Police are seeking Michael Kane McRae, 44, who has a warrant for his arrest.
We believe Mr McRae will be able to assist with our investigation into several arsons at churches in Masterton on the morning of Saturday 22 February.
We also wish to reiterate our appeal issued yesterday for information about a green Ford Festiva, which was seen leaving one of those fires.
Anyone with information about Michael McRae or sightings of this vehicle is urged to contact Police via 105 online or the 105 phone reporting line, referencing file number 250222/1673.
Attributable to Detective Senior Sergeant Karen Simmons, Canterbury Metro Police:
Police acknowledge the lifting of name suppression for Rowan Maxwell Donoghue, 68-years-old, who is due to appear in Christchurch District Court on 10 March charged with historical sexual offending against young people during the years 1996 – 2000.
Police encourage any person to come forward that has information about Mr Donoghue that could be relevant to the investigation. Mr Donoghue held a number of positions of responsibility involving young people for many years, including prior to the years in which the alleged offending took place.
We understand incidents of this kind are traumatic and can be difficult to discuss with anyone, including Police. We wish to offer reassurance that you will be treated with dignity and respect, we have detectives dedicated to this case and we will ensure you have a safe space to report offending in confidence.
You can make a report at your local Police station or contact Police on 105 online referencing file number: 230122/3143.
Additionally, we want to ensure that anyone who has suffered and is not in a position to speak with us to know there is help and support available.
We encourage seeking help through the Rape Crisis Line, 0800 883 300, or the National Sexual Harm Helpline, 0800 044 334.
Contractors will begin work to rebuild a section of State Highway 1 at Topuni, north of Old North Road, tomorrow (Thursday 27 February).
Work is expected to be completed by Thursday 17 April. The first five weeks (until approx. Wednesday 2 April) will be day works, between 6.30am and 5.30pm, while the final two weeks will be undertaken at night, between 5.30pm and 6.30am.
During work hours, the road will be down to a single lane with stop/go traffic management and a 30km/h temporary speed limit in place. Outside work hours, the road will reopen to two lanes with a temporary speed limit in place.
Travel delays during these works are expected to be approximately 5 mins and people are asked to plan ahead.
Please be patient and treat our crews with kindness and respect. Reduce your speed, adhere to the temporary speed limits and follow the directions of traffic management staff and signs.
Rebuilding the road, which often involves replacing all or most of the structural road layers, improves the longevity of the network, the resilience and ultimately the safety and efficiency for all road users.
This summer maintenance period (September 2024 to May 2025), we’re investing in the largest road rebuild programme ever for the region, with Northland one of three regions across Aotearoa with the most significant road rebuild programmes over the next three years.
This work is weather dependent and there may be changes to the planned works in the case of unsuitable weather. Please visit the NZTA Journey Planner website for up-to-date information on these works, including any changes due to weather:
For more information about the overall maintenance programme and planned works, visit the Northland State Highway Maintenance Programme website:
You can now sign up to receive email updates on upcoming road maintenance:
NZTA thanks everyone for their understanding and support while we carry out this essential maintenance to improve the safety and efficiency of Northland’s state highway network.
Tourism satellite account: Year ended March 2024–26 February 2025 –Tourism satellite account (TSA) provides an overview of tourism’s role in New Zealand, highlighting the changing levels and impact of tourism activity. It presents information on tourism’s contribution to the economy in terms of expenditure and employment.
This release covers provisional figures for the year ended March 2024 and detailed results for 2023.
Key provisional estimates
For the year ended March 2024 (expressed in nominal terms):
total tourism expenditure was $44.4 billion, up 14.6 percent ($5.6 billion) from 2023
international tourism expenditure was up 59.9 percent ($6.3 billion) to $16.9 billion, returning to levels similar to 2019 ($17.2 billion)
international student expenditure (studying less than 12 months) was $3.8 billion, up 76.2 percent ($1.6 billion)
GST from international tourists totalled $1.7 billion, up $689 million
international tourism’s contribution to total exports of goods and services was 17.2 percent, up 6.0 percentage points
overseas visitor arrivals to New Zealand increased 44.8 percent to 3,183,376
Alcohol available for consumption: Year ended December 2024–26 February 2025 –Alcohol available for consumption statistics provide information on the volume of alcoholic beverages (beer, wine, spirits, and spirit-based drinks) available for consumption in New Zealand.
