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

• Manawatū woman to have stomach reconstruction surgery on Monday after botched overseas operation.
• Helen Watson went to Turkey for gastric sleeve surgery in September as it was cheaper than going private in New Zealand.
• She says she knew straight away the operation went wrong; the Turkish clinic Medicana denies fault.
• Watson’s quest for compensation has stalled; Medicana says there’s no reason for it to pay.

A Manawatū woman is just days away from a full stomach reconstruction five months after a weight-loss operation in Turkey went wrong.

Since returning home and falling unwell Helen Watson endured almost two months in hospital and half-a-dozen smaller operations.

While she hopes Monday’s surgery signals the start of her recovery, her battle for compensation has stalled as the Turkish clinic that performed the operation denies it is to blame.

‘I’m scared’

At her Feilding home, a feeding tube attached to her stomach, Watson is steeling herself for an all-day operation.

“It’s now starting to hit how surreal this whole thing is. I’m scared. I’m not going to lie to you – I’m really scared. I’m really nervous about it.

“I’m just kind of pushing people away because I don’t want them to worry for me. It really sucks that this has happened to me.”

Watson paid about $5500 for the operation at the Medicana clinic in Istanbul because she knew she would not get on the public waiting list in New Zealand as she did not have an illness such as diabetes.

Instead her weight hit 80kg, which in her small frame was classed as obese, after she came off a cocktail of drugs she took for years following a car crash.

A gastric sleeve operation performed privately in New Zealand could cost $40,000, which was out of reach – forcing Watson to look overseas.

But now she does not know what life will look like.

“I don’t know what my body is going to do and how well it’s going to heal or what other complications are going to arise later on. I may not be 100 percent,” she said.

“I’m just sitting on the fence for this and letting my body do what it’s got to do.”

Her New Zealand surgeon previously told RNZ it was hard to know exactly what went wrong, but it could be a problem with a staple.

A statement from Medicana said it categorically denied failures with the surgery.

“As documented in the clinical report, the laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy was performed in accordance with internationally accepted standards, with no intraoperative complications and no evidence of leakage at discharge,” it said.

“Post-operative follow-up communications indicate the patient initially reported feeling well and did not raise medical concerns until after undergoing procedures at an external facility abroad.”

Watson denied this, saying she realised straight away something was wrong.

But Medicana said when she was discharged there was no clinical evidence of leakage or complications.

“Medicana does not accept that there is evidence demonstrating surgical error. Medicana stands by the integrity of its surgical and post-operative processes.”

Turkish hospital representatives to travel to New Zealand

Medicana said there was no basis for compensation, although it was “open to reviewing any independent medical documentation that may be provided” and to communicating with Watson through “appropriate medical and legal channels to review any new clinical evidence in a professional setting”.

Medicana representatives were travelling to New Zealand next month for routine business reasons, and Watson said she would like to meet with them.

She said Medicana had also made legal threats about her speaking out.

“There’s a lot of things that need to be fixed. I’d like my money back, absolutely. I’d like my flights [paid for],” Watson said.

“I even sent them an email asking them for my money back and my flights. My brother-in-law helped me with that letter. Then they came back and said they wanted to sue me.”

Medicana said it sought legal advice in New Zealand about Watson’s public allegations, but had not initiated legal proceedings.

Watson had thought about engaging a lawyer in Turkey, but that came at a cost.

NZ system picking up the pieces

With medical tourism growing, Auckland surgeon Dr Richard Babor said it had reached the point where there was almost always someone in Middlemore Hospital with post-operation problems from overseas surgery.

“We’ve seen increasing numbers of people show up on our acute workload here at Middlemore Hospital.

“Some of them have relatively minor post-operative issues that are easy to sort out. There is a small proportion of them who have quite serious complications from having had surgery, both in Turkey and in Mexico.”

New Zealand’s system was picking up the pieces when something went wrong, although for most people getting on the public waiting list for weight loss surgery was impossible, he said.

“Here at Middlemore Hospital we do about probably 100 a year, which is a very small number compared to the number of obese people who are in our population, and it’s even quite small compared to the number who are referred to us for surgery.

“We’ve got quite strict criteria that the patients need to satisfy.”

Health NZ previously told RNZ about 500 people a year got bariatric surgery through the public system, where aftercare is included.

Babor said hospitals had been approached by medical tourism organisations to see if they would look after returning patients, but he said this was not possible due to limited resources.

“We can’t run a service that does aftercare for some people who are doing surgery in Turkey or Mexico or Thailand/or India, or wherever it is.

“We would be overwhelmed and we wouldn’t be able to do any surgery on our own patients. We’d just be providing a follow-up service.”

Babor said no official numbers were kept about people affected by overseas surgery going wrong, but it was something bariatric surgeons talked about and would consider.

Medical tourism operator: Do your research

Watson did not use a medical tourism operator, organising her trip to Turkey herself, but growing numbers of people were paying for organised trips.

Vanessa Warren owned Total Transformation Tours, which took clients to Mexico for bariatric surgery. She said after research, and 20 years of experience in bariatrics, she found a clinic and surgeon with a good reputation and thorough after-surgery care.

“Any surgery is going to potentially have complications – whether it’s New Zealand, Mexico, anywhere, there’s potential for complications.

“So, one thing I do like about the surgeon that we use is she does a double leak test so that she makes sure that nothing is leaking during surgery and then the day after.”

Warren encouraged people to research overseas options thoroughly, saying cheaper was not always better.

Her company provides aftercare for 12 months as part of its package and she accompanies clients on the trips and monitors them after their operations, and wouldn’t take a group greater than five people.

“People would definitely prefer to do it in New Zealand, but it’s just a reality any more… I do feel very sorry for people who have had bad experiences overseas.”

Warren said having weight-loss surgery overseas was viewed differently to other operations, such as dental ones.

“It’s a very hot topic and everyone has an opinion about it, and there’s a lot of judgment out there for people.

“I think we need to remove a bit of that stigma. We have to be realistic that people can’t afford healthcare in New Zealand, so they are looking overseas.”

Accident Compensation Corporation said it might cover treatment injuries from overseas operations if an injury met its criteria, and that any cover was decided on a case-by-case basis.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

UK lobby groups are calling on the British government to urgently delay the deadline for dual nationals to get UK passports.

It comes as reports that the British Home Office is allowing airlines to decide whether they accept expired British passports when the border changes start on Wednesday.

Advocates have accused the government of failing to communicate the impending requirement for overseas dual citizens to use a UK passport, or certificate of entitlement, saying many only found out last month.

An opposition MP, Liberal Democrat Will Forster, has also asked for a grace period to allow travellers to catch up with the change.

Campaign groups British in Europe and ‘the3million’ wrote to the government this week along with immigration lawyers asking for the deadline to be postponed. They also want the cost of a certificate of entitlement, now a £589 (NZ$1330) digital addition to a foreign passport, to be significantly reduced.

“Please hit the pause button,” the3million’s head of advocacy Monique Hawkins told RNZ. “Think again, do more comms. Canada paused it twice before they began their enforcement. But from what we’ve heard, I think they’re digging in and they’re not prepared to move on this at all.”

Getting a certificate of entitlement could be a very complex, expensive process, she said, but for people with a recently expired passport it could be made a lot more straightforward.

