Source: New Zealand Police (National News)
One person has died following a serious crash in Ngahinapouri this morning.
Police were alerted to the single vehicle crash on Kakaramea Road/SH39 at around 8.55am.
Sadly, despite the efforts of emergency services, one person died at the scene.
There are no other injuries reported.
The road is closed while the Serious Crash Unit examines the scene.
Motorists are advised to avoid the area if possible and expect delays.
ENDS
Source: New Zealand Police (National News)
Attribute to Detective Inspector Martin James:
There will be a visible Police presence in the Hawke’s Bay on Monday for the tangi of a senior member of the Mongrel Mob.
In the morning, the deceased will be taken from Mahora to Moteo for burial, with more than 100 gang members and associates possibly taking part.
Police have been working with whanau and gang leaders to minimise the impact to the community and the tangi itself. We have also been speaking with residents in the Mahora and Moteo Pa areas advising them of the increased presence of gang members and Police.
Our focus for the tangi is keeping people safe, preventing or minimising disruption to the public and responding to any unlawful behaviour. Neighbouring districts are providing additional policing teams to support the operation and help us monitor the movement of gang members through the region.
Illegal, antisocial or disruptive behaviour won’t be tolerated.
Police will take every opportunity to immediately intervene and enforce the law, including the Gangs Act 2024. In instances where immediate enforcement isn’t possible, officers are instructed to gather evidence that allows us to hold people accountable for their actions.
If you are on the roads, expect to see us; Police will be running checkpoints to breath test drivers, ensure passengers are properly restrained, and check that vehicles are roadworthy.
Everyone in the community has the right to be safe and feel safe.
If you see any illegal behaviour, call police on 111 if it is happening now, or make a report at 105.police.govt.nz if it’s after the fact.
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Issued by the Police Media Centre
MEDIAWATCH: By Colin Peacock, RNZ Mediawatch presenter
By the time US President Donald Trump announced tariffs on China and Canada last Monday which could kickstart a trade war, New Zealand’s diplomats in Washington, DC, had already been deployed on another diplomatic drama.
Republican Senator Ted Cruz had said on social media it was “difficult to treat New Zealand as a normal ally . . . when they denigrate and punish Israeli citizens for defending themselves and their country”.
He cited a story in the Israeli media outlet Ha’aretz, which has a reputation for independence in Israel and credibility abroad.
But Ha’aretz had wrongly reported Israelis must declare service in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) as part of “new requirements” for visa applications.
Winston Peters replied forcefully to Cruz on X, condemning Ha’aretz’s story as “fake news” and demanding a correction.
But one thing Trump’s Republicans and Winston Peters had in common last week was irritating Mexico.
His fellow NZ First MP Shane Jones had bellowed “Send the Mexicans home” at Green MPs in Parliament.
Winston Peters then told two of them they should be more grateful for being able to live in New Zealand.
‘We will not be lectured’
On Facebook he wasn’t exactly backing down.
“We . . . will not be lectured on the culture and traditions of New Zealand from people who have been here for five minutes,” he added.
While he was at it, Peters criticised media outlets for not holding other political parties to account for inflammatory comments.
Peters was posting that as a politician — not a foreign minister, but the Mexican ambassador complained to MFAT. (It seems the so-called “Mexican standoff” was resolved over a pre-Waitangi lunch with Ambassador Bravo).
But the next day — last Wednesday — news of another diplomatic drama broke on TVNZ’s 1News.
“A deal that could shatter New Zealand’s close relationship with a Pacific neighbour,” presenter Simon Dallow declared, in front of a backdrop of a stern-looking Peters.
TVNZ’s Pacific correspondent Barbara Dreaver reported the Cook Islands was about to sign a partnership agreement in Beijing.
“We want clarity and at this point in time, we have none. We’ve got past arrangements, constitutional arrangements, which require constant consultation with us, and dare I say, China knows that,” Peters told 1News.
Passports another headache
Cook Islands’ Prime Minister Mark Brown also told Barbara Dreaver TVNZ’s revelations last month about proposed Cook Island passports had also been a headache for him.
“We were caught by surprise when this news was broken by 1News. I thought it was a high-level diplomatic discussion with leaders to be open and frank,” he told TVNZ this week.
“For it to be brought out into the public before we’ve had a time to inform our public, I thought was a breach of our political diplomacy.”
Last week another Barabara Dreaver scoop on 1News brought the strained relationship with another Pacific state into the headlines:
“Our relationship with Kiribati is at breaking point. New Zealand’s $100 million aid programme there is now on hold. The move comes after President [Taneti] Maamau pulled out of a pre-arranged meeting with Winston Peters.”
The media ended up in the middle of the blame game over this too — but many didn’t see it coming.
Caught in the crossfire
“A diplomatic rift with Kiribati was on no one’s 2025 bingo card,” Stuff national affairs editor Andrea Vance wrote last weekend in the Sunday Star-Times.
“Of all the squabbles Winston Peters was expected to have this year, no one picked it would be with an impoverished, sinking island nation,” she wrote, in terms that would surely annoy Kiribati.
“Do you believe Kiribati is snubbing you?” RNZ Morning Report’s Corin Dann asked Peters.
“You can come to any conclusion you like, but our job is to try and resolve this matter,” Peters replied.
Kiribati Education Minister Alexander Teabo told RNZ Pacific there was no snub.
He said Kiribati President Maamau — who is also the nation’s foreign minister — had been unavailable because of a long-planned and important Catholic ordination ceremony on his home island of Onotoa — though this was prior to the proposed visit from Peters.
On Facebook — at some length — New Zealand-born Kiribati MP Ruth Cross Kwansing blamed “media manufactured drama”.
“The New Zealand media seized the opportunity to patronise Kiribati, and the familiar whispers about Chinese influence began to circulate,” she said.
She was more diplomatic on the 531pi Pacific Mornings radio show but insistent New Zealand had not been snubbed.
Public dispute “regrettable’
Peters told the same show it was “regrettable” that the dispute had been made public.
On Newstalk ZB Peters was backed — and Kiribati portrayed as the problem.
“If somebody is giving me $100m and they asked for a meeting, I will attend. I don’t care if it’s my mum’s birthday. Or somebody’s funeral,” Drive host Ryan Bridge told listeners.
“It’s always very hard to pick apart these stories (by) just reading them in the media. But I have faith and confidence in Winston Peters as our foreign minister,” PR-pro Trish Shrerson opined.
So did her fellow panellist, former Labour MP Stuart Nash.
“He’s respected across the Pacific. He’s the consummate diplomat. If Winston says this is the story and this is what’s happening, I believe 100 percent. And I would say, go hard. Winston — represent our interests.”
