The data from the study also indicated that this problem will escalate, as nearly one in every three children spends too much of their time in front of screens, suggesting the behaviour is normalized.

Meeting guidelines for physical activity (which is more than 60 minutes per day) is already low, with only one out of five children achieving this standard. And just one out of four children maintains a consistent weekday bedtime routine.

Given the limitations and risks associated with prescribing SSRIs to children, including a small but measurable increase in suicidality, there is a growing need to explore alternative, non-pharmacological treatments.

In this context, the first FDA-approved non-drug treatment, based on transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), is expected to become available in the US later this year. However, it is not approved for children under 18.

“Due to long waiting times, not enough attention is given to children and adolescents with mental health problems such as depression. Too often, they’re pushed into the trial-and-error pathways with antidepressants, even at a young age. We hope that such tools as brain stimulation will become available for these young people too, but what we can do in the meantime is to follow the suggestion of studies like the latter one, and not only avoid screen time, but also regulate our sleep schedules, add physical activity to children’s daily lives, and explore other similar options,” highlighted Dr. Nearney.

Even though currently, children don’t have non-drug, at-home, FDA-approved tools for depression treatment, an increasing amount of research supports that such technologies as tDCS are safe for pediatric use.

In the meantime, this Nature study reframes youth mental health as largely a preventable behavioural challenge and shows that many risks stem from modifiable habits like screen use, physical activity, and sleep.

About Flow Neuroscience

Flow Neuroscience is a healthcare company that focuses on tDCS therapies and devices. In 2016, it was co-founded in Sweden by Daniel Mansson, a clinical psychologist, and Erik Rehn, an engineer. Erin Lee joined as CEO in 2022, having previously worked at Google, Uber, and Babylon, and the company is now based in the UK. Flow is the only at-home medical tDCS device with clinically proven effectiveness in treating depression, approved in all major markets: by the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), and having passed regulations in Europe, Norway, Switzerland, and Hong Kong.

MIL OSI

Rays from the biggest solar storm of the last couple of decades hit the Earth overnight, causing aurora visible in both the north and south extremes of the globe.

The lights were caused by a storm that nearly hit the highest level on the scale used by space weather monitors to measure magnetic disturbance.

• Do you have photos? Share them with us at: iwitness@rnz.co.nz

Early Tuesday morning, NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Centre (SWPC) posted on X: “An S4 severe solar radiation storm is now in progress – this is the largest solar radiation storm in over 20 years. The last time S4 levels were observed was in October, 2003.

But, it noted: “Potential effects are mainly limited to space launch, aviation, and satellite operations.”

The Aurora Australis, also known as the Southern Lights, glows on the horizon over the waters of Lake Ellesmere on the outskirts of Christchurch, New Zealand, on 21 January, 2026. SANKA VIDANAGAMA / AFP

Disturbance is measured on the K-index. According to the SWPC, it reached Kp8, out of a possible Kp9.

The solar storms of October 2003 caused power outages in Sweden and damages to power transformers in South Africa, CNN reported.

People look at the Aurora Australis, also known as the Southern Lights, as it glows on the horizon over the waters of Lake Ellesmere on the outskirts of Christchurch, New Zealand, on 21 January , 2026. SANKA VIDANAGAMA / AFP

Some viewers posted pics and clips to social media. Sadly, cloud cover ruined the view for some New Zealand skywatchers.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) told RNZ the coronal mass ejection arrived in Aotearoa about 8.30am on Tuesday, and was “not expected to cause significant impacts for NZ”.

The agency had activated its Space Weather Science Advisory Panel, which had considered international space weather monitoring and forecasting agencies, as well as current information from the NZ-based monitoring network.

“On current conditions, the panel advises this event is not concerning for NZ and no significant impacts are expected. NEMA and Transpower will continue to monitor the situation.”

There were no updates from Transpower overnight.

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

A former World Bank senior economist says people buying holiday homes and leaving them empty in Queenstown for much of the year are on track to “hollow out” the town, unless authorities take strong action to build more affordable housing for workers.

Data suggests, at any given time, more than a quarter of the district’s properties are unoccupied.

On Census night 2023, there were 3480 empty dwellings and 3402 listed as ‘residents away’, compared with 18,219 properties occupied or under construction.

