BJAK 8.8 Mega Giveaway Awards RM500,000 In Prizes, Including A BYD Seal Electric Car

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August 15, 2025

Source: New Zealand Nurses Organisation

Exhausted Te Whatu Ora nurses will begin several local strikes on Monday in response to their concerns about staff shortages continuing to go unaddressed, NZNO says.

The actions by Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) members follow a 24-hour nationwide strike by more than 36,000 Te Whatu nurses, midwives, health care assistants and kaimahi hauora on 30 July.

NZNO delegate and District Nurse Lesley Pook says North Shore District Nursing Service nurses will begin a week-long “uniform strike” on Monday 18 August.

“Instead of uniforms, we will wear T-shirts saying ‘Not Enough Nurses’. These are designed to prompt patients and members of the public to ask us about the conditions we work in.

“The North Shore District Nursing Service is short of six staff. That leaves 26 nurses to provide crucial community-based nursing such as complex wound care, intravenous medication management, cancer treatment support and palliative care.

“Being short-staffed means we have to ration care. We can’t see everyone when we need to and have to rush the appointments of those we can get to.”

Lesley Pook says without district nursing services, many more patients would need hospital-based care, putting further pressure on already stretched wards and emergency departments.

Meanwhile, nurses from two other regions go on strike next week to stop redeployment to other areas of their respective hospitals in order to fill staffing gaps caused by chronic shortages.

Cardiothoracic and Vascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU) nurses at Auckland City Hospital and their colleagues from Ward 4 (Acute Surgical Services) at Whangarei Hospital undertake a “redeployment strike” 7am on Monday 18 August to 7am Saturday 23 August. This will enable these nurses to stay in their wards with their patients with CVICU patients in particular being very vulnerable.

NZNO Ward 4 delegate Chantelle Thompson says the strike involves NZNO members remaining at their places of work, leaving only for genuine Life Preserving Services, and focusing on the critically ill patients for whom they are trained to care.

“Nurses are currently sent to other areas that are short-staffed when required, but this often results in their own areas becoming understaffed. They are also sometimes seeing patients outside their areas with no orientation and are often unfamiliar with these patients.

“As the health system stands, it does nothing to enforce safe staff-to-patient ratios. This strike is about safe staffing and putting patient safety first,” Chantelle Thompson says.

Legal Issues – IHC welcomes Supreme Court decision confirming unfair detention for intellectually disabled man

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August 15, 2025

Source: IHC

IHC welcomes today’s Supreme Court decision that has confirmed the human rights of a man (‘J’) locked away for half of his life have been breached.

J has an intellectual disability and autism, has been detained under the Intellectual Disability (Compulsory Care and Rehabilitation) Act since 2006.

The Court of Appeal acknowledged J’s original offending in 2004 as minor, but ruled his ongoing secure detention was justified because multiple experts said he posed a high risk to the public if released.

The original charge carried a maximum penalty of three months in prison or a $2000 fine, but due to his intellectual disabilities and autism, he was found unfit to stand trial.

IHC joined the case, along with the Human Rights Commission, as intervenor in 2024 to assist the Court in understanding the rights of people with intellectual disabilities.

IHC Director of Advocacy Tania Thomas says people with intellectual disabilities deserve appropriate support and the rights they are entitled to under the law – in the same manner that all New Zealanders should be treated.

“This man has been treated unfairly under the law for too long,” says Tania. “This decision will ensure that more balanced considerations occur in future, and people like J will receive more appropriate care and support to be able to work towards release.”

The Court’s new approach in determining how compulsory orders are considered prioritises the importance of each individual’s human rights alongside the seriousness of the offence and the community’s ongoing safety.

IHC will continue to advocate for changes to the disability framework supporting people like J under this Act.

Justice Issues – Sensible Sentencing Trust calls for minimum non-parole sentences for Coward’s Punches

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August 15, 2025

Source: Sensible Sentencing Trust

15 August 2025 – The Sensible Sentencing Trust has today called on the Government to refresh its recent Cowards Punch law announcement with meaningful reform as had been achieved in multiple Australian States – rather than a tough-sounding headline with no actual teeth.

SST National Spokesperson, Louise Parsons today said: “While we welcome the Government’s willingness to address the broad issue, the proposal to introduce a new Cowards Punch law is little more than a name change from ‘Manslaughter’ to ‘Coward’s Punch’ with no change to sentencing requirements. The maximum sentence for both is ‘Life’ which is of course never imposed. It is the sentence that matters, not what it’s called – and not what the irrelevant maximum sentence is.”