‘Totally silly’ response
But veteran Pacific journalist Michael Field contradicted them soon after on ZB.
“It’s totally silly. All this talk about cancelling $104 million of aid is total pie-in-the-sky from Winston Peters,” he said.
“Somebody’s lost their marbles on this, and the one who’s possibly on the ground looking for them is Winston Peters.
“He didn’t need to be in Tarawa in early January at all. This is pathetic. This is like saying I was invited to my sister’s birthday party and now it’s been cancelled,” he said.
Not a comparison you hear very often in international relations.
In his own Substack newsletter Michael Field also insisted the row reflected poorly on New Zealand.
“While the conspiracy around Kiribati and China has deepened, no one is noticing the still-viable Kiribati-United States treaty which prevents Kiribati atolls [from] being used as bases without Washington approval,” he added.
Kiribati ‘hugely disrespectful’
But TVNZ’s Barbara Dreaver said Kiribati was being “hugely disrespectful”.
In a TVNZ analysis piece last weekend, she said New Zealand has “every right to expect better engagement than it has been getting over the past year.”
Dreaver — who was born in and grew up in Kiribati and has family there — also criticised “the airtime and validation” Kwansing got in the media in New Zealand.
“She supports and is part of a government that requires all journalists — should they get a visa to go there — to hand over copies of all footage/information collected,” Dreaver said.
Kwansing hit back on Facebook, accusing Dreaver of “publishing inane drivel” and “irresponsible journalism causing stress to locals.”
“You write like you need a good holiday somewhere happy. Please book yourself a luxury day spa ASAP,” she told TVNZ’s Pacific Affairs reporter.
Two days later — last Tuesday — the Kiribati government made percent2CO percent2CP-R an official statement which also pointed the finger at the media.
“Despite this media issue, the government of Kiribati remains convinced the strong bonds between Kiribati and New Zealand will enable a resolution to this unfortunate standoff,” it said.
Copping the blame
Another reporter who knows what it’s like to cop the blame for reporting stuff diplomats and politicians want to keep out of the news is RNZ Pacific’s senior journalist and presenter Lydia Lewis.
Last year, Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese questioned RNZ’s ethics after she reported comments he made to the US Deputy Secretary of State at the Pacific Islands Forum in Tonga — which revealed an until-then behind closed doors plan to pay for better policing in the Pacific.
She’s also been covering the tension with Kiribati.
Is the heat coming on the media more these days if they candidly report diplomatic differences?
“There’s no study that says there are more people blaming the media. So it’s anecdotal, but definitely, both the public and politicians are saying the media (are) making a big deal of things,” Lewis told Mediawatch.
“I would put the question back to the public as to who’s manufacturing drama. All we’re doing is reporting what’s in front of us for the public to then make their decision — and questioning it. And there were a lot of questions around this Kiribati story.”
Lewis said it was shortly before 6pm on January 27, that selected journalists were advised of the response of our government to the cancellation of the meeting with foreign minister Peters.
Vice-President an alternative
But it was not mentioned that Kiribati had offered the Vice-President for a meeting, the same person that met with an Australian delegation recently.
A response from Kiribati proved harder to get — and Lewis spoke to a senior figure in Kiribati that night who told her they knew nothing about it.
Politicians and diplomats, naturally enough, prefer to do things behind the scenes and media exposure is a complication for them.
But we simply wouldn’t know about the impending partnership agreement between China and the Cook Islands if TVNZ had not reported it last Monday.
And another irony: some political figures lamenting the diplomatically disruptive impact of the media also make decidedly undiplomatic responses of their own online these days.
“It can be revealing in the sense of where people stand. Sometimes they’re just putting out their opinions or their experience. Maybe they’ve got some sort of motive. A formal message or email we’ll take a bit more seriously. But some of the things on social media, we just take with a grain of salt,” said Lewis.
“It is vital we all look at multiple sources. It comes back to balance and knowledge and understanding what you know about and what you don’t know about — and then asking the questions in between.”
Big Powers and the Big Picture
Kwansing objected to New Zealand media jumping to the conclusion China’s influence was a factor in the friction with New Zealand.
“To dismiss the geopolitical implications with China . . . would be naive and ignorant,” Dreaver countered.
Michael Field pointed to an angle missing.
“While the conspiracy around Kiribati and China has deepened, no one is noticing the still viable Kiribati-United States treaty which prevents Kiribati atolls being used as bases without Washington approval,” he wrote in his Substack.
In the same article in which Vance called Kiribati “an impoverished, sinking island nation” she later pointed out that its location, US military ties and vast ocean territory make it strategically important.
Questions about ‘transparency and accountability’
“There’s a lot of people that want in on Kiribati. It has a huge exclusive economic zone,” Lewis said.
She said communication problems and patchy connectivity are also drawbacks.
“We do have a fuller picture now of the situation, but the overarching question that’s come out of this is around transparency and accountability.
“We can’t hold Kiribati politicians to account like we do New Zealand government politicians.”
“I don’t want to give Kiribati a free pass here but it’s really difficult to get a response.
“They’re posting statements on Facebook and it really has raised some questions around the government’s commitment to transparency and accountability for all journalists . . . committed to fair media reporting across the Pacific.”
This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.
By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific journalist
Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown says New Zealand is asking for too much oversight over its deal with China, which is expected to be penned in Beijing next week.
Brown told RNZ Pacific the Cook Islands-New Zealand relationship was reciprocal.
“They certainly did not consult with us when they signed their comprehensive partnership agreement [with China] and we would not expect them to consult with us,” he said.
“There is no need for New Zealand to sit in the room with us while we are going through our comprehensive agreement with China.
“We have advised them on the matter, but as far as being consulted and to the level of detail that they were requiring, I think that’s not a requirement.”
Brown is going to China from February 10-14 to sign the “Joint Action Plan for a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership”.
The Cook Islands operates in free association with New Zealand. It means the island nation conducts its own affairs, but Aotearoa needs to assist when it comes to foreign affairs, disasters, and defence.
NZ seeks more consultation
New Zealand is asking for more consultation over what is in the China deal.
Foreign Minister Winston Peters said neither New Zealand nor the Cook Island people knew what was in the agreement.
“The reality is we’ve been not told [sic] what the nature of the arrangements that they seek in Beijing might be,” he told RNZ Morning Report on Friday.
In 2023, China and Solomon Islands signed a deal on police cooperation as part of an upgrade of their relations to a “comprehensive strategic partnership”.