Key facts All comparisons are between the year ended December 2024 and the year ended December 2023, except where otherwise stated.
The total volume of alcoholic beverages available for consumption was up 1.2 percent to 482 million litres.
The volume of beer rose 5.4 percent to 296 million litres.
The volume of wine fell 4.1 percent to 95 million litres.
The volume of spirits (including spirit-based drinks) fell 5.5 percent to 92 million litres.
The equivalent total volume of pure alcohol in all alcoholic beverages for consumption fell 3.1 percent.
The volume of available alcohol, expressed in terms of the number of equivalent standard drinks per person aged 18 years and over, fell 4.9 percent to 1.77 standard drinks per person per day.
Police have recovered a cache of firearms at a Papatoetoe property overnight.
Earlier in the evening, just before 8.30pm, the Police Eagle helicopter located a vehicle of interest from a previous firearms incident.
Inspector Dave Christoffersen, Area Commander for Counties Manukau West, says in that incident a firearm had allegedly been presented at a person on Monday night.
“After Eagle located the vehicle on Ferndown Avenue, ground staff made an approach to the address it was parked outside,” he says.
“Armed staff voice appealed for the occupants to come outside, to which they complied.”
Police carried out a search of the address.
Inside, numerous firearms along with ammunition were located, Inspector Christoffersen says.
These included: two shotguns, two SKS assault rifles, a MSSA rifle, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
Police have since arrested and charged two patched members of the TwoEight Brotherhood gang.
The pair, aged 27 and 34, face 10 charges each relating to the unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition.
They will appear in the Manukau District Court today.
“This is an outstanding result from our frontline staff working to keep the community safe last night,” Inspector Christoffersen says.
“There is no tolerance for intimidation or violence, and we will continue to go after those who are involving themselves in this offending.
“Police will continue to investigate the initial firearms incident from Monday night, which fortunately did not result in any injuries.”
The Government has released its third Quarterly Investment Report as part of the drive to deliver better value for money from government expenditure and restore fiscal discipline, Associate Minister of Finance and Minister for Infrastructure Chris Bishop says.
“This is the third quarter where we are publishing the Government’s Quarterly Investment Report in our effort to provide the public better visibility of the government’s investment pipeline and portfolio, and to improve investment discipline and better performance from agencies.
“This report, prepared by the Treasury for the July to September 2024 period, shows incremental progress in terms of planning and delivery behaviours by agencies. Cabinet has made it very clear to agency Chief Executives that they need to drive improvements in their agencies regarding full and accurate data, robust business cases, and improved asset management.
“Getting this right is critical to ensuring the successful delivery of our strategic priorities such as the 30-year National Infrastructure Plan. Ministers will continue to closely monitor the progress and performance of major investments and take any steps required to put a project back on the right course.”
The next Quarterly Investment Report covering the October to December 2024 quarter will be released in May.
Note to Editors:
Quarterly Investment Reports are published to ensure that the status of investments is open and transparent. They are developed based on investment information that government agencies submit to the Treasury following the end of a quarter.
Agencies are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of investment information they submit to the Treasury. The Treasury does not edit or update agency information, save for correcting minor data formatting issues.
Associate Minister of Education David Seymour has today announced that round two of the charter school application process is open.
“Both new schools and state schools wanting to convert to charter school status will now be able to submit their expressions of interest to the Charter School Agency (CSA),” Mr Seymour says.
“Charter schools provide educators with greater autonomy and create diversity in New Zealand’s education system. They have been proven to raise overall educational achievement, especially for students who are underachieving or disengaged from the standard system.
“Round one of the application processes showed us that the demand for charter schools exceeded even my expectations. During the first round we saw the CSA receive 78 applications to open new charter schools, or to convert existing state schools to charter schools.
“Charter schools are here to stay. We have already seen the opening of seven diverse schools delivering to a range of communities. There are also more schools from the first round of charter schools who are currently in contract negotiations.
“The huge demand to open charter schools not only highlights the need, but also the commitment of people to provide varied educational opportunities for young New Zealanders to maximise educational outcomes. I hope to see many more new charter schools opening, and state and state-integrated schools converting to become charter schools.
“The good news for sponsors wanting to establish new charter schools is that we have updated estimates of the number of new schools that are affordable within the funding set aside by the Government.
“The actual cost of schools depends on a range of factors, including how quickly they are established, their property arrangement, whether they are primary or secondary schools and their roll size. After taking these factors into account, there is capacity to open more new charter schools than the 15 initially estimated. The exact number of schools will depend on the decisions made by the Authorisation Board.
“Charter schools will be given greater freedom to respond to diverse student needs in innovative ways, but they will be held to a much higher standard than state schools and subject to a high level of monitoring and accountability.
Note to editor:
For more information, including how to apply, please visit:
On the West Coast of the South Island, you’ll find a huge range of tramping opportunities – from simple overnighters suitable for young families to multi-day adventures for those with backcountry skills. We spoke with a few West Coast staff to hear about their favourite huts and adventures.
Remotest Hut: Gorge River Hut.
What’s your name? What’s your role?
Owen Kilgour, West Coast Operations Director, based in Hokitika
In 2022 it was our first overnight hike as a family with three young boys.
I have run into this hut frequently over the past eight years when visiting family who live close by.
Why do you like it?
Kōhanga Atawhai – Manson Nicholls Hut is the ideal first authentic kiwi tramping experience for families.
The original hut on this site, Manson-Nicholls Memorial Hut, was constructed in 1976 by members of the Christchurch Tramping Club and The Lake Daniell’s Fishing Club in memory of three young trampers who lost their lives nearby in 1974. The current hut was built by DOC staff especially for families and school groups. Every time I visit, it puts a smile on my face to see lots of kids enjoying their experience in nature.
How do you get there and long does it take someone with moderate fitness?
The hut is 3 hours walk from nearest road end on the Lake Daniell Track. It’s a great first tramp for families.
September 2022 I think. I was the hut warden up there for a couple of seasons and it was such an epic place to spend eight days every other week watching the different weather patterns come and go and meeting lots of different people passing through
Why do you like it?
The highlight was always watching the most epic sunsets with a hot cup of tea above the hut, up a secret “spur”.
How do you get there and long does it take someone with moderate fitness?
Its 20 kilometres from Smoke-ho carpark. You need a moderate level of fitness as it’s lots of relentless uphill. You need to be fairly competent on a mountain bike as there are narrow sections, steep drop offs and lots of loose rogue rocks that can kick you off if you are not careful.
Moonlight Tops Hut.
What’s your name? What’s your role?
Benjamin Pigott, Inspector – Checking huts, tracks and structures throughout the WSI backcountry.
March 2024, and then later in May along with a crew to undertake maintenance work. This took 10 days and we really gave the hut a birthday! New roof, piles, bearers & a paint to name a few of the jobs we did.
Why do you like it?
It sits in a beautiful remote valley with little tramping traffic. It’s now done up for all to enjoy!
How do you get there and long does it take someone with moderate fitness?
You’d want a good 8hr day of tramping to get in there. Moderate to difficult, but achievable by most parties with backcountry navigation skills who do their homework about track conditions.
Jacko Flat Hut – from left: DOC Inspectors Ben Pigott, Mike Detlaff, and Rangers Casey Rhodes and Matt Ainge
It’s a beautiful old hut with lots of heritage, built back in 1949. The Perth Valley has had a lot of Predator control done by ZIP, and the bird life is really on the rise. A spectacular hut to base yourself for adventures into more difficult terrain up the Perth valley.
How do you get there and long does it take someone with moderate fitness?
Approx 6 hours or so, moderate fitness and moderate route finding required. The hut is old and has character, it’s certainly not a Hilton so expect to be a bit feral!
Nolans Hut.
Our network of tracks and huts
Owen Kilgour Western South Island Operations Director– says “DOC has a fantastic network of tracks and huts on conservation land on the West Coast, and I’d encourage people to get out and explore. There are tramping opportunities for everyone, from families undertaking their first overnighters with young children, to backcountry wilderness experiences for those experienced in the outdoors. Going tramping requires warm clothes, a pack, a raincoat and a pair of sturdy footwear but you can start out with basic gear, and not spend too much money getting started. It’s a great way to see some of the most beautiful places in New Zealand.”
Biggest Hut: Heaphy Hut. Photo: Richard Rossiter
DOC hut network in general
DOC manages a network of over 950 huts around New Zealand providing shelter and enabling trampers and others to overnight in some of our most picturesque places including in forests, on mountainsides and by lakes, rivers and the sea.
DOC huts come in a range of standards from basic bivvies to serviced. Most are available on a first come first served basis but around 55 must be booked in advance.