At the same time, the cost of renting or buying a house has risen sharply, and more than 1600 households have joined a waitlist for an affordable housing scheme.

Ralph Hanan, who has lived in Queenstown for nearly two decades and spent 29 years at the World Bank, said the number of empty houses would likely increase in coming years.

He told RNZ councils and the government could not compel people to rent their properties out.

“If these ‘ghost houses’ were available, of course, that means that the money that went into new developments for new housing could be spent somewhere else for a more productive enterprise within our economy,” he said.

“I think it’s a real long shot to expect people who have a house here to open it up for 9-10 months of the year to whomsoever to come and live. It’s not good economics, but it’s reality.”

Hanan said urgent structural changes were needed to ensure Queenstown remained a viable place to live and work, including affordable housing for local workers.

A town increasingly owned from afar

Little data is available on exactly who owns Queenstown’s “ghost houses”, but property maintenance companies told RNZ they had noticed a major shift in the market.

Peak to Peak Property Services director Matthew Kurtovich said about 60 percent of his clients either rented out their homes as short-term accommodation or kept them empty, except for the “one or two weeks a year” they visited.

“We’ve had a huge shift to absentee owners,” he said. “The business was predominantly built over locals and providing service for locals, but as the places change and become a lot more holiday destination, there’s a lot more investment properties around and a lot more apartment complexes that we deal with.

“It’s definitely a change of scope for the business in the last 10 years.”

In recent years, several other maintenance businesses had emerged, catering specifically for absentee owners – offering to pay bills, clean gutters, keep cars WOF-compliant and even stock fridges for people who lived away from Queenstown.

Those companies declined to speak to RNZ.

Low-rental yields discouraging landlords

Some Queenstown propertyowners would rather let their homes gather dust than rent them out, a property investment specialist said, because rental income lagged far behind soaring property values.

Despite Queenstown rentals being among the most expensive and under-demand in the country, Opes Partners managing partner Andrew Nicol said property owners did not have much to gain from long-term tenants.

“It is really expensive to own a property there,” he said. “The yields are just disproportionately low at the moment.

“I don’t know that they’ll catch up any time soon. I’ve seen yields as low as three percent for people that are buying investment properties.”

Nicol said healthy-homes requirements and tenancy rules introduced by the previous Labour government – even those later repealed – had pushed some landlords off the long-term market.

Meanwhile, people could only rent out a house as a short-term rental – for example, an Airbnb – for a maximum of 90 days without resource consent.

“Because of the restrictions around tenancies – healthy homes and not being able to give a nine-day termination – there were a lot of properties taken off the market,” he said. “If you were really rich and you had no debt, and it was just a bit of a hassle, [you might think], ‘Well, I’ll rent it out for the 90 days I’m allowed to and then I’ll have it empty the rest of the year’.

“Or, ‘I’ll just have it empty [all the time]’. There are some people like that.”

However, he said that was slowly changing, with more rentals coming back online in Queenstown, after the re-introduction of no-fault evictions and other measures designed to give landlords more confidence.

On the other hand, it was becoming more costly to use houses for short-term accommodation, Nicol said.

“I know a lot of people have made some really good money, but the cost of cleaning, for example, has gone up quite significantly in Queenstown and the Airbnb fees have gone up. There’s further GST implications now.

“You can make some really good money, but there are just significant costs that go with that as well.”

Capital gains tax could make a difference – mayor

Mayor John Glover said many of Queenstown’s ghost houses were legitimate holiday houses bought by people who intended to visit or move down eventually.

“A lot of people, even in New Zealand, they’re cashed out,” he said. “They’re maybe retiring, they want to move down, or have the opportunity to come and have their holidays here.

“We live in a free market economy.”

Yet empty houses were a “fundamental” problem in Queenstown and in Wānaka, he said.

“There’s a place for holiday homes all over the world and tourism hotspots, it’s always the case,” Glover said. “Elsewhere in the world, various interventions come along, such as local ownership clauses on new developments, that try to address the fact that there are far more people with money than the people trying to live and work here.”

He said a capital gains tax on second homes might lead to fewer ghost houses, although he framed that as a broader governmental debate.