Brown said he had assured New Zealand “over and over” that there would be no impact on the countries’ relationship and “no surprises”, especially on security aspects.
“But the contents of this agreement is something that our team are working on with our Chinese counterparts, and it is something that we will announce and provide once it is signed off.”
He said it was similar to an agreement New Zealand had signed with China in 2014.
Deep sea mining research
Brown said the agreement was looking for areas of cooperation, with deep sea mining research being one area.
However, he said the immediate area that the Cook Islands wanted help with was a new interisland vessel to replace the existing ageing ship.
Brown has backed down from his controversial passport proposal after facing pressure from New Zealand.
He said the country “would essentially punish any Cook Islander that would seek a Cook Islands passport” by passing new legislation that would not allow them to also hold a New Zealand passport.
“To me that is a something that we cannot engage in for the security of our Cook Islands people.
“Whether that is seen as overstepping or not, that is a position that New Zealand has taken.”
A spokesperson for Peters said the two nations did “not see eye to eye” on a number of issues.
Relationship ‘very good’
However, Brown said he always felt the relationship was very good.
“We can agree to disagree in certain areas and as mature nation states do, they do have points of disagreement, but it doesn’t mean that the relationship has in any way broken down.”
On Christmas Day, a Cook Islands-flagged vessel carrying Russian oil was seized by Finnish authorities. It is suspected to be part of Russia’s shadow fleet and cutting underwater power cables in the Baltic Sea near Finland.
Peters’ spokesperson said the Cook Islands shipping registry was an area of disagreement between the two countries.
Brown said the government was working with Maritime Cook Islands and were committed with aligning with international sanctions against Russia.
When asked how he could be aligned with sanctions when the Cook Islands flagged the tanker Eagle S, Brown said it was still under investigation.
“We will wait for the outcomes of that investigation, and if it means the amendments and changes, which I expect it will, to how the ship’s registry operates then we will certainly look to make those amendments and those changes.”
This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.
A investigative journalism programme — Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) — that has pubiished exposes about the South Pacific and has not been impacted on by the “freeze” of USAID funding has hit back in an editorial calling for support of independent media.
EDITORIAL: By the OCCRP editors
“OCCRP is a deep state operation.
“OCCRP is connected to the CIA.
“OCCRP was tasked by USAID to overthrow President Donald Trump.”
How did we end up getting this kind of attention? Old fashioned investigative journalism.
We wrote a simple story in 2019 about how Rudy Giuliani went to Ukraine for some opposition research and ended up working with people connected to organised crime who misled him.
Unbeknown to us, a whistleblower found the story online and added it to a complaint that was the basis of President Trump’s first impeachment. We also wrote a story about Hunter Biden‘s business partners and their ties to organised crime but that hasn’t received the same attention.
Journalism has become a blood sport. It’s harder and harder to tell the truth without someone’s interests getting stepped on.
OCCRP prides itself on being independent and nonpartisan. No donor has any say in our reporting, but we often find ourselves under attack for our funding.
It’s not just political interests but organised crime, businesses, enablers, and other journalists who regularly attack us. What’s common in all of these attacks is that the truth doesn’t matter and it will not protect you.
Few attack the facts in our reporting. Instead we’re left perplexed by how to respond to wild conspiracy theories, outright disinformation, and hyperbolic hatred.
At the same time, we’ve lost 29 percent of our funding because of the US foreign aid freeze. This includes 82 percent of the money we give to newsrooms in our network, many of which operate in places [Pacific Media Watch: Such as in the Pacific] where no one else will support them.
This money did not only fund groundbreaking, prize-winning collaborative journalism but it also trained young investigative reporters to expose wrongdoing. It’s money that kept journalists safe from physical and digital attacks and supported those in exile who continued to report on crooks and dictators back in their home countries.
OCCRP now has 43 less journalists and staff to do our work.
No attack or funding freeze will stop us from trying to fulfill our mission. Just in the past week, OCCRP and its partners revealed how Russia’s shadow fleet sources its ships, how taxes haven’t been paid on Roman Abramovich’s yachts, and how Syrian intelligence spied on journalists.
Next week, we’ll take on another set of powerful actors to defend the public interest. And another set the week after that.
We are determined to stay in the fight and keep reporting on organised crime and the corrupt who enable and benefit from it. But it’s getting harder and we need help.
President Donald Trump has frozen billions of dollars around the world in aid projects, including more than $268 million allocated by Congress to support independent media and the free flow of information.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has denounced this decision, which has plunged NGOs, media outlets, and journalists doing vital work into chaotic uncertainty — including in the Pacific.
In a statement published on its website, RSF has called for international public and private support to commit to the “sustainability of independent media”.
Since the new American president announced the freeze of US foreign aid on January 20, USAID (United States Agency for International Development) has been in turmoil — its website is inaccessible, its X account has been suspended, the agency’s headquarters was closed and employees told to stay home.
South African-born American billionaire Elon Musk, an unelected official, whom Trump chose to lead the quasi-official Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has called USAID a “criminal organisation” and declared: “We’re shutting [it] down.”
Later that day, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that he was named acting director of the agency, suggesting its operations were being moved to the State Department.
Almost immediately after the freeze went into effect, journalistic organisations around the world — including media groups in the Pacific — that receive American aid funding started reaching out to RSF expressing confusion, chaos, and uncertainty.
Large and smaller media NGOs affected
The affected organisations include large international NGOs that support independent media like the International Fund for Public Interest Media and smaller, individual media outlets serving audiences living under repressive conditions in countries like Iran and Russia.
“The American aid funding freeze is sowing chaos around the world, including in journalism. The programmes that have been frozen provide vital support to projects that strengthen media, transparency, and democracy,” said Clayton Weimers, executive director of RSF USA.
“President Trump justified this order by charging — without evidence — that a so-called ‘foreign aid industry’ is not aligned with US interests.
“The tragic irony is that this measure will create a vacuum that plays into the hands of propagandists and authoritarian states. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is appealing to the international public and private funders to commit to the sustainability of independent media.”
USAID programmes support independent media in more than 30 countries, but it is difficult to assess the full extent of the harm done to the global media.
Many organisations are hesitant to draw attention for fear of risking long-term funding or coming under political attacks.
According to a USAID fact sheet which has since been taken offline, in 2023 the agency funded training and support for 6200 journalists, assisted 707 non-state news outlets, and supported 279 media-sector civil society organisations dedicated to strengthening independent media.
Activities halted overnight
The 2025 foreign aid budget included $268,376,000 allocated by Congress to support “independent media and the free flow of information”.
All over the world, media outlets and organisations have had to halt some of their activities overnight.
