A watchdog has found police acted appropriately during a pursuit in Ōtaki near Wellington where two people died in a crash after the pursuit was abandoned police briefly pursued a stolen Ford Courier ute travelling south from Levin on State Highway 1 that had been involved in an aggravated robbery in Ōtaki The pursuit was abandoned due to excessive speed The ute eventually crashed head on into another vehicle after driving north in the southbound lane of the expressway north of Ōtaki later succumbed to his injuries in hospital while a third passenger sustained serious injuries but survived the crash sustained injuries ranging from serious to moderate the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) concluded that police managed the fleeing driver incident appropriately It noted police had considered closing the road to minimise risks to other road users but the option was deemed unfeasible in the circumstances involved The authority did identify some minor breaches of the fleeing driver policy and recommended police amend the policy to specify that when a police vehicle was carrying crew members those crew members were responsible for managing police communications during pursuits Police said in a statement they accepted the IPCA's findings and were considering its recommendation to change their fleeing driver policy which was the death of two young people and serious injuries to five members of the public is a tragedy and was completely avoidable," relieving Central District Commander Inspector Ross Grantham said "Police use every serious incident as an opportunity to learn and we note the minor breaches of our police policy raised by the IPCA and have taken these onboard," Grantham said Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday A group of teenagers are in custody after the police pursuit of a stolen vehicle across Auckland on Sunday night The man swam away from officers across a river The police complaints authority is investigating after a person died in a crash in Ōwhata A man whose daughter was killed in a car that fled from police says encouraging more pursuits is madness The 31-year-old faces charges of aggravated assault New Zealand RSS Follow RNZ News The small town on the Kāpiti Coast shines every March with Māoriland The burger was delicious (as were the cream paua fries we also ordered) and would have been worth the trip into Ōtaki town centre on its own. After we ate, we dropped any food scraps into the compost bin provided and rinsed our dishes at the washing station. We walked out of the kai area, past the “decolonised zone” sign and into Ōtaki’s memorial hall for our first screening at Māoriland 2025. Māoriland, in its 12th year, has changed what it means to run a film festival. As the largest festival for indigenous storytelling in the world, Māoriland is incomparable, the only similarity with the New Zealand International Film Festival being that it shows films from around the world. Otherwise, it’s a whole new world. Five hundred metres down the road, hundreds (maybe thousands?) had packed out the converted basketball arena to watch the world premiere of Shrek in te reo Māori. There was a green carpet out the front and a sausage sizzle out the back and it felt like a family barbecue (complimentary). Next door to the hub was a cafe, nearly overrun the entire weekend with the influx of visitors and the op shops dotted along the main road were humming. After the festival, organisers released the data showing record numbers this year – ticket sales doubled compared to 2024 and there was a 50% increase in audience numbers across the week. There is a holistic approach to Māoriland that is absent from nearly every other festival in the country. Attendees can buy movie tickets and food, yes, but they can also get to know each other with daily sunrise swims at Ōtaki beach or play a conversation card game together. Each film is personally introduced, and even the clips asking viewers to turn their phones off are bespoke and beautifully crafted. Everything felt intentional and in its place. Ōtaki has always been a thriving bi-cultural town, with Te Wānaga o Raukawa complex going from strength to strength. But with the expressway recently bypassing Ōtaki altogether, the number New Zealanders passing through is now a fraction of what it once was. Ōtaki is no longer a through-town on the biggest highway in the country. Instead, it will have to become a destination, a reason to take a break and stay a while. With Māoriland, it has absolutely succeeded. This article was produced with the support of Creative New Zealand. A complaint must be first directed in writing the complaint may be referred to the online complaint form at www.presscouncil.org.nz along with a link to the relevant story and all correspondence with the publication Although some towns are feeling the pinch after the opening of motorways that bypass their towns More than 22,500 vehicles used to pass through Warkworth every day but since the opening of the Ara Tūhono section of State Highway 1 businesses have reported a drop in business.  Ōtaki has been thriving since the opening of the Peka Peka to Ōtaki Expressway in 2022.  Ōtaki Business Association Member and Owner of Black and Co Quality Leather NZ Leon Kingi told Kerre Woodham that it’s opened the town back up to locals.  He says that since they no longer have to avoid the traffic more people are coming into town deliberately to shop and enjoy the local businesses.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 1);}.css-4hf0t5:focus{outline:none;}.css-4hf0t5:hover{border-color:rgba(215 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered. Police are seeking witnesses to a crash in Ōtaki Beach yesterday that left a motorcyclist seriously injured. The crash involved a ute and motorcycle, and happened about 8pm on Marine Parade, Senior Sergeant Sam Gilpin said. The rider of the motorcycle was flown to Wellington Hospital in a serious condition. Police would like to hear from anyone who witnessed the crash or has dashcam footage from the Marine Parade area just before 8pm on Wednesday. If you have any information that could help with inquiries, please update police online now or call 105. Please use the reference number 241107/0913. Information can also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111. The only high-reach ladder truck in Auckland broke down last night. The successful Youth MP will join up to 123 young people from across the country as Youth Members of Parliament where they will advocate for their communities and debate the issues they are passionate about it will offer a unique opportunity to one young person between the ages of 16 and 18 to influence government decision-making and learn first-hand about our democracy “I want to see someone get an opportunity that might be a catalyst for them to achieve beyond what they thought possible “This is not always about the best and brightest committed young people who stand to gain a lot from this experience,” said Mr Costley Up to 20 young people will also be selected as Youth Press Gallery members to report on the activities of Youth MPs and learn about the important role the Press Gallery plays To apply, please email Tim Costley at Tim.CostleyMP@Parliament.govt.nz by 12 noon on Friday 28 February 2025. Young people must be aged 16 to 18 years on the application closing date to be eligible to become a Youth MP. Applicants should write why they want to be the Youth MP and what they would bring to the role (300 words max). Please also include one ‘policy idea’ for the change you’d most like to make if given the chance. Applicants will be shortlisted in March for a short interview and leadership session. The successful candidate will be announced by the Minister for Youth in April. They will be required to perform a range of duties over the period 28 April to 29 August, 2025. This includes the Youth Parliament in Wellington 1-2 July and some electorate-based activities throughout these four months. Those unsuccessful will form the basis of the region’s 2025 Youth Advisory Panels which Tim has run throughout his tenure as our local MP. There will be one youth representative from the Ōtaki electorate, which encompasses Kāpiti and Horowhenua from Foxton to Paraparaumu. One of the country's oldest organically certified farms is looking for the next generation to lead its operations bought the Te Horo farm known as Common Property in the 1970s with a group of friends "It was established by a group of families - the reason it's called Common Property - and we bought the land together," Wood explained As the others have moved on over the years the couple have found themselves the last owners and are now looking for new people to come on board They are now seeking expressions of interest to buy lease or license the 9.5-hectare property near Ōtaki which has been BioGro certified continuously for nearly 50 years The property is currently being farmed under licence by a number of organic growers and the property is used to grow vegetables "Jim came up with this idea of small businesses running their own business on Common Property under licence So it's still Common Property but in quite a different way." Some of these growers are now looking to retire next year Wood said they've had some interest already and their preference would be for the property to continue to be farmed organically Wood credits her mother with the property having been an early adopter of organics was sceptical at first but quickly came around "My parents helped us buy the farm and [my mother] insisted we grow organically right from the start," Wood said They were one of the first growers to become BioGro certified when the standards were introduced in 1983 "Legend has it the first BioGro standards were drafted at our kitchen table," Wood said Wood said the biggest change in 50 years of organics has been the rise of regenerative agriculture practices The development of the National Māori Organics Authority of Aotearoa's Hua Parakore an indigenous organic verification and validation system Proposals close on 31 May and more information is on the Commonsense Organics website Rainbow Valley is located on regenerating whenua at the end of a gravel road near Tākaka Several families share the land and help run a small farm for the benefit of the whole community It is NZ's most profitable export industry but also one of our biggest carbon emitters - so what if the cow could be taken out of the production process altogether The inaugural Underground Festival will be held at Greystone Wine's regenerative organic vineyard in mid-February The Tui Community near Takaka is a blend of an"intentional community"and a"village"where people deliberately come together to share lives in a way that reaches out beyond nuclear family living Business RSS The Drawing Board tonight explores the intersection of architecture and sustainability through a Māori lens highlighting how modern design is transforming spaces in harmony with cultural values This episode focuses on the development of a groundbreaking building at the Ōtaki campus of Te Wānanga o Raukawa which is the first certified “Living Building Challenge” structure in the region The Living Building Challenge is the world’s most rigorous sustainability certification encompassing seven performance areas: site the goal of the new building was to create better spaces for students and staff We needed some facilities that were better suited to looking after our students and looking after our staff.” The old buildings were costly to maintain and inefficient making the Living Building Challenge the perfect fit for their values of kaitiakitanga (guardianship) Architect Ewan Brown of Tennent Brown Architects describes the immense significance of this project “The Living Building Challenge is an international system It’s the highest rating system for buildings in the world for sustainability There’s only 32 buildings in the world at this level.” To meet the challenge’s stringent criteria the building had to generate its own energy Brown elaborates on the multifaceted approach “We have to generate enough power to run all the buildings without any extra energy coming to site .. The design also had to prioritise health and wellbeing ensuring the building was free of harmful chemicals “We have to look at volatile organic compounds with a biophilic plan that connects the building with the natural world emphasises the significance of the land’s history in shaping the project and Thompson’s design aimed to restore this natural environment “We understood that it had previously been a wetland And so the idea that we might create a landscape over which all the buildings floated.” She highlights the vital role of wetlands in managing water quality and habitat with all campus landscapes designed to both treat and attenuate water Waste reduction was another critical component with a goal of diverting at least 90% of construction waste from landfills The finished campus is entirely self-sufficient with on-site wastewater treatment and rainwater storage systems The campus now stands as a beacon of sustainable architecture where 99% of the construction materials are sustainably sourced and nearly all waste is diverted from landfills the environment provides more than just a space to learn; it’s a living breathing example of how design can nurture both people and the planet The Te Wānanga o Raukawa campus is a remarkable testament to the power of design and sustainability working together – an inspiring model for the future of architecture Wharehoka Wano will lead Te Tōpuni Ngārahu a body representing the region's eight iwi An Ōtaki kaupapa Māori health care facility is set to branch into primary health after recruiting three general practitioners What was the old bank at 51 Main Street is now a health hub for Te Puna Oranga o Ōtaki who start their new GP service from 4 November Kaiwhakahaere (General Manager) Heniti Buick said it has always been a plan to own or become shareholders in a medical centre we've pivoted what we want for our people and the development of a new GP practice that is kaupapa-led with reo-speaking or Māori GPs to drive this initiative for us." and one is coming from overseas but can speak te reo "It being kaupapa-led or [by] having Māori GPs come in and they can be understood in a way that also uplifts their mana - in a way that allows them to be Māori or culturally safe in a primary care setting." The Mauri Ora GP clinic will compliment the Ōtaki Medical centre and provide health care to both Māori and non-Māori patients Ōtaki Medical has been struggling with staffing after losing three doctors in May "They've contributed massively to the health landscape of Ōtaki but with the loss of some key doctors back to their home countries Te Puna Oranga has been in the community since 2012 starting with just one board member and no kaimahi Now there are nearly 40 kaimahi providing kaupapa-led support The GP clinic will become the fifth arm running alongside their programmes: Tamariki Ora / Well-Child food sovereignty and youth mentoring programme There are also health navigators who understand inequities Māori face and help improve health outcomes for everyone The youth programme runs in and next to The Barbershop they own on Aotaki Street to accommodate for the rangatahi who like fresh cuts Buick said their 'by Ōtaki for Ōtaki' approach works for the town where 40 percent of the population are Māori So when you get a provider that's for Ōtaki you get someone who's fighting for sustainability "And like Tariana Turia and Mason Durie have always advocated for - what works for Māori works for everybody But you can't have your whare tapa whā focused on your tīnana You've got to have all four components looked after for health and wellness to come from that." The disestablishment of Te Aka Whai Ora (Māori Health Authority) has left one of their contracts to fall through therefore relying on short-stinted contracts for some services Buick said it really disrupts their stability to be able to provide some services it's also really unsettling for people who have just transitioned to use our services in six months it's no longer a service you can access But also having that leadership through Te Aka Whai Ora or the Māori Health Directorate they really see value in hauora Māori providers." a kōhanga reo they work with will fall back into a central system that failed them in the first place While the GP practice itself is not funded the board has invested equity funds to keep the clinic ticking along until there are enough enrolments for capitation to be introduced Within the first 24 hours of enrolments opening The kaupapa-driven clinic also has their 'waka' mobile clinic Board member and kaumātua Rawiri Rikihana said "Ōtaki has just come alive" since the announcement And having clinics on the marae is special for the iwi plus we've got the waka that we can bring on site Rikihana said the big push for the younger generations is te reo Māori it's the tikanga that a lot of our kids are picking up Barb Rudd has been on the board since 2011 and joked that it was time for her to step away to let the younger ones take over "We've come a long way and a lot of our rangatahi are part of it Who would have thought that we'd come to this?" Rudd said there are many issues with attracting international GPs to New Zealand and wants to see more Māori look into a medical career "I don't know what the attrition is at Otago but maybe we need to get more of our Māori people in there and have them as doctors - that would be wonderful." She puts the organisations gain down to Buick's persistence "She has worked really hard to build networks she's sat on a lot of tables where it's important for her to be and I think through that she's attracted people to her because of who she is "My dream was to be here with all our older people "[The marae] is where they'll feel more comfortable and