OLegalcostsawardedafterbattletoremove fosterchildfromHawke’sBaycouple
CherieHowie
rangaTamarikihasbeen orderedtopaymorethan $100,000inlegalcostsover abattletoremoveaMa¯ori childfromherPa¯keha¯fosterparents. Inherruling,JusticeHelenCullis alsocriticalofOrangaTamariki’s ‘egregious’campaigntodiscreditthe fosterparents.
The$108,000indemnitycosts stemfromabattleoverthelong-term careofthegirl,giventhepseudonym “Moana”underautomaticsuppressionordersforallthoseinvolved inthecase,accordingtoaHighCourt ruling.
OrangaTamariki“abidesbyJusticeCull’sdecision”,andthe indemnitycostshadbeenpaid,the agency’snationalcommissioner NorthTamarikiandWha¯nauServices AlisonCronintoldStuff.
Moanawasplacedwiththe “Smiths”—aPa¯keha¯couplelivingin ruralHawke’sBay—in2018after OrangaTamarikicouldn’tfind wha¯nautotakeheraftershewas removedfromhermotherthree
timesbyage3.
However,in2021OrangaTamariki decidedMoanashouldberemoved fromtheSmithsandplacedwitha Ma¯orimotheranddaughterinWellington.
Thepair,theelderly“MrsTaipa” andheradultdaughter“MsTaipa”, werealreadycaringforMoana’s youngerbrother.
TheSmithssuccessfullycontested thebidintheFamilyCourt,with JudgePeterCallinicosrulingintheir favourandtakingaimatOranga Tamariki,itschiefexecutiveand membersofitsstaffforputtingideologyaheadofMoana’sbestinterests, Stuffreportedatthetime.
Thegirl’siwialsowantedherremoved,tellingStufftheydidn’tthink theSmithscouldmeethercultural needs,butthecoupleclaimedOranga Tamarikihadscuttledtheirattempts toprovideculturalsupport.
Moanahadbondedwiththe Smithsandanewplacementrisked furtherpsychologicaltrauma,Judge Callinicossaidatthetime,outlining aplanwhereallpartiescouldhave inputintothethen6-year-old’sup-
OrangaTamarikihasbeencriticisedbymorethanonejudgeoverthecase.
bringing,includingmeetinghereducational,culturalandhealthneeds.
AnappealtotheHighCourt— madebyMoana’smotherwiththe supportofOrangaTamariki—was dismissedinNovember2022.
TheSmithssubsequentlyapplied forjustover$108,000indemnity costsagainstOrangaTamariki.
InarecentlyreleasedHighCourt rulingJusticeHelenCullfoundinthe couple’sfavour.
AlthoughitwasMoana’smother whoappealedtheFamilyCourtde-
cision,OrangaTamarikihad supportedher,Cullsaid.
Freshallegationswerealsomade thatthecouplewasn’tprovidingfor Moana’sculturalneeds.
“IaccepttheSmiths’submission thattherewasacampaignbyOT [OrangaTamariki]againstthemto discreditthemandthiswaspursued onappeal.
“Theegregiousaspectofthisapproachisthat[OrangaTamariki]continuedtodiscreditandundermine theSmithsonappeal...theSmiths
JudgeordersOT topay$108,000 hadnootheroptionthantodefend themselvesinordertocontinueto careforMoana,towhomtheywere committed.”
Thecasewasalsotheprincipal caseonwhichtheamendedprovisionsoftheOTActwereconsidered andinterpreted,Cullsaid.
“Itdrewsignificantpublicattention becauseaPa¯keha¯couple,whohad caredforaMa¯orichild,wereunder scrutinyfortheirlackofcultural backgroundandconnection.”
Itwasclearthere’dbeenapolicy changewithintheagencyafterMoana’splacementwiththeSmiths, whichwasbeingdrivenbytheorganisation’sseniormanagement,she said.
“Thisledthefrontlinesocial workerstoprioritisekinshipplacementoverotherconsiderations,such asthepsychologicalattachmentof Moanatothecaregivers.”
TheSmithsstoppedbeingMoana’s fosterparentsaftertheappealbecause“ongoingpersonalattacks” madetheirlivingsituation“untenable”,MrsSmithtoldStuff.
“Idohopeshe’ssafeandhappy whereversheis,becausethat’sallwe everwantedforher.”
It“spokevolumes”thatindemnity costswereawarded,giventheywere donesoonlyin“exceptionalcircumstances”,SmithtoldStuff.
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Organisers ‘unable to deliver programme at high standards’ previously established
Hawke’s Bay’s biggest food and wine festival has gone on “hiatus” because of funding challenges
The Food and Wine Classic, also known as F A W C! will take a break in 2025-2026, Hawke s Bay Tourism announced yesterday
Since its launch in 2012, F A W C has showcased the very best of Hawke’s Bay food and drink, while attracting domestic and international visitors to the region
However, Hawke s Bay Tourism has said because of resource constraints and funding challenges, it has made the pragmatic decision to pause F A W C! until further notice
In December, Hawke s Bay Regional Council announced they were dropping funding for Hawke s Bay Tourism in June
Then in February Napier City Council, Hastings District Council and Central Hawke’s Bay District Council voted to contribute a share of the $1 million needed by the tourism agency to keep it afloat
Napier City Council contributed $450,000, Hastings District Council contributed $462,500 and Central Hawke s Bay District Council contributed $75,000
However, Hawke s Bay Tourism chief executive Hamish Saxton said because of “funding challenges” they are not in a position to deliver the programme at the high standards they ve established
“We don’t want to run the risk of damaging the brand by not meeting our loyal F A W C!ers’ and sponsors expectations,” he said
“Hawke’s Bay’s reputation as New Zealand s food and wine country remains strong, bolstered by its global status as a Great Wine Capital This recognition continues to attract discerning domestic and international visitors and is an accolade we will continue to build on ”
Saxton said Hawke’s Bay Tourism will continue to champion the region’s hospitality industry and promote it domestically and worldwide and he remains optimistic about the future
“We look forward to welcoming F
Hawke’s Bay’s reputation as New Zealand’s Food and Wine Country remains strong, bolstered by its global status as a Great Wine Capital.