“We have articles scheduled until the end of January, but after that, if we haven’t found solutions, we won’t be able to publish anymore,” explains a journalist from a Belarusian exiled media outlet who wished to remain anonymous.
In Cameroon, the funding freeze forced DataCameroon, a public interest media outlet based in the economic capital Douala, to put several projects on hold, including one focused on journalist safety and another covering the upcoming presidential election.
An exiled Iranian media outlet that preferred to remain anonymous was forced to suspend collaboration with its staff for three months and slash salaries to a bare minimum to survive.
An exiled Iranian journalist interviewed by RSF warns that the impact of the funding freeze could silence some of the last remaining free voices, creating a vacuum that Iranian state propaganda would inevitably fill.
“Shutting us off will mean that they’ll have more power,” she says.
USAID: the main donor for Ukrainian media
In Ukraine, where 9 out of 10 outlets rely on subsidies and USAID is the primary donor, several local media have already announced the suspension of their activities and are searching for alternative solutions.
“At Slidstvo.Info, 80 percent of our budget is affected,” said Anna Babinets, CEO and co-founder of this independent investigative media outlet based in Kyiv.
The risk of this suspension is that it could open the door to other sources of funding that may seek to alter the editorial line and independence of these media.
“Some media might be shut down or bought by businessmen or oligarchs. I think Russian money will enter the market. And government propaganda will, of course, intensify,” Babinets said.
RSF has already witnessed the direct effects of such propaganda — a fabricated video, falsely branded with the organisation’s logo, claimed that RSF welcomed the suspension of USAID funding for Ukrainian media — a stance RSF has never endorsed.
This is not the first instance of such disinformation.
Finding alternatives quickly
This situation highlights the financial fragility of the sector.
According to Oleh Dereniuha, editor-in-chief of the Ukrainian local media outlet NikVesti, based in Mykolaiv, a city in southeast Ukraine, “The suspension of US funding is just the tip of the iceberg — a key case that illustrates the severity of the situation.”
Since 2024, independent Ukrainian media outlets have found securing financial sustainability nearly impossible due to the decline in donors.
As a result, even minor budget cuts could put these media outlets in a precarious position.
A recent RSF report stressed the need to focus on the economic recovery of the independent Ukrainian media landscape, weakened by the large-scale Russian invasion of February 24, 2022, which RSF’s study estimated to be at least $96 million over three years.
Moreover, beyond the decline in donor support in Ukraine, media outlets are also facing growing threats to their funding and economic models in other countries.
Georgia’s Transparency of Foreign Influence Law — modelled after Russia’s legislation — has put numerous media organisations at risk. The Georgian Prime Minister welcomed the US president’s decision with approval.
This suspension is officially expected to last only 90 days, according to the US government.
However, some, like Katerina Abramova, communications director for leading exiled Russian media outlet Meduza, fear that the reviews of funding contracts could take much longer.
Abramova is anticipating the risk that these funds may be permanently cut off.
“Exiled media are even in a more fragile position than others, as we can’t monetise our audience and the crowdfunding has its limits — especially when donating to Meduza is a crime in Russia,” Abramova stressed.
By abruptly suspending American aid, the United States has made many media outlets and journalists vulnerable, dealing a significant blow to press freedom.
For all the media outlets interviewed by RSF, the priority is to recover and urgently find alternative funding.
Fiji, Pacific media, aid groups reel shocked by cuts
In Suva, Fiji, as Pacific media groups have been reeling from the shock of the aid cuts, Fijivillage News reports that hundreds of local jobs and assistance to marginalised communities are being impacted because Fiji is an AUSAID hub.
According to an USAID staff member speaking on the condition of anonymity, Trump’s decision has affected hundreds of Fijian jobs due to USAID believing in building local capacity.
The staff member said millions of dollars in grants for strengthening climate resilience, the healthcare system, economic growth, and digital connectivity in rural communities were now on hold.
The staff member also said civil society organisations, especially grantees in rural areas that rely on their aid, were at risk.
Pacific Media Watch and Asia Pacific Report collaborate with Reporters Without Borders.
Source: New Zealand Police (National News)
A man has died following a crash involving a ute and a motorbike on Parihauhau Road, Parikino this afternoon.
Emergency services responded to the scene around 1:40pm.
The motorcyclist was located deceased, and the occupants of the vehicle were uninjured.
The Serious Crash Unit has completed a scene examination and the road has since reopened.
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Issued by Police Media Cente
Source: New Zealand Police (District News)
A person has died on the northern end of Maketu Beach this afternoon.
Emergency services were advised just after 4pm today that an unresponsive male had washed up on the shoreline.
Despite immediate medical attention, he was sadly unable to be revived.
The man’s death will be referred to the Coroner.
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Issued by the Police Media Centre
Source: New Zealand Police (National News)
A woman has died following a water incident at the Rakaia river mouth this afternoon.
Around 1pm emergency services responded to the south side of the Rakaia River mouth, following reports a group had become stuck in the river after attempting to cross on quad bikes.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand, Police, and Hato Hone St John responded, with the assistance of a member of the public in a private vessel.
Of the six people recovered, one person was located deceased and one person was transported to hospital in a critical condition by the Westpac Rescue Helicopter.
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Issued by Police Media Centre
Source: New Zealand Police (District News)
A 29-year-old man is before the courts after an item of concern was located following an incident in Hamilton.
On Friday 7 February around 4.05pm, Police were called to a Massey Street address after reports that a man had been seen with a firearm before leaving the area in a vehicle.
A short time later, a Police unit located the vehicle and kept observations before conducting an armed traffic stop on Cambridge Road.
The driver was taken into custody without incident.
A search of the vehicle located two firearms and a collection of ammunition.
On arrival at the Hamilton Central Police Station, staff located an item of concern among the man’s property.
Police took advice from the New Zealand Defence Force to secure the item away from Police staff and any public areas of the station.
The NZDF Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team attended the station and made the item safe.
The 29-year-old man appeared in Hamilton District Court today on multiple charges.
He was remanded in custody to reappear on multiple charges on 11 February.
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Issued by the Police Media Centre
Source: New Zealand Police (District News)
Parihauhau Road is closed at Parikino following a two vehicle crash off State Highway 4 this afternoon.
Emergency services responded to the crash around 1:40pm.
The Serious Crash Unit has been advised.
Parihauhau Road is closed while emergency services respond, and a scene examination is conducted.
Motorists are advised to take an alternate route.
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Issued by Police Media Centre
Source: New Zealand Police (District News)
Northbound lanes of Great South Road at Manurewa are blocked following a serious crash involving a motorcycle.