more at ease to talk to their GP." Another medical centre has fallen victim to the nationwide shortage of GPs but a kaupapa Māori health service is invigorating another Wellness and Diagnostic Centre is designed to give Māori in the region tino rangatiratanga over their own health Māori health leaders are calling on the government to scrap the Treaty Principles Bill fearing it will lead to even less equitable healthcare A group of Māori academics and health workers are asking the government to rescind its recent directive for public services to be based on need "We have a very simple approach to healthcare which is based off need not ethnicity or race," Christopher Luxon says after the government stepped in at Hawke's Bay Te Ao Māori RSS Will traffic on the highway between Levin and Ōtaki be a thing of the past when the new Ōtaki to North of Levin highway is completed The New Zealand Transport Agency is seeking feedback on it’s proposal to toll the new Ōtaki to North of Levin (ŌN2L) highway The agency said tolling would be in place to support activities associated with the planning maintenance and operation of the new highway there would be tolling of 15km of the new highway from the on/off ramps at Taylors Rd to the Tararua Rd interchange The northern 9km of the 25km highway would not be tolled Light vehicles would be tolled $2.70 under this proposal The agency’s website states tolling prices have been identified by “comparing a range of options to find the tolling scheme that balances revenue with the level of diversion back to the old state highway” Horowhenua mayor Bernie Wanden said Horowhenua District Council will be making a submission on the proposal He said the council understands the need for tolling as an alternative source of funding to support the ongoing costs of the new highway “We acknowledge the potential impact on our local roading network and are advocating to work with NZTA on possible solutions.” Wanden said tolls on the new highway could mean people familiar with the area may plan their travel strategically to avoid the tolls which would result in a larger volume of vehicles using the existing State Highway 1 and local roads instead “This could lead to more vehicles on the less safe existing state highway and increase maintenance costs of the local road network which may have an impact on Horowhenua ratepayers and residents.” Wanden said there will be many benefits to having the new highway “The new highway will provide a safer and more efficient transport route for all road users and be transformational in supporting economic growth and development not only in our district but across the wider region.” He said the new highway will also remove a large portion of heavy vehicles from Oxford St in Levin fumes and unpleasant smells caused by heavy traffic Wanden said the new highway will also bring jobs and opportunities to the region - “as we know a wide range of services and skills will be required during construction” He said it was not unexpected for tolls to be proposed on Ō2NL given the Government’s Policy Statement for Land Transport has explicitly outlined the intent to toll roads of national significance “Our role is to advocate on behalf of our community and we’ll be focusing on highlighting any potential impacts on our communities Our submission will address these issues and seek solutions that best serve our community.” Kāpiti mayor Janet Holborow also saw plenty of benefits from the new highway saying Kāpiti Coast District Council supported the new highway and the improved access and benefits it will bring to the district and wider region but it was not supportive of the toll proposal in her submission on behalf of the council listed four main issues – safety and resilience She said residents of Ōtaki and the surrounding area should be able to travel safely on a resilient highway available to them in all circumstances “It is inappropriate to toll a road which is being built for safety purposes the current highway and future ‘alternative’ road is considered one of the most unsafe roads in the country.” She said many people living along Ō2NL already experience deprivation “The transport links between Ōtaki and Levin are particularly crucial for the people of Ōtaki to access health services police and Ministry of Social Development service areas so they need to be able to safely and freely access services.” She said there are also many people on fixed and lower incomes living in Ōtaki for whom the cost of using the new expressway will be prohibitive if the tolls go ahead Ōtaki MP Tim Costley said the New Zealand Transport Agency is considering tolls for several new roads being built across New Zealand “Ō2NL is one of just 17 projects we’ve committed to Current consultation covers three roads across the North Island and runs for another week.” He said New Zealand had a massive infrastructure deficit “If we don’t find ways to fund future projects then we’ll be back where we were for the last six years under Labour After six years of cancellations and doubt we finally have certainty that National will build Ō2NL and start in the next year.” He said as “much as we all love free stuff people tell me they just want the road to get built” Tolling is one option to ensure we can commit not just to Ō2NL but to developing our new expressway network further.” Costley said the proposed tolls weren’t on the whole expressway “The most common feedback I’ve had is that people understand the need to fund new roads and they’d rather pay a couple of dollars and get a brand new There will always be the option to drive the current road for free regardless of what NZTA decides on tolls.” He said excitement is high about seeing work begin next year “I’m proud that we are a Government building new infrastructure and investing in our Horowhenua-Kāpiti region “I encourage everyone to have their say through submissions This isn’t a situation where Tim’s opinion is the most important consultation is a chance for everyone to have a say before submissions close on Monday There have now been three men charged with murder Ōtaki and surrounding communities could be split off from vital resources they depend on - or hit in the pocket - if a planned toll goes ahead on State Highway 1 Yesterday the government announced the Ōtaki to north of Levin highway and two other new highways (the Penlink highway in North Auckland and the Takitimu North Link) will be tolled - taking the number of tolled roads in New Zealand from three to six But apart from one other road - which is dangerous - the Ōtaki community depends on SH1 to be able to travel north Kāpiti Coast District Mayor Janet Holborow said The closest large centres to Ōtaki and its surrounding communities are north - Levin and Palmerston North And Ōtaki is part of what was the former MidCentral DHB region so its residents use Palmerston North Hospital The lack of alternatives to the tolled road means residents will be hit hard in the pocket There are no public transport options offered on the route (Though the Capital Connection return train service does operate on weekdays it only runs once a day.) "The northern part of our district has a lot of people on low or fixed incomes so these tolls will be unaffordable for a lot of people and they don't have access to public transport options as an alternative So it'll have a huge impact on those people living in Ōtaki," Holborow said Working from home was not an option for most people so many people travelled along the route to get to and from work Residents should not be penalised for using the new highway "The Ōtaki community board is certainly concerned about this as well and it's a widespread concern in the community that there isn't a good range of public transport options "We've got some new trains coming but they're about five years away and until then there isn't really even a public transport option so they need to be able to travel on the new safe road for free," Holborow said The alternative road is the current State Highway 1 - which has some of the country's most dangerous sections of road and has had 49 deaths and serious injuries in the five years to 2017 The mayor of Palmerston North, Grant Smith, previously called the section of road one of the most dangerous in the country "We're going to be working hard to make sure if we can't reverse this decision that the alternative road will be made as safe and high quality as possible because at the moment it's not really a viable alternative," Holborow said she wants to engage in talks with the government about Ōtaki's situation Site investigation earthwork and test trials have begun on the Ōtaki to north of Levin highway project The Transport Agency website described the new highway as a 'vital transport link' for the area, which would "dramatically improve safety" and be more resilient Public consultation on the tolls ended in October The new highways in the North Island will become the first new toll roads in years The government its expanding Roads of National Significance to regional routes Horowhenua locals are still in limbo nearly a decade on from promises of an expressway to replace a dangerous stretch of State Highway 1 north of Wellington No plan to build an expressway in Horowhenua has disappointed mayors and council chairs in Manawatū-Whanganui region Wellingtonians heading up the Kapiti Coast for the holidays are in for an early Christmas present The ribbon had been cut on the long-awaited expressway from Peka Peka to Otaki is recovering from a brain injury after he was involved in a motorbike crash on Ōtaki Beach on November 6 Pru and Marc Simpson said of their 19-year-old son’s condition Charlie hopped on a friend’s motorbike to have a turn At 8pm he was involved in a crash with a ute As sirens blared across the small North Island town kept Charlie’s airway open to prevent further brain damage until other emergency services arrived Charlie was put in an induced coma and flown to Wellington Hospital thumb and rib and had 12 different lines and tubes put into him A Givealittle page has been set up for Charlie to help support him during his recovery A police spokesman said enquiries into the incident were ongoing “Police continue to appeal for witnesses of the crash to come forward and speak to us as work to determine the full circumstances of the crash continues.” Charlie’s parents Pru and Marc were in New York at the time of the incident They had spent two years saving up for the trip which coincided with their 20th wedding anniversary and the New York Marathon Pru had been training hard for They were woken early in the morning by a bang on their hotel room door before their world instantly changed They cancelled their holiday plans and went to San Francisco to get on the next flight to New Zealand that night They were also worried about their three teenage daughters at home trying to deal with “an incredibly traumatic situation thinking their brother wasn’t going to make it” The couple eventually managed to get to Charlie’s bedside three days after the incident The family was confronted by doctors who said they needed to consider the type of life Charlie would want to lead and prepared them for a range of scenarios including the possibility he was brain-dead Charlie was in the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit for 13 days his ventilation tube was removed and he was able to say he needed a drink taking two steps forward and one step backwards like when Charlie contracted pneumonia from being on the mechanical ventilator Charlie is currently awake for about five hours a day Even learning to stand again is exhausting He gets confused about what month it is but most of the time he gets the year right His last memory is going on a tramp with one of his college friends which was about a month ago Charlie is possibly facing years of recovery but no one knows for sure what lies ahead because people experience serious brain injuries so differently “That’s what’s really tough- we can’t control or plan for the future because we don’t know what that future will look like” Marc said the local community has rallied around them and that reflected how loved Charlie is “We’ve had people mowing our lawns and providing food Marc said he is a gentle giant who is always willing to help people out “I know he‘s our son but lots of people have said the same thing.” Charlie won an award at college for completing more than a thousand hours of community service he secured council funding for a community garden when he was just 14 years old and he is a Land Search and Rescue New Zealand volunteer he has been doing farmwork and has found joy working outdoors in the bush and the hills Ōtaki MP Tim Costley said he first met Charlie when he was at Ōtaki College and described the Simpsons as a great community family “I was gutted to hear about Charlie’s accident he’d just organised for me to go out with him and the Rural Worx team and learn to shear a sheep which we would have been doing this week if he was well.” Costley encouraged people to contribute to Charlie’s Givealittle page this Christmas if they were able to prayers and best wishes are with Charlie and his whole family as they navigate the road to recovery.” Marc anticipated the biggest challenge for Charlie would be his reduced capacity for the active lifestyle he once enjoyed It’s hoped Charlie will be transferred from the hospital to the ABI Rehabilitation centre in Porirua next week where he is expected to remain until the new year Marc encouraged people on motorbikes to wear a helmet and to be careful is that young men and young women just take the time to consider the context and the risk before doing things that’s the big thing that we’d like to see.” Anyone with information about the crash should contact police via 105 Georgina Campbell is a Wellington-based reporter who has a particular interest in local government She joined the Herald in 2019 after working as a broadcast journalist The only high-reach ladder truck in Auckland broke down last night Police are continuing to look for an Ōtaki man and his dog David McHaffie and his pet Ropey were reported missing from Kaitawa Road in Ōtaki Forks Police said Land Search and Rescue would be assisting them in the search on Monday They urged the Ōtaki township and Ōtaki Gorge Road community to check their properties outbuildings and any CCTV footage they might for the pair McHaffie was last seen at around 7am on Saturday morning wearing a green jacket and blue sweatpants A man missing in Ōtaki Forks since Saturday has been found after his dog led rescuers to him Police said search teams located David McHaffie and his dog Police had received reports of a dog barking in the Ōtaki Gorge area during their three-day search Search and Rescue called out to the dog after hearing barking and were able to find him The search team found McHaffie a short distance away by following Robey's footprints Sergeant Marcus Fellerhoff said it was unlikely the man would have been found if it were not for his dog "Robey deserves a lot of credit in the locating and safe return of his owner he was given some food and water and walked out of the bush with his rescuers." McHaffie was taken to Wellington Hospital via helicopter to be medically assessed Police said the family had expressed gratitude for the efforts of Search and Rescue Police and other members of the public who assisted with the search He was last seen at around 7am on Saturday morning wearing a green jacket and blue sweatpants A person has been flown to hospital with serious injuries after a being hit by a vehicle at a property in Wairarapa The person was hit on a private property on the Masterton-Castlepoint Road in Tinui and was later taken to Wellington Hospital in a serious condition While another two people are also in hospital following a crash that flipped a car into a paddock in Manawatū Emergency services responded to the two-vehicle crash on State Highway 57 near Levin at 9.30am The road was closed for approximately an hour and a half Fire and Emergency said no one was trapped but one of the vehicles was found upside down in a paddock St John said crews assessed seven people and transported two patients to hospital with minor and moderate injuries the Transport Agency and motorists are reporting heavy traffic travelling north between Ōtaki and Levin on State Highway 1 A motorist spoken to by RNZ said traffic on the 110km/h expressway was down to a 10km/h crawl and guessed it would take about an hour to travel from Ōtaki to Levin the Transport Agency estimated a 28 minute travel time Firefighters want an inquiry into a fatal house fire in Ōtaki to determine whether the fastest best-equipped fire truck went and if there is a wider problem Volunteer firefighters got to the house in 15 minutes on 21 July and pulled two people out While several other volunteer trucks got there within minutes the full-time Paraparaumu fire engine was not called until two hours later The Professional Firefighters' Union (PFU) is calling for an investigation into why the truck seems to have been sidelined "Why was the quickest/fastest appliance .. removed on certain PDAs [pre-determined attendances] on the coast and for what reasons?" a Paraparaumu officer asked on 10 September in emails RNZ has obtained when it was made and [what was] the basis for that decision?" the PFU asked Fire and Emergency National secretary Wattie Watson said it was not suggesting the fatalities could have been avoided but the stakes for the community were too high not to ask the question FENZ told the union: "There was no error in the way this call was handled." It also told RNZ on Monday: "We dispatch crews who can respond the fastest to an incident whether they are volunteer or career." The agency had analysed the Ōtaki response The volunteer and full-time brigades in Kāpiti overlap Documents show the volunteers have resisted changes to response plans - made as highway layouts changed - in 