“It should cost no more than the cost of a passport, I think, and they could just maintain one passport then,” she said. “We would like carriers to show flexibility for carriers to perhaps look at an expired British passport and think, yes, OK, we can accept that.

“If you look at what Canada did. Canada had exactly the same problem for its own dual nationals, but they came up with a pragmatic solution.”

Canada’s workaround, a special authorisation, was still open to its citizens 10 years after it required its nationals to use its passport, she said.

Using an expired UK passport

The UK Guardian is reporting that the Home Office said airline carriers could at their own discretion accept an expired British passport as alternative documentation, in addition to a valid foreign passport.

It would be a further frustration for dual nationals who had sent their expired UK passport away to get a new one to comply with the new rules, the newspaper noted.

Hawkins called on airlines who will implement the new regime to be sympathetic, but she feared many people would be turned away at international check-in desks. Carriers face a £2000 (NZ$4500) fine per passenger for allowing passengers with incorrect documentation to board.

A Carrier Support Hub was a 24/7 Home Office service airlines could contact to check that someone was British, she said.

The groups want the government to reconsider its overall position. “People are saying I’m just going to renounce my British citizenship. You know, it’s an expensive process to renounce it, but I’ve had it. Why should I still feel any loyalty towards the UK?

“And I think that’s tragic, really. I mean, that’s not how our country should treat its citizens. I really don’t understand what the mischief is that they’re trying to address. They want to know who’s coming to the country. It is just crazy that a New Zealand national coming as a tourist can get an ETA for £16 no problem and their dual British New Zealand partner is blocked from going to this country that they once belonged to. It doesn’t make sense.”

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A TIA was also known as a mini-stroke.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Hicks Bay locals are worried how their businesses will survive after being cut off for weeks of the peak tourism season and still facing a major clean up.

On Thursday, three weeks since heavy rainfall and flooding brought down multiple slips, closing the road between Pōtaka and Te Araroa, the section of State Highway 35 from Pōtaka through to Hicks Bay and around to Te Araroa reopened.

The road which will open daily between 7am and 7pm is still in a fragile state with reduced speed limits and traffic management in place.

Maree Brownlie, who owned the Twilight Coffee Garden, said the biggest immediate positives of having the road reopen was reconnecting friends and family between Te Araroa and Hicks Bay.

She said it also meant locals now had access back to local shops and schools.

She was not so convinced the road reopening would have business booming with some still in clean up mode following the floods.

“It’s not going to make a great deal of difference to small business there, particularly over the summer.”

She said the road was currently not really fit for town cars to drive on either.

With peak season nearly over, Brownlie said most tourism was unlikely to return until next summer.

“This will be another year that’ll be difficult for businesses around the 35.”

“[For] small businesses, like myself, it’s going to be, can you hang in there till next summer?”

Brownlie said since Covid there had been many catastrophes in a row for the community.

“It’s been really hard for everyone on the 35 to keep their head above water, basically, literally.”

One of those businesses in clean up mode was 35 Eat Street which was based in Te Araroa Holiday Park.

Owner Nina McClutchie said her caravan had suffered water damage and silt had surrounded the premises.

She expected it would not be open for another four to eight weeks.

“We’re facing a really huge clean-up here.

“Tourists are not going to come here, we feel, for quite a while until they see, a substantial clean-up that’s happened.

McClutchie said the impact on her business was “massive”.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

A new travel option that enables eligible Chinese and Pacific visitors to cross the ditch to New Zealand visa free is bringing in a considerable boost in tourism and revenue, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford and Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston say.

“In December, we announced that 13,000 Chinese and Pacific travellers had already visited, with 24,000 total requests approved. After two months, that number has now almost tripled to 36,800 visits, along with 54,000 requests approved,” Ms Stanford says.

“With average visitor spend at $5,800 for Chinese visitors, according to the International Visitor Survey, that amounts to an estimated economic injection of $210 million for Kiwi businesses from those who have visited, with Chinese visitors making up around 36,200 of visits through the new pathway.

“We are committed to supporting Kiwis businesses to thrive, and these results, which boost our wider tourism sector. Tourism is our second largest export and it is fantastic to see results which boost our wider tourism sector.” 

“Everybody wants the chance to visit and experience New Zealand, and through our change to allow more people to visit through visa-free travel from Australia, it appears to be a no-brainer.”

Ms Stanford says the change that was introduced was a deciding factor in people visiting New Zealand – 85 percent of Chinese travellers and 82 percent of Pacific travellers surveyed said they travelled here specifically because of the new NZeTA option.

Ms Upston says this is already bringing in a sizeable boost in revenue across the country, and in particular our key tourism regions.

“Visitor spending is going directly into local businesses. That includes shops, eateries, accommodation, and tour operators – and this is spending which may not have come into New Zealand prior to the change. This is all part of our Government’s plan to fix the basics and build the future. 

“The South Island remains extremely popular, with 67 percent of Chinese and Pacific visitors arriving at an international airport in the South Island to start their travels.

“The travel changes we’ve made are reflective of this Government’s stance – we back Kiwi businesses and we back our regions. We are relentlessly focused on making smart, commonsense, and sometimes simple changes, which bring big value for New Zealanders.”

Notes to editor:

Since November, eligible Chinese and Pacific Island Forum passport holders travelling to New Zealand from Australia no longer need to obtain a Visitor Visa . Instead, they can apply for a New Zealand electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA) as part of a 12-month trial. 

Instead of spending $441 and waiting an average of 4 days, individuals from China travelling via Australia can pay as little as $117 and have their application for an NZeTA processed in 24 hours. Individuals from the Pacific can pay as low as $17 instead of spending $216 and waiting an average 6 days for a visitor visa.

MIL OSI

Animal control officers visited the property where Mihiata Te Rore was mauled to death four times, including the day before the attack.

Te Rore, 62, was visiting a person she knew at a property in the small Northland town of Kaihu when she was attacked and killed on Tuesday.

Police say the three dogs involved lived at the property.

Te Rore is the third person to be killed by dogs in Northland in the past four years, sparking calls for more to be done by local and central government to deal with the growing problem.

Police have been at the taped-off home where Te Rore died on Tuesday.

In a statement, Kaipara District Council said there had been four complaints about the dogs in November, December and this week, and had responded to each request on the same day.

“Staff visited the property on multiple occasions to attempt to speak to the owner, including reaching out to family and iwi liaison. When the dogs were seen they were on the property.

“In December staff managed to speak with the owner about compliance and keeping the dogs secure, including consequences if this did not occur. In February they visited the property twice, including the day before, but were unable to talk to the owner or uplift the dogs.”

The council said there had also been “multiple” proactive patrols in the area, looking for any loose dogs, including a door knock of every property along Kaihu Wood Road (no loose dogs were sighted during these patrols).

“Dog owners are responsible for their dogs – they have a legal responsibility to look after and control their animals but we also acknowledge that council’s animal control plays an important role in managing risks in the community. Our staff work with dog owners across the district every single day and are devastated that any such incident, in this case on private property, has occurred in Kaipara.

“We have a very small but extremely passionate team covering the whole of the district, and in their role they deal with a wide range of owners and dogs daily, often in complex and challenging situations.”

It said its animal management team was investigating the incident.

“The three dogs were secured after the event and have been impounded, and will be destroyed as soon as police have finished their investigation.”