“The glaring omission in the recent announcement, is the failure to propose a robust minimum non-parole sentence – which Sensible Sentencing Trust recomm

Environment – ECAN study confirms Canterbury nitrate issue escalating – Greenpeace

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August 15, 2025

Source: Greenpeace

Greenpeace Aotearoa is calling on Environment Canterbury (ECan) to put an end to dairy expansion on the plains, following new data that shows nitrate contamination worsening in the region.

ECan’s latest Annual Ground Water Quality Survey released this week shows that nitrate-nitrogen contamination is worsening across 62% of groundwater wells, while 18% show no change in contamination and 20% show a decrease, in sites where a ten-year trend can be established

“This data confirms what’s been clear for years: nitrate contamination is a worsening crisis for Canterbury. Everybody should have access to clean, safe drinking water, but for many Cantabrians, turning on the kitchen tap means worrying about getting sick,” says Greenpeace freshwater campaigner Will Appelbe.

“The ECan study directly acknowledges that the main source of nitrate contamination is intensive dairying and the use of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser. It points out that most affected communities are those ‘in areas around and downstream of intensive farming’.

“Despite the worsening freshwater crisis, ECan has given approval for a wave of dairy expansions across the region, which will devastate freshwater ecosystems and increase nitrate contamination of drinking water.”

Since the start of the year, Environment Canterbury has approved over a dozen resource consents for dairy expansions, enabling nearly 16,000 cattle to be added to the region’s dairy herd.

“Town supplies in Hinds, Darfield and Oxford have already exceeded 5 mg/L, levels of nitrate associated with an increased risk of cancer and pre-term birth. As nitrate levels increase, it’s only a matter of time before a baby in Canterbury is seriously harmed by Blue Baby Syndrome as a result of nitrate-contaminated drinking water,” says Appelbe. “This is a serious health issue that Environment Canterbury should be deeply concerned by.”

“It’s not too late to turn things around. If we reduce the number of dairy cows and phase out the use of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser, we can restore water quality and ensure that everyone, no matter where they live, has access to clean, safe drinking water.

“Environment Canterbury is utterly failing in its responsibility to protect sources of drinking water. People across the region expect better, and are willing to stand up for safe drinking water. Candidates standing for the Canterbury Regional Council in the upcoming local elections must commit to clean drinking water for all, and to end the intensive dairy industry’s contamination of groundwater.”

Police and DOC working together to find sea lion killers

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August 15, 2025

Source: New Zealand Police

Ōamaru Police and the Department of Conservation (DOC) are executing a joint investigation into the cruel shooting of three endangered sea lions at Waitaki River on Saturday 9 August.

Two of the sea lions died, and a third wounded sea lion sadly had to be euthanised. Local iwi were notified of the situation.

Detective Senior Sergeant Nik Leigh says the incident has upset the community, DOC, and Police.

“This is a senseless act against a protected species and we’re eager to find those responsible and hold them to account,” he says.

The investigation is ongoing and both organisations are assessing evidence and following lines of enquiry.

DOC Operations Director for Southern South Island, Aaron Fleming, says the response to the call for information has been heartening.

“Thousands of New Zealanders are sharing in our shock and disgust.

“Everyone who sees and shares the news could bring us another step closer to finding who is responsible,” he says.

If you know anything about the killings of the sea lions, please get in touch:

Contact Police on 105 quoting event number P063434540 or visit the Ōamaru Police Station.
Call 0800 DOCHOT to speak to DOC.

ENDS

Arrest made, bikes seized in ongoing operation cracking down on illegal trail bike usage

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August 15, 2025

Source: New Zealand Police

Attribute to Senior Sergeant John Stapleford:

Rotorua Police arrested a man in Glenhome yesterday morning, after he failed to stop for Police when signalled for dangerous driving in the Mangakakahi area.

The man was seen by Police driving a trail bike recklessly on Biak Street and has fled when signalled by Police.

Due to the nature of driving staff did not pursue. Enquiries were then made at the registered address of the bike.

The 29-year-old man was located at the address and arrested. Police have also seized the mans bike.

The man appeared in Rotorua District Court today and has been remanded in custody to reappear on 21 August, charged with failing to stop when signalled and operating a motor vehicle recklessly.

Another bike (pictured), unrelated to this incident, was also seized on Monday from a park in the Fordlands area.

These seizures and the arrest come after an operation launched on Monday 11 August to disrupt the illegal use of trail bikes in the Rotorua area.

Police have seen an increase in fleeing driver incidents and dangerous driving involving dirt bikes in recent months and remain committed to holding these people to account.