Bookable huts help us manage our very popular or over-subscribed facilities. They provide certainty to families and less experienced visitors, and support the payment of hut fees so these facilities can continue into the future.
It’s important all hut users pay their hut fees, are well-prepared before heading out and assess conditions before deciding whether it’s safe to go, even if people have made a booking.
How many huts does the West Coast have?
In Western South Island Region we have 148 huts and bivvies in total with 147 open.
26 February 2025 – Meridian Energy has reported a net loss after tax of $121 million for the six months ending 31 December 2024, compared to a net profit after tax of $191 million in last year’s interim result.
Operating cash flows were $50 million, down from $303 million in the same period last year.
These results were heavily impacted by the cost of hedge contracts for winter 2024 in the face of one-in-90-year record low inflows and an unexpected and unprecedented shortage of domestic gas. The hedge contracts included calling the largest demand response option with New Zealand’s Aluminum Smelter (NZAS).
EBITDAF fell from $443 million to $257 million and underlying net profit fell from $175 million to a $5 million loss. Both of these are non-GAAP measures.
“The combination of particularly low hydro inflows, low wind and gas shortages made the operating environment for the first half of this financial year as tough as I can recall experiencing,” says Meridian Chief Executive Neal Barclay.
“We took a hit for New Zealand. Meridian put this country’s security of supply first and, as New Zealand’s largest renewable electricity generator, our balance sheet tends to underwrite the mitigation of extended droughts. That’s one of the ways the country benefits from having large and financially strong gentailers. While the situation was particularly challenging, we know we rely on Mother Nature for our fuel and accept the financial impact droughts bring. We prepare the business to deal with these kinds of eventualities, including maintaining a strong and flexible balance sheet.”
“There is plenty of time before the coming winter, but we are highly focused on managing risks to winter 2025 security. We have reached a new agreement with NZAS for them to reduce demand by 50MW and are looking for simple rule changes to access this country’s existing contingent hydro storage. The bigger issue, though, is the structural and significant shortage of domestic gas. New Zealand needs to take urgent action to address this. Gas is the biggest factor in setting spot and future electricity prices,” says Neal Barclay.
With a challenging first half to the financial year, the Meridian Board has decided to maintain the interim dividend at the same level as the prior period, and declared an interim ordinary dividend of 6.15 cents per share. The dividend reinvestment plan will apply to this interim dividend at a 2% discount.
Mr Barclay says that Meridian has continued to build strong momentum to set the business up for future growth. This year, the company expects to commit over $1 billion of capital to new development projects.
“The relatively fast decline in gas resources has put even greater emphasis on the need to deploy new renewable developments as quickly as possible, and also get more out of our existing fleet of hydro and wind generation. In that regard, we’ve had a few wins recently. We’ve reinstated capacity in the generation fleet after resolving transformer issues at Manapōuri and West Wind, and we’ve begun commissioning our Ruakākā grid scale battery. We’ve also made great progress in advancing a development pipeline that will deliver additional megawatts for many years to come,” says Neal Barclay.
Meridian recently announced:
A finalised consent for its 120MW Ruakākā solar development (February) Consent for its 90MW Mt Munro Wind Farm near Eketāhuna (February) A Scheme Implementation Agreement as part of its bid to acquire the remaining shares in NZ Windfarms (February) A Power Purchase Agreement with Harmony Energy / First Renewables in respect of their joint venture to build the 150MW Tauhei Solar Farm in the Waikato (January) A 50-50 joint venture with Nova Energy to build the 400MW Te Rahui solar farm at Rangitāiki near Taupō (December).
The first half of FY25 has also seen tremendous progress in Meridian’s Retail business. Having completed a strategic reset and restructure to enable the business to meet changing technology and consumer needs, the company has launched three new products (Smart Hot Water, Smart EV Charging and the Four Hours Free Plan), with more to come over the remainder of the financial year.
“Customers are responding to these changes, with record numbers signing up. As of 1 January, we had achieved our highest ever market share of electricity connections, with 16.58% across the Meridian and Powershop brands. Our brands also led the industry rankings for new connections in December, with Powershop first and Meridian second, and more than 4,000 connections that month across both brands,” says Neal Barclay.
“The business has weathered an extraordinarily difficult set of circumstances and leveraged our financial strength to ensure the lights stayed on for New Zealand homes and businesses. At the same time, we’ve not backed away from our strategic goals and our customer market share has continued to grow as has our renewable development pipeline.”