‘All four have pack attacked my dog’

A local – who RNZ has agreed not to name – said authorities were warned in the past year about issues with the dogs.

He has had his own experience with the four dogs he says live at the property.

“They’ve actually come onto my property and attacked my dog,” he said.

“They pack attacked him, all four have pack attacked my dog, and that was just over six months ago.”

Like many in the community, he was frightened.

“It is quite stressful because you don’t even know if you’re going to get attacked and for me, I’ve got to go out my drive to get to my letterbox, and you don’t know whether the dogs are around the corner,” the man said.

“It’s really quite frightening.”

The man said Tuesday’s attack should never have happened.

“There were so many warnings before that happened and nothing had been done,” he said.

“I can’t believe that people are ringing dog control and yet nothing had been done.”

Statistics from the Kaipara District Council showed the number of dogs impounded by the council more than doubled over the four years from 2021 to 2025.

In the period from July 2022 to July 2025, there were 174 call-outs for dog attacks, but only one person was prosecuted in the same period.

RNZ asked the council to comment on these figures, but have not received a response.

The Kaipara District Council promoted cycle trails in the Kaihu area where Te Rore was killed.

Three years ago, Mike Wespel-Rose was biking on a track from Dargaville to Russell with his wife, when the pair were chased by dogs from a nearby property north of Whangārei.

“They were chasing us, and chasing us, it went on for quite a few minutes.”

“They jumped up on my wife’s bike […] we didn’t dare stop because God knows what we might’ve faced, so we just rode like crazy, very fearful about what might happen,” he said.

Wespel-Rose said the dog issue in the north is a symptom of wider problems with crime and poverty.

“It needs more resourcing doesn’t it, so that it can be dealt with more fully,” he said.

“It’s a tough one.”

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon described Te Rore’s death as unacceptable, and said the council needed to act.

“I would expect that within seven days that the Kiapara District Council is taking action and going after the dogs, and packs of dogs that are out there,” he said.

“Just imagine being a mum with a young baby, or young toddlers, and the anxiety that that causes.”

Push to reform laws ignored

However, Auckland Council’s Animal Management said its push for the government to reform dog control laws over the past year had fallen on deaf ears.

Elly Waitoa from the council’s animal management department said she was shocked that as recently as Tuesday morning, the government had told them they were not considering changes to the dog control act.

Meanwhile, police have said they want to hear from anyone in the Kaihu community who has had issues with dogs roaming in the area.

Detective Senior Sergeant Shane Pilmer said the dogs involved were now with Animal Management.

“This was a very upsetting and tragic event in which a woman has suffered unsurvivable injuries,” he said.

“I know the community will have a lot of questions; our investigation is still in the early stages and our focus is on establishing all the facts in this case.”

‘It’s almost become normalised’

Liz Woodward, a trustee of the Best Dog Trust – which provides free desexing for dogs in Kaipara, Whangarei and Wellsford – told Checkpoint the number of animals was overwhelming.

“We’ve had a dog applied for desexing just yesterday, she had 11 puppies. That’s really common, just the sheer number of dogs and lack of affordability of vet care, and also people being able to get to vets,” she said.

“For Kaihu residents it’s 90 kilometres to get a vet in Whangarei for desexing, so it’s no easy undertaking.”

She said the price was also prohibitive.

“It ranges from about $350 for a vet in Whangarei that’s low cost, the vets we deal with in Kaipara and Wellsford are more expensive,” she explained.

“We recently desexed a 56 kilo dangerous female, and she would have cost the owner over $1200.”

Woodward said aggressive behaviour from pet dogs had become normalised in Northland.

“Probably in most communities in Northland there’s an understanding within your community that there are certain dogs on certain streets or in certain areas that you just don’t get too close to,” she said.

“It’s really disheartening to hear of tourists on our cycle trails, trying to enjoy our beautiful countryside, being chased by dogs. It’s almost become normalised up here.”

“I can’t even begin to explain how big the dog issue is for Northland.”

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

MIL OSI

Plans are underway to deliver food and increasingly urgent medical supplies to more than 100 people trapped near Ngawi on Wairarapa’s southern coastline.

Two bridges are out of action on the only roads into several rural and coastal communities – completely cutting them off – following torrential that hit overnight on Sunday.

Trucks are currently dumping boulders and metal into a 3-4m hole that opened on Tuesday at the Turanganui River bridge on Lake Ferry Road.

RNZ understands the goal is to reopen the road by Wednesday evening, restoring access to communities in Lake Ferry and Whangaimoana.

But a second bridge on Cape Palliser Road at the Hurupi Stream has since triggered an urgent warning from authorities.

The bridge, known as the Banana Bridge, has been scoured out at the road edge and has been deemed structurally unsafe by the South Wairarapa District Council.

“The bridge must not be used under any circumstances until it has been inspected and formally cleared by a qualified engineer,” it said.

A civil engineer was due to assess the bridge on Wednesday morning and as yet there was no timeframe for a fix.

A council spokesperson said 119 people were trapped to the east of the bridge along the coastline to Ngawi.

Local Gavin Fenwick said the Hurupi bridge failure had caught people out, with holidaymakers and tourists among those who were stuck.

He said some people were getting quite desperate for food and medical supplies and he and his wife Donna had been helping organise a supply drop into the area, which was expected later on Wednesday.

Fenwick said with medications that needed to be taken, the need for a delivery was getting “quite urgent”.

In an update on Wednesday morning, Powerco said 315 properties across Wairarapa were still without power following the storm.

Fenwick said fortunately contractors got over the bridge before it failed, restoring power by Monday night and while locals were quite “upbeat,” it was a different story for the tourists.

“It’s the campers that are here that have … just done a day trip and now they’re stuck here. Pretty hard for them.

“There’s not a lot of them, luckily, most of them got out in time, but there are a couple hanging around still. One of them put in an order for a food drop this afternoon, because they had basically nothing by the sound of it.”

The Fenwicks were also behind the well-known ‘Ngawi Big 3’ fishing competition due to be held this weekend, but Gavin Fenwick said the uncertainty around the bridge meant it had to be postponed.

In a post on social media the Ngawi Sports Fishing Club said given the state of the road, the postponement shouldn’t come as a surprise.

“The new proposed dates are 13th, 14th & 15th March – subject to the road being safe and accessible.

“We know everyone is itching to get back out there, but right now safety comes first. With our coast currently isolated, we’re focused on supporting our local community first and appreciate your understanding.”

Fenwick said the competition had been running since about 1992 and a few years ago had more than 500 entries – injecting quite a bit of cash into the local economy, but he said the call had to be made.

“People plan this months in advance and they can’t just be hanging around [wondering] ‘do we leave or do we not?’ We’ve got people come over from Australia even, they’re here in Wellington waiting to come out here.”

He said he spent Tuesday putting away all the prizes.

“It’ll have to happen another day.”

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

The town of Akaroa on Canterbury’s Banks Peninsula will remain cut off overnight, with State Highway 75 closed because of slips and flooding that swamped Little River.

A local state of emergency was in place for the peninsula, where several hundred people remained without power and many more affected by telecommunications outages.

Little River Cafe and Store owner Cameron Gordon has lived in the settlement for 20 years but told RNZ he had never seen flooding so bad.

“This is the worst, significantly the worst by far”, he said.