Personally, he would be prepared to pay a capital gains tax, if it meant more services for the town.

“I think, if we want to have some of the things in this country that we aspire to, we need to look at how we get the revenue to do that,” Glover said. “I’m constantly told by people, if you go to Sweden, you get free education, the public transport is cheaper, there’s all sorts of benefits, health services, and they’ll have 75 percent top tax rates, they’ll have capital gains tax, they’ll have inheritance tax.

“The issue is we don’t have those in this country.”

In the meantime, Glover said he was focused on ensuring Queenstown had a good supply of rental stock.

He said Simplicity’s plan to build up to 600 long-term rental houses on Ladies Mile would help.

Glover would also like to see the Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust scaled up, potentially by requiring developers to contribute to it.

“We’re trying to twist the arm of government and make the case that, when landowners get a significant zoning uplift and so they go from farm paddocks to housing estates, then maybe we get to capture some of the value of that.”

Pressure on the workforce

Ralph Hanan said he’d like to see 10 percent of the properties at each new housing development set aside for the housing trust’s affordable schemes.

Without action, he warned, workers would be pushed out of the town and more houses would sit empty in the centre.

“If we don’t do more to retain these people, they’re going to move out of our area,” Hanan said. “They may move to dormitory suburbs like Cromwell, which is already the case, or the south of Lake Wakatipu and Kingston, which is already being developed.

“They will move out of our Queenstown City urban area pretty soon and that is not good for any city.”

“Ultimately, if you’re looking 50 years down the track, I suppose Queenstown is heading to become to become a trainwreck. It will be a place that will be less attractive for foreigners to want to come to and less attractive for people to want to live in.

“We have to avoid that. We’ve got to have structural change to make sure that we are a balanced, caring community, including all types of workers, diversity of people and diversity of our economy.”

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Nearly a year after they secured qualification for the Football World Cup with a victory on Eden Park, the All Whites will return to the stadium to farewell fans ahead of the global tournament.

The All Whites have confirmed their final home games ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026, taking on Chile and Finland at Eden Park in Auckland this March as part of the first FIFA Series held in Aotearoa.

The FIFA Series brings together four competing nations to play quality international fixtures against other top sides.

The four-nation FIFA Series also includes Cape Verde, which qualified for the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 2026.

World number 52 Chile and 75th-ranked Finland did not qualify for the World Cup kicking off in June, but for the All Whites (ranked 87) and Cape Verde (67) the FIFA Series will be part of an extended warm-up for the World Cup co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Finland will become the first men’s UEFA nation to play in New Zealand in over 30 years.

Hosting a UEFA nation has been almost unheard of in NZF’s history, with only England (1991) and Hungary (1982) making the trip, while a strong Soviet Union XI toured in 1986.

Finland is not a European heavyweight, but will be strong opposition regardless, given the depth of the UEFA Confederation. In 2024, they faced the likes of England and Portugal, and their opponents last year included the Netherlands, Norway and Poland.

All Whites head coach Darren Bazeley is excited about the prospect of taking on two high-quality teams at home ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026.

“These games are perfect for us as they will give us a real test and aid our preparation for the FIFA World Cup, while also being at home and giving fans the opportunity to support the team before we head to Canada, Mexico and the USA.

“Both Chile and Finland will be challenging opponents, so we expect some really competitive matches, which is exciting for everyone.

“2026 is going to be a massive year for football, so it’s great to announce these fixtures and kick it off in the best way possible,” Bazeley said.

All matches will be played at Eden Park, with double-header match days on Friday 27 and Monday 30 March 2026, kicking off at 4pm and 7pm.

The first match day will see Chile take on Cape Verde, before the All Whites face Finland.

The second match day will see Cape Verde versus Finland, followed by the All Whites hosting Chile.

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

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says “tariffs are not the way forward”, as the United States and the European Union go head to head over Greenland.

“We don’t want to see a downward spiral of tariffs and tit-for-tat tariffs, it’s just not acceptable” Luxon told media, after his State of the Nation speech on Monday.

Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump threatened eight European allies with a 10 percent additional tariff for opposing his plans to buy or annex Greenland.

The EU was reportedly considering retaliatory tariffs worth about 93 billion euros, the equivalent of about NZ$187 billion.