2018 and again in 2020 Volunteers had been told there was no problem with their response times or skills "We don't want paid crews anywhere near here," one volunteer Waikanae officer was quoted saying in 2020 The United Fire Brigades Association (UFBA) and it had not lobbied recently for changes to what trucks went where It rejected the PFU's call for an investigation they actually did effect a rescue and got two elderly people out of the property," UFBA chief executive Bill Butzbach said The chief fire officers at both Waikanae and Ōtaki both declined to comment FENZ said the Ōtaki volunteer brigade who made the rescue and the full-time Paraparaumu Fire Station had the same breathing apparatus for their crews But the professionals' union said an investigation had to look into if the Kāpiti response plan had been changed that should trigger a closer look "to prevent critical decisions being made on a parochial basis in the future FENZ told RNZ it had regularly reassessed the Kāpiti response plan as road layouts changed - three stretches of new highway have opened since 2017 Documents and emails around the change proposal in 2020 show one professional firefighter saying: "A few have tried to get this over the line and failed." The proposal essentially envisaged Paraparaumu's full-time engine being the routine second truck at a fire as opposed to a second volunteer fire engine The Waikanae brigade said the proposal's benefit would be "marginal - maybe a few seconds either way" getting to an emergency "It is utterly soul destroying to a trained volunteer when an emergency does occur locally and the career resource is preferred responded and utilised in preference," they said "The long-term effect is that volunteers won't offer their time in preference and will resign." Another note said: "Otaki agrees with this and there was a fear raised that if staff know a paid truck is coming they may consider not responding due to being busy at work." An assistant commander replied that the proposal was "in no way designed to belittle reduce or change what volunteers do for their communities" It was about full-time crews "enhancing" volunteer efforts Another of the region's volunteer chiefs commented: "We all need to take a good long look at ourselves to work in together and back each other up for the greater good." A firefighter told RNZ that even single minutes counted The emails show the United Fire Brigades Association complained in March 2020 but FENZ told RNZ on Monday the complaint was resolved Butzbach said full-time crews were there to support volunteers who made up 86 percent of firefighters New highways can pose problems with limited exit or u-turn points for fire engines FENZ said there had been formal talks about this at a national level fire engines were sent from either end of a highway emergency access points made things easier Ngamata-A-Tumu Stuart and Earl Robert Stuart have been named by family as those killed in the house fire A bedroom was alight when crews first arrived The building has been reduced to its frame as crews battle the third fire in the Kāpiti town this past week Smoke could be seen from several kilometres away Scam alerts: we’ve seen an increase in scam texts and emails claiming to be from us, asking for payments.Check our example scams or report a scam to us NZTA App: our mobile app provides a simple and secure way to access your driver licence and vehicle information.Learn more and download the NZTA app it seems you were trying to access a page that doesn't exist Please check the spelling of the URL you were trying to access and try again Website intended for a New Zealand health professional readership aperrott@nzdoctor.co.nz Reporter Alan Perrott talks to a kaupapa Māori provider with dreams of transforming the wellbeing of its community Kia ora and welcome to New Zealand Doctor Rata Aotearoa Not a subscriber? Unlock this article by subscribing here. Hall discusses the evaluation of thyroid nodules which primarily aims to determine the likelihood of malignancy He then reviews the treatment of thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer New Zealand Doctor Rata Aotearoa Online is intended for a New Zealand health professional readership. Use of this site implies acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Statement New Zealand Doctor Rata Aotearoa Online is not a consumer medical advice service Consumers should seek advice from a health professional and not act in reliance on any statement contained in the information provided Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency is seeking public input into proposals to set permanent new speed limits on State Highway 1 between Ōtaki and Levin We want everyone who uses our roads to get to where they’re going safely People dying or being seriously injured on our roads is preventable Something we can do to save lives and prevent serious injuries is set safer speed limits We’re implementing several safety improvements on State Highway 1 between Ōtaki and Levin These improvements include new median barriers and turnaround points south of Manakau and side barriers and painted wide centrelines south of Ōhau we completed safety improvements at Kuku that included removal of the passing lanes in both directions painted wide centrelines and widened shoulders We also improved the road surface and installed safe-hit posts and rumble strips Alongside these infrastructure safety improvements we’re reviewing speeds between Ōtaki and Levin to make sure the speeds are safe for the road and surrounding environment it’s what will most likely determine whether someone is killed Everybody makes mistakes so we need a transport system that is designed so these mistakes don’t cost lives That’s why we’re proposing some new speeds for this road Formal consultation on the new speed limit proposals is required under the Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits (2017) and others about making State Highway 1 between Ōtaki and Levin safer We’ve heard that speeds in some sections feel too high to be safe Many people have commented on the speed in Ohau Others have commented on the appropriate speeds for Manakau bridge and the two bridges past Kuku In the past five years (2017–2021) there have been 15 people who have died in crashes on this stretch of road and a further 44 people who’ve suffered serious injuries we think the following would be safer speeds on this section of road: From 460m north of Roslyn Road to 80m north-east of Tyne Street From 80m north-east of Tyne Street to Bath Street intersection From Bath Street intersection to 220m south of Cambridge Street south From 220m south of Cambridge Street South to 150m south of Muhunoa East Road From 150m south of Muhunoa East Road to 150m north of Waikawa Beach Road From 150m north of Waikawa Beach Road to 180m south of the intersection with the railway underpass road linking to Honi Taipua Street From 180m south of the intersection with the railway underpass road linking to Honi Taipua Street to 380m west of Pukehou Overbridge From 380m west of Pukehou Overbridge to Taylors Road intersection* *Installation of median barrier sections with designated turnaround facilities Formal consultation on new speed limit proposals is required under the Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limit (2017)(external link) This was an opportunity to have your say before decisions on the speed limits for this road are made by Waka Kotahi Submissions closed at 5pm on Wednesday 15 June 2022 More information about speed and the speed review process is available on the ‘Speed Management’ webpage Speed management Project maps as lodged for Notices of Requirement and resource consents in November 2022 and updated in December 2023 Download the KMZ files [ZIP, 7 MB] Refer to RMA applications page for PDF maps of the Ō2NL project View downloadable map [PDF, 79 KB] Partnering with Muaūpoko and hapū from Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga key stakeholders and Councils to continue the technical investigations to identify the preferred alignment of the new highway From this mahi we have developed preliminary concept designs for the new highway which we are sharing with you While we have a long way to go from our current design to complete we’ve developed core design principles which will continue to guide our work Waka Kotahi has announced the preferred alignment of the new Ōtaki to north of Levin highway which has been assessed as the optimal location for the road from our work to date Site investigations and design work over the last two years have provided increasing confidence in the location of the new highway This work included feedback from property owners stakeholders and the wider community when we announced the draft preferred alignment in August 2020 and the refined draft preferred alignment in March 2021 The preferred alignment map below shows preliminary concept design lines of the new highway and shared user path the 300m-wide preferred corridor we announced in December 2018 has been removed from the plans – as we have increased certainty about where the road will go The preferred alignment will be used as a basis to prepare the road designation Notice of Requirement and resource consent applications in 2022 Further adjustments will be needed as Waka Kotahi completes this work and completes land requirement plans Waka Kotahi has announced the refinements to the draft preferred alignment of the new Ōtaki to north of Levin highway These refinements follow the draft preferred alignment announced in August 2020 within the 300m-wide preferred corridor announced in December 2018 Waka Kotahi has made adjustments to the draft alignment in a number of areas The most recent update is known as the ‘refined draft preferred alignment’ Technical investigations are continuing on the corridor and this along with property owner feedback will inform any further adjustments to the alignment this will be considered for adoption as the final preferred alignment The next stage of design includes factors such as road elevation and key structures and understanding environmental and social effects such as possible noise or visual impacts The draft preferred alignment represents the technically best performing option based on work across multiple fields environmental and social impacts and ability to implement Following feedback and further technical assessments and fieldwork refinements to the draft preferred alignment Waka Kotahi will consider refinements to the draft preferred alignment by early 2021 This will then be considered for adoption as the final preferred alignment later in 2021 View larger map [PDF, 20 MB] We will be updating the aerial map periodically as more updated information becomes available A second person has died after being rescued from a house fire in Ōtaki on the Kāpiti Coast A blaze broke out at a property on State Highway 1 just north of the town on Sunday night and firefighters arrived to find a bedroom alight announced on Facebook "with deep sadness" that those who died were her uncle and aunty "passed peacefully in the presence of her family" on Tuesday "We ask that you please be patient whanau as we navigate through this mamae." Fire and Emergency said crews pulled both occupants out of the house police confirmed one person had since died while the other was in a critical condition police said the second person had also died "The scene examination has been completed and the initial report from fire investigators indicates the fire was not suspicious," police said On hearing the news of the first person's death Kāpiti mayor Janet Holborow said the community would be hurting The community would come together to support the affected whānau She commended the firefighters who acted quickly to pull the pair out of the burning house A second person remains in a critical condition A man who had been missing on the Kapiti Coast since Saturday was found after his dog led rescuers to him. The man and his dog, called Robey, were last seen on Kaitawa Rd in Ōtaki Forks at about 7am on Saturday. Over three days of searching, police received several reports of a dog barking in the Ōtaki Gorge area. "On Monday afternoon, Search and Rescue located Robey, by calling out to him after hearing more barking," police said. "The search team were then able to follow Robey's footprints to locate the missing man a short distance away." The man was taken by helicopter to Wellington Hospital to be assessed. Sergeant Marcus Fellerhoff said it was "unlikely" the man would have been found without his dog. "Robey deserves a lot of credit in the locating and safe return of his owner. After he was found he was given some food and water and walked out of the bush with his rescuers. "The family have passed on their gratitude and praise for the efforts of Search and Rescue, police and other members of the public who assisted with the search." Search underway for Masterton man John Rafferty was last seen at Masterton Railway Station at about midday on May 4 New Zealand Victoria Uni law students to sit handwritten exams due to AI fears Professor Geoff McLay said he had become "increasingly worried that the embedding of artificial intelligence in many students' laptops" Man charged after gun allegedly fired in Masterton MSD office Police said it was believed to be an isolated incident with no wider risk to the public Crime and Justice Man's cigarette smuggling attempt stubbed out Customs said the body-packing of the more than 1600 cigarettes was "an attempt to defraud Customs revenue" Wellington Airport's giant eagles to depart terminal "They have been a huge success and travellers from around the world have loved admiring them." Wellington residents 'left in limbo' as power outages continue Thousands of homes lost power during the storm which battered the region this week Film industry anxiously awaits details on Trump's 100% movie tariff 7:17pm Search underway for Masterton man, 74, missing since Sunday 7:07pm Crooks, culture first order of business for Mike Bush in Victoria 7:05pm Charges filed against Woolworths over pricing, misleading specials 6:45pm Police, experts warn 'emerging risk' of 3D-printed firearms rising 6:33pm Trade war: Sir John Key's 'optimism' on Trump's next tariff moves 7:28pm 1Trade war: Sir John Key's 'optimism' on Trump's next tariff moves US woman who disappeared for more than six decades found safe Sole survivor of poisoned beef Wellington takes the stand Two men's shared name brings years of trouble and a hefty bill to one Bystanders prevent attempted abduction of Auckland primary student Photos: Lorde among stars at 2025 Met Gala A$AP Rocky and Rihanna also revealed they are expecting their third child. Two arrested over alleged plot targeting Lady Gaga concert in RioBrazilian police said they thwarted an alleged bomb attack planned for Lady Gaga's concert on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro. Lady Gaga rocks Copacabana Beach with free concert for over 2 million fansSun, May 4 Lorde announces new album name, dateThu, May 1 Kim Kardashian to testify in Paris trial over 2016 armed robberyMon, Apr 28 Chubby Checker, Outkast, Cyndi Lauper join Rock & Roll Hall of FameMon, Apr 28 Kim Kardashian to testify in Paris trial over 2016 armed robberyMon A search and rescue operation is underway for a Masterton man in his 70s missing since Sunday John Rafferty was last seen at Masterton Railway Station about midday on May 4 The 74-year-old did not board a train and left on foot about 20 minutes later Matheson said it was possible Rafferty was staying with a friend but police and loved ones "want to know he’s safe" and John doesn’t have his cell phone or wallet," he said A search team and a helicopter has been out looking for the missing man "We are really keen to know that he’s safe." Police have released an image from CCTV showing Rafferty on a station platform on the day of his disappearance He was wearing a blue jacket with 'NASA' written on the back Anyone who saw him was asked to contact police on 111 or online at 105 if there was Information after the fact A law student at Victoria University of Wellington said students had been "left in the lurch" after an announcement on Monday that said next month's exams for two law subjects would have to be handwritten also said a timetable had still not been provided he said he had become "increasingly worried that the embedding of artificial intelligence (AI) in many students' laptops makes ensuring that students' work is their own very difficult" He had hoped the university would have a technical solution although he hoped one would be available at the end of the year "This means that we will not be able to allow students to use laptops for exams next month," McLay wrote "I want to make this announcement as soon as possible so students have time to prepare for handwritten examinations." McLay added that there would be an exception for students with a disability that required them to use a keyboard The situation affected the LAWS 312 Equity and LAWS 334 Ethics exams The student said the announcement was stressful during an already stressful time a representative of the Victoria University of Wellington Law Students' Society said the Council of Legal Education had to be certain that everyone who passed the exams in Equity and Ethics deserved a pass (and did not cheat) "Previously in person invigilation has been sufficient to manage these concerns due to the increasing ability and sophistication of AI the faculty were concerned about the reliability of the exams leading to their decision to make the Equity and Ethics exams handwritten." The representative said the law students' society had expressed that students' preference was for typed exams — "reflecting how our professional lives will look" once it became clear that the faculty felt they needed to proceed with handwritten exams we emphasised that students should be informed as early as possible