“It’s the deepest water we’ve had and the most damage around town as well, no doubt.”

Gordon said the cafe had flooded five times, most recently last May when a foot of water washed through some businesses.

“We can’t do much yet, everything’s covered in water. We’re just sitting and waiting, feeling very frustrated and just over it. Well and truly over it. We’ve done this too many times,” he said.

“Our house also floods regularly with any heavy rain. We just seem to be in low land with pour drainage and seem to cop it. We’ll see what happens, see what the damage is and just go from there.”

A boil water notice was in place for Little River and Wainui, while about 250 households and businesses were expected to be without power overnight.

A damaged fibre line meant One New Zealand and Spark services were off-line but Two Degrees was working.

Civil defence chiefs said people should still call 111 in an emergency because it would go through the Two Degrees network.

Little River Campground owner Marcus Puentener said more than 300 millimetres of rain had fallen in the area, twice what forecasters had predicted.

“Two bridges are down, the driveway is pretty wrecked. A lot of water has come down off the road, out of the river and through the camp area,” he said.

“We’re trapped in Okuti Valley. There’s no power in Okuti Valley. There are slips on the roads blocking some residents in and at the bottom of the road there’s at least a foot, if not more, of water blocking any exit.”

Some tourists had international flights to catch but no way of making them, Puentener said.

Further down the road in Cooptown, Tim Wilson questioned whether there should have been more warning or greater urgency.

“This is right up there,” the long-time local said.

“Maybe it should have been a red weather watch instead of an orange but I don’t know if that makes any difference to the outcome. It’s going to be a big clean up.”

Christchurch mayor Phil Mauger said the the council was talking to the government about getting a Defence Force Unimog into the area.

“Cars can just not get through,” he told RNZ on Tuesday.

“It’s just a matter of just being able to get there with emergency services and get people out safely as well, so that’s the main concern.

“As well as getting power and comms on. People are feeling really isolated so we’ve got to sort that out as quick as we can.”

Heavy rain also caused widespread flooding in Christchurch, where the Heathcote River broke its banks.

People who lived near the river in suburbs like Opawa and Beckenham said they were used to the river flooding but the water was lapping ever-closer to their homes.

Stacey Hurst was not one of the lucky ones.

For the second time since she moved to Eastern Terrace two years ago she was mopping up in her garage after floodwater rushed in on Monday night.

“Once we realised it wasn’t going to slow down we moved everything upstairs to minimise the damage,” she said.

“We had an almost identical experience last year with about a foot of water coming into the shed.”

The wake from cars driving down the road made the problem worse, Hurst said.

“It just sends a big wave in here,” she said.

Hurst’s neighbours had avoided water getting into their homes but were shocked by the speed at which the river broke its banks, especially because last year’s floods followed days of heavy rain and coincided with king tides.

Georgia Sytema said the water rose quickly.

“This morning our whole yard was flooded, which doesn’t usually happen, it was up into the driveway. It’s a lot higher than usual,” she said.

Emeline Sales was also nervous as the water rose on Tuesday morning.

“We woke up to a big moat,” she said.

“This is the worst it’s been. It came all the way up to my husband’s car, it was quite deep this time around. It was cutting it close this time.

“It was the drains that started flooding first before the river actually broke. We haven’t had issues with the drains before but that’s what caused all the quite intense surface flooding and then the banks broke.”

Sam Guerin moved to nearby Hunter Terrace about three months ago.

He knew his home was in a flood management area and it was part of the reason he and his partner planned to knock down the house and rebuild further up the site.

Guerin said the scale of flooding was worse than anything he had prepared for.

“We were told that in one of the worst floods in the last 10 to 15 years, the water lapped at the driveway but it’s quite a lot worse than that and it happened so quickly,” he said.

“We were told the last time it flooded was before the council had done a lot of resilience measures, so it was surprising for the water to get as high as it did.”

The family had returned from a night out to find the river had burst its banks, the road was flooded and water was rising about 100 millimetres every hour.

“It was a bit of a sleepless night because we were coming out to check it wasn’t getting too close to the floor level and throughout the evening it was up on our verandah deck,” Guerin said.

“It was getting quite high, so that was a little concerning. It was under the house.”

Woolston was also affected, with Clarendon Terrace residents nervously watching the water as it washed over the riverbanks, onto the road and towards their properties.

Emily Jensen said she moved her cars on Monday night because the road had already flooded.

“I haven’t seen it that high up. I’m really surprised by how much flooding there is just after a day’s rain,” she said.

“It feels a little scary because if you were to think multiple days of rain and king tides on top of that, I don’t know what we’d be looking at.

“I would love to know the council are thinking about what to do in these areas because with climate change and everything’s that happening, it doesn’t feel so good to be down here. Five or six years ago we had a really big flooding event but the water didn’t come up the driveway at all, but now it’s coming up so it’s getting worse.

“It just creates anxiety about what you’re going to wake up to.”

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

A local said there had been multiple complaints about dogs roaming in the area and chasing people before the death of a woman in Kaihu, Northland.

Emergency services were called to the property on State Highway 12 at 11.25am on Tuesday.

Upon arrival, police found a woman dead.

Kaipara District Council’s animal management team confirmed it had responded to an incident involving dogs and a person at a property earlier on Tuesday, and was now investigating.

Do you know more? Email iwitness@rnz.co.nz

The dogs had been secured.

“At this stage we’re unable to provide any further details or comment while a response and investigation is underway.”

Police were carrying out a scene examination and said there was no risk to the public in relation to the incident.

A local told RNZ there were complaints about dogs in the area made by multiple people but nothing had been done about it.

They said the dogs had been at the property for about a year.

In that time, they said they’d complained to Kaipara District Council at least four times about the dogs.

“There’s been so many complaints about them in the last year – the council know and haven’t done anything.

“They run out onto the road all the time. I was really scared about that and somebody getting hurt.”

They believed what had happened could have been avoided.

The local also said the dogs from that property ran after cars, motorbikes and push bikes when they came down the road.

The area was part of the Kaihu Valley cycle trail, and the local said tourists were often the ones on bikes on the road.

They said just a few months ago they’d heard of a couple who’d had to turn around on the road because of the dogs.

“I just don’t know how they can promote it [cycle trail] knowing there’s a dog problem down here.”

Checkpoint asked Kaipara District Council for a response to the local’s comments.

A spokesperson said the council “can’t provide any further information or comment on this incident while an investigation is underway.”

“Our staff are actively working with police now to understand the sequence of events and what occurred on the property today,” the spokesperson said.

St John confirmed an ambulance and helicopter were called to the scene at 11.22am, but referred further queries to police.

The incident comes amid growing calls for an overhaul of dog control laws.

Meanwhile, a Northlander whose relative was killed by dogs said today’s incident showed people needed to take dog ownership more seriously.

Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Community Board member Roddy Hapati Pihema’s aunt was killed by dogs in 2023.

“This is just unbelievable. There’s been a lot of lives taken by dogs, it’s concerning that this issue hasn’t been prioritised as much as it should be. We still have dogs running around on the streets, we still have dogs running through recreation reserves,” he said.

“This continues to be a really concerning space considering we’re not actually learning from the people being mauled, the people who have been unfortunate to lose their lives. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done,” Pihema said.

“The majority of people do [understand the risk of dogs] but there’s quite a large number out there that like to have the puppy but don’t want the responsibility of the dog.”

He said the council was doing what it could to tackle the issue, but there was little they could do if owners didn’t take responsibility.

A Whangārei woman who is trying to change animal ownership laws said she was heartbroken to learn of another fatal dog attack in her region.

Tracy Clarke said she was devastated to learn of the attack.

“My heart absolutely sunk and tears welled up because this has been going on now for far too long, too many people are losing their lives as a result of dog attacks.”

She had a petition before Select Committee to strengthen dog ownership laws.

“The current legislation is out of date and needs to be brought up to today’s dog population and the difference in ownership,” she said.

The petition seeks substantial changes to the dog ownership legislation and council bylaws, in order to end the problem of roaming dogs in New Zealand.

“We’re at crisis point as a nation and it needs to be sorted urgently.”

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

Residents in South Wairarapa are turning to one another in the face of “unprecedented” flooding that triggered several evacuations overnight.

The stormy weather lashing the region has caused rivers to burst their banks, inundating roads and cutting off communities.

Thousands of homes were without power across Wairarapa on Monday morning, roads have been closed and schools and trains cancelled.

Flooding has isolated settlements from Pirinoa to Lake Ferry and the south coast at Cape Palliser – which is being battered by southerly gales and huge waves.

The wild weather meant South Wairarapa farmer Scotty Macdonald didn’t get much sleep, after helping to evacuate three homes in the early hours of Monday morning.

Macdonald said the call-outs weren’t official.

“We couldn’t get to Lake Ferry to get the fire trucks so we were just in our personal wagons.

He said a couple of the homes were already on their way out the door, but the first call at 4am on Monday necessitated a wake-up.

A farmer shifting animals had got in touch with him directly after becoming concerned about flooding at his neighbour’s place.

“It’s previously flooded so we knew there was a risk there.

“Within another hour the house was probably close to a metre underwater, but at the time it was only lapping around the edges.”

The resident was woken up “very politely, of course” and told it was time to go.

“It’s time to boogie buddy.”

Macdonald said the extent of the flooding has split already cut off settlements into little islands on high ground.

“All along the road – where the rivers meet the road – the roads have been flooded, so we’ve kind of got little sections of population all the way along that are semi-isolated.

“I’ve been here all my life and we’ve had events like this before, but as far as the water levels go, this would be the highest. There are unprecedented areas that haven’t seen this kind of flooding before,” he said.

Macdonald said reception was patchy, but support agencies had been making phone calls and neighbours were checking in on one another where they could.

He said the only thing to do now was to hunker down and wait for the water to drop.

“It’s just too dangerous to go anywhere at the moment.”

Another resident in the areas told RNZ it had been a “long and loud night” and they were flooded in.

“[We’re] in the process of getting fallen trees of the driveways and the road in case the rivers decide to overflow.

“High tide’s not until 5, so we’ll be watching how the day goes!”

They said friends in Whangaimoana beach have had “their whole house go under”.

Fire and Emergency’s Ian Wright said earlier on Monday that residents in Ngawi had been evacuated to Pirinoa Hall due to rising floodwaters, as well as some tourists at The Pinnacles Campgrounds.

On Monday morning former South Wairarapa District Councillor Brian Jephson told Local Democracy Reporting (LDR)’s Sue Teodoro that Cape Palliser Road on the Wellington side of Ngawi was damaged where a stream had blown out a culvert.

“It’s impassable,” he said.

“There’s not much point going down there until the water stops going through it.”

Jephson said while he had about 62mm of rain, his daughter further north had more than 200mm.

“This is nothing new for us down this way,” he said.

Powerco reported at 8.45am on Monday that storms across the lower North Island left 23,455 customers without power.

The hardest-hit areas were the Wairarapa with 8166 outages, Whanganui with 7846, and Manawatū with 6961.

“Wild weather is expected to continue in parts of the network today which may hamper reconnection work and cause more outages,” a spokesperson told LDR.

-Additional reporting by LDR

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

Showcasing Spectacular Entertainment and Chinese Cultural Performances, Featuring Renowned Chinese Artist “Zhu Zhengting” to Bless the People of Thailand in the Heart of the City

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

Christopher Luxon has continually ruled out a bed tax, despite frequent calls from Auckland mayor Wayne Brown to implement one.

Brown’s argument has been that a bed night levy on visitors, separate to the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism levy, would help fund destination marketing and events.

Luxon was speaking to Morning Report after the announcement a State of Origin match will be played at Eden Park in 2027, co-funded by Auckland Council Events and the government’s Major Events Fund.

He said a bed tax was something the government would take a look at in a second term.

“We’re not considering it for this term, but we’re open to looking at it, again, next term. So we’ll do that process,” Luxon said.

Luxon said the country needed to “step up our competitiveness” on major events, and the government was putting in an amount of money comparable to Australian states.

“As you can see, we’re winning major events, and we’ve got quite a few coming right across the whole of New Zealand.”

Luxon said every dollar spent led to around $3.20 back into the local economy.

Brown was still making calls for a bed tax as recently as last week.

“The government can’t bring itself to do that yet, so that they’re raiding tourists at the border. And then central government will tell us how we spend on things, which is something we don’t like,” Brown told Morning Report.

“All these big events want some money up front. And if we have the bed night levy we will have the money up front.”

Brown has previously said a 2.5 percent bed tax would raise $27 million, and allow Auckland to compete with cities like Sydney, which has a bed night levy.

Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ), Tourism Holdings chief executive Grant Webster, [https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/574936/hotel-bed-tax-in-auckland-could-boost-tourism-fund-major-events Heart of the City chief executive Viv Beck, and former Air New Zealand chief executive [https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/571315/air-new-zealand-s-profit-falls-amid-rising-costs-and-engine-maintenance

Greg Foran], have also expressed support for a bed tax.

In August 2024, a Curia poll commissioned by LGNZ found strong support for a bed tax.

One thousand people were asked “How should the local infrastructure and services that tourists use should be paid for?”

Only 8 percent said rates should pay for the lot, with 34 percent saying tourist fees and charges should be used instead, and 45 percent wanting a combination of the two. Another 13 percent were unsure.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

The Government is building Eden Park’s future as a major events venue, making significant changes to local planning rules that have been holding Eden Park back from its full potential, RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop says.

“Late last year the Government launched an investigation into whether outdated planning rules were unnecessarily limiting Eden Park’s ability to host major events and deliver jobs and economic growth for Auckland and the rest of the country,” Mr Bishop says.

“That investigation, which included public consultation in November, found the rules were overly restrictive, out of step with modern stadium use, and were directly constraining economic activity. We have now accepted all of the recommendations in full, with some technical amendments to reflect feedback from Auckland Council.

“The changes will allow Eden Park, New Zealand’s largest stadium with a capacity of around 50,000, to host more major events that bring significant benefits to the local and national economy.

“Under the new settings, Eden Park will be able to host up to 12 large concerts and 20 medium-sized concerts per year as permitted activities, without needing resource consent. That’s up from its current limit of 12 concerts, which were not permitted to be from more than six different artists or acts.

“The changes also enable a wider range of events, including exhibitions, displays, markets, fairs, trade fairs, and cultural and community events.”

Chris Bishop says the changes are expected to be in place in April 2026.