Emergency services were called to the scene, near Mahia Road, about 11.20am. The rider of the bike received critical injuries.
The Serious Crash Unit will be carrying out a scene examination and traffic management is in place.
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Issued by the Police Media Centre
Source: New Zealand Transport Agency
Tunnelling has begun this week at the Te Ara o Te Ata – Mt Messenger Bypass project in North Taranaki.
Following an early morning blessing from mana whenua and iwi partner Ngāti Tama, the first cut was made by a 110-tonne road header machine that will excavate the project’s 235-metre tunnel.
Road headers have boom-mounted telescopic cutting heads, making them ideal for diverse geological conditions. A shovel plate at the front of the road header collects the excavated rock and soil, which is then conveyed via a belt to dump trucks at the back of the machine.
The 235-metre tunnel will be an important part of the Bypass project, contributing to a much more resilient stretch of State Highway 3.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi Project Manager Caleb Perry says having the road header onsite is really exciting for the project.
“We’ll start to see some progress with the road header excavating up to 3 metres every day.
“The tunnel will be cut in two stages, with the upper portion (top heading) first, followed by the bottom section (bench). At regular intervals, excavation will be paused and ‘shotcrete’ – a sprayed-on concrete – will be applied to the crown and walls to line and support the structure.
“The design and construction of the tunnel are similar to the Northern Gateway Tunnel in Auckland and the tunnel will be large enough to accommodate loads up to and including house removals – this isn’t something that can currently be accommodated on the steep, narrow winding stretch of SH3.”
At this stage, the excavation is expected to be completed later this year.
“The Mt Messenger Bypass will make this stretch of SH3 much more resilient, and safer for all motorists, providing a secure connection through North Taranaki, especially for freight.
“The finished tunnel will incorporate cultural elements acknowledging Ngāti Tama tūpuna, the traditional guardians of the northern gateway to Taranaki.”
The Mt Messenger project has named this road header ‘Hinetūparimaunga’ – the atua of mountains and cliffs.
A design on the side of the roadheader depicts Hinetūparimaunga with outstretched limbs supporting the roof, walls and floor of the underground space. A yellow background represents the light that will flood into the tunnel upon its completion.
Images: The roadheader and initial progress
Source: New Zealand Police (National News)
Attributable to Detective Sergeant Vincent Smylie:
A man is before the courts following a vehicle stop which led to the discovery of two firearms and shotgun ammunition.
Around 4pm on Tuesday 4 February, Police conducted a vehicle stop in Cannons Creek, after seeing a person of interest in the passenger seat of a vehicle.
The 34-year-old man was arrested in relation to a warrant to arrest.
The day after, Wednesday 5 February, Police conducted a search warrant at his house nearby, leading to the discovery of two firearms, shotgun ammunition, and gang insignia that had allegedly been displayed in an earlier incident in January.
He is due to reappear in Porirua District Court on Friday 21 February, facing charges of prohibited display of gang insignia in a public place, burglary, male assaults female, intentional damage, speaks threateningly, and unlawful possession of ammunition. Further charges relating to the two firearms are being considered.
Police are glad to have been able to pull two more unlawfully possessed firearms off the street, as they have the ability to cause serious harm in our community.
“We will continue to target offenders who show little regard for the community, including violent offenders, and those who unlawfully possess firearms,” Detective Sergeant Smylie said.
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Issued by Police Media Centre
Source: New Zealand Transport Agency
Road users travelling through the Rangitikei district are advised to expect some minor delays on State Highway 1 in the coming weeks due to planned maintenance and resilience works.
The Manawatū-Whanganui 2024/25 renewals season is nearing completion, with less than 2 months left.
Some crucial work on SH1 is still to be completed, with crews scheduled to be at different sites over the coming weeks.
The timing and location of these scheduled works has been specifically chosen to minimise disruption for travellers.
Once these works are complete, further road maintenance is planned later in the month for SH1 near Mangaweka and Bulls.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi acknowledges State Highway 1 has seen a lot of construction activity over the past few months during the renewals season and we really appreciate people’s patience during this work to increase the resilience of the network.
The upcoming works are weather dependent and may be postponed or rescheduled at short notice. Changes in programming will be communicated on our online channels such as NZTA’s Journey Planner.
Source: New Zealand Transport Agency
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi advises of the following closures for motorway improvements. Work delayed by bad weather will be completed at the next available date, prior to Friday, 14 February 2025.
Please note this traffic bulletin is updated every Friday.
Daily updated closure information(external link)
Unless otherwise stated, closures start at 9pm and finish at 5am. Traffic management may be in place before the advertised closure times for the mainline.
NORTHERN MOTORWAY (SH1)
CENTRAL MOTORWAY JUNCTION (CMJ)
SOUTHERN MOTORWAY (SH1)
NORTHWESTERN MOTORWAY (SH16)
UPPER HARBOUR MOTORWAY (SH18)
SOUTHWESTERN MOTORWAY (SH20)
GEORGE BOLT MEMORIAL DRIVE (SH20A)
PUHINUI ROAD (SH20B)
STATE HIGHWAY 22 (SH22)
STATE HIGHWAY 2 (SH2)
Please follow the signposted detours. NZ Transport Agency thanks you for your co-operation during these essential improvements and maintenance.
Current overnight closure information(external link)
Source: New Zealand Police (National News)
Police investigating alleged criminal behaviour by visiting Vietnamese officials are preparing an extradition file.
Police received two complaints of assault following an incident at a Wellington restaurant in March last year.
Detectives investigating the matter identified the suspects as members of a Vietnamese delegation, who had already left the country.
While no extradition treaty exists between New Zealand and Vietnam, Police have continued to explore all available options.
Police Commissioner Richard Chambers says extradition needed to be explored, and preparing an extradition file is the next step in progressing this matter.
“We have had positive engagement with Vietnamese officials to date, and I am confident that will continue.
“While this process is ongoing and complex, we hope our ongoing efforts provide some assurance to the complainants that we are taking this matter seriously,” Commissioner Chambers says.
Travel alerts are in place at the border to ensure Police are notified, and given the opportunity to take affirmative action, if the individuals of interest in this case return to New Zealand.
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Issued by Police Media Centre
Source: New Zealand Transport Agency
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) advises work begins Monday (10 February) to upgrade and install traffic lights at the intersection of State Highway 30 (SH30) Te Ngae Road and Wharenui Road.
NZTA advises Rotorua drivers that, as part of this work, a short section of Wharenui Road, between SH30 Te Ngae Road and Reeve Road/Glenfield Road, will be closed to through-traffic.