accessibility options should be made clear and exam content and timing should reflect the fact that many students have not done handwritten exams since high school and are not used to writing for extended periods of time." The representative added it was separate from the delay to the exam timetable Victoria University Provost Professor Bryony James said students' handwriting their exams meant the university could be confident that the results truly reflected the students' own knowledge and effort — free of any suggestion of the influence of AI James said she would ensure that no student was disadvantaged and was committed to working with students — including those with disabilities — who might need further support to participate in exams and final assessments as a result "As part of this undertaking the Faculty of Law will review this Trimester's exam results to ensure this cohort's performance is in line with previous years and confirm that students are not significantly impacted by this decision." President of Victoria University's Students' Association Liban Ali told Morning Report he was aware that this could happen as early as last year "It has been on the card as of last year I feel like there was something that was going to happen." Ali said the announcement had come at the wrong time and that the Students' Association were very concerned for students He said the Students' Association had engaged the Law Society and the faculty to determine the best way to support students He added that he would make sure that any changes were communicated early in the future rnz.co.nz A 25-year-old man has appeared in court after he allegedly fired a gun at another person inside a Ministry of Social Development office in Masterton yesterday Police were called to the incident on Lincoln Rd at around 12.40pm on Monday Wairarapa Area Commander Inspector Nick Thom said there were no reports of injuries from the incident "Following police's initial enquiries one person was taken into custody a short time later nearby." Cordons were put in place around the area and some staff were armed as a precaution Thom said it was believed to be an isolated incident with no wider risk to the public "Police would like to commend Ministry of Social Development staff for their prompt actions in following their lockdown procedures as this enabled police to provide a swift response to resolve this incident quickly." A 25-year-old man appeared in Masterton District Court today charged with unlawful possession of a firearm and conducting a dangerous act with intent to cause grievous bodily harm Wellington's famous eagles will take flight from the airport this week after 12 years in the terminal They will be replaced by a new display that is currently being kept under wraps Wellington Airport chief executive Matt Clarke said that the departure of the birds (and their passenger Gandalf) will be emotional for staff "They have been a huge success and travellers from around the world have loved admiring them After 12 years it's the right time for them to fly the nest “We’re working with Wētā Workshop on some exciting plans for a unique locally themed replacement to take their place." The eagles were created by Wētā Workshop as a tie-in with the Hobbit movies and unveiled in December 2013 Each bird weighs 1.2 tonnes and has a 15-metre wingspan Wētā Workshop co-founder and chief creative officer Richard Taylor said it's a "bittersweet moment" saying goodbye to them "There are many more stories to be told and we're looking forward to working with Wellington Airport on bringing a new chapter to life."  The eagles will be taken down and disassembled on Friday May 9 and placed into storage with long-term plans for them still yet to be decided "We’ll unveil what’s next later this year so keep watching the skies," Clarke said Tolkien fans will be relieved to know that Smaug the Magnificent will remain in the check-in area Frustration is mounting among residents in Wellington who have been without power since early Thursday but Wellington Electricity says some repairs will continue until the middle of next week Natasha Eagle and her two children have been coping without electricity at their Island Bay home for four days She said communication had been muddled and sparse and it was difficult having no idea whether restoration was hours or days away That view was backed up by Brooklyn resident Sean Keaney He said he and his family of five had been without electricity since midnight Thursday He said they were the only house in the street affected and an electrician had confirmed the problem was at the pole Keaney said communication from Wellington Electricity had been appalling "However there is absolutely no information for us and others like us I've called multiple times to be told 'we have no ETA' we don't have any information on when someone will be there' and when I pushed and asked to talk to someone to escalate this was told they 'don't want to talk to you and you can make a complaint when it's all resolved' "This is appalling communication from Wellington Electricity - they will have a schedule of work and an idea of when they could be out to fix but refusing to share it as our family of five approach 60 hours without electricity not knowing how long it will be and unable to plan." venting frustration about the lack of communication and updates from Wellington Electricity Wellington Electricity said it was progressively restoring power to single-premise outages - with faults being prioritised by how long they had been out "After the strongest winds in a decade lashed the Wellington region on Thursday Wellington Electricity has restored power to the bulk of affected customers," it said in a statement to RNZ on Sunday afternoon adding that 8000 customers had been impacted "Crews have worked 14-hour days since Thursday managing safety with regular check-ins and roster rotations to manage fatigue." "Wellington Electricity anticipates restoring the bulk of its remaining customers without power by Monday evening however further repairs will be necessary including streetlight circuit restoration." Anyone without power who has not been contacted should call their electricity retailer directly so repair crews can be dispatched to restore supply "Wellington Electricity acknowledges the extended disruption these outages have caused and thanks customers for their continued patience while final restoration work is completed." rnz.co.nz The next top cop of the troubled Victoria police force embraces his "outsider" status to curb its leadership malaise and has a stern warning for crooks Former New Zealand Police commissioner Mike Bush won the race to become Victoria's chief commissioner after months of top-level staffing woes The 40-year police veteran steps into the role on June 27 with a five-year contract The Kiwi conceded the job will be no picnic with Victoria's crime rate hitting an almost decade-high in 2024 everyone knows that," he told reporters today "These crime issues are actually global they are quite similar wherever you go but it's not good enough just to turn up after the act Rising youth crime and high-profile cases of alleged offenders committing crimes while on bail spurred the Victorian government to strengthen laws in March Bush said he was familiar with the crackdown but bail laws were just one part of the solution to tackling youth crime along with a "prevention mindset" He retired from the NZ police force in 2020 after joining in 1978 and spending his final six years in the top job Whakaari/White Island volcano eruption and Covid-19 pandemic were among the biggest crises Bush confronted during his tenure Bush also made headlines in 2022 after it emerged he had a past drink-driving conviction when unsuccessfully applying to become head of the UK's Metropolitan Police Former New Zealand police minister Stuart Nash describedr Bush as hard but fair He said Bush regularly met with police forces across the Tasman in his previous role and recalled travelling with him to every district across New Zealand once a year to chew the fat with communities and then we all had biscuits and a cup of tea," Nash told AAP "Mike is someone who had deep credibility in policing." The state government has not handed the reins of Victoria Police to an outsider since former NSW Police assistant commissioner Christine Nixon in 2001 The Kiwi was happy to wear the "outsider" tag and is already hatching plans to hit the ground running "I've got a lot to do to come up to speed," Bush said "Culture is a consequence of leadership." establishing relationships with community groups amid rising tensions and increasing police visibility on the beat were among his other top initial priorities Victoria Police was thrust into leadership turmoil in February with a no-confidence vote from officers costing chief commissioner Shane Patton his job Emergency Management Commissioner Rick Nugent became acting chief and expressed an interest in making the move permanent before throwing in the towel in April Deputy Commissioner Robert Hill will serve in an acting capacity until Bush takes over Bush intends to speak with Patton before starting and said he wouldn't shy away from pushing back if he disagreed with the government Premier Jacinta Allan said a recruitment agency was hired and instructed to find a leader capable of addressing the "challenges" plaguing the force "Mike Bush is the best person for the job," she said whose union led the no-confidence vote against Patton following a bitter pay dispute admitted there was a disconnect between members and leaders The state police union secretary welcomed Mr Bush's appointment and pledge to listen to the mounting workforce concerns "We have a police force that is currently under-resourced that needs fresh officers," he said The Commerce Commission has filed criminal charges against Woolworths NZ for alleged inaccurate pricing and misleading specials that may have breached the Fair Trading Act The commission filed the charges against Woolworths in the Auckland District Court It indicated in December last year that it would be filing separate criminal charges against Woolworths and two Pak'nSave supermarkets the commission said there were ongoing issues with pricing in the supermarket sector and the operators may have breached the Fair Trading Act deputy chair Anne Callinan said operators should know what the expectations were "Supermarkets have long been on notice about the importance of accurate and clear pricing and specials and we're not satisfied with the continuing issues we're seeing across the industry "Pricing accuracy is a consumer right and an expectation of a competitive market well-resourced businesses that should invest the time and effort to get pricing and promotions right." She said the charges were filed to remind all supermarkets that they are expected to fix the pricing accuracy issues and implement better processes In a statement when the charges were announced Woolworths managing director Spencer Sonn said it was important customers could trust prices advertised at their supermarkets Woolworths said it has cooperated with the Commerce Commission's pricing investigation for some time rnz.co.nz Former prime minister Sir John Key says he remains optimistic about Donald Trump's domestic economic policy despite opposing the tariff strategy that has sent global markets into turmoil in recent months who served as prime minister for eight years was the keynote speaker at an Auckland business summit earlier today Sir John told 1News he believed Trump would ultimately take a more moderate approach to tariffs than initially proposed "I'm not a fan of tariff policies I don't think they really work," he said as I think the stock market is telling you at the moment that actually there will be a more sensible landing place for the tariffs that he's wanting to impose." Sir John said he "wasn't entirely surprised" at Trump's call to go ahead with the policy "They're just a negotiating point I think he simply put on widespread and high rates of tariffs on every country to give himself a leverage point and a negotiating point "What I think he actually grossly underestimated was the stock market reaction You can actually make the case that his own strategy hasn't worked The reason the markets have recovered is because he's taken those tariffs off the most part 'I'm going to negotiate case by case'." Sir John suggested Trump's economic policies could still generally be positive for the US but the tariffs could be trickier for the global economy Asked whether he stood by his October comments that Trump would be good for the economy he said: "Do I think he's going to reduce regulatory burden in the United States It depends on where things shake down in terms of tariffs." Sir John acknowledged that for certain industries Trump's policies could be "a really negative thing" particularly if the president's proposed 100% tariff on the film industry were to be implemented "I can't see how it would be cost-competitive to make a movie in New Zealand with a 100% tariff on it," he said noting that films such as The Hobbit would not have been made in New Zealand without government subsidies who now served as a director of US tech company Palo Alto Networks said he had "always been opposed" to Trump's tariff policies but believes they won't be the "dominant part of his economic solutions" "I don't think it's perfect from New Zealand's point of view but I don't think we should panic either and America will still be a very big market for us to sell things to," he said "There are growing markets around the world It's not a great thing from New Zealand's point of view We've got a very sound economy with lots of options in front of us." Sir John suggested a belief that the Republican Trump was was better "on balance" for the US economy than Democratic opponent Kamala Harris he expressed concerns about Trump's tariff approach: "China doesn't pay those tariffs middle-income consumers or consumers in America do because when a tariff goes on a good that you bring into a country He added: "I don't agree with the massive tariffs and I don't think you'll follow through with all of that and I certainly don't agree with this view on trade." Audrey Backeberg disappeared from a small city in south-central Wisconsin after reportedly hitchhiking with her family’s babysitter and catching a bus to Indianapolis Nobody ever knew where she went or what happened to her All that changed last week when she was found alive and safe in another state thanks to the fresh eyes from a deputy who took over the case in February Detective Isaac Hanson discovered an out-of-state arrest record that matched Backeberg which triggered a series of investigative moves that led to finding her alive and safe in another state Turns out Backeberg chose to leave the town of Reedsburg on her own accord – likely due to an abusive husband safe and secure; And just kind of lived under the radar for that long,” he said Hanson was assigned the case in late February and he and other officials met with Backeberg’s family to see if they had a connection with that region They also started digging through Backeberg's sister's Ancestry.com account obituaries and marriage licenses from that region they found an address where a woman was living that Hanson said shared a lot of similarities with Backeberg including date of birth and social security number Hanson was able to get a deputy from that jurisdiction to go to the address "I was expecting the deputy to call me back and say ‘Oh nobody answered the door.’ And I thought it was the deputy calling me I could sense that she obviously had her reasons for leaving.” Most of the information he learned during that call he declined to share saying that it was still important to Backeberg that she not be found “I think it overwhelmed her of course with the emotions that she had having a deputy show up at her house and then kind of call her out and talk with her about what happened and kind of relive 62 years in 45 minutes,” he said Hanson described discovering her safe after more than six decades practically unheard of And while he doesn't know what will happen next in terms of her family reconnecting he said he was happy that she can reach out if she wants to so she has my contact number if she ever wants to reach out or needs anything any phone numbers of family members back here," he said "Ultimately she kind of holds the cards for that.” Shane William Pritchard has been charged with crimes he didn’t commit and chased for debts he doesn’t owe That’s because the Dunedin man is not the only Shane William Pritchard in town While the duo’s shared name and age has sometimes been a handy loophole for one Shane for the other it has caused problems for 36 years It’s been years of fearing every knock on the door Years of wondering if he’ll be hand-cuffed and taken to jail to be honest,” says Shane William Pritchard a scout and a member of the Air Training Corp remembers getting quite a shock when her friend called one evening She'd been acting as a referee for a gun licence for Shane whose friend informed her that the police had a long list of offences against Shane’s name Not long after that the police turned up to where Shane was working at the local tannery to arrest him “You're scrambling in your head to think of ways that you can prove it's not you.” Another Shane William Pritchard had been born in Otago They were separated by just two weeks and about 50 miles – one growing up in Mosgiel the other in Milton – but also by the lives they’d been leading To watch the full video story go to TVNZ+ Shane from Milton had huge problems focusing at school He was raised in foster care and then boys’ homes I just wanted to look cool and get in trouble,” he tells Fair Go Milton Shane was used to run-ins with police he got pulled over in his car and asked about his driving licence one’s got a licence and the other hasn’t.’ And I’m like ‘obviously it must be the one with a licence’.” he went to his bank to draw out an ACC payment and was asked which bank account was his He says that at that point he was trying to figure out what was going on “I thought it was just an error.” But he took advantage of the situation and withdrew a large sum of cash Mosgiel Shane became aware of the withdrawal when a scheduled car payment was declined and when Milton Shane turned up at the bank to withdraw more money Identity fraud was considered but Milton Shane was legitimately expecting an ACC payment so the withdrawal appeared to be a genuine mistake and the police couldn’t take any action 'Anything I could get away with Mosgiel Shane thought the bank incident would have alerted police to the problem But his nemesis had cottoned on to the advantages of having a second identity to use Milton Shane acquired a suite of furniture on hire-purchase Milton-Shane clocked up more driving offences Mosgiel Shane thought about changing his name but realised he’d have to provide his previous name in the process the courts and debt collectors such as Baycorp should be able to distinguish between himself and Milton Shane The police first addressed the issue in the 1990s after Mosgiel Shane went to the media He was given a letter to carry with him should he be apprehended He and his parents felt his situation wasn’t being taken seriously Mosgiel Shane went to the media a second time in the mid-2000s the police gave their word that a record in their system would stop the misidentification from happening again This does appear to have worked as far as police action goes But while Mosgiel Shane was given the same reassurance by the Ministry of Justice he continued to receive demands from the courts for unpaid fines He’d also get stopped and questioned whenever he left the country for work trips or holidays It took a huge toll on Mosgiel Shane’s mental health not realising the constant stress it placed on his life John Pritchard says that at times his son felt his life wasn’t worth living worrying about what he was going to do to himself and that really ate me up.” he and his son were in tears as Shane admitted he was at breaking point He described going for days at a time unable to eat or sleep wondering what might happen next "Am I going to be in a position where they've got me in handcuffs or I've got debt collectors coming to the door?" ...You're spiralling into this black hole." He started taking anti-anxiety medication which helped And events regarding Milton Shane seemed to settle Milton Shane was charged for fishing without a licence in Twizel and failing to comply with fisheries officers But a court registrar incorrectly entered the birth date of Mosgiel Shane in the system both Shanes were being chased to pay the $1530 fine It was Mosgiel Shane who spotted the error and rang the court He also sent a statement from his manager saying he’d not been fishing in Twizel that day The reply he got was to say he’d been given the wrong form and that they wouldn’t accept his proof They just wanted to know how I was going to pay the fine.” The first Milton Shane knew about this was when Fair Go told him Mosgiel Shane had been chased for the fine He was told to pay up or face the consequences feeling he shouldn’t have to pay good money to correct someone else’s mistake But it cost Mosgiel Shane over $5000 in legal fees and took months of back and forth between him “Why should anybody have to pay their own money to right somebody else's wrongs and prove who they are I’m sick and tired of proving who I am all the time.” He wanted the Ministry of Justice to take responsibility and reimburse him for his legal costs saying court staff such as the registrar in this case have immunity if they make mistakes such as the one made here and if I make a mistake and it's affecting my client that it's going to cost them money to rectify a mistake that I've made.” he deserves a million apologies from those guys,” she says Milton Shane told Fair Go he still gets in trouble but wants the other Shane to know he doesn’t use his birth date anymore And he had a message for him: “We’ve got to get it sorted for you so you can have a good life with you and your family because I’m trying to get my life together with my son and my grandson” He offers to meet to see if they can sort it out together but I’m not interested in meeting him,.” says Mosgiel Shane He says he doesn’t hold any grudges and accepts Milton Shane’s apology And he believes the only way for that to happen is for the courts and the Ministry of Justice to give him a guarantee that mix-ups won’t occur in the future Fair Go asked the Ministry of Justice to appear in person to apologise and provide reassurance to Shane of its plans to guard against these mistakes The Ministry declined our request to be on camera saying any comment on an individual case would compromise the independence of the courts as the Ministry operates separately But it did send a written apology directly to Mosgiel Shane It also admitted mistakes can occur in clerical records but said instructions were clear and the importance of getting things right had been emphasised to staff Mosgiel Shane isn’t totally convinced that’s the end of it “All I want is for the Ministry of Justice and the courts to do their job I'd like to live without this hanging over me all the time his criminal check has come back showing a clean slate A stranger allegedly tried to force an 8-year-old boy into a car outside an Auckland primary school yesterday before bystanders intervened and the man drove off Police confirmed they were investigating an incident from around 3pm on Monday outside Rowandale School in the suburb of Manurewa "Police are still working to understand exactly what was occurring at the time and our enquiries are ongoing," a spokesperson said "We have spoken with the boy and will continue to work through a careful process Rowandale School principal Karl Vasau said in a statement to social media that other parents had intervened "The student then made his way home and told his parents who then came into school to let us know and then they rung the police." Vasau told 1News the pupil was "doing fine" following the incident and was surrounded by a "supportive "Our student is safe now and his family are thankful that nothing further happened to their boy but are wanting us all to be aware and stay safe It's about working with that child to make them feel safe again but also looking forward to returning back to school with a little bit of normality." Police had reacted "pretty quickly" to the reports "They've been in this morning to touch base and connect the community police constables are going to come back to tomorrow to address the whole school in relation to what had happened and around keeping themselves safe before and after school." Increased police patrols would remain in the area after school from Wednesday Anyone with relevant information should contact police on 105 Lady Gaga gave a free concert Saturday night in front of 2 million fans who poured onto Copacabana Beach for the biggest show of her career (...) Thank you for making history with me,” Lady Gaga told a screaming crowd kicked off the show at around 22.10pm local time with her 2011 song Bloody Mary Cries of joy rose from the tightly-packed fans who sang and danced shoulder-to-shoulder on the vast stretch of sand Concert organisers said 2.1 million people attended the show switching between an array of dresses including one with the colours of the Brazilian flag Some fans – many of them young – arrived on the beach at the crack of dawn to secure a good spot “Today is the best day of my life,” said Manoela Dobes a 27-year-old designer who was wearing a dress plastered with a photograph from when she met Lady Gaga in the United States in 2019 Madonna also turned Copacabana Beach into a massive dance floor last year The large-scale performances are part of an effort led by City Hall to boost economic activity after Carnival and New Years’ Eve festivities and the upcoming month-long Saint John’s Day celebrations in June “It brings activity to the city during what was previously considered the low season – filling hotels and increasing spending in bars generating jobs and income for the population,” said Osmar Lima the city’s secretary of economic development in a statement released by Rio City Hall’s tourism department last month Rio’s City Hall said in a recent report that around 1.6 million people were expected to attend Lady Gaga's concert and that the show should inject at least 600 million reais (NZ$178.3 million) into Rio’s economy Similar concerts are scheduled to take place every year in May at least until 2028 Lady Gaga arrived in Rio in the early hours of Tuesday The city has been alive with Gaga-mania since as it geared up to welcome the pop star for her first show in the country since 2012 Rio’s metro employees danced to Lady Gaga’s 2008 hit song LoveGame and gave instructions for today in a video A free exhibition celebrating her career sold out While the vast majority of attendees were from Rio the event also attracted Brazilians from across the country and international visitors More than 500,000 tourists poured into the city in the days leading up to the show according to data from the local bus station and Tom Jobim airport Rio’s City Hall said in a statement yesterday made a cross-continent trip from Colombia to Brazil to attend the show “I’ve been a 100% fan of Lady Gaga my whole life,” said Serrano who was wearing a T-shirt featuring Lady Gaga’s outlandish costumes over the years the mega-star represents “total freedom of expression – being who one wants without shame” Rio officials have a history of organising huge concerts on Copacabana Beach Madonna’s show drew an estimated 1.6 million fans last year while 4 million people flooded onto the beach for a 1994 New Year’s Eve show by Rod Stewart in 1994 that was the biggest free rock concert in history sixteen sound towers were spread along the beach Rio state’s security plan included the presence of 3300 military and 1500 police officers Among those present were Lady Gaga admirers who remember their disappointment in 2017 when the artist cancelled a performance scheduled in Rio at the last minute due to health issues “She's the best artist in the world,” the 25-year-old said I love you” in Portuguese rose from the crowd behind him whose real name is Ella Yelich O'Connor which also displayed what appears to be the album cover art — an X-ray of a pelvis "100% written in blood," the website read The new album's announcement came a week after she released her latest single What Was That The song's music video was filmed at a mysterious pop-up event in New York City's Washington Square Park that was initially shut down by police. The event ended up going ahead after all, and fans who stayed got to hear the new song for the first time. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lorde (@lorde) It was the first sign of a follow-up to Lorde's previous album Her other albums were 2013's Pure Heroine and 2017's Melodrama she collaborated with British singer Charli XCX on a remix of Girl so confusing — on a re-release of the Grammy award-winning Brat Kim Kardashian thought she was going to be raped and killed when criminals broke into her bedroom in central Paris tied her up and stole more than US$6 million in jewellery 10 people will go on trial in Paris over the robbery abduction and kidnapping of the media personality and the concierge of the residence where she was staying during Paris Fashion Week the night of October 2 Kardashian’s lawyers said she will testify in person at the trial starting Monday and scheduled to run through May 23 "Ms Kardashian is reserving her testimony for the court and jury and does not wish to elaborate further at this time," they said "She has great respect and admiration for the French justice system and has been treated with great respect by the French authorities "She wishes the trial to proceed in an orderly fashion in accordance with French law and with respect for all parties to the case." In interviews and on her family’s reality TV show Kardashian has described being terrified as robbers pointed a gun at her In a 2020 appearance on David Letterman’s Netflix show she tearfully recalled thinking: "This is the time I’m going to get raped Twelve people were originally expected in the defendants’ box and another is seriously ill and can't be tried five of the 10 defendants were present at the scene of the robbery The French press has dubbed them The Granddad Robbers because the main defendants are elderly and have careers as bank robbers with long criminal records Kardashian told investigators she was taken to a bathroom next to her bedroom and placed in the bathtub Her attackers fled on bicycles or on foot and she managed to free herself by removing the tape from her hands and mouth She had also removed the tape from her feet and rushed to her stylist’s room She called her sister Kourtney to tell her about the theft Kardashian told investigators that she had not been injured adding that she wanted to leave France as soon as possible to be reunited with her children According to her testimony and that of the concierge at least one of the suspects had a handgun The gangsters stole many pieces of jewellery estimated to be worth more than US$6 million (NZ$10 million) Only one piece of jewellery — a diamond cross on platinum that was lost during the suspects' escape — has been recovered Two of the accused have partially confessed to the crime is one of two suspected robbers who allegedly entered the apartment his genetic profile was found on the tape used to gag Kardashian who was waiting for him in a parked car at a nearby train station The second robber said he tied up the concierge with cables but did not go up to Kardashian’s apartment said he acted as a lookout in the ground-floor reception area He said he was unarmed and did not personally threaten Kardashian but admitted he shared responsibility for the crime Abbas was arrested in January 2017 and spent 21 months in prison before being released under judicial supervision he co-authored a French-language book titled I Sequestered Kim Kardashian is the second alleged robber suspected of entering the flat although he was filmed by CCTV cameras and numerous telephone contacts with the other co-defendants show his involvement The other defendants are suspected of providing information about Kardashian’s presence in the apartment Others are accused of playing a role in the resale of the jewellery in Antwerp Joe Cocker and Bad Company will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — in a class that also includes pop star Cyndi Lauper the rock duo the White Stripes and grunge masters Soundgarden the first female rap act to achieve gold and platinum status and the late singer-songwriter Warren Zevon will get the Musical Influence Award pianist Nicky Hopkins and bassist Carol Kaye will each get the Musical Excellence Award who sang at Woodstock and was best known for his cover of The Beatles’ With a Little Help From My Friends a member of Elvis Costello & The Attractions who argued that Cocker is "about as rock and roll as it gets" Soundgarden — with the late Chris Cornell as singer — get into the Hall on their third nomination They follow two other grunge acts in the Hall — Nirvana and Pearl Jam Bad Company get in having become radio fixtures with such arena-rock staples as Feel Like Makin’ Love Can’t Get Enough and Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy The Ahmet Ertegun Award — given to nonperforming industry professionals who had a major influence on music — will go to Lenny Waronker Some nominees that didn't get in this year included Mariah Carey and subsequent Let’s Twist Again are considered among the most popular songs in the history of rock 'n' roll The 83-year-old has expressed frustration that he hadn't been granted entry before including telling the AP in 2014: "I don’t want to get in there when I’m 85 years old so you better do it quick while I’m still smiling." Lauper rose to fame in the 1980s with hits such as Time After Time and Girls Just Want To Have Fun and went on to win a Tony Award for Kinky Boots have six Grammys and a reputation for pushing the boundaries of hip-hop The White Stripes — made up of Jack White and Meg White — were indie darlings in the early 2000s with such songs as Seven Nation Army Artists must have released their first commercial recording at least 25 years before they’re eligible for induction The induction ceremony will take place in Los Angeles this fall Nominees were voted on by more than 1200 artists historians and music industry professionals The selection criteria include "an artist’s impact on other musicians the scope and longevity of their career and body of work as well as their innovation and excellence in style and technique" Dave Matthews Band and singer-guitarist Peter Frampton were inducted The men behind exceptional mare Orchestral have no concerns about her form but plenty about her race on a star-studded day at Ellerslie on Saturday Orchestral takes on El Vencedor and Konasana in the $500,000 Sport Nation Ōtaki-Māori Classic on Saturday weight-for-age feature being moved north to attract the best available field The change of venue has worked by attracting the big three at least two of whom would definitely not be starting if the race had remained at Ōtaki They are all last-start winners of elite races and on any normal day it would be the clear highlight of the programme Avondale Cup and Uncle Remus Stakes all serious races in their own right but they are also pivotal lead-ups to the NZ Derby Auckland Cup and the $3.5 million NZB Kiwi respectively those races all back at Ellerslie on March 8 The Guineas is one of the hottest Derby lead-ups in years Bourbon Proof and the unbeaten Oceana Dream as well as Victorian raider Thedoctoroflove The latter is trained by expat Kiwis Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young who along with Australian jockeys Daniel Moor and John Allen add transtasman intrigue to the meeting The meeting also boasts the Ciaron Maher-trained Interpretation in the Avondale Cup while the Uncle Remus – over 1400m for the three-year-olds – is an ideal lead-up to the NZB Kiwi and contains four horses already confirmed in the slot race While it sounds almost disrespectful calling high-quality races lead-ups with horses targeting the Champions Day on March 8 The $9m raceday is one few people in New Zealand racing have really got their heads around the enormity of yet The horses contesting the Uncle Remus on Saturday could be racing for 30 times that stake in the NZB Kiwi the Avondale Guineas contenders race for five times as much in the Derby and even Orchestral and El Vencedor will be racing for double Saturday’s $500,000 stake in the $1m Bonecrusher NZ Stakes on Champions Day but also because it is the best possible lead-in to the Bonecrusher,” says Robert Wellwood “Obviously we would love to win both and we think she can still win this week because she has definitely come on since winning the Aotearoa Classic “But she is also probably ideally looking for 2000m and that could be tricky in this race where she might get a fair way off her main rival El Vencedor “I see him staying handy to a likely leader in Belclare and having a big head-start on us so whether we can run him down might come down to tempo and also maybe how handy we can stay.” Orchestral has been notoriously relaxed bordering on lazy in the early stages of her races and Wellwood says while they would love to see her settle midfield outer on Saturday they are not counting on her changing her natural racing pattern The James/Wellwood stable have NZB Kiwi contender Dealt With drawn well in the Uncle Remus and he could even lead and get a long away in front of favourite Checkmate “He had a week at the water walker after the Karaka Millions Three-Year-Old and has come back great and we think if he runs straight he will be really hard to catch.” They also have unbeaten three-year-old Oceana Dream drawn 14 in the stacked Guineas where all the other favourites have drawn wide: Willydoit (12) “It could be a really niggly race with a lot of the big chances getting back and keeping an eye on each other we are going to know a lot more about what to expect on Champions Day after seeing what happens this week.” What: Both the Avondale Cup and Avondale Guineas feature but the meeting is also boosted by the Group 1 Sport Nation Ōtaki-Māori Classic being moved to Ellerslie Extra bonus: The Trevor and Corralie Eagle Uncle Remus Stakes is already a Listed race but doubles as a crucial NZB Kiwi lead-up Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990 He became the Herald’s Racing Editor in 1995 and covers the world’s biggest horse racing carnivals The Karaka yearling sales are a key economic driver for the New Zealand racing industry Tory Whanau launches Golden Mile project yesterday Become a Wellington.Scoop Supporter » A person has died following a house fire in Ōtaki on the Kāpiti Coast on Sunday night A blaze broke out at a property on State Highway 1 just north of the town, and firefighters arrived to find a bedroom alight. On Tuesday police confirmed one person has since died while the other remains in a critical condition "Further enquiries will be undertaken to determine the cause of the fire and the death will be referred to the Coroner." Kāpiti Mayor Janet Holborow said the community would be hurting One lane has been cleared and has been reopened for northbound traffic on State Highway 1 near the Ōtaki Gorge Rd off-ramp drivers can still expect significant delays as congestion is heavy on the Peka Peka to Ōtaki  expressway south of Ōtaki Drivers must allow extra time for their travel and should consider using old State Highway 1 to Ōtaki as an alternate route Updates on the highway’s status can be found on the NZTA/Waka Kotahi website: Drivers heading north on State Highway 1 can expect lengthy delays tonight as emergency services and contractors work hard to clear multiple crashes on the route A truck fire was reported just after five o’clock this evening affecting northbound traffic on the Peka Peka to Ōtaki  expressway south of Ōtaki There has been a subsequent multi-vehicle collision in the same area which is also affecting northbound drivers Lanes are blocked causing significant congestion and travel delays for those heading north Drivers are encouraged to take extreme care on the expressway and avoid the area and use old State Highway 1 to Ōtaki as an alternate route NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi works to create transport solutions for all New Zealanders – from helping new drivers earn their licences to leading safety campaigns to investing in public transport went missing in the Ōtaki Forks on Saturday and was located yesterday A black labrador named Robey has been credited with saving the life of his elderly owner who went missing in Tararua Forest Park. was among the searchers who credited Robey’s actions for drawing the team to McHaffie’s location where the pair were found around 5pm yesterday is a fit and active man and a “community personality” who went missing after heading out on what appeared to be a routine walk but he just went for a walk and didn’t stop walking The search initially focused on areas closer to McHaffie’s home as Stone and others suspected he might have veered off his driveway until reports of distant dog barks on Sunday spurred the search team to expand their efforts further up into the hills Stone said the terrain was challenging for the group of rescuers because [McHaffie is] 78 years old - but he’s quite fit and active Stone said the walk was roughly 40 minutes from McHaffie’s home He said McHaffie had likely been following the track he was meant to be on to return home but took a wrong turn at a fork and kept going downhill I think he’d only gone there to respond to our calls.” While some members of the group stayed with the dog Stone and a policeman followed Robey’s pawprints which Stone described as “a crease in the land” with a trickle of water where they found McHaffie on his back about 2.5m away lying sideways across the slope and quite damp in the trickle of water and hugged him to keep him warm until rescuers arrived and McHaffie was winched out of the ravine and transported to Wellington Hospital to be medically assessed and Robey was transported back to town on Stone’s side-by-side and then taken in by McHaffie’s neighbours for the night because it’s been raining up here this morning and it wouldn’t have been such a good time to find him in the cloud that’s been brought down today,” said Stone and search and rescue teams who helped throughout the search - as well as McHaffie’s daughter who made tea and coffee for everyone throughout the ordeal “They’re the backbone of our society really “These are just people like you and I giving up their lives to help others Sergeant Marcus Fellerhoff said it was unlikely the man would have been found if it wasn’t for his dog ”Robey deserves a lot of credit in the locating and safe return of his owner.” After Robey was found he was given some food and water and walked out of the bush with his rescuers ”The family have passed on their gratitude and praise for the efforts of Search and Rescue police and other members of the public who assisted with the search.” Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday. Denise Keegan (second from back left), whose family are behind the MI Turnbull Awards for the top students in Years11, 12, and 13, is pictured with Giorgio Bevan (back left), Denise Keegan, Joseph Byrne, and Louis Bevan; (front from left) Danielle Wong, Harriet Georgetti and Yilin Lyu. Louis Bevan is Ōtaki College dux for 2024. At an end-of-year senior prizegiving, he received the Ōtaki RSA Scholarship, the Fun Zone Scholarship and the Andrew Philips Cup for Dux. He also received the MI Turnbull Award for top Year 13 student. Louis intends studying mathematics at Canterbury University and has received a $5000 scholarship from the university for gaining an A+ pass in the 100-level paper he completed last year. He also received the Chairperson’s Award for all-round excellence, a Bruce Anderson Memorial Trust scholarship, an XŌtaki Alumni Trust scholarship and a Carla Hepplethwaite scholarship to assist with his university studies. Joseph (JT) Byrne was runner-up to dux and received the Wakefield Lawyers scholarship and cup for Proxime Accessit, and the MI Turnbull Award for second in Year 13. Next year he will begin an Outward Bound Leavers scholarship and will then take a gap year to take part in Camp America. Joseph will go on to study commerce at Victoria University in 2026. He received the Kevin Crombie Memorial Commerce Award and the PG Accountants scholarships to assist with his tertiary studies. Madeline Simpson was the Everiss Scholar. She will travel to England and Scotland for three weeks in February and will visit Robert Gordon’s College in Aberdeen, home of the Ōtaki Scholar. Then she will join the Air Force as a medic and there are already plans afoot for her to visit a Scottish Air Force base and a trauma unit in London. Madeline also received an Outward Bound Leavers scholarship, a Bruce Anderson Memorial Trust scholarship and an XŌtaki Alumni Trust-Defence Force scholarship. Sportsperson of the Year went to Ned Butler, top scholar in Year 12 was Yilin Lyu with Harriet Georgetti second, while the top Year 11 scholar was Giorgio Bevan followed by Danielle Wong. All four students received MI Turnbull awards. Also announced at prizegiving were the 2025 ngā ringa whero heads of school, who are Keita Broughton-Alp and Logan Boyer. Tauawhiawhi (deputy heads) are Harriet Georgetti and Haki Ropata. Ngā kaingārahu (associate heads of school) are Olivia Fogden, Logan Hughes, Mareikura Kaka, Kita Kanavatoa and Yilin Lyu. College principal Andy Fraser said the prizegiving was “something to be extremely proud of”. “It celebrated many outstanding academic achievements, which were acknowledged accordingly by students and whānau with haka and karanga.” He expressed his gratitude to everyone whose support contributed to the various awards that were presented. “In particular I wish to acknowledge the outstanding work of the XŌtaki Alumni in generating funding for both students and college projects. “I want to thank Max Lutz for his dedicated service as chairperson of the trust and acknowledge Scott Wylie who has recently taken on this role. “The generosity demonstrated through scholarships and awards was overwhelming and provides significant benefits to our recipients.” How Chelsea Gill created a family-friendly business. I'm trying to keep these emails to the highlights and either provide links for more info or if you come to any of the events in the 2025 calendar (see below) then you can dig into the details if you're keen We all need a bit of good news. Last year you might remember Newsroom wrote this article shocked that I would help a local decile 1 school in Levin A week ago I visited the school to see the new crossing I fought for I'm proud to be able to keep clocking wins for our community I'm already onto my next project for them It's a busy year so let's just get a few markers in the diary nice and early This Monday evening at the Ōtaki golf course will be a great night Ryan Hamilton (MP for Hamilton) is a fantastic speaker Our Annual Golf Tournament is back at Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club We've got a few great initiatives like auctioning some super-stars to join your foursome We all know that over the last six years our economy got trashed by too much spending and there is nothing productive to show for that But I also understand that you want to know what we have done and what we will do to fix it It is our ticket out of Labour's economic mess Our economy is turning the corner but we've still got some speed bumps to get over before we get into 3rd gear But what's the go with Labour saying things are worse that it was under them I thought it might be good to fact check some of these so this month I'm looking at unemployment Labour is blaming high unemployment (over 5%) on our Government and our policies At the pre-election update issued by Treasury we had the following forecasts for unemployment: it was to be 5.4% in 2025 the current forecast (HYEFU) is 5.4% for 2025 We are tracking slightly better than was predicted under Labour were quick to point out that their long-term forecasts (above) were below the long-term average of 5.8% that high spending leads to high inflation This is the historical pattern all over the world pattern (and the pattern we saw under the last three consecutive Labour Governments) High unemployment is due to Labour's mismanagement and it was forecast back then and that's exactly what has played out Our Government is taking sensible steps to cut wasteful spending reduce inflation (already at target levels) and interest rates so that over time our economy grows It is absolutely outrageous that Labour have been shown to have caused inflation and unemployment and now they stand back and watch on and pretend it's not their fault; they criticise us while we fix their mess This isn't about hiding from the facts or pointing the finger this is us facing up to the facts and fixing what every independent economist can see Labour caused Every week Mike Butterick (MP for Wairarapa) and I take turns at going head-to-head with someone from the Labour front bench on the Newstalk ZB political chat with Nick Mills. If you haven't heard it, the latest edition is here Flick me back an email and tell me if you think I won I've been at so many different events: The Horowhenua AP&I show Muaūpokotanga day with Iwi and about 400 teachers Rotary Club's Young Leaders programme Waitangi Day celebrations in Kāpiti and Horowhenua visiting local schools in Kāpiti and Horowhenua I've shared a few photos in this email You're welcome to invite me to your upcoming event, to meet with your group, club or organisation, or to visit your school or business. Send me an email, but please note my diary often fills up one or two months in advance. I hope your year has started well and I look forward to seeing you at one of our events very soon. Two people have been seriously injured in a house fire in fire Ōtaki on the Kāpiti Coast overnight Fire and Emergency said it received a report of the fire at 10.40pm on Sunday and found a rear bedroom alight when the first crews arrived Firefighters had to help the occupants get out two specialist crews and two support vehicles responded coming from surrounding areas and Wellington City St John said one person was taken to hospital in a critical condition and another in a serious condition The fire was put out shortly before 2.30am on Monday Specialist fire investigators would be at the scene later today Decontamination kits to guard firefighters from cancer are about to be issued but their union says more needs to be done FENZ is also planning to bring water tankers into the region if Wellington moves to level four restrictions Emergency services were called to the scene in rural Ōtaki after a man fell into a sewage tank A man who fell into a sewage tank and was stuck there for 20 minutes said he could have died if his dogs hadn’t raised the alarm Mark Humphrey was working on an orchard in rural Ōtaki on Friday when a septic tank lid he was standing on collapsed I was hanging on to a shovel and supporting myself with my arm and my feet braced inside the tank at a right angle,” Humphrey said He was waist-deep in sewage having managed to brace his body before becoming fully submerged Humphrey yelled for help and his dogs started barking The commotion alerted other people working further away on the orchard They rang emergency services as Humphrey felt himself slipping He instructed them to put a strop around him and attach the other end to a vehicle to support his weight Humphrey wasn’t scared but focused on the practical things he could do “It’s not the kind of thing I would recommend to anyone but it’s an accident and it shows you how fast accidents can happen.” It could have happened to anyone walking over the lid of the tank If there hadn’t been people nearby to respond and his dogs to raise the alarm He estimated he was in the tank for about 20 minutes before firefighters arrived “I said to them: ‘Just put a ladder down the hole and I’ll climb out’.” Fire and Emergency New Zealand shift manager Chris Dalton previously described the tank as being “chocka” with sewage “I don’t need to say it to you exactly how horrendous that would’ve been.” Humphrey asked fire crews to hose him down when he was safely out told them to hose them and in the end I was just standing in my socks my undies and a singlet and then I said: ‘Just hose me off’.” His belongings have since been commercially washed and thrown away “I must say Samsung build a good phone - 20 minutes and it still goes,” Humphrey said “Submerged for 20 minutes and it works fine My earbuds were in my pocket and they don’t work.” Humphrey has developed a cough and a chest infection since falling in He is concerned it’s related to the fumes from the fall and was arranging a second appointment with his doctor “Friday night I could hardly breathe and even now He was also going to physio for strained muscles after bracing himself in the tank “The doctor said from where I went to where I ended up it’s the equivalent of falling about eight feet [2.4m] and then stopping yourself with your arms.” Humphrey had hoped his luck might extend to last Saturday’s Lotto draw but he confirmed: “Lotto didn’t work for me” Orchard owner Mike Tracey said Humphrey was very calm throughout the ordeal we managed to work out to hold him up and support him and then we waited - we’d