“Concerts will be able to take place on any day, must finish by 11pm, and can run for up to eight hours. This is a significant increase on the current maximum of five hours on a weekday and six hours on a Saturday.

“Night-time sports games will be permitted on any day, including Sundays, provided noise standards are met. Existing caps on the number of night games per year and per 35-day period, as well as the restriction on day-night cricket matches, will be removed.”

Minister for Tourism and Hospitality Louise Upston says it’s a huge step forward for major events.

“We know big events deliver. For example, over three years, 14 Auckland shows (including Coldplay and Pearl Jam) generated $33.7m for the local economy with 490,000 attendees,” Ms Upston says.

“These changes sit alongside the Government’s $70 million events and tourism investment package announced in September, which is about helping New Zealand compete internationally, attract world-class events, and give both visitors and locals more reasons to get out and enjoy them.”

Auckland Minister Simeon Brown says Eden Park is our national stadium and a critical piece of infrastructure for Auckland and New Zealand, and these changes secures its future as a premier events venue.

“This is a significant win for Auckland and for New Zealand. Strengthening Eden Park’s ability to host major events supports our broader work to grow the economy and ensure Auckland remains a world-class destination.

“It means more jobs, more activity for local businesses, and more opportunities for people – whether they live here or are visiting – to enjoy more events at our largest stadium,” Mr Brown says.

“These common-sense changes will enable Eden Park to operate like a modern, world-class stadium and deliver more jobs and economic benefits for Auckland and the rest of New Zealand,” Mr Bishop says. 

Note to editors: 

Please see attached fact sheet which compares the key changes to Eden Park’s existing restrictions with the status quo.

Regulation-making power background:

The investigation was conducted under the new regulation-making power in the Resource Management Act, recently passed into law through the Resource Management (Consenting and Other System Changes) Amendment Act 2025. 

The regulation-making power enables the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform to remove or modify provisions in RMA plans where they negatively impact economic growth, development capacity or employment.

The Minister must investigate the impacts of the provisions and whether specified statutory criteria are met and produce an investigation report which must be made publicly available.

The Minister must then report to Cabinet with the findings, for a final decision on any changes to the RMA plan. 

The changes will be delivered via regulations, which will require Auckland Council to amend its plan without using the regular plan-making process.

MIL OSI

In an historic moment, New Zealand will host its first-ever State of Origin match next year at Eden Park, a major event expected to draw thousands of international visitors and deliver a significant economic boost for Auckland.

The New Zealand Government and Auckland Council have worked in tandem, alongside the Australian Rugby League Commission, to bring the sporting spectacular to Auckland. 

Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston says securing one of Australasia’s biggest sporting events represents a major win for fans, tourism and New Zealand sport.

“I couldn’t be more excited to welcome the Blues and Maroons across the ditch for the very first time,” Louise Upston says.

“This is a milestone moment for rugby league in New Zealand, but it is so much more than a game. 

“Hosting State of Origin is expected to attract over 10,000 of our Aussie neighbours, generate more than 50,000 international visitor nights, and inject an estimated $17.4 million into the economy. 

“With a significant Australian audience, our biggest tourism market, this match will showcase Auckland on an international stage, and put New Zealand on the map as a world-class destination for major events.”

The State of Origin series is one of the fiercest rivalries in global sport, pitting Queensland and New South Wales against each other in a high‑intensity three‑match contest. Next year, for the first time ever, one of the series matches will be played on New Zealand soil.

Hosting events has been made even easier because of changes to planning restrictions at Eden Park announced by the Government today, which will unlock the opportunity for more major events to be hosted at the stadium.

The 2027 fixture is proudly supported by the Government’s Major Events Fund and Auckland Council Events.

Dates and ticket details for the State of Origin fixture will be confirmed by the NRL later in the year.

Attached:

NRL State of Origin fact sheet

MIL OSI

• Waimarino business owners work through tough summer after November fire
• Many hope for decent winter snow dump to boost coffers
• DOC says burned area rejuvenating.

In early November, a wall of smoke loomed large over the tourism-dependent, central North Island town of Waimarino.

After a couple of days wet weather and the round-the-clock efforts of firefighters put out the blaze, which had burned through almost 3000 hectares of the Tongariro National Park.

But Waimarino continues to feels its effects. The fire closed the popular Tongariro Crossing walking track for more than a week – meaning the peak season started slowly.

And there were further blows when a smaller fire ignited in December, while wet weather has hit the region too.

All this has left business owners in the town hoping for a good dumping of winter snow on Mt Ruapehu to get the area and its tills humming again.

Worst summer in a decade: motel owner

Adventure Lodge and Motels was fully booked when RNZ visited this week, but owner Gillian Visser said until now the usual summer peak season had not taken off.

“I’ve been here 10 years and, I have to say, this is probably the worst summer we’ve had, income wise.

“This makes us a little bit worried for winter because normally we can be like little squirrels and squirrel away the money.”

Without that to see them through winter, Visser was among those hoping for lots of snow.

“We made no money in three quarters of November because people stayed away because of the fire. Then, everything was delayed.

“There was a trickle-over effect of people putting off their trip and now we’re really busy. February is fabulous.”

On State Highway 4, Chrissi Phillips-Ryburn’s food truck Tātahi – The Beach faced the wall of smoke shrouding the central plateau when the 8 November fire spread.

“It was quite catastrophic for the area to watch, as all events like that are,” she said.

“They take a personal toll on people.”

She said people were asking what was going to happen and how would it affect them.

And it has had an effect – this week Phillips-Ryburn had to let go an employee.

“The following weeks beyond that fire were quite catastrophic. Customers didn’t come. There was no tourism.

“It’s been really difficult for all the businesses locally because the numbers just haven’t been there.”

Poor summer weather a battle

Sam Wilson opened The Station cafe at Waimarino’s railway station last year and so far has traded through a tough winter and then the fire.

“The effect was short term and we got back up to pace pretty quickly,” he said.

“Where we’ve seen a potential slowdown in trade is where they’ve put restrictions on the start of the crossing, whereby no private vehicles are allowed up there and it’s only accessed via commercial operators.”

The cost of about $70 for that could put off some travellers, he said.

RNZ visited the cafe during a busy weekday early afternoon with the sun shining.

But, for Wilson, the weather’s the biggest battle.

“This summer’s been horrendous, so that’s had a big effect.

“When the crossing is not doable due to wind and low visibility, that’s had a big effect on trade.

“Talking to other operators in the area, they say it’s down considerably and you wouldn’t put that down to the fires. I’d put that down to the atrocious weather.”

Enjoying the sun outside while his friends waited for a train was Adrian Boden, who spends summer in Waimarino – formerly known as National Park.

While he said the town had returned to normal, the nearby landscape was still scarred.

“When you drive along the main road of that area you do see it from a distance and it’s so different,” he said.

“You actually can see, wow, that was some fire. I think it was 3000ha and you can see the destruction that it wreaked.”

English tourist Izzie Robertson also saw some fire damage when doing the Tongariro Crossing.

She said she and her friends did not consider cancelling after they had checked the walk was still possible.

“When we were driving up towards the site of the trail there was a lot of burnt vegetation and stuff like that.

“But, after we started doing the trail we didn’t notice much damage.”

Short-term effect

Tongariro Crossing Lodge owner Louis van Wyk said the fire’s effects didn’t last, but the region was owed a decent winter.