Luxon said it was in New Zealand’s interest to see a “healthy trans-Atlantic relationship in place”, through discussion, debate and dialogue.

“If the US has genuine concerns around Arctic security, we’ll have those conversations.”

He wouldn’t say whether it was appropriate for the EU to retaliate with tariffs.

“That’s a decision for them to make.”

His comments were the first time Luxon had spoken publicly about international events, following the summer break.

He said events in Iran were “incredibly concerning” and “worrying”.

“When you actually see a government using its own forces to kill its own citizens – utterly unacceptable.”

Luxon was also asked about the strike conducted by the United States on Venezuela, in which President Nicolas Maduro was captured.

He said he didn’t have “a lot of time for Nicolas Maduro” and the New Zealand government hadn’t recognised his government – “We saw it as illegitimate” – but he expected every country to be “compliant with international law”.

Ultimately, he said, it was “up to the US to demonstrate that they were compliant with international law”.

“That’s up to them to demonstrate that, as it is for every individual country, to say that they’re operating with an international law.”

Asked why he didn’t speak about the issue earlier, he said Foreign Minister Winston Peters summarised the situation “superbly well” in his statement.

“I didn’t need to add anything more to it.”

On Monday, Labour leader Chris Hipkins said the government could have been “more visible and more principled” on all those issues.

“Standing up for international laws [and] international rules is something New Zealand has taken very principled positions on in the past, and we should continue to do so.”

Labour condemned the US attack on Venezuela as a “breach of international law”.

Hipkins said he had “no time” for the previous government of Venezuela, “but going and effectively taking over a country with no international law behind you is a very, very big step for the United States to take”.

“For New Zealand to say nothing about that, I think, has been an abrogation of what has previously been a very principled foreign policy position by New Zealand.”

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https://players.brightcove.net/6093072280001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6387923407112

The Reserve Bank governor Anna Breman shouldn’t have signed a letter of support for US counterpart Jerome Powell without first consulting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Finance Minister says.

Nicola Willis made the comment to media after Prime Minister Christopher Luxon was asked about Foreign Minister Winston Peter’s stinging remark that the governor should “stay in her New Zealand lane”.

Breman was one of a number of international central bankers who signed the letter supporting the US Federal Reserve head last week.

Powell has been pushing back to maintain the Federal Reserve’s independence after being served criminal charges by the US Justice Department.

Willis said she spoke to Breman the day after she signed the letter and asked why the governor had not informed her earlier.

“She put to me that she had been reluctant to contact me at 3am in the morning. I said to her ‘Look I’m available any time’ and that’s what New Zealanders expect of me.”

Willis said she made it clear to Breman that if she’d contacted her boss it would have given the governor an opportunity to get a range of perspectives before signing the letter.

“How that would have borne on her final decision I don’t know. I wouldn’t speculate.”

Asked if Breman made the wrong decision in supporting Powell, Willis said she wouldn’t speculate but “it would have been appropriate as the Minister of Foreign Affairs has said, for her take advice from across government”.

Willis said Breman should have let her know that she intended to sign the letter and had she done that, Willis would have advised her to take advice from the Foreign Affairs Ministry and speak with the Treasury Secretary about.

“She’s new in the job. I think she was being overly respectful of my private time.”

Asked if she agreed with the support, Willis deferred to Peters.

“…it’s appropriate that on issues of foreign affairs that she get advice from the officials who are experts in that area.”

Luxon, who was addressing media with Willis after his State of the Nation speech in Auckland on Monday, said they would only be speculating as to what decision Breman might have ended up taking had she sought that advice.

“What’s very important here is, as a government we don’t comment on the internal domestic affairs of other countries. That’s entirely appropriate. We don’t appreciate it when others do it to our own country.

“But as an independent Reserve Bank governor, we respect the independence of our Reserve Bank. It plays a critical role being independent on monetary policy in our own democracy. And we’ve got to respect her independence.”

Asked if Breman had apologised, Willis confirmed she didn’t.

“I didn’t think an apology was necessary. What is important is that in future she takes that learning of making sure she seeks advice and lets people know ahead of any international statements.”

In a statement to RNZ last week the Reserve Bank said Breman had signed the statement because she and the RBNZ believed strongly in the independence of central banks.

“Dr Breman’s signature on the statement indicates the support of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, which is statutorily independent from the New Zealand Government.”

Labour leader Chris Hipkins said he had no problem with the letter.

“I think it reflects the position that the New Zealand Government should be taking. The indepdendence of the (US) Federal Reserve and the threats against it are very concerning.”

Hipkins told media Peters was correct to say the Reserve Bank’s independence did not extend to foreign policy.

“Having said that, I think the Reserve Bank governor is entitled to express her view on international developments.”

He said the government could have been more visible on international developments such as the US attack on Venezuela, and its threats to take Greenland.

“I think the New Zealand government could have been more visible and more principled on all of those issues. Standing up for international laws, international rules, is something New Zealand has taken very principled positions on in the past and we should continue to do so.”

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The prime minister will outline his plan for the year ahead and New Zealand’s future in a State of the Nation speech in Auckland today.

Speaking to a business audience, hosted by the Auckland Business Chamber at the new International Convention Centre, Christopher Luxon will also take the opportunity to outline some of the government’s progress in areas such as law and order, education, and cutting red tape.

The prime minister will be using his first election year speech to highlight what he considers wins by the coalition, and will likely reference the India Free Trade Deal announced shortly before Christmas last year.

NZ First immediately signalled its disapproval of the deal, and Luxon will likely speak today about maintaining a stable coalition with a focus on domestic affairs.

Clarification around a potential weakening of housing intensification laws, as well as plans for tackling homelessness in the Auckland CBD, may be discussed today, but will likely be revealed later in the week.

It is the first political event in the New Zealand calendar, and will be the first public appearance by Luxon following the summer break, in which international events dominated headlines.

Luxon has yet to release statements regarding the capture of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro by the United States, as well as anti-regime protests in Iran, and will likely be asked after his speech for his position on both events.

He was also yet to comment on New Zealand’s Reserve Bank governor writing in support of her counterpart in the US, and President Donald Trump’s push to take over Greenland.

There are no major policy announcements expected in the annual scene-setting speech, and the election date will not be revealed today either.

On Wednesday, both National and Labour will hold their first caucus meetings of the year, and later in the week, political parties will gather at Rātana.

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

It’s an idea that’s endured almost a century.

Since at least 1931 moving the South Island inter-island ferry port from Picton to Clifford Bay has been periodically floated and rejected.

The latest bid – dubbed the North South Express – has been submitted to the government’s investment agency and comes more than a decade after the previous bid was quashed.

For its proponents, the advantages of Clifford Bay are clear – its location offers a more direct, and faster run between the North and South Islands.

So far, the government’s dismissed the proposal and last week a large upgrade began at Picton’s wharf, ahead of the arrival of new Interislander ferries in 2029.

What’s the proposal?

CB Port Limited – the company behind an iwi and construction consortium promoting the North South Express – is seeking a public-private partnership for a multi-use ferry terminal at Clifford Bay.

The port would be privately funded at an estimated cost of $900 million, but the groups wants Crown money and cooperation for the necessary connecting road and rail infrastructure.

CB Port spokesperson Stephen Grice said the advantages of Clifford Bay, which sits on flat land 44km south of Blenheim, were clear.

“It’s a much faster voyage time of two hours sailing, as opposed to three-and-a-half on the journey to Picton. That means a faster transit for passengers and more efficient logistics.”

He said the shorter crossing – 74km between Wellington and Clifford Bay, compared to 104km to Picton – would enable more sailings and therefore quicker recovery from schedule disruptions.

With new ferries on the horizon in 2029, he believed the time had come to pull the trigger on the project.

“We want all of the desirable things of a first-world economy and growth and Clifford Bay offers that as new infrastructure.

“The geographic advantages of it completely outweigh continuing to pour money into infrastructure at Picton when it’s so geographically constrained.”

Although initially sceptical, Kaikōura and National Party MP, Stuart Smith has become a vocal backer of the idea, maintaining a new port at Clifford Bay was preferable to upgrading Picton.

“One is private capital – no cost to the taxpayer – and the other one is cost to the taxpayer and the ratepayers of Marlborough.”

However, instead the government has committed to upgrades at both Wellington and Picton ports, with contracts for the work expected to be finalised mid-year.

The redevelopment in Picton is currently estimated at $531m, of which $110m is to be contributed by Port Marlborough, a subsidiary of the Marlborough District Council.

The contingency for the entire project, which includes Wellington port upgrades, is $415m.

Seafarers get behind idea

Retired long-time Interislander captain John Brown said he’s been convinced of the superiority of Clifford Bay as a southern port for decades.

In the 90s, ahead of Tranz Rail’s resource consent application for the port – ultimately granted on appeal in 1999 – Brown took the Interislander ferry Arahura on an overnight run, leaving Wellington around 1am.

He said the ship arrived in Clifford Bay around 2-2.5 hours later.

“It was dark and I thought we’d just hang around until it gets daylight. The sun came up around four-thirty, quarter-to-five. We waited about half-an-hour and then I said, ‘Well, we better get back,’ because we had to do the 9.30am normal sailing.

“Not many people knew we ever went.”

The trip was smooth sailing, he said, “everything just went like magic”.

Brown said berthing in Picton “could be a handful” and the route through the Sounds was vulnerable to bad weather, sometimes forcing ships to take a longer detour via Queen Charlotte Sound (the northern entrance).

The issue of Clifford Bay’s suitability in bad weather has been dismissed by shipping expert Per Rold.

The Marlborough-based Dane, who was involved in the operation of three Danish ferry lines, said unlike some ports in Denmark – built on the open West Coast of the North Atlantic, “infamous for severe winter storms” – Clifford Bay was naturally sheltered from southerly swells by Cape Campbell to the south and was also a candidate for a breakwater.

However, Rold said Clifford Bay’s proximity to Wellington was its main advantage as an alternative port to Picton, and in his experience of Denmark’s competing domestic routes, “the shortest route always wins”.

Strait NZ Bluebridge declined to comment on the Clifford Bay bid, while a spokesperson for KiwiRail provided the following statement: “KiwiRail’s role is providing a safe and reliable service for [Interislander] passengers and freight across Cook Strait using our existing ships and to play our part in bringing the new ferries into service in 2029.”

Government not convinced

Smith was confident that if the Clifford Bay promoters built the port, the ships would come, but understood why a contract with KiwiRail was desired first.

Grice said a partnership with the Crown was imperative.

The Rail Minister’s office said Winston Peters met with the consortium last year, but the government has chosen to stay with Picton.

A spokesperson said although Clifford Bay was backed by private money, ultimately the cost would be shouldered by consumers.

“The Interislander is a commercial business where the cost of infrastructure ties back to the costs freighters and families pay.

“North South Express estimate their project will cost $900 million, while our works in Picton will cost just over $500 million.

“The higher the cost of infrastructure, including by private investors expecting a return, the more expensive the Interislander ticket.”

Grice has pushed back on those claims, saying the cost of Picton’s upgrades are also expected to be recovered will need to be funded through increased ticket costs, but without the efficiency gain of Clifford Bay.

In response to questions from RNZ, Marlborough mayor Nadine Taylor said the council was focussed on supporting the government’s ferry replacement and port redevelopment project.

“With the government’s commitment to provide two new ferries to serve road and rail for Cook Strait by 2029 confirmed, the Marlborough District Council has not undertaken any analysis of any other proposal and none is planned.”

She said once commercial details were finalised, the council would consult with ratepayers on the up to $110m loan to be obtained on behalf of Port Marlborough, to fund its portion of the upgrades.

In statement on 13 January, Port Marlborough chief executive Rhys Welbourn heralded the start of demolition on Picton’s old wharf.

He said as the gateway between the North and South Islands, Picton was grounded in geography, history and function, and that its redevelopment built on generations of investment and experience.

“The money spent here is not only for national benefit – it also circulates through Marlborough, supports local jobs and capability, and ultimately delivers returns to ratepayers.

“That is a very different outcome to infrastructure designed to serve private interests.

“With work now underway, there is no ambiguity about where the future of inter-island connectivity is being delivered.”

Grice, however, held out hope – claiming ambiguity would remain until Picton’s upgrades had final contracts and costings.

Ultimately, he said Clifford Bay was the future, it was just a case of when.

“Clifford Bay will happen in the economic lifetime of this country. It just has to happen. And we’re at this inflection point, so it just seems a wasted opportunity to not make it happen now and achieve the benefits.”

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Some personnel have been told to leave Qatar’s major US military base over “regional tensions”, Doha said, while Saudi Arabia’s US mission urged caution as Washington and Iran traded threats of military action.

The United States has repeatedly warned it could intervene against a deadly Iranian government crackdown on protests, while Tehran has said it would strike US military and shipping targets if attacked.

The precautions at Al Udeid, the region’s biggest US base, are “in response to the current regional tensions”, Qatar’s International Media Office said.

The base was targeted by Iranian strikes in June after the US briefly joined Israel’s war against the Islamic republic.

“Qatar continues to implement all necessary measures to safeguard the security and safety… including actions related to the protection of critical infrastructure and military facilities,” a statement said.

A diplomatic source told AFP earlier that a number of personnel were asked to leave the base by Wednesday evening (local time). A second source confirmed the information, also on condition of anonymity.

The US embassy in Qatar declined to comment on personnel movement at Al Udeid.

In Saudi Arabia, the US embassy told staff and American citizens “to exercise increased caution and limit non-essential travel to any military installations in the region”.

UK withdrawals

Britain is withdrawing some personnel from an air base in Qatar, a source familiar with the matter said on Wednesday, mirroring similar moves by the United States at bases in the Middle East after an Iranian official said Tehran had warned neighbours it would hit American bases if Washington strikes.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence said the department did not comment on details of basing and deployments due to security, Reuters is reporting.

“The UK always puts precautionary measures in place to ensure the security and safety of our personnel, including where necessary withdrawing personnel,” the spokesperson added.

‘Respond to any attack’

Meanwhile, two sources close to the government in Riyadh said Saudi Arabia had told Iran it would not let its airspace or territory be used to launch attacks.

“Saudi Arabia has informed Tehran directly that it will not be part of any military action taken against it,” a source close to the Saudi military told AFP.

A second source close to the government confirmed the message had been communicated to Tehran. The US has several military sites in the Gulf, including in Saudi Arabia.

Ali Shamkhani, a senior adviser to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (local time) that the June strike on Al Udeid demonstrated “Iran’s will and capability to respond to any attack”.

After the strike, Qatari, US and Iranian officials held a series of calls that led to de-escalation and a ceasefire.

Washington has repeatedly said the US is considering air strikes on Iran to stop the deadly crackdown on protests.

Trump on Tuesday (local time) told CBS News that the US would act if Iran began hanging protesters.

Iranian authorities called the American warnings a “pretext for military intervention”.

The protests in Iran have posed one of the biggest challenges to the clerical leadership since the 1979 Islamic revolution ousted the shah.

Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights said it had confirmed at least 3428 people killed during the crackdown.

– AFP / Reuters

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

Global rankings show New Zealand’s passport is less powerful than last year.

The Henley Passport Index for 2026 ranks New Zealand 24th-equal in the world in terms of destinations passport holders can travel to without a prior visa.

People with New Zealand passports have easy access to 183 countries, compared to 190 last year. Countries in which travellers can get a visa on arrival are included in the calculation.

The ranking puts New Zealand in the sixth tier, on par with nations such as Croatia, Estonia and Poland and in front of the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada.

Last year New Zealand was in 17th-equal place, in the fifth tier with easy access to 190 countries.

Singapore remains the most powerful passport in the world, with access to 192 countries without a prior visa, followed in second-equal place by Japan and South Korea.

Henley said its rankings were based on “exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) – the largest, most accurate travel information database” and enhanced by its own research team.

The top passports were:

• 192 countries – Singapore
• 188 – Japan, South Korea
• 186 – Denmark, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland
• 185 – Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy ,Netherlands, Norway
• 184 – Hungary, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, United Arab Emirates
• 183 – Croatia, Czechia, Estonia, Malta, New Zealand, Poland
• 182 – Australia, Latvia, Liechtenstein, United Kingdom
• 181 – Canada, 180 Iceland, Lithuania
• 180 – Malaysia
• 179 – United States

The weakest passports belonged to Pakistan, Yemen, Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. Holders of an Afghan passport only have easy access to 24 countries.

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