already rung the fire brigade “Then it was just a matter of waiting for some extra horsepower to help him out of the hole.” Tracey said he has since been made aware of similar incidents after talking to people about what happened “You do wonder why they have a manhole in a septic tank They probably should just have little holes where they can drop the hose and suck them out rather than anything that could go wrong.” Mana and Ōtaki seats are set to be removed with two new electorates named Kenepuru and Kapiti created instead This affects Labour's Greg O'Connor who is the MP for Ōhāriu Labour's finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds The proposed changes come as a result of the commission's review into the electorate boundary changes “Our review is driven by population numbers and the need to ensure each electorate has about the same number of people living in it,” says Judge Kevin Kelly Kelly said the populations of all the current electorates in the lower North Island are below the target quota coupled with some significant population changes elsewhere has resulted in relatively substantial shifts in most electorate boundaries in the North Island and particularly in the lower North Island and the Auckland region." The commission said more than 730,000 people would be affected by the proposed North Island general electorate changes nearly 30,000 in South Island general electorates The number of electorates in the South Island stays the same – fixed by law at 16 seats in West Auckland some electorates are proposed to be renamed Kelston and Te Atatū are proposed to be reconfigured into Waitākere These are currently the electorates for National's Paulo Garcia Labour deputy leader Carmel Sepuloni and Labour's Phil Twyford the boundaries of Panmure-Ōtāhuhu move south and the electorate is renamed Ōtāhuhu This seat is currently held by Labour's Jenny Salesa and is a safe seat for the party which it had been suggested could be a casualty of the boundary changes will remain but will incorporate some of what had previously been Auckland Central and Maungakiekie's boundaries The Tauranga and Bay of Plenty electorates are also proposed to be reconfigured with Tauranga in the west and Bay of Plenty in the east Bay of Plenty is renamed Mt Maunganui to better reflect the change Tauranga is held by Sam Uffindell and Bay of Plenty by Tom Rutherford – both been safe National seats Selwyn is one of the fastest growing electorates in the country and adjustments have been made so that other Christchurch electorates take in more population While there's a small change in the Māori electorates an adjustment is proposed to the boundary between Ikaroa-Rāwhiti and Te Tai Tonga in Lower Hutt There are no changes proposed for the other five Māori electorates The public can make submissions on the proposed boundaries, visible on the Electoral Commission's website here Counter objections can be made from May 8 until May 21 Public hearings will be held between June 9 and June 18 The final electorate boundaries will be released on August 8 Mana MP Barbara Edmonds and Ōtaki MP Tim Costley Wellington is set to lose an electorate as a result of boundary changes proposed by the independent Representation Commission Boundary changes have been proposed by the independent Representation Commission today The public can make submissions on the proposed boundaries, visible on the Electoral Commission's website here, until April 27. Counter objections can be made from May 8 until May 21. Public hearings will be held between June 9 and June 18. The final electorate boundaries will be released on August 8. Erica Stanford accepted meetings through her personal email The revelation comes as part of the release of hundreds of documents showing Stanford using her personal email for parliamentary business Politics Auditor-General launches probe into school lunches It will cover Ministry of Education planning procurement and contract implementation under David Seymour's alternative model Full video: Question time as Parliament resumes after recess Parliament is back after a three-week recess Erica Stanford concedes use of personal email 'untidy' Stanford said her practice of forwarding Government correspondence to a personal Gmail account Govt halts all current pay equity claims Workplace Minister Brooke van Velden announced the moves to raise the threshold for proving work has been historically undervalued to support a claim National introduces members' bill to ban social media for under 16s Christopher Luxon announced the bill alongside Tukituki MP Catherine Wedd this morning The Auditor-General's office has announced plans for an inquiry into the school lunch programme that has drawn criticism since a revamp procurement and contract implementation under David Seymour's alternative model Terms of reference for the inquiry set out its scope: The Auditor-General's office said it decided to investigate because of concerns raised about aspects of the revised lunch programme and what the Ministry communicated with previous providers," it said "Because of the importance of these services we have decided to carry out an inquiry." the Office noted the ministry had in October last year awarded a two-year contract to the School Lunch Collective under which lunches would be provided for $3 each The ministry was also reported to have paid a further $8.9m to the collective for Year 9 and older students which had been part of the School Lunch Collective A further $4m grant was provided to KidsCan for a food programme in Early Childhood Education services rnz.co.nz The government is making it harder to make a claim for pay equity that will cut costs There have been massive pay equity claims in recent years for nurses and resthome workers on Tuesday saying changes back in 2020 had created problems "Claims have been able to progress without strong evidence of undervaluation and there have been very broad claims where it is difficult to tell whether differences in pay are due to sex-based discrimination or other factors." Claims were concentrated in the public sector with costs to the Crown of all settlements so far totalling $1.78 billion a year "The changes I am proposing will significantly reduce costs to the Crown," she said "The changes will discontinue current pay equity claims." Van Velden told Midday Report she believes in pay equity but the current thresholds were "a bit too loose" Asked how she ensure women were not hurt by this the minister said "I'm a woman and I support women who work" "I also support removing gender based discriminations from our workforces but what I don't support are muddied laws and unclear laws," she said "So these changes are better for all women who are working where we can genuinely say hand on heart that what they are finding with their claims is genuine gender based discrimination." Van Velden told reporters at Parliament any current claims would be stopped and need to restart under the new threshold to show "genuine" gender discrimination and make sure the comparators were right She gave a figure of 33 current claims that would be stopped as the legislation was put through under urgency "You have librarians who've been comparing themselves to transport engineers We have admin and clerical staff at Health New Zealand comparing themselves to mechanical engineers." Social workers had compared themselves to air traffic controllers "We don't believe we have that setting right." Any comparison would now be between female employees and male employees at the same employer "But you cannot go fishing for discrimination across the New Zealand workforce." All current settled claims would continue but the government was drawing "a line in the sand" "We're not stopping claims." The nurse's union has this year had at least 10 pay equity claims in play The PSA union has said pay equity claims and settlements had resulted in significant improvements in pay and working conditions for many workers The union said the changes would make it "impossible for people in female-dominated professions to be paid fairly" "Women across the country will pay the price for this," PSA national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said "The government's changes today are a dark day for New Zealand women as the government says it will repeal the pay equity law and extinguish 33 existing claims in a constitutional overreach "The PSA is exploring all possible avenues to oppose these unconstitutional amendments and stop this attack on women We will not be deterred in our fight to achieve pay equity for all." "This is a blatant and shameful attack on women," New Zealand Nurses organisation chief executive Paul Goulter said "Women in workforces predominantly performed by female employees have been underpaid and undervalued for generations That is what pay equity claims seek to rectify," he said "This move by the government will widen the pay gap between men and women." The union had at least 10 pay current pay claims across Aged Care These cover many nurses and support workers The E tū union also called the changes an attack on women and a green light to pay them less for work of equal value The government was pulling the rug out from under a 13-year-long fight in aged care "These changes are not about evidence — they are about saving money by keeping women underpaid," national secretary Rachel Mackintosh said in a statement A number of unions have called a snap rally at Parliament at 1pm today in light of the announcement the Council of Trade Unions and representatives of other unions say they will be "protesting the government's attack on women and the destruction of progress on pay equity..." rnz.co.nz The National Party has introduced a new members' bill to ban social media for those aged under 16 Christopher Luxon announced the bill alongside National Tukituki MP Catherine Wedd this morning Wedd said the My Social Media Age-Appropriate Users Bill "puts the onus on social media companies to verify that someone is over the age of 16 before they access social media platforms" Key aspects of the Bill would include obligations for the social media platforms defence for providers to rely on reasonable verification measures regulatory oversight and a review after three years there are no legally enforceable age verification measures for social media platforms in New Zealand Members' bills are introduced by MPs who are not Ministers and need to be drawn from a ballot to be debated in Parliament Luxon said he was hopeful of gaining bipartisan support He had spoken with coalition partners ACT and NZ First about it but would let them speak about their position He said this was an issue he had been passionate about since 2018 and as a dad he felt the party needed to do more to keep young people safe from online harm We want to protect our kids from the harms of social media. That’s why today National has introduced a members bill to ban social media for kids under 16 years old. pic.twitter.com/TiQJs87DhQ "It's time that New Zealand acknowledged that for all the good things that come from social media it's not always a safe place for our young people to be and we need to do something about it." He said teachers and parents had raised issues with him including cyber bullying exposure to inappropriate content and exploitation and social media addiction "Social media should not be exempt from social responsibility and it is time we put the onus on these platforms," he said Wedd said social media was "an extraordinary resource" “As a mother of four children I feel very strongly that families and parents should be better supported when it comes to overseeing their children's online exposure The bill closely mirrors the approach taken in Australia which passed the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill in December 2024 At the end of last year, a 1News Verian Poll found more than two-thirds of New Zealand voters supported restricting social media access for under-16s The poll results showed that 68% backed introducing similar legislation in New Zealand as in Australia and 10% were undecided or preferred not to say National Party supporters and women showed the strongest support for the proposed restrictions while opposition was highest among 18-34-year-olds and men Wedd said "other jurisdictions are also taking action" "Texas recently passed legislation which bans under 18s from social media use and the UK the EU and Canada all have similar work in train," she said "This bill builds on National’s successful and successful cell phone ban in schools and reinforces the Government's commitment to setting our children up for success." Family First chief executive Bob McCoskrie welcomed the introduction of the bill but questioned why it was not a government priority "or at the very least have a parliamentary and public discussion via a Select Committee process" "Family First thanks Catherine Wedd for drafting the Bill but once again calls on all the coalition parties in the Government (ACT and NZ First) to adopt the bill as a Government bill and ultimately walk the talk when it comes to protecting children online “This important discussion needs to be a priority for the Government and not left in a biscuit tin." ACT leader David Seymour said the party shared concerns over young people and social media but opposed the bill "because it is not workable" we ask the Education and Workforce Committee to hold an open The inquiry should hear all voices to find a workable solution that respects parental responsibility," he said He cited concerns about the practicalities of a ban including privacy issues and the general definition of ‘social media’ to encompass a large part of the internet "Similar legislation has been passed in Australia and no-one yet knows how the ban will be implemented We would be better to learn from the Aussies' mistakes than make the same mistakes at the same time as them." With a packed programme and staunch kaupapa Māoriland returns to the Kapiti Coast from March 26-30 An empowering and enlightening celebration of indigenous excellence returns to the tiny North Island town of Ōtaki next month with this year’s Māoriland Film Festival showcasing 130 films and digital works from 86 indigenous nations across the globe Now in its 12th year and drawing crowds from all across Aotearoa the festival’s director Madeleine Hakaraia De Young said the secret to its success wasn’t just the diverse array of films on show but the deep-rooted kaupapa that has stood the test of time “We all long to be part of something bigger than ourselves,” she said identity and unique worldviews from other indigenous communities deepens our own sense of place.” She describes the festival as a “global movement” wairua and whenua are themes that return year after year and each year audiences gain a new experience or understanding of these values through discussions and collaboration “Our success comes from bringing people together,” De Young said “The most powerful moments for me are the kōrero – hearing from audiences after screenings People return to Māoriland year after year because it gives them a sense of belonging.” It’s also the town’s long-term plan and support of te ao Māori that De Young attributes to the festival’s growth and sustainability we are part of a visionary iwi strategy called Whakatupuranga Rua Mano which looked ahead to the year 2000 and beyond,“ she said challenged us to look even further: what does Aotearoa look like in the year 3000 Māoriland operates with that same long-term vision.” This year’s festival theme is “Ko te mauri he mea huna ki te Moana” - a whakataukī that centres on climate changes unfolding across the world and the impact on indigenous communities Many of this year’s headlining films reflect this but they also look to inspire positive change and what sets us apart is that we bring them forward with joy,” De Young said We hope visitors to Māoriland leave this year’s festival feeling activated and inspired.” Here’s a look at some of this year’s line-up but with 130 films and shorts in the festival there’s plenty more to explore in the programme A buddy film with an authentically indigenous twist Kōkā explores the concept of generational friendship through its fly-on-the-wall perspective of the journey of Māori elder Hamo (Hinetu Dell) and local delinquent Jo (Darneen Christian) the pair undertake a spiritual sojourn full of healing and connection as they head towards Hamo’s whenua it’s the first feature film to use the original dialect of East Cape iwi Ngāti Porou an impressive feat by all film-makers involved Writer/director Kath Akuhata-Brown told the Gisborne Herald she “wanted to make a film that puts a Māori world view front and centre of the screen” this is the perfect fit for a film festival that celebrates diverse indigenous perspectives while also showcasing the power of human connection and communication If its hauntingly beautiful promotional image is anything to go by Virginie Tetoofa’s stark depiction of French Polynesia being brutalised by the impacts of privatisation is sure to fix eyes to the screen Told through the eyes of three indigenous women – a community leader a spearfisher and a teenage activist – the film intends to show viewers the power of grassroots activism through cultural change while linking to mythical and spiritual ideals The notion of going up against corporate giants for the greater good leads film-makers to describe the movie as a story of how a small community can give hope for global change “As native Tahitians we grow up immersed in nature The ocean is our first ancestor and through our myths we learn our deepest lessons,” Tetoofa revealed in her director’s statement “Te Puna Ora not only serves to preserve this connection with the ocean but also shows an undeformed indigenous reality.” Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson (produced by Māoriland Charitable Trust) After the te reo Māori adaptation success of Disney films like Moana and The Lion King Shrek (2001) is the latest animated hit to be reborn with Māori language at its front and centre Rangatahi in Ōtaki challenged festival organisers to have the film dubbed into te reo Māori so producer Libby Hakaraia contacted DreamWorks' vice-president of international dubbing to try to make it happen She explained the town had been revitalising te reo since the mid-1970s and was now one of the strongest bilingual towns in Aotearoa following the titular angry ogre who is commissioned to rescue a princess has already been dubbed into more than 40 languages and broke box-office records when it was released including Taringa podcast host Te Puaheiri Snowden as Donkey and Hawke’s Bay te reo Māori advocate Jeremy Tātere McLeod as Lord Farquaad the dub will be a treat for tamariki and whānau wanting to explore the language together Hakaraia said the project “celebrates cultural diversity and the power of storytelling to connect people” which fittingly resonates with the kaupapa of the festival Stories about climate refugees are rare in today’s saturated film landscape so this film by Canadian directors Ryan Cooper and Eva Thomas will be a refreshing welcome and no doubt a wake-up call to many indigenous woman Aberdeen of the Peguis First Nation (Gail Maurice) navigates the trials and tribulations of adapting to big-city life while reflecting on the inter-generational cycle of trauma she has faced Without an ID and sleeping on public benches she enters survival mode and vows to return to the place where she was valued and accepted the film paints a stark picture of those forced to flee and highlights the ever-growing issues that climate change poses to indigenous communities “Though elements of this story have been told before Cooper and Thomas make Aberdeen a rich character not a caricature,” the Toronto International Film Festival organisers wrote in their programming notes “The film feels extremely personal and raw According to this film’s opening credit: “The last New Zealand war took place in 1979 A film that made waves at the 2024 New Zealand International Film Festival this raw documentary about a controversial mock haka by University of Auckland students approaches its subject from various viewpoints and angles Director Katie Wolfe (Kawa, 2010) takes the heightened emotion of the gripping tensions of her stage play based on the event and shows it through a real-life historical lens by interviewing those involved Headlines at the time described the event as a “gang rampage” and several of the activists were convicted of crimes during the heated protest many who became seasoned activists around protests including the Springbok Tour and Treaty of Waitangi claims there’s gentle joviality as they recall they didn’t have much of a plan in place and a quiet sense of pride for what they achieved,” Moerangi Vercoe of the Whānau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival observed “For the engineering students there’s an underlying nervousness as they defend their involvement in the haka party – a ‘fun’ tradition of which they had no knowledge of the offence that it caused." Whether you’re versed in the event’s specifics or have no clue what it was about the film is an informative and eye-opening look at cultural appropriation Full ticketing and programming information for the festival, which runs from March 26-30, can be found at mff.maorilandfilm.co.nz How I make it work: Mīria George. The multi-hyphenate talks about what inspires her Good One delivers quiet drama in the depths of the woods New Zealand director India Donaldson’s feature debut is about betrayal and learning to trust your gut Bookworm costume designer on dressing for the hunt of the Canterbury Panther Jaindra Watson explains how Elijah Wood escaped wearing a fedora New, locally made film Grafted slices and dices at harmful beauty standards The New Zealand-born director on women-fronted horror and the terror of beauty norms How I make it work: Film is both craft and calling for Brandon Te Moananui A bloom of daffodils welcomed a stream of stars A new venture opening soon with a collection of 1300 bottles from a team of wine experts The active botanical skincare brand is rolling out in 50 Sephora stores from May 13 From sushi to souffle and blue cod tempura Jesse spotlights the very best of Ōtautahi spiced treat that turns carrots into something surprisingly sweet and snackable Beetroot is the secret ingredient in this chocolate orange cake The Sonex home-built plane Nigel Frederickson was flying when the propeller fell off on August 17 The photo is taken from the Civil Aviation Authority's air accident report The pilot of a home-built plane died in a crash two hours after fitting a new propeller A coroner has found that Nigel Frederickson, 74, died from multiple injuries sustained in a crash on August 17, 2020, while desperately trying to land his propeller-less plane at the Ōtaki Air Strip about 70km north of Wellington His badly damaged aircraft was found by rescuers upright on the field in long grass halfway down and at right angles to the airstrip with a trail of debris leading back to where it first impacted the ground about 50 metres away The front of the plane and the right wing tip sustained extensive damage The propeller was missing and a search failed to find it Frederickson was still in the pilot’s seat He was declared dead at the scene by a rescue helicopter medic The retired engineer had built the all-metal construction two-seated Sonex aircraft from a kit between 2007 and 2009 A Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) air accident report said he held a private pilot’s licence with 20 years and about 600 flying hours of experience more than half of them in the Sonex aircraft stored his aircraft at the Ōtaki Air Strip hangar He left home around 9am on the day of the crash His son had talked to him the night before and discussed them going flying together Frederickson intended to fit a new propeller to the aircraft two-bladed wooden propeller was not approved to be fitted to the Jabiru 2200A engine which powered the aircraft A forensic examination later found most of the screws securing the propeller flange to the engine crankshaft showed evidence of fatigue cracking There were no positive location dowel pins leading to additional loads being transferred onto the screws resulting in the propeller detaching from the aircraft Closed-circuit television footage taken from the airstrip showed Frederickson fitting the new propellor to his plane at 11.07am The CAA report said a test flight began at 12.48pm Frederickson flew to a point about six nautical miles (11km) northeast of the airstrip at a height of 3000 feet He then turned and made a shallow descent back towards the landing strip About 17 minutes after take-off “the propeller detached from the aircraft” Neither the coroner nor the CAA accident report identified how long this happened before the crash but they indicated that Frederickson was able to continue flying the disabled aircraft as it approached the strip Frederickson would have been suffering anxiety and “startle effect” – an aviation term which describes how an emergency might disrupt appropriate decision-making – as the situation unfolded “The pilot had no prior knowledge of how his aircraft would perform without a propeller,” it said the pilot could only do the best he could to salvage a situation he had not experienced before.” Frederickson made a series of S-turns to lose height but with only a short distance to the runway and aggravated by a tailwind the CAA report said he likely placed the aircraft into a sideslip in an attempt to land within the confines of the runway It said he probably lost control during this final maneouvre while attempting to make an emergency landing Frederickson had CAA authority to maintain his aircraft which had an airworthiness certificate following an inspection in 2019 he was not approved to make design changes to his plane which would have included fitting a propeller which changed its operational characteristics Fitting such a propeller would have also invalidated the airworthiness certificate Coroner Rachael Schmidt-McCleave urged aircraft operators to re-familiarise themselves with CAA documents about what constitutes a design change and the conditions of airworthiness certificates and operator requirements “If there is any doubt as to whether a change [to an aircraft] constitutes a modification I encourage operators to consult with the CAA before making the change and attempting a flight,” she said Ric Stevens spent many years working for the former New Zealand Press Association news agency including as a political reporter at Parliament before holding senior positions at various daily newspapers He joined NZME’s Open Justice team in 2022 and is based in Hawke’s Bay Andy Fraser with ngā kākākura (head of school) Witana Cameron (left) Ōtaki College students are getting ready for life in a rapidly changing world The college is the first school in New Zealand to use American artificial intelligence (AI) programme SchoolJoy Co-founder and chief executive of SchoolJoy said the programme is a personalised learning system powered by AI that is designed to give teachers back more time SchoolJoy is a way of preparing students for a world that doesn’t exist yet “If we look at how much the world has changed since ChatGPT came out in 2022 and if we think about how much more the world will change in the next one or six or seven years – the world will look very different.” Principal Andy Fraser said for some time before he discovered SchoolJoy he had been reading about how to move education into the future “If you’re talking about future-focused education it’s really quite vastly different to the industrial model that our current education system is based on.” who is heavily involved in the education sector that he was introduced to Zhu and his programme SchoolJoy and saw the power of AI learning “I think one of the things that came through was if we could give our teachers extra time in their day and night to really think about teaching and their students He said the school is already noticing that teachers who use SchoolJoy are saving a day to a day and a half of planning time Another thing the school is using the programme for is “capturing the hearts and minds” of the students in the classrooms by collating their interests so teachers can individualise their teaching “The other thing it does beautifully is as you onboard students and gain that understanding of interests and where they come from it creates a class picture of the students that you’re dealing with and intuitively starts to outline the types of teaching and learning styles of those students – it’s a pretty powerful tool for teachers.” Fraser said the new programme wasn’t just exciting for teachers and students “I was going to hand in my gold card and decide that it was time to do other things but it’s just got me so excited and exhilarated about the potential of learning at the college and what we can do for young people – I don’t want to hang up the tin star just yet How Chelsea Gill created a family-friendly business The Te Mauri Hā café built by students of Te Kura ā-Iwi o Whakatipuranga Rua Mano sits along the Ōtaki beachfront, where kaumātua gather to have a coffee and a kai. Made from a flat-deck truck, the café runs on a koha-based system where customers can pay in cash or to the school. Teacher Adi Leason says the community has embraced the café and is now contributing to its operations. “We wanted to set up a café and run it for other people. But the people that we’re wanting to run it for have switched it up, where they are now taking over and they’re running it. It’s a beautiful thing, when someone has an opportunity to shine, to flourish, to have responsibility. There are folks who are sitting at home who didn’t have much to do; they’re now running a beautiful café at the beach, living their best life.” I whakatūria te wharekawhe nei i tīmatanga o tērā tau, hai uruparenga ki ngā āhuatanga o te wā, arā hai hāpai ake i ngā tāngata noho kāinga kore, kore rawa anō hoki. I toko ake ai te whakaaro kia whakatūria te wharekawhe o Te Mauri Hā i ngā tauira tuākana, nō rātau e rangahau ana i ngā tuhinga o te ihumanea tautake Parīhi, o Paolo Friere me āna tuhinga e aro atu ana ki ngā āhuatanga o te wā. Ā ko ngā āhuatanga ka tirohia e ngā tauira Māori, ko te mōrearea whare. Hai tā tētahi tauira, tā Rangimārie Kara, he āhuru mōwai te wharekawhe mō ngā tāngata katoa. “Ko tēnei café he momo wāhi hei awhi i ngā tangata kore rawa, kore kāinga, kore kai, he mea tuku ki te hapori o Ōtaki, ngā tangata katoa, ngā kaumātua, ngā tamariki, ahakoa ko wai.” Hai tā te Manatū Whakahiato Ora, kua piki ake te hiahia o te motu nei ki ngā kāinga pai, nā runga i te mimiti haere o ngā whare hai hoko, hai rētitanga rānei. Hai tā tētahi kaitautoko o te wharekawhe, tā Selina Metuamate, ko te whainga matua, ko te hāpai i te hapori. “We want to build a healthy generation for our mokopuna and those to come for the future. So, that’s what this kaupapa is all about.” “This community project, this student café, came in response to that issue of ‘what’s going on?’ There is inequity and there’s some good folks struggling. Not just struggling for food, but also struggling for inclusion, belonging and somewhere better, somewhere to be.” Police continue to search for David McHaffie and his black labrador dog An elderly man thought to have been missing in Ōtaki Forks in the Tararua Forest Park has been found Police began searching for the man and his black labrador after he was last seen on Saturday morning Police had urged members of the Ōtaki township and Ōtaki Gorge Rd community to check their properties for David McHaffie and his dog Ropey He was wearing a green jacket and blue sweatpants and was walking his black labrador dog or have any information that may assist in locating him please call 111 urgently Sign up to The Daily H a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday Police accept the findings by the Independent Police Conduct Authority in relation to a fatal crash which occurred following a Police pursuit near Ōtaki our thoughts and sympathies are with the people and families impacted by this crash police briefly pursued a stolen vehicle on State Highway 1 after it was involved in an aggravated robbery in Ōtaki Police abandoned the pursuit due to high speeds of the driver They later found the vehicle driving north in the southbound lane of the expressway and it eventually crashed head on into another vehicle the driver and one passenger of the stolen vehicle died and another passenger suffered serious injuries The four people in the other vehicle suffered serious to moderate injuries Relieving Central District Commander Inspector Ross Grantham says the IPCA found that overall Police managed this complex and dangerous fleeing driver incident appropriately in the circumstances: which was the death of two young people and serious injuries to five members of the public is a tragedy and was completely avoidable Police use every serious incident as an opportunity to learn and we note the minor breaches of our police policy raised by the IPCA and have taken these onboard," says Inspector Grantham The IPCA has recommended Police amend their Fleeing Driver Policy to specify that when a police vehicle is carrying crew members those crew members are responsible for managing police communications during pursuits Police are considering this recommendation New Zealand’s largest stamp and coin dealer A celebration was held at the iconic business today attended by past and present staff Kāpiti Mayor Janet Holborow and Ōtaki MP Tim Costley Founder director John Mowbray became interested in stamp collecting as a child and by the time he was a student at Wellington’s Scots College he had started his business trading stamps In 1974 he shifted his Wellington-based mail-order stamp business to Ōtaki Mowbray bought the Pacey Engineering building in Dunstan St for $6000 and set about looking for customers nationally and overseas we started a postal auction which realised $1100 in its first year and got Ōtaki’s first photography machine.” so the large Dalgety’s building on Main Highway was bought and exported over $50 million from Ōtaki.” Some of the many highlights over the years range from starting a World Wildlife Fund stamp collection in Australasia which lasted more than three decades and raised more than $1m for the charity which sped up connections with overseas customers John Mowbray held important positions including being on the board of stamp dealer Stanley Gibbons in London and world president of the International Federation of Stamp Dealers He travelled the world and recalled a five-day exhibition in Hong Kong where the queue stretched around two blocks and thanked its printers Graphic Press and NZ Post and especially the Ōtaki community who had assisted in the growth of the business “in many ways” “It has been a wonderful experience to be in Ōtaki and help put it on the map internationally.” Managing director David Galt said Mowbray had demonstrated “that you can develop and run a hugely successful venture in Ōtaki” “It’s part of Ōtaki but part of the world.” Costley congratulated everyone involved in the business The business proved “we can be successful from Ōtaki – nothing is stopping us” “We want to see more people coming into this region “Ōtaki wouldn’t be what it is if you [John] hadn’t created this business here.” She noted its “mixture of history and innovation” “It’s a place with such a rich past but a place that embraces change and the future.” noted economic times were tough for businesses locally and encouraged them to think beyond local and develop a broader-based business plan “It’s up to each retailer to promote themselves The world is getting far smaller with technology It’s a unique town and the opportunities are endless.”