“We had quite a few cancellations because people couldn’t do the crossing for at least a week and there was uncertainty about how long that would last.

“We did definitely have an impact for those first few days and couple of weeks. Since then it’s almost like it didn’t happen.”

Van Wyk is a volunteer firefighter. He helped with efforts battling the November blaze and was one of the first on the scene for the smaller December fire.

“Just seeing it go was very sobering and sad. I was thinking, ‘is this going to be the same again?’ – but fortunately that one went on to be a bit smaller.”

Ruapehu mayor Weston Kirton said the region was busy now, as plenty of groups of visiting walkers and cyclists took advantage of the more settled weather.

He expected electronic figures reported by council-controlled organisation Visit Ruapehu would show the effects of the fire.

Department of Conservation technical adviser, flora and ecosystems Paul Cashmore said the fire destroyed vegetation, and killed native birds, lizards and insects.

No critically endangered species were known to live in the burned area.

“Anyone who has visited the area recently can attest to the regrowth of plants and presence of birds in the burned zone,” he said.

“This regeneration began within the first couple of weeks post fire and shows the resilience of this landscape. While the system will naturally recover, pressures like invasive weeds threaten this process.

“Maunga Ora, the recovery plan led by Ngāti Hikairo ki Tongariro with DOC, will largely be focused on weed control.”

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

The Government welcomes new data showing New Zealand’s international visitor arrivals continued to rise in December, with strong growth from China and Australia in particular.  

Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston says Stats NZ’s arrival statistics for December 2025 show New Zealand’s tourism recovery continues to build.   

The December 2025 year was the first annual period to exceed 3.5 million overseas visitor arrivals since the March 2020 year. 

“International tourism is a cornerstone of New Zealand’s economic growth, supporting businesses and jobs in communities right across the country. It’s great to see our Government’s work to boost tourism is paying off,” Louise Upston says. 

“We’re seeing strong growth in visitors from China, with arrivals up by 29 percent (6,400) in December 2025 compared with December 2024, as more Chinese visitors experience New Zealand’s unique scenery and hospitality.” 

Annual figures show overseas visitor arrivals reached 3.51 million in the year to December 2025, an increase of 196,000 on the previous year. This continues to track towards the Government’s goal of returning tourism to pre-COVID levels, now sitting at 90 percent of December 2019 figures.   

“It’s also great to see continued growth from our largest visitor market, Australia, with 1.52 million arrivals in the year to December, up 9.9 percent (137,000 since the previous year). 

Monthly data shows 32,800 more international visitors arrived in December 2025 compared with December 2024. 

The Government is supporting tourism growth through a range of initiatives, including strengthening partnerships with key markets, providing funding for the promotion of New Zealand as a year-round destination and streamlining travel processes. 

Changes that allow eligible visitors from China and the Pacific to travel to New Zealand from Australia with a New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA), rather than a visa, are also making a difference. 

A new survey following these changes shows being able to travel with an NZeTA was a deciding factor in people’s decisions to visit New Zealand. An overwhelming 85% of respondents, —including 85% of Chinese travellers and 82% of visitors from Pacific Island Forum countries — said they travelled to New Zealand specifically because the NZeTA option became available. The simplicity and speed of the process meant they could plan trips more spontaneously and confidently. 

“We’re committed to fixing the basics and building the future through backing our tourism and hospitality sector. This data shows our plan is working as we position New Zealand as a top choice for people planning their next holiday.” 

MIL OSI

Hamilton is set to come alive this weekend as rugby league fans descend on the city for the 2026 NRL All Stars event, backed by the Government. 

“The NRL All Stars event is a unique, trans-Tasman celebration of sport, community and culture, bringing together Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Māori players to represent their countries,” Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston says.

“With a large influx of passionate fans and international broadcast reach, the event will give an economic boost to Hamilton and the wider Waikato region.

“It’s a fantastic event not only delivering an economic boost to the region but helping grow grassroots rugby league from the ground up – one tackle at a time.

Last hosted in New Zealand in 2023 in Rotorua, the All Stars event includes a men’s and women’s game, a welcome ceremony, player appearances and community events.

“It will attract league fans from across New Zealand and Australia to the Waikato, giving a boost to our local tourism and hospitality businesses,” Louise Upston says.

“Events like these generate a buzz in our regions, keeping our communities and local businesses humming. The Government is committed to supporting more events like these, establishing New Zealand as a go-to destination for major events.”

The NRL All Stars fixture is scheduled for Sunday 15 February 2026 at FMG Stadium, Hamilton.

MIL OSI

WENCHANG, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 12 February 2026 – China recently launched a Long March-12 carrier rocket from Wenchang, successfully sending the 19th group of low-orbit internet satellites into preset orbit. This mission marked the 12th launch since the country’s first commercial spacecraft launch site entered service, signaling that the facility has entered a phase of high-density, routine operations.

Wenchang benefits from distinct natural and geological advantages. As China’s southernmost launch site, its proximity to the equator improves payload efficiency. The expansive surrounding sea areas ensure safety for launch drop zones, while accessible maritime transport solves the logistical challenge of shipping large rocket.

The steady launch capacity, together with Hainan Free Trade Port policies such as zero tariffs, low tax rates, and a simplified tax system, is attracting aerospace companies from around the world. To date, more than 700 space-related enterprises have settled in the Wenchang International Aerospace City (WIAC), covering the entire industrial chain from rocket manufacturing and satellite design to data applications.

In 2025, the WIAC recorded annual revenue exceeding 20 billion yuan (approximately 2.9 billion U. S. dollars). With core infrastructure facilities gradually put to operations, a complete industrial chain—from manufacturing and assembling to launch operations—is rapidly taking shape.

“What attracted us here is not only the launch capability, but the entire industrial ecosystem,” said a senior executive of a satellite-related company based in the WIAC. “Finding partners and testing solutions here is extremely efficient.”

Space launches are also reshaping the local tourism landscape. According to official statistics, Wenchang recorded more than one million tourist trips in 2025. Many of the tourists were “rocket-chasers.” Launch viewing areas and the local aerospace science and education center have become popular destinations, boosting business for nearby homestays, restaurants, and related services.

“We used to live by the weather, now we live by the rockets,” a local homestay operator remarked, which highlighted the area’s transition from a traditional fishing community to a modern aerospace hub.

It was revealed that multiple launch pads are under construction at the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site. As infrastructure continues to improve, a “Space Town” featuring the aerospace industry and themed tourism is taking shape along China’s southern coast.

Hashtag: #Wenchang

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

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

HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM – Media OutReach Newswire – 12 February 2026 – The 21st century is no longer measuring cities by height or GDP growth, but by their capacity to anticipate, absorb, and regenerate. “Resilience” has shifted from a policy buzzword into a survival metric. Governance is no longer a background function, it is the nervous system of urban life.

Vinhomes Green Paradise in Can Gio exemplifies this strategic shift. At its core, the project places the governance (G) factor at the center of the ESG++ model, aiming to build a city capable of regeneration and proactive long-term adaptation. The project is positioning itself not as a late entrant but as a re-architect of coastal urban logic.

When Governance Defines Quality of Life

For decades, Asian urban development prioritized growth speed and capital attraction. However, climate-related pressures, urban flooding, rising operational costs have exposed the limits of those indicators. International research, including “Happiness in urban environments,” now links quality of life not only to amenities but also to safety and environmental resilience. Even technical standards such as ISO 37120 increasingly emphasize public service delivery and transparency over purely economic metrics.

This rebalancing is most visible in coastal cities, where high economic potential coexists with direct exposure to sea-level rise. Jakarta’s subsidence crisis and the challenges faced by Bangkok and Manila illustrate the long-term costs of prioritizing speed over adaptive capacity. In this context, urban governance must extend beyond routine administration to function as an integrated system of risk management, forecasting, and proactive response.

Can Gio as a Strategic Test of Adaptive Capacity

As Ho Chi Minh City expands southward, Can Gio presents a concentrated version of the challenges facing Southeast Asian coastal urbanism. The peninsula contains a dual ecological structure: a large marine interface and a UNESCO-recognized mangrove biosphere reserve. This configuration imposes high sensitivity on any development decision. The economic use of marine resources must align with conservation requirements and regional ecological safety.

From an international perspective, Can Gio serves not only as a green buffer but also as a governance test case, where development can proceed without repeating the costly lessons observed elsewhere.

Vinhomes Green Paradise responds to this challenge by expanding the conventional ESG framework into an ESG++ model structured around two additional pillars: regeneration and resilience.

Marc Townsend, Senior Advisor at Arcadia Consulting Vietnam, observed that prioritizing environmental protection over short-term profit targets represents a strategic choice that positions the project as a distinctive model worthy of regional discussion. The defining feature is the placement of governance (G) as the central layer, enabling consistent execution of environmental (E) and social (S) objectives through international benchmarks such as BREEAM and ISO 37122.

Data Infrastructure and the Urban Operating System

At the core of the governance model is the ESG Hub, an AI-integrated platform designed for continuous monitoring of environmental indicators, energy consumption, and emissions. The system generates automatic alerts when risk thresholds are breached and transmits data directly to public display screens and residents’ mobile devices.

In the long term, the ESG Hub also plays the role of a data platform for synthesizing ESG reports, managing emission reductions and tracking the carbon footprint throughout the super project’s lifecycle, a key factor for sustainable commitments to be verified by actual operational data.

Alongside data-driven governance, the ESG++ urban area incorporates infrastructure solutions tailored to coastal conditions. These include sea reclamation techniques, active flood warning and drainage regulation systems, and materials resistant to saltwater corrosion. Such features reflect a risk-prevention approach embedded from the design stage.

This smart city model, with the application of IoT, artificial intelligence and big data application, is integrated into core operational layers such as security, traffic, fire prevention and energy management. The residential experience is supported by an automated ecosystem comprising self-driving vehicles, delivery robots, and service robots. Within individual apartments, a centralized smart management interface allows residents to control lighting, temperature, and security systems.

The operating model does not rely solely on technology. A professionally trained management team and 24/7 resident services form a “soft governance layer” that reinforces system stability and consistency.

Broader Implications

From an investment perspective, urban governance capacity is consistently linked to the ability to accumulate long-term asset value. Once infrastructure linkages between Can Gio, central Ho Chi Minh City, and the international seaport system are completed, the area will transform from an ecological space to a marine tourism and logistics hub.

Practice from cities developed according to ESG standards like Hammarby Sjöstad or Sentosa shows that real estate value is always more stable and durable against fluctuation cycles.

At a broader level, Vinhomes Green Paradise Can Gio illustrates a shift in Vietnam’s approach to coastal urban development. The integration of governance with data systems and technology sends a signal to international observers: the future value of a city will be determined not by its physical mass but by its governance capacity and adaptive flexibility against market fluctuations.

Hashtag: #Vinhomes

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

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

Uniting Networks from Over 17 Countries to Drive Cross-Border Collaboration and Sustainable Regional Growth

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

The owner of a Mount Maunganui pizzeria which has only just reopened after the deadly Mauao landslide says revenue is half what it would usually be in summer.

Michele Delaini is the owner of Rustica Italian Food pizzeria on Adams Avenue opposite Mauao which has only just re-opened this week.

He said it was like winter trading conditions at the height of summer.

“We’re lacking like all the people from the campground, the hot pools and definitely like all the people that every day come to the Mount.”

The Mount track was still closed and the streets in the area were very quiet compared to what it was usually like in the summer, he said.

Usually during summer the Mount’s population at least doubles but now the area was lacking visitors and tourists, he said.

It was more like a winter season and the cruise ships were choosing to go elsewhere because people could not explore the Mount, he said.

Neighbouring businesses were seeing the same downward trend and being forced to reduce their opening hours, he said.

“It’s just not enough business to be opened all day long, or like what we usually do.”

Delaini said he was having ongoing conversations with Tauranga City Council which was trying to support businesses in the area.

But he said he was not sure if the council alone would be able to bear the cost of helping all the businesses in the affected area.

Central government needed to provide some financial support for businesses, he said.

“For us businesses it’s very hard because summer time is where we collect all the money also for the winter, to carry us through the winter.”

With businesses being hit so hard at the height of the summer, “the government will have to understand that council alone cannot do it,” he said.

Businesses were not able to turn to their insurers to fix the situation, he said.

If the business was not directly affected by the disaster but was “closed because of a consequence” only 10 percent of their losses would be covered, he said.

It was very worrying that there was no clear indication of when or if Mount Maunganui or the hot pools would reopen, he said.

Locals were sensitive about the situation and wanted to mourn what had happened, he said.

“There is the dichotomy, so you know like there is the grief and there is the wanting to go back to normal life and it can be challenging.”

But locals are trying to support local businesses and want to see the community return to how it was, he said.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

The luxury integrated resort extends its record-setting run, raising the bar for the fourth consecutive year with three new five-star awards; distinguishing its singular vision for world-class hospitality with the most Forbes Travel Guide five-star hotels under one roof

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

Date:  26 January 2026 Source:  Office of the Minister of Conservation

The Te Pū Hono programme is a 30-month paid cadetship designed to support people at the start of long-term conservation careers. The first intake of 10 kaihonoa taiao cadets has begun the programme following a pōwhiri at Ōmaka Marae, hosted by Te Rūnanga a Rangitāne o Wairau on behalf of the Te Tauihu iwi.

“Our conservation system relies on skilled people working on the ground,” Mr Potaka says.

“That’s why the Government is focused on fixing the basics by investing in workforce pathways that ensure DOC has the capability it needs now and into the future.”

Cadets come from a range of backgrounds and will be working for nature from day one. The programme includes hands-on experience in trapping, weed control, ecological monitoring, track and hut maintenance, historic site restoration, and backcountry skills.

Cadets will also gain experience in more specialised areas aligned to their interests, such as chainsaw operations or biodiversity monitoring.

“Our native species, tracks and huts are central to who we are as New Zealanders and are a key part of our tourism and economic offering,” Mr Potaka says.

“Investing in DOC’s workforce is essential to protecting these assets and maintaining New Zealand’s world-class conservation experience.”

The cadets were selected from a highly competitive pool of applicants, reflecting strong interest in conservation careers and working in New Zealand’s backcountry. Once the programme is established, DOC intends to recruit up to 10 new kaihonoa taiao cadets each year.

“This programme is about building the future by creating a strong pipeline of skilled conservation workers who can care for our natural environment for generations to come,” Mr Potaka says.

Contact

MIL OSI