This closure will be in place from Monday 10 February, not Monday 3 February as earlier stated, until the project is completed in May this year.
Access for residents, pedestrians and cyclists will be maintained. A detour will be in place for other traffic.
Temporary footpaths and pedestrian access will be available and clearly signposted.
Residents, service providers, and visitors will be able to take vehicles into the closed section of Wharenui Road from the Reeve/Glenfield intersection.
All other traffic will need to use Brent Road or Coulter Road to access eastern Wharenui Road, Reeve Road and Glenfield Road, and any connected roads.
While this work is underway a temporary speed limit of 30km/h will be in place on SH30 Te Ngae Road through the work zone.
More information about additional traffic management will be shared as construction progresses.
Source: New Zealand Police (District News)
State Highway 25, the Thames Coast Road is closed near Kereta while emergency services attend a crash reported at 12.45pm.
Initial indications are that there have been serious injuries in the crash involving a vehicle and a motorcycle.
Motorists are advised to avoid the area and expect delays.
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Issued by Police Media Centre
Source: New Zealand Police (District News)
Police are responding to a single vehicle crash where a truck has rolled on Mokau Road (SH3), near Mohakatino Road, Mokau.
The crash was reported around 1:45pm.
The driver is reported to be in a moderate to serious condition.
The road is blocked and motorists are advised to take an alternate route.
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Issued by Police Media Centre
Source: Ministry for Primary Industries
New Zealand Sugar Company, trading as Chelsea Sugar, has been fined $149,500 for manufacturing, distributing and selling sugar products contaminated with lead.
In November and December 2021, the company recalled thousands of packs of sugar products because of potential low level lead contamination.
Media release: New Zealand Food Safety to investigate sugar recalls
Two other product recalls were needed when it was later discovered New Zealand Sugar Company provided incorrect information to supermarkets, resulting in more sugar products being released to consumers.
“These recalls had a significant impact on consumer access to certain sugar products, such as brown sugar. It also affected a large number of other businesses which had to recall products made with the contaminated sugar,” says New Zealand Food Safety deputy director general Vincent Arbuckle.
In the Auckland District Court, the company was sentenced on 2 charges it pleaded guilty to in May last year, including breaching its National Programme (NP) – designed to manage any food risk to consumers – along with negligently endangering, harming, creating, or increasing risk to consumers by distributing its product.
A sentencing hearing was held in September last year and the court has released its reserved decision today.
“New Zealand Sugar Company knew what its responsibilities were to consumers – ensuring the safety and suitability of its products and managing any potential risk to consumers.
“It failed to properly detect the extent of lead contamination until after the imported sugar had been used in production.
“Offending at this scale is rare, and the Court’s sentence today sends a strong message that it will not be tolerated,” says Vincent Arbuckle.
In September 2021, the New Zealand Sugar Company imported sugar from Australia that became contaminated with lead during sea transport. From this sugar it manufactured and distributed 971 tonnes of contaminated sugar products to businesses in New Zealand.
The sugar had been freighted to New Zealand from Australia aboard the cargo ship Rin Treasure – a vessel that had been used to ship metal sulphide concentrates (lead and zinc) on its previous voyage.
Before choosing this ship, New Zealand Sugar Company was advised the vessel failed a survey report on 3 September, meaning it was not fit to load and transport bulk sugar. Prior to its departure, the vessel was cleaned, and a cleanliness report certified the vessel’s hold was in a fit state for the stowage and carriage of raw sugar.
However, the cleaning was not effective, and the cargo of sugar became contaminated with lead during the journey from Queensland. This contamination may have been potentially exacerbated by a broken pipe aboard the vessel that spilled water into the sugar during the cargo unloading process by contractors.
Samples of the sugar were collected between 15 and 24 September for testing but New Zealand Sugar Company followed its normal process of producing sugar products from the cargo for distribution and sale.
“The test result on 7 October showed high readings of lead contamination, but rather than take immediate action and stop production and distribution, they instead sought more testing which confirmed the same result.
“Some of this product was sold between October and early November. We were not informed of the lead contamination until 3 November, which is unacceptable.
“New Zealand Sugar Company’s lack of definitive action resulted in a consumer level recall of sugar products on 4 November – around 6 weeks after the contaminated product arrived in New Zealand.
“Although the short-term exposure to increased lead levels through these sugar products would not have endangered people’s health – we cannot afford to take a chance on public health,” says Vincent Arbuckle.
If you have concerns about a food product, you can contact New Zealand Food Safety on 0800 008 333 or use our online food complaint tool
For further information and general enquiries, email info@mpi.govt.nz
For media enquiries, contact the media team on 029 894 0328.
New Zealand and Flinders University experts have deployed artificial intelligence and 3D laser scanning to accurately map planted pine (radiata) forests for most of NZ’s North Island.
The results, which distinguish planted large estates, small woodlots and newly established stands as young as three years old, showcase a new way of using remote sensing with other technology to reveal forest growth and update growth information.
This approach is just as relevant for Australia, where radiata pine is also widely grown, says Dr Grant Pearse, Senior Lecturer in Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) at Flinders University.
“In New Zealand, where radiata pine plantations dominate the forestry sector, the current national forest description lacks spatially explicit information and struggles to capture data on small-scale forests,” says Dr Pearse, from the College of Science and Engineering at Flinders University in Adelaide, South Australia.
“We combined deep learning-based forest mapping using high-resolution aerial imagery with regional airborne laser scanning data to map all planted forest and estimate key attributes.”
The spatially explicit forest description provides wall-to-wall information on forest extent, age, and volume for all sizes of forest. This facilitates stratification by key variables for wood supply forecasting, harvest planning, and infrastructure investment decisions – applications equally valuable for other forestry industries.
The research, with New Zealand timber industry researchers from Rotorua, Christchurch and Auckland, was carried out on planted forests in the Gisborne region, which has publicly available aerial imagery and airborne laser scanning data.
This region is particularly significant as it was severely impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle in early 2023, which caused widespread landslides and forest debris flows.
For such vulnerable terrain, knowing exactly where forests are located in the landscape, their age and condition is key to managing the risks of harvesting operations on the region’s steep slopes.
“We propose satellite-based harvest detection and digital photogrammetry to continuously update the initial forest description. This methodology enables near real-time monitoring of planted forests at all scales and is adaptable to other regions with similar data availability,” researchers say in a new article.
Along with the economic importance of NZ’s 1.8 million hectares of radiata pine forestry for export timber and fibre, these planted forests are a key part of the country’s emission trading scheme and are expected to play a significant role in achieving the government’s target of net-zero emissions by 2050.
The forest map derived from artificial intelligence can be viewed at: www.forestinsights.nz
In South Australia, plantation estates covering about 40,000 hectares support a $3 billion industry and employ 18,000 people as well as construction, manufacturing, tourism and regional communities.
The article. ‘Developing a forest description from remote sensing: Insights from New Zealand’ (2024) byGrant D Pearse (Flinders University), Sadeepa Jayathunga, Nicolò Camarretta, Melanie E Palmer, Benjamin SC Steer, Michael S Watt (all Scion), Pete Watt and Andrew Holdaway (both Indufor Asia Pacific) has been published in the journal Science of Remote Sensing. DOI: 10.1016/j.srs.2024.100183. (ref. https://www.forestinsights.nz/ )
Acknowledgements: This project was funded through the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) Strategic Science Investment Fund (administered by Scion, the New Zealand Forest Research Institute Ltd) and through the MBIE Programme (grant number C04X2101).
Covering period of Friday 7 – Monday 10 February – Severe thunderstorms are possible for the central North Island this afternoon and evening (Friday), but MetService is forecasting more warm and dry weather for most during the weekend.
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is in place for the central North Island this afternoon and evening, covering Taupō, Waikato south of Tokoroa, Taumarunui, inland Bay of Plenty, Taranaki and Taihape. Scattered heavy showers, thunderstorms and localised downpours (25 – 40 mm/h) are expected within this area.
MetService meteorologist Ngaire Wotherspoon comments, “Not everywhere within the Watch area will see a thunderstorm or downpour today, but the potential is there. Localised downpours can cause surface flooding, especially in low-lying areas, so it’s worth keeping an eye on metservice.com as our expert meteorologists will be issuing localised Warnings for severe thunderstorms as they occur.”
It’s shaping up to be a sunny day for the rest of the North Island today, with toasty forecast high temperatures in the mid-high twenties. The South Island is cloudier, especially over Canterbury and Marlborough where temperatures remain in the teens, but this cloud is forecast to break up this afternoon. The remains of a front over western South Island areas means cloud and a sprinkling of rain will stick around into the weekend.
Over the weekend, a ridge of high pressure over the North Island means more sunny and warm weather. There will still be a few showers in central areas. Down south, showers continue in the west while eastern areas get sunny, warm weather to start the weekend. Alexandra has a forecast high of 31°C on Saturday, before temperatures drop as a band of rain reaches Southland at night.
Wotherspoon details, “Brief rain spreads over Southland and Otago tomorrow night as a front moves north, but it slows and begins to break up heading into Sunday morning. There will be a dip in temperatures for the South Island with this front; Christchurch has a forecast high of 29 °C on Sunday, but is only expected to reach 19 °C on Monday.”
The remnants of this front will linger into next week, keeping conditions in the South Island cool and cloudy, while the North Island is in store for more warm and dry conditions.
Source: New Zealand Police (National News)
Commissioner Richard Chambers, the Minister of Police, Hon Mark Mitchell, Associate Minister of Police Casey Costello and Wing Patron, Glenn Dunbier ONZM congratulated the 73 graduating constables from wing 381 today.
Families and friends joined the newly attested constables at Te Rauparaha Arena, Porirua this morning to watch them parade out from their initial police training course.
Constable Brent Edwards, Ngāti Awa, recipient of the Minister’s Award for top recruit of the wing, who was previously a police officer is pleased to be back on the front line; “I missed the job and the sense of satisfaction you get from helping people and holding offenders to account. There is no other job like it. But the main reason I’ve returned is the people, the organisation is full of good people, who are doing things for the right reasons. It is great to be part of it again.”
The Commissioner’s Award for Leadership and the Patron’s award was awarded to Constable Aleksandar Banjac. “This recognition is not a reflection of my individual efforts, but a testament to the hard work and commitment of the entire wing. This award is a shared achievement, and I accept it with deep respect and gratitude to my peers for the nominations. I would like to thank everyone involved with their continued support in this journey.”
All Awards:
Minister’s Award recognising top student: Constable Brent Edwards, Ngāti Awa, posted to Tasman District.
Commissioner’s Award for Leadership and the Patron’s Award for second in wing, recognising second top student: Constable Aleksandar Banjac , posted to Auckland City District.
Driver Training and Road Policing Practice Award: Constable Lucas Lowe posted to Bay of Plenty District.
Physical Training and Defensive Tactics Award: Constable Eli Marsters, Ngāti Whanaunga, posted to Bay of Plenty District.
Firearms Award: Constable Michael Tooley, posted to Wellington District.
Deployment:
The new constables will start their first day of duty in their Police districts on Monday 17 February 2025 and will continue their training on the job as probationary constables.
Northland 6, Tāmaki Makaurau a total of 23 and broken down as follows: Auckland – 5, Waitematā – 5, Counties Manukau – 13, Waikato – 4, Bay of Plenty – 8, Eastern – 9, Central – 3, Wellington – 9, Tasman – 2, Canterbury – 4, Southern – 5.
Demographics:
23.3 percent are female, 76.7 percent are male. New Zealand European make up 58.9 percent of the wing, with Māori 16.4 percent, Pasifika 8.2 percent, Asian 11.0 percent, LAAM 1.4 percent and Other is 4.1 percent.
381 Wing Patron
Former Deputy Commissioner Dunbier joined Police in 1985. He has worked across frontline, investigative, covert policing, and numerous leadership roles. He was appointed Area Commander for Eastern Waikato in 2006, District Commander for Bay of Plenty in 2010, then promoted to Deputy Commissioner in 2014. He served as lead police liaison officer in Turkey, coordinating the tri-lateral Australia – New Zealand – Turkey commemorations for the Anzac centenary of Gallipoli in 2015.
Following a three-year secondment to the Australian Department of Defence in 2017, he became deputy commissioner of operations in early 2020, with responsibility for more than 10,000 New Zealand Police staff. Dunbier led the police response to the Covid-19 pandemic, which included the policing of lockdown restrictions, staffing and managing the managed isolation and quarantine facilities across the country and operating the alert level boundary checkpoints. In 2022, he was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) for services to New Zealand Police and the community. Glenn retired from New Zealand Police in 2023. He now volunteers with two organisations – one dedicated to combatting food poverty/food waste and the other caring for the aged, as well as participating on boards and committees.
Watch out for our Ten One story coming soon with more images and stories.
ENDS
Issued by Police Media Centre
Source: New Zealand Labour Party
Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Margie Apa leaving her job four months early is another symptom of this government’s failure to deliver healthcare for New Zealanders.
“Margie Apa was a team player who worked hard to build a modern health system designed to serve everyone in Aotearoa New Zealand. She cares deeply for health outcomes and was focused on that in her role,” Labour’s acting health spokesperson Peeni Henare said.
“She helped put systems in place to close the gaps for Kiwis to access the healthcare they deserve. Whether it was mums-to-be in the furthest reaches of rural New Zealand, to those historically uncatered for in our cities. I want to thank Margie Apa for her work and wish her all the best in her next role.
“Fourteen months in Christopher Luxon’s Government has brought in chaotic changes to leadership: firing his first Health Minister and the Health New Zealand board, and now seeing off the chief executive.
“Soon he will run out of people to blame for his own failures in health.
“Changing leadership while fundamental issues of resourcing are unaddressed is taking the health system backwards.
“New Zealanders want to know they can access healthcare when they need it. This chaos at the top only shows the Prime Minister is failing to deliver that,” Peeni Henare said.
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Source: New Zealand Transport Agency
People travelling between Nelson and Blenheim can expect to see road works on State Highway 6 into March as investment into the region’s highway infrastructure continues.
These works are critical for ensuring the transport link between Blenheim and Nelson is kept safe and reliable for all road users.
Work will be getting underway at Havelock and near Pelorus from next week.
These works are critical for ensuring the transport link between Blenheim and Nelson is kept safe and reliable for all road users.
From Monday 10 February, to Friday 21 March, Monday to Friday, 7am to 6pm, contractors will rebuild a 1.6-kilometre section of the highway near Pelorus.
They will remove the top layer of the road, lay new gravel, and then apply new chipseal on top. The end result is more stable and improved road surface.
Drainage works will also be completed, and the shoulder of the state highway will be widened. Road users can expect delays of up to 10-minutes during work hours until this work completed.
To ensure the chip-sealing is successful, this work must be done during the day when the weather is warmer.
A 30 km/h temporary speed limit will be in place while the work is underway. All drivers must follow it – it is there to protect the road surface, keep drivers safe, and protect vehicles for stone chip damage.
This work is deliberately planned to minimise disruption for drivers and has been timed to coincide with the State Highway 6 Whangamoa Saddle closure when there will be less traffic on the road.
People travelling between Nelson and Blenheim are also reminded of the upcoming night closures of the Pelorus Bridge on Sunday 23 February.
From Wednesday 12 February, to Sunday 16 February, between 7pm to 7am, contractors will also carry out nighttime asphalting work on State Highway 6 through the Havelock township. Work will be underway from just north of Neil Street to Allied Petrol. Stop/go traffic management will be in place during work hours with delays of up to 10 minutes.
Drivers are urged to check road conditions before they travel and plan their journeys accordingly. This is especially important for people with Picton ferry connections.
Source: New Zealand Government
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey is thrilled to announce today that the Mental Health Foundation is the latest recipient of a grant from the Government’s $10 million Mental Health and Addiction Community Sector Innovation Fund.
“This funding is being matched by the Mental Health Foundation to fully fund Project Wakapuāwai, an initiative that will digitise more mental health resources to allow Kiwis faster access to mental health information and support,” Mr Doocey says.
“If you are on a farm in Northland or a tiny town in Southern New Zealand, your access to mental health support can be limited. That is not acceptable. We want every Kiwi to know help is close and this goes someway to achieving that.
“The Mental Health Foundation will now be able to redevelop and future proof its digital platforms to improve the ways they provide crucial information about mental health and wellbeing, suicide prevention, and mental distress for all New Zealanders.
“We know that access to information and support for many rural and remote communities remains a barrier so alongside telehealth, this is another option for those looking to support themselves or for someone they care about.
“The Mental Health Foundation has been supporting our communities for nearly 50 years and the knowledge they have built up over time is invaluable.
“The contract announced today is the fourth contract to be awarded from the first round of the Mental Health Innovation Fund. Altogether, funding to Youthline, the Sir John Kirwan Foundation, MATES in Construction and the Mental Health Foundation account for more than $2.3 million.
Further announcements about other successful providers from round one of the fund are expected in the coming months.
“The Innovation fund is part of the Government’s commitment to investing in grassroots initiatives through non-governmental and community organisations that deliver mental health and addiction support to New Zealanders.
“We know that community-based organisations like the Mental Health Foundation are already delivering results for Kiwis. It is vital that we enable NGOs to deliver innovative projects and initiatives that increase faster access to better mental health support across New Zealand.”
Source: Department of Conservation
Date: 07 February 2025
This research, conducted every five years, uses a proven genetic mark-recapture method to estimate the Maaui dolphin population along the west coast of the North Island. DNA samples will be collected from live, wild dolphins using a small biopsy dart, providing essential information about population size, genetic diversity, and movement patterns.
“The Maaui dolphin is critically endangered, and every sighting or sample contributes to our understanding of the species and its future survival,” says Cara Hansen, DOC Ranger.
The most recent abundance estimate, completed in 2021, indicated there were approximately 54 individual Maaui dolphins over the age of one year in the water off the North Island’s west coast (the animals’ known habitat). This new survey will provide an updated estimate to help track changes in the population and inform conservation efforts.
The survey will be carried out over two summer seasons, in 2025-26 and 2026-27, with field teams operating between the entrance of Kaipara Harbour and the Mokau River in Taranaki. Staff from DOC’s Taranaki, Auckland, and Waikato districts, the Marine Species Team, the University of Auckland, and Ngaati Te Ata will collaborate on this important project.
The public can also play a role in conservation efforts by reporting any sightings of Maaui dolphins and being aware of the threat that toxoplasmosis has on Maaui dolphins. The dolphins have a distinctive round dorsal fin, often likened to an ear from the cartoon character Mickey Mouse.
“Real-time reports help our field teams understand where the dolphins are being seen and improve the success of our survey,” says Cara.
Sightings can be reported through DOC’s hotline at 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468) or online Marine mammal sighting form.
For media enquiries contact:
Email: media@doc.govt.nz
Source: New Zealand Police (National News)
The ongoing search for a man reported missing on a jetski in the Cook Strait area has not located any further items of note since the man’s jetski was located on Monday evening.
The man left the Tasman District on Monday morning bound for Plimmerton, north of Wellington, but did not arrive as expected.
Favourable weather conditions in the Cook Strait area yesterday allowed for continued searching over a wide area involving a number of agencies.
At this time there has been no sign of the missing man. Today Police are reviewing the search efforts to date and planning further search activity.
Police have been in contact with the man’s family and support is being provided to them at what is an understandably difficult time.
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Issued by Police Media Centre