Often, riders are seen without helmets on, which puts their safety at risk as well as the safety of other road users, due to the speeds these bikes are travelling.

Police are committed to ensuring the community is safe, especially on our roads and at this stage this operation remains ongoing and has no end date.

We ask anybody who witnesses antisocial road behaviour to contact Police, on 111 if it is happening currently, or 105 if it is after the fact.

Information can also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

Sick leopard seal sadly put to sleep

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August 15, 2025

Source: NZ Department of Conservation

Date: 15 August 2025

The uncommon Antarctic visitor was first seen last Thursday on Taylors Mistake beach and spent most of this week resting on Sumner Beach.

Department of Conservation Senior Biodiversity Ranger Mailee Stanbury says the young female leopard seal was unwell and in declining condition.

“It’s unusual for a leopard seal to spend more than a few days on one beach at this time of year and this animal was clearly unwell. She had been getting weaker and more lethargic over the week.

“Yesterday, we had a wildlife vet from the South Island Wildlife Hospital assess the seal, who determined she likely had pneumonia and was dying.

“To avoid the seal suffering from continued disturbance from people and dogs on such a busy beach we moved it to a location where it could be safely euthanised.

“DOC generally takes a hands-off approach in these situations and lets nature take its course. But sadly, in this case, we’ve had to intervene to avoid her continuing to suffer.

“We’d like to thank the local volunteers in the Sumner and Taylors Mistake Seal/Penguin Group, who have been on the beach every day this week and done an amazing job informing the public and keeping people and dogs from disturbing the seal,” says Mailee.

The leopard seal will be taken to the University of Canterbury where a necropsy will be carried out to determine why it died.

DOC is working Ngai Tuāhuriri and Ngāti Wheke Rūnanga to determine an appropriate burial site for the seal following the postmortem.

Leopard seals mostly live in Antarctica but during autumn and winter they disperse through the Southern Ocean and sometimes visit New Zealand. In recent years, we have seen two or three leopard seals visit the Canterbury coast each year.

Unusually, DOC staff saw another leopard seal swimming in Akaroa Harbour on Thursday this week when they were out taking water samples in Akaroa Marine Reserve. The healthy-looking seal swam up to the boat to check it out before swimming away.

If you are lucky enough to see a seal on the beach, remember to keep yourself and your dogs at least 20 metres away from it. This is to avoid causing stress for the seal, and to keep you and your pet safe.

Contact

For media enquiries contact:

Email: media@doc.govt.nz

Name release – Fatal Police shooting, Bryndwr, Christchurch

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August 15, 2025

Source: New Zealand Police

Please attribute to Superintendent Tony Hill, Canterbury District Commander:

Police can now release the name of the woman who died after she was shot by Police at a Christchurch address on Wednesday night.

She was 53-year-old Te Arohanui Pohio, who resided at the address in Bryndwr.

Our thoughts remain with her loved ones at this extremely difficult time, and we continue to offer them the necessary support.

A post-mortem examination was completed today, and her death will be referred to the Coroner.

As of this morning, a 47-year-old man remains in a critical but stable condition in hospital, following surgery yesterday.

Cordons and a scene guard remain in place at the address this morning as Police continue the ongoing scene examination. These cordons will remain in place until the scene examination is completed in the coming days.

ENDS

Issued by the Police Media Centre

New offence for demonstrations outside homes

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August 15, 2025

Source: New Zealand Government

The Government is introducing a new offence for engaging in disruptive demonstrations outside private homes, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says.

“The public’s ability to demonstrate is a cornerstone of our free and democratic society. It is a key way for citizens to express themselves and engage in political activity.

“However, in recent times, we have seen increased reports of demonstrations targeting private residences, especially of public persons, such as MPs, judges, and other public officials.

“Everyone in New Zealand, and their families, should be able to expect peace and privacy in their own home, no matter what their daytime job is.

“We intend to stop this intrusive behaviour, while protecting the public’s right to demonstrate in a reasonable manner.

“The ability to protest is protected under the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 and that will not change. All rights are subject to reasonable limitations. This new offence is such a reasonable limitation and provides a good balance of the interests involved.

“The new law will be tightly targeted. It will only apply to demonstrations directed at a person in their home. It will prohibit unreasonable disruptions for residents, and will consider factors like the time of day, duration, the actions of demonstrators, noise levels and distance to the premises.

“Just as we value the right to protest, privacy is also a key value of our society. Unreasonable intrusions into people’s privacy are simply unacceptable.”

The legislation will contain a new offence for engaging in a targeted and disruptive demonstration outside residential premises.

The Bill includes a maximum penalty of three months in jail or a fine of up to $2,000.