Hamish Saxton, Hawke’s Bay Tourism chief executive
A W C! back when the time is right, delivering the premium experiences our community and visitors have come to expect ” he said
Clearview founder Tim F A W C! eve taurant
He was nouncemen and said he events at hi
“I like th makes us th and it attract from around seas,” Turvey said
It s been well supported, and generally all the events have been sold out
“It has worked for us and I’ll miss it ”
Back in 2017, Kiwi celebrity chef and then F A W C! ambassador Ray McVinnie said the event was worldclass
“I’ve been to a lot of these festivals all over the globe and on a world scale it s one of the best if they held this in Italy they d love it, they’d just all go nuts
“Many of the events are sold out so I guess New Zealand must understand how good it is, but for a lot of Kiwis I think they don’t really get it ”
Jackson Doug Laing
Teenage Hawke’s Bay Hawks basketball star Jackson Ball is expected to still play for the franchise next year, despite signing with Australia champions the Illawarra Hawks and high-flying US college side the Wisconsin Badgers. The 17-year-old Napier Boys’ High School joint deputy head boy, who first appeared for the Hawke’s Bay Hawks in New Zealand’s National
Hawke’s Bay Tourism has announced F.A.W.C! Festival
Hawke’s Bay Hawks guard Jackson Ball in action in the Junior Tall Blacks’ playoff for third place at the Under-19 Fiba World Cup in Switzerland in early July. He’s now signed for an Australian NBL season with the champions, the Illawarra Hawks, and next year is off to the University of Wisconsin.
Ball a double Hawk, Wisconsin Badger Basketball League (NBL) last year, will join the Illawarra camp as a development player after completing his year at school.
He will be with the franchise until the end of the 2025-2026 Australian NBL competition, possibly encroaching in the first four to six weeks of the New Zealand season.
Already a senior Tall Blacks national representative, he is likely to be available for the Hawke’s Bay
Hawks through to the end of the 2026 New Zealand NBL, before heading to the US to join the University of Wisconsin side.
The contract with Illawarra further cements a transtasman Hawks’ relationship, with coach Sam Gruggen having been an assistant at Illawarra and recently finishing his second season as head coach in Hawke’s Bay, and three players having played for both franchises this year.
Hawks general manager and former long-time player and Tall Blacks international Jarrod Kenny said discussions over Ball’s longerterm availability for the Hawke’s Bay Hawks are “yet to be had”, adding they could be around releases to play in parts of the New Zealand season.
The 1.92m Ball has had a stellar introduction to national league and international basketball, including two age-group Basketball World Cups
and his two matches for the Tall Blacks in this year’s Asia Cup qualifiers.
He was also named the NBL’s Youth Player of the Year and the Most Improved Player, with an average of 19.9 points per game in a season that included 76 points in the first two outings, and the Hawks’ away win over eventual champions the Wellington Saints, despite not making the playoffs.
Victim named Police have named the man who died following a crash at Wairakei near Taupo He was Travis Edward Simmonds, 53, of Napier. The twovehicle crash happened on State Highway 1 between Link Rd and Kauri Drive on July 19. Two other people were injured. Inquiries into the crash were ongoing, police said.
One injured in fire One person was taken to Hawke’s Bay Hospital with serious injuries after a kitchen fire in a Napier home on Sunday. Fire and Emergency were called to the incident at 7pm at a two-storey complex, which was escalated to a second alarm. A spokesman said the fire was small on arrival and was contained 43 minutes later at 7.43pm. Hato Hone St John responded with an ambulance and assessed one person in serious condition at the scene before transporting them to hospital.
Garden Affair The region’s gardening enthusiasts have reason to celebrate with the announcement of the inaugural Hawke’s Bay Garden Affair, a brand-new event taking place from November 7-9. The self-drive festival will showcase a curated collection of stunning local gardens, alongside the creative works of Hawke’s Bay artists. Designed to inspire, connect and celebrate community, the event promises a unique weekend of beauty, creativity and local flair. Organisers said they’re “thrilled” that New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty has come on board as the principal sponsor for the event. All proceeds from the event will go towards supporting NZ Riding for the Disabled, specifically the Hastings and Napier branches, helping to fund their lifechanging work with people living with physical, intellectual, emotional or social challenges
New animal shelter Napier City Council is making progress on a new Animal Control Shelter set to start construction early in 2026 with a direction to be confirmed at the council meeting on July 31. The new shelter, with a budget of around $3 million depending on which option the council settles on, will increase the capacity of the existing facility, improve customer and staff safety and ensure animal welfare needs are better met. Deputy chief executive Jess Ellerm says a large part of the team’s work takes place out in the Napier community. “The current shelter isn’t fit for purpose and some parts of the building don’t meet modern health, safety and animal welfare standards Improving our shelter is essential but so is making sure any solution has financial sustainability.”
WAIROA INFOCUS GroundsreadyforWairoaA&PShow Butitmaybe thelasteventto beheldonsite
DougLaing
TheWairoaA&PShow willbeheldatthe town’sshowgrounds inJanuary,andin 2027atpossiblyanewvenue.
That’sthepromiseofA&P societypresidentMichael Thomas,whohasbeeninthe chairfortwoyearsbut,becauseofCycloneGabrielleand otherweatherevents,isyetto stageashowunderhiswatch.
Threeofthelastfiveshows havebeencancelled,withthe eventscheduledforJanuary 16-17nextyearservingtomark the125thanniversaryofa showthatdatesbackto1899.
“I’mnotgoingtoresignuntil we’vehadashow,”hesaid, standingamidthelush,green grassandclovernowpriming thegroundsforthereturnof WairoaDistrict’sbiggest annualeventinthefirstfew weeksof2026.
Thescourgeofbadweather hashittheshowandthe groundshardinthelasttwo
thefloodprotectionscheme,in whichmuchofthegrounds wouldbecomeaspillway.
TheA&PSocietyisin discussionswithWairoa RacingClubwithaviewtothe showbeingheldatTe KupengaRacecourseinthe future.
Theraces,datingbackto 1879,havenotbeenheldin Wairoasince2020.
Thomashopestherewillbe somedecisionsbythenew year,withlegalscrutinyof respectiveconstitutions, assetsandtheotherissues needingtobesortedbeforea buyoutcanoccur.
WairoaA&PSocietypresidentMichaelThomasamidthelushgrassandcloverattheshowgrounds,wheretheannualshowwillbe heldonJanuary16-17,possiblyforthelasttime.
decades.In2010and2020the showswentaheaddespite heavyrain,butpopularattractiontheshearinghadtobe heldelsewherebecausetrucks wereatriskofboggingdown tryingtogetthesheepinand outofthegrounds. Horsetrucks,caravansand floatswerestrandedinthe quagmire,andthesocietywas leftwithhugecoststorestore thegrounds,despitemassive
TePa¯tiMa¯oriputs forwardcandidate TePa¯tiMa¯orihasannounced HaleyMaxwellwillstandin nextyear’sgeneralelectionfor theoneMa¯oriseatcurrently heldbyLabour. Maxwellhelpedorganise theHı¯koimo¯teTiritiinthe regionlastyear.
“HaleyMaxwellspearheadedthehistoricHı¯koimo¯ TeTiritifromTeTaira¯whiti rightthroughtoKahungunu. Haleyembodiesthefierce compassionandcouragethat Ikaroa-Ra¯whitiis famousfor,”TePa¯ti Ma¯orico-leader RawiriWaititisaidin awrittenstatement.
RussellPalmer of RNZ She[Haley Maxwell]has stoodonthe marae,inthe courtsandon thestreetsfor ourpeople.
RawiriWaititi, TePa¯tiMa¯orico-leader
volunteerinput.
In2021theshowwascancelledbecauseofcrowdgatheringrestrictionsamidthe Covidcrisis,buttheshearing wasagainheldelsewhere.
Mostdevastatingly,CycloneGabrielleinFebruary 2023guttedtheequestrian pavilion,destroyedashedthat wasnexttotheshearingpavilionandhasn’tbeenseen since,andleftthegrounds
layeredwithsilt,leadingtothe cancellationofthe2024show.
Withhundredsofhoursof workcarriedoutbyvolunteers,theshowgroundshadby Januarythisyearrecovered enoughtobeinwhatThomas sayswas“perfectcondition”. “Itlookedincredible,”he said,butagainrainintervened, leadingtoanothercancellationtopreventarepeatof earliercalamities.
Thomasisnowconfident, sayingtheshowwillgoahead onFridayandSaturday,January16-17,markingthe125th anniversary,withtheequestriansports,shearingand rodeoexpectedtoattract hundredsofcompetitors.
Beyondthat,thefutureis notcertain,butitisproposed thatthegroundsbetakenby saleagreementunderthePublicWorksActforinclusionin
Themostpopularproposal forafuturelocationiscolocationattheracecourseand developmentofanevents centreforthetown,but Thomassaid“somealternativeshavebeensuggested”.
“Wehaven’tfoundabetter one,”hesaid.
Hawke’sBayRegional Council,witha$70million fundforthefloodprotection scheme,will“helpusrelocate”, hesaid.
“Itiswheretheriverwants togo,”hesaid,pointingto wherethe“rapids”oftheriver infloodbouncedontoand acrossthegroundsfromthe northin2023.
“Shehasstoodon themarae,inthe courtsandonthe streetsforour people.Parliament willbeastronger housewithher voiceechoingthe roarofTe Taira¯whiti.”
HaleyMaxwellco-ordinatedtheToitu TeTiritihı¯koiinGisborne.
Thestatementdescribed Maxwellasawa¯hineMa¯ori, ma¯ma¯andnannywhoselife’s workcentredonrangatahijustice,reorevitalisationandtangatawhenua-drivencommunitydevelopment.
Itsaidhercampaignwould focuson“tacklingsky-high foodcosts,unaffordablehousing,andlowincomesacross Ikaroa-Ra¯whiti,while championingTePa¯tiMa¯ori’s justice,housing,andmana motuhakepolicies”.
Thepartydidnotrespond toquestionsaboutthetiming oftheannouncementduringa byelectionforTa¯maki
Makaurau,whichLabouris alsocontesting.
Inastatement,Labour’sMP forIkaroa-Ra¯whitiCushla Tangaere-Manuelsaidtheregiondeservedchoices.
“IacknowledgetheTePa¯ti Ma¯oricandidateannouncementofHaleyMaxwell,and commendherforputtingherselfforward,”shesaid.
“Ikaroa-Ra¯whitideservesto havechoicesandwill ultimatelychoosetheirvoice inParliament.
“Inthemeantimeit’smy honourtocontinuetoserve theregion.” —RNZ
Photo/DougLaing
Nightrunbackforitsfifthyear Schoolfundraiser aimingtobethe biggestandthebest
AHawke’sBaySchoolis aimingtohostthelargest nighttimecommunity sportseventby2030.
ThePuketapuSchoolnightrun returnsforitsfifthyearonAugust1.
Lastyear400peopletookpart.
Thisyeartherehavebeenarecord numberofentries,whichclosedyesterday.
Eachyear,keenparticipantscome togetherwiththeirheadlamps,bright runningshoes,glowingfluorescent gearandtheperfectmixofsocial competitiveness.
Firstrunin2019,thecommunitybasedraceraisesfundsforthekids ofPuketapuSchool.
Theracehistoricallyloopedthe VicarageandWaiohikibridges,using thelimestonetrailsoftheTutaekuri, butbecauseofCycloneGabriellewill takeanalteredcourse.
Competitorshaveachoiceofenteringa14kmsolorace,a14kmthreepersonrelay,orthe5kmfun-run.
PuketapuSchoolprincipalSam Hockingsaidhewasstokedtobepart ofthiseventinhissecondyearat PuketapuSchool.
“Theeventissuchagreatexample ofthestrongrelationshipthatexists betweenourschoolandcommunity, andoneI’mproudtobepartof.”
Thedeterminationandpositive spiritoftheorganisingcommittee hasn’tlettheabsenceoftheVicarge Rdbridge,duetoopenonAugust23, getinthewayoftheevent.
Like2024,thetrailwillcurveits wayuptheNapiersideofthe
TutaekuriRiver,startingatthesiteof theoldBrookfieldsbridgeand finishingatPuketapuSchool.
Thepopular5kmfunrun(ahit withfamiliesandkids)startsatthe backofRedclyffeTransferStation.
Allentrantsreceiveavenisonor lambburger(allmeatsourcedfrom familiesoftheschool)andahomebakedsweettreat(bakedbythe parentsoftheschool).
RacedirectorMikeCourtenayis hugelyencouragedbytheresponse totherace.
Hesaidhundredsofcompetitors typicallytookpart,includingfrom outsidetheregion.
“Withoutthebackingofcommunityfundsandlocalbusinesses,the racesimplywouldn’tbeviable.”
“Wecreatedtheraceasanevent tobringgreatpeopletogether,ina uniquesetting,tobeactiveandhave fun.”
Whilehelovedthetrailvariation, hewaskeentoseethebridgetraverse return.
“We’realreadyplanningahuge celebrationforthe2026event,where we’llbebackcrossingthebridgeand returningtotheoriginalPuketapu NightRuncourse.”
IfyoulovetheHawke’sBaylifestyleandyour independence,you’llenjoyABetterEveryday atWaiapuVillage.
Ourspaciousvillasaresurroundedbypark-likegrounds, justminutesfromthecharmofHavelockNorthvillage.
WaiapuVillageofferscomfortandsecurityataprice thatletsyoumakethemostofyourfreedom.Letus showyouaround-wecan’twaittowelcomeyouto WaiapuVillage.
Puketapu Schoolprincipal SamHocking (right)saidhe wasstokedtobe partoftheevent inhissecond yearatthe school.
Photo/PaulTaylor
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‘Unparalleled disruption’: Onein 1000Kiwis homeless NatashaGordon
Therehasbeenasharprise inhomelessnesswithonein every1000Kiwiscurrently withoutshelter,new nationaldatashows.
TheSalvationArmyiscallingfor aco-ordinatedresponsetothegrowingscaleandseverityof homelessnessafteranincrease acrossnearlyallcommunities,with noareareportingadecline.
Thenewfindingsaredrawnfrom thelatestsurveyconductedunder theNationalHomelessnessDataProject.
Thisprojectisacollaborativeinitiativeinvolvinghousingand homelessnessorganisations,includingTheSalvationArmy,Community HousingAotearoa,HousingFirst AucklandBackbone,Ka¯huiTu¯Kaha, ChristchurchMethodistMission, DCMandWellingtonCityMission.
Thegroupacknowledgedthe Government’sworktodatearound housinganditsincreasedengagementwiththeissueafterthe releaseoftheHousingandUrban
Development‘Homelessness InsightsReport’.
LieutenantColonelIanHutson, missionofficerforTheSalvation Armysocialpolicyandparliamentaryunit,saidNZneedstowork towardshavingenoughaffordable housingforeveryonetolivewith dignity.
“Whatweareseeingacrossour citiesandregionsistheimpactofour housingdeficit:anunparalleleddisruptionthatisaffectingourmost vulnerablepeopleandwha¯nau,” Hutsonsaid.
TheSalvationArmy’ssecondsixmonthlysurveyofhousingsupport providers,alongwithother homelessnessrelateddata,revealed severaltrends,including increasinglyrestrictedaccessto emergencyhousing.
Thesurveyrevealeda386%rise sinceAugust2024inMinistryof SocialDevelopment(MSD) rejectionscitingthatpeoplehad “contributedtotheirown homelessness”.
TheSalvationArmysurveyfound theMSD’sprocesseswerecreating
barriers,withsurveyrespondents statingtheyseepeoplewhoareconfusedbydecisions,facingdelaysor strugglingtoaccesssupportwithout advocacy.
Roughsleepingandpeopleliving incarshasrisen,andsingleadultsand olderwomenagedover55were increasinglyvulnerable,thesurvey said.
Overstretchedsupportservices havemadeitharderforpeopleto secureandmaintaintenancies,the findingsstated.
“Thesefindingsconfirmwhatour frontlineteamsareseeingeveryday —morepeoplefacinghousingstress, andmanystrugglingtoaccessthe supporttheyneed.
“Animmediateresponsefrom Governmentisrequiredtoaddress immediateneeds,aswellasalongertermstrategy.
“Ataveryminimum,weneedto ensurethatallpeoplewhoareexperiencinghomelessnesscanaccessa home,facilitiesandsupport,”Hutson said.
Hesaidthereareopportunitiesfor constructivechange,including strengtheningaccesstoemergency housing,investinginprovenshort, mediumandlong-termsupport services.
Howmanypeoplearefacing housinginsecurity? Theseresultsarereinforcedbydata
obtainedthroughOIArequestsand otherdatasources,whichfound:
•Oneinevery1000peopleinNZis withoutshelter.
•57,000womenareexperiencing homelessness,ofteninunsafeorunstablelivingsituations.
•14inevery1000peoplelivein housingconsidereduninhabitable.
•Housingisnowthesecondmost pressingconcernforyoungadults aged18—34.
•Reportedcrimesagainstpeople whoarehomelesshaveincreasedby 81%.
MSDandtheMinisterforSocial DevelopmentandEmployment, LouiseUpston,havebeenapproachedforcomment.
WinterisperhapsthetoughesttimeofyearforstrugglingKiwis. Thehighcostofrentals,extraheatingbillsandneedingtoputfoodon thetablejustaddstotheirconstantfinancialandemotionalpressures. Whenthebillskeepcoming,somethingmustbreak. WinterShattersLives.
TheSalvationArmy’swraparoundservicesensurethatlivesarenot shatteredbythecoldrealitiesofwinter.
TheSalvationArmysaysthereisaneedforaco-ordinatedresponsetothegrowingscaleofhomelessnessinNew Zealand.
Photo/KellyMakiha
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Fire investigator warns against dangerous practice
Murray Robertson
AGisborne home was extensively damaged in a blaze after a resident used petrol to light a fire in the fireplace, according to a fire investigator
Fire and Emergency NZ received the first 111 call about the incident on Anzac St near Roebuck Rd about 9 25am yesterday
Plumes of dense black smoke could be seen as firefighters responded to the call
The fire started in the lounge area at the front of the three-bedroom house and spread to involve the kitchen and dining room
“The firefighters were able to attack it head-on and were able to stop it spreading to the rear of the home,” a specialist fire investigator said
“Doors to rooms at the rear were shut, which helped prevent the spread of the fire However, those rooms suffered smoke damage she said
The fire investigator had determined the cause to be accidental
“The resident had used petrol to light a fire in the fireplace because they were in a hurry ” she said
“They dropped the piece of wood they were using to light it and the fire spread rapidly from there
“Everyone in the house got out, though there were some minor firerelated injuries caused ”
The injuries were treated at the scene by ambulance officers and no one was taken to hospital
The investigator said Fire and Emergency NZ knew some people had been using petrol to light home fires
“This incident clearly illustrates
The front rooms of a house in Anzac St near the Roebuck Rd corner had flames flaring out of the windows when firefighters arrived to tackle the blaze yesterday.
petrol used in fireplace the risks involved in that dangerous practice ”
The family living in the house have lost just about everything they owned, according to the investigator
There were two vehicles parked outside, one was damaged and the other escaped the flames
“There was also some minor scorching caused to the houses on either side of the extensively damaged home ”
The first firefighters to arrive said
the front of the house was fully involved in fire when they got there
Three fire crews attended They were at the house for about an hour and a half and went back later in the day to check for any hot spots
A specialist fire investigator who examined the fire scene yesterday said the cause was “accidental”.
Mt Ruapehu skifields open as snow enthusiasts flock to slopes Fin Ocheduszko Brown
Ski season on Mt Ruapehu is under way and the skifield operators are encouraging people to get up and have a go this winter.
The ski season has just begun for Whakapapa Ski Area and Turoa Ski Field and the aim is to run through till at least October, provided the snowfall is sufficient.
Whakapapa and Turoa opened their intermediate and advanced slope chairlifts on July 26 with the Delta Chairlift and High Noon Express, respectively
Turoa chief executive Jono Dean estimated 2000 snow-sports enthusiasts hit the slopes over the weekend. “We were really pleased with the public interest and getting people back up there,” Dean said.
“It’s always that moment of the
season that you work and strive towards but, once we get some of that terrain open and the lift operating, people get pretty excited,” he said.
“There’s been some pretty excited first-timers on snow. We’ve seen quite a few people who have just taken the sport up.
“We’ve had a $99 learn to ski package in the market which has gone gangbusters in terms of interest
we’re really pleased with that.”
Dean said they were having to deal with limited terrain because of the lack of snow higher up the mountain.
“Snow is definitely needed the question is, when will it show up?
“As the CEO, you are never content with the snow level; you can always do with more that’s really going to determine how long we can keep the season operating for.”
Some years, the amount of snow
had allowed the skifield to operate through to November.
“Trying to predict it is a bit of a folly, you just work with what you’ve got when you’ve got it,” Dean said.
Turoa Ski Field was “really focused” on making sure everything was in place for the next school holidays, starting on September 20.
Whakapapa Holdings chief executive Travis Donoghue said he felt “beyond stoked” to see the skifield hit its stride after a few years of uncertainty.
“Around 300,000 people visit Whakapapa every year, and they’re not just coming for the snow they’re also exploring the whole region,” Donoghue said. “That’s great news for local businesses.”
Donoghue said the last school holidays were a major success, with about 30,000 people enjoying snow
play, skiing, sightseeing on the Sky Waka gondola and taking their first steps in the alpine environment.
Whakapapa general manager of operations Steve Manunu said in June that the 300 staff expected throughout the season were more excited than ever about welcoming this year’s guests.
Ruapehu Mayor Weston Kirton, who visited Whakapapa last week, said the staff’s excitement was visible.
“It’s fantastic to see Whakapapa and Turoa up and running again, but we must keep building on this success,” he said.
He hoped the Mt Ruapehu ski season would help the economy and attract tourists.
“We’ve certainly had a good start to the season in terms of snow availability for the learners; there were a number of visitors that came through
the area when the school holidays took place,” Kirton said.
“There’s a genuine excitement about the prospect of people being able to ski with the snow we have currently got and there is a good flow of people coming into the district, which helps our economy.
“It’s very positive, the mood is good, people are really getting around each other and making sure that we reap the benefit of the money coming into the area.”
Kirton hoped that as the weather warmed up around October, potential skiers would move on to other activities in the district, such as cycling, hiking and using the gondola.
“We are really putting emphasis on all-year-round activities but the ski season is the jewel in the crown.”
Tukino Skifield is scheduled to open on August 2.
Photo / Murray Robertson
SirMichaelHillhas diedat86aftera battlewithcancer
SirMichaelHill’sfame,fortune andriseasoneofthe country’smostsuccessful entrepreneurswasbornout ofdisaster.
“Wewenttothepicturesonenight andwecameoutandheardourhome wasonfire...thatnightIlost everything,andIhavethemost incrediblememoryofitpouringwith rainasIrusheduptothehouse... Irememberstandingtherewatching it[burn],”Hillrecalledofthe1979 inferno.
The40-year-oldHillhadalready spentdecadesworkinginhisuncle’s jewellerystore—anditwasinthat moment,withnothingtohisname, thathedecidedtogooutonhisown.
Fromhisfirststorein1979,the businessgrewtobecomeaglobal retailjewellerybrandwithmorethan 250outletsspanningAustralia,New ZealandandCanadaatthetimeof Hill’sdeathat86yesterday.
BorninWhanga¯reiin1938,Hillwas educatedatWhanga¯reiBoys’High Schoolbeforeleavingattheageof 16tobecomeaconcertviolinist.
Whenhismusicalambitionsdidn’t workout,Hillbeganworkingforhis uncleatthefamilyjewellerystore.
“Myparentsanduncledemanded Igiveupthisfollyandgetarealjob,” Hillsaid.
Hetookoverthestore’s newspaperandradioadvertisingand begantodrawattentiontothe businesswithwhatbecamehis signaturestyle.
Thatknackforadvertisingcamein veryhandywhenHilllaunchedhis ownstore.
“Hello,MichaelHill—jeweller,”his televisionadvertisementwould alwaysbegin—sparkingimitation fromviewersinlivingroomsacross thenation.
Ambitiously,Hillaimedtoopen sevenstoresinhisfirstsevenyears ofbusiness.By1986,he’dopened eight.
Thefollowingyear,hefloatedhis companyontheNewZealandStock Exchangeanddrewenoughcapital tolaunchinAustralia.Thecompany nowhasmorethan200storesacross NewZealand,AustraliaandCanada, accordingtoitswebsite.
Withhimthrougheverystepofthe wayhasbeenhiswife,ChristineHill. Thepairhadmetatthefamily jewellerystore.
Marriedin1965,thecouple recentlycelebratedtheir60th weddinganniversary.
Theyhaveason,MarkHill,anda daughter,EmmaHill.Shehaslong beenpartofthefamilybusinessand remainsadirector,havingbeen executivechairfrom2015-2021.
EmmaHillspoketothe Herald earlierthisyearaboutherroleinthe familybusinessandherparents’ impactonherowncareer.
“I’vealwaysdrawngreatstrength fromdad’sboundlessenthusiasm andpositiveoutlooktobusiness,and frommymother’sincredibly pragmaticadvice.”
Despitehisoverwhelmingsuccess, thebespectacledbusinessmanalso hadhisfailures.In1992,helaunched anill-fatedfootwearbusiness, MichaelHillShoes.
Hillboughtoutasmall Christchurchchainofhigh-endItalian footwearandlaunchedtheprevious owner,whostayedon,intothequite differentworldofmid-range,fastturnoverfootwear.
Inhisautobiography,Hillanalysed whatwentwrong.
“[It]turnedouttobeaseriesof colossalmistakes,”hewrote.
He’dputthejewellerychain managerinchargeoftheshoe operation,meaninghecouldn’tfocus fullyoneitherjob.Nineshopsopened acrossthecountryinquick succession,insteadofconcentrating ongettingoneregionrightfirst.
Hillalsoconfusedhiscustomers bynamingthestoresMichaelHill
‘Ittookme40years andahousefire’ TheHillfamilyatthefirstMichaelHillstoreinWhanga¯rei,1979.
Shoesandputtingthemnexttothe jewellerystores. Hillpulledtheplugonthefaltering sidelineearlyin1994. “MichaelHill,golfer”wasafarmore successfulenterprise. TheHillsgolfcourseinArrowtown openedin2007butithadbeeninthe worksforseveraldecadesbeforethat. MichaelandChristineHill“fellinlove withtheArrowtownarea”duringa holidayinthe1980s.Theythen purchasedfarmlandonMcEntyre’s Hilltobuildtheirhome.They
‘It’shardto imagine lifewithout Michael’ TributeshaveflowedforNew ZealandentrepreneurSirMichael Hill.
Thefounderofthewell-known chainofjewellerystoreswas86 whenhediedyesterday,according toastatementtotheNewZealand andAustralianstockexchanges fromthebusinesshefounded.The company,nowbasedinBrisbane, iscurrentlychairedbyRobFyfe. FyfetoldRNZnewsofSir Michael’sdeathwas“hardtocome totermswith”.
Thepairhadknowneachother fortwodecades,sinceSirMichael rangwantingtolearnmoreabout Fyfe’ssuccessatthehelmofAir NewZealand.
“Michaelhasbeen,wellforme personally,youknowhe’sbeenan inspiration—amentorforthelast 20yearsandyouknowhe’san exampleofhowtolivelife,”Fyfe said.
“Idon’thaveabetterexample inmylife,”hesaid.
“Oneofthemostcreative, driven,innovativepeoplethatI’ve evermetandyouknowwhatIlove somuchaboutMichaelisjusthow hecouldtouchanyone,”Fyfesaid fromCanada.
“Fromtheyoungestkidto,you know,thesupersuccessful businessman,hejusthadawayof sortofchallenging,ofwantingyou tomakeyouwanttodobetterwith yourlife.”
FyfesaidSirMichaelbecamean entrepreneurinhis40sandonly eversawopportunity.
“He’dcomeacrossachallenge, manypeoplewouldturntheirback onthatchallengebecauseitlooked insurmountable,”Fyfesaid.
“Michaeljustlovedfindingways tosolveproblemsandcreate solutions.Hislegacyisgoingtolive onalotlongerthanhimforsure.”
FyfesaideventhoughSir Michaelhadbeenfightingcancer, thenewsofhisdeathstillcameas ashock.
“Emotionally,Iwasn’tprepared forit.He’sbeenanintegralpartof mylife...he’sbeensuchakeypart insomanylivesandhe’stouched somanypeople.
“Ijustfeelthisoverwhelming senseofloss,”Fyfesaid.
PrimeMinisterChristopher Luxontooktosocialmediatosay MichaelHillhasinspired generationsofKiwientrepreneurs.
sculpturesonmanyholes—some createdbyHill’sson,Mark,an acclaimedartist.
“TheFarm”,anadditionalnineholecourse,openedin2019and windsitswayclosetotheHills’family home.
Lastyear,theHillsentereda partnershipwithUSprivateequity investorRicKayneandbusiness partnerJimRohrstaff,theduobehind TaraItiandTeAraiLinksnear Mangawhai,toredevelopTheHills. WhenHillwasknightedin2010, hetoldthe Herald itwas“agreat responsibility”andthatpeoplewould looktohim“asarolemodel”.
Heofferedonepieceofadvice— to“findagoal”.
“It’sthemostdifficultthingtohave. Ittookme40yearsandahousefire todoit,”Hillsaid.
continuedtoacquirethesurrounding farmlandoverthefollowingthree decades.MichaelHillhadaputting greenbuiltinhisfrontgardenand thenexpandeditwithteesand bunkerstoformseveralpar-three holes.
NowTheHillshas18holesandthe championshipcoursehashostedthe NewZealandOpenandisamongthe mostexclusivegolfclubsinNew Zealand. IntypicalHillfashion,thecourse isutterlyunique,featuringlarge-scale
“Itmakesanenormousdifference. Oncewestartmoving,everything startstogravitatetowardsyou.It’s likeasurferstrugglingtogetawave, thenyoupushyourselfalittleand you’removing.”
Hillwillberememberedasa businessmanwhobuiltaglobalbrand fromtheashesofhishomeandnever lostaspiration.
“Here’sanotherthingIhave learnedinlife:nothingisperfect. That’swhatkeepsyoustrivingfor more.”
“SirMichaelHill’saspiration,grit anddeterminationtosucceednot onlybuiltagloballyrecognised brand,butalsoinspired generationsofKiwientrepreneurs todreambig,”hesaidinaposton X.
Hebuiltabrandfromscratch andgavebacktothecountrythat heloved,Luxonsaid.
“Mayherestinpeace.”
DeputyPrimeMinisterDavid Seymourhasalsopaidtribute, sayinghewasluckytomeetHill anddescribinghimasa“fabulously decentperson”.
FormerQueenstownMayorJim Boultsaidhewasdevastatedto hearthenews.
“MyheartgoesouttoLady ChristineandthewiderHillfamily, EmmaandMarkandtheirchildren andtheirfamilies.I’mjustterribly sorryforthematthepresenttime. ButfromaQueenstownLakes Districtpointofview,we’velostan enormouslyvaluablememberof ourcommunity,”hesaid.
BoultsaidHill’snamewas synonymouswithgolf—having builtTheHills,achampionship coursenearArrowtownthatwent ontohosttheNewZealandOpen. BoultsaidHillhadbeenafriendfor manyyears.
MikeThorpe
SirMichaelHillonboardhissuper yachtVVSIinAuckland'sViaduct Harbourin2015.
Photo/NickReed
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Criticssaypower companiesshould stopdisconnecting householdswho can’tpaytheirbills
RaphaelFranks
Amotherwithsixchildren wasdisconnectedfromher powerforsixmonths.To makedo,shecookedona campstove,litherPoriruahomewith candlesandoftenhadallherchildren sleepinginonebed.
Thewoman’s68-year-oldmother toldthe Herald sheoftenhadto supportherdaughterandgrandchildrenwhentheywereshortof power.
Herdaughteralsolostachild aroundthesametime—“soshewas goingthroughit”.
“Itwashorrible.That’smyfamily. Yourbloodrunsthrougheachother. Itishardtodescribehowitfelt.
“Ithinkmostgrandparentswould diefortheirchildrenorgrandchildren,anditwaspainfultowatch themgowithout.
“Theywerealwayssick.Theyhad thefluallthetime.It’shardtokeep themwarm,andtheyallsleptinthe samebedsometimes.
“Itwassadwhenoneofthem wouldtextmeandgo,‘Hi,Nan,we’ve gotnopower’.Itembarrassedthem.”
Theywereonajointplanwhere theycouldsharecredit,andthe grandmothersharedwhatshecould, butoftenhadtogowithouttodoso.
Disconnectionfees‘punitive’ Energycampaignershavecondemneddisconnectionslikethese— andthefeespowercompaniescharge forthem—as“punitiveandinappropriate”foranessentialservicelike electricity.
Theirmessageseemstobehaving aneffect.Lastyear,ContactEnergy droppeddisconnectionfeesafterthe Herald’sPowertothePeoplecampaignandapetitionbyenergy advocatesCommonGrace.
NowMercuryEnergyismoving towardsdroppingfeesfornonpaymentfrompeopleinhardship.In responsetoquestionsonenergy hardshipfromthe Herald andCommonGrace,itrepliedthatitwasonly chargingincasesof“clearfraud”and hadnotdisconnectedacustomerin hardshipfornon-paymentsinceJune lastyear.
Howeverthesurveyofpower companiesshowedamajoritystill chargedfeesandsaidtheywouldnot stopdisconnectingtheircustomers fornotpayingtheirbills.Thereasons behindkeepingdisconnectionsand feesincludedthatitwasa“necessary approach”forsomecustomersand therewasacosttoprovidersto disconnectacustomer.
Campaignersandexperts disagreed.UniversityofOtagoprofessorKimberlyO’Sullivantoldthe
disconnectionstobelegislatedor regulatedaway,Abernethysaidit alreadyexistedintheformofthe ConsumerCareObligations.
KateDay,co-directorofadvocacy groupCommonGrace,putthequestiontoeachpowercompanytoask whethertheywouldstop disconnectingcustomersfornonpaymentthiswinter.Herearetheir answers: Contact saiditdidnotcharge disconnectionorreconnectionfees incasesofnon-payment.
Toast alsodoesnotchargedisconnectionorconnectionfeesfor non-payment.NeitherdoGlobug norWise.
Mercury saiditchargedfeesin casesof“clearfraud”onlyandsaid ithadnotdisconnectedanycustomersinhardshipfornon-payment sincelastJune.
Astateof disconnection Energycampaignershavecondemneddisconnections—andthefeespowercompanieschargeforthem—as “punitiveandinappropriate”foranessentialservicelikeelectricity.
Herald disconnectionfeeswere “reallyproblematic”andfurtherhurt peopleinhardship.
“Non-paymentoftenhappensifa householdexperiencessome stressor—saymaybesomeoneinthe houseisunwellorgetshospitalised, thecarneedsfixing,someoneloses workhoursorajob,anyofthose things...
“Evenahouseholdthatwasonce finecansuddenlyhaveacascade wherethebillsstartpilingupand thentheymightbelatewithpaying theirelectricitybill—whichnoone wantstopaylate,becauseeveryone needselectricity.”
ConsumerNZ’sPowerswitch manager,PaulFuge,agreed,saying disconnectingavulnerablehouseholdthatcouldnotpaywasdisproportionateandharmful.
“Lifecanbetough.Atdifferent points,manyofusmayexperience circumstancesthatmakeitdifficult tomaintainaccesstoessential services,”Fugesaid.
Fugesaidhavingaccesstosafe, reliableandaffordableelectricitywas fundamentaltopeople’shealth, wellbeingandabilitytofunctionin amodernsociety.
“Electricityisuniversallyaccepted asanessentialservice.
“Losingaccesshasseriousimpacts, particularlyforpeoplewithdisabilitiesorhealthconditionswhorelyon electricitytosustaindailylife,”he said.
Fugesaidretailersneededwaysto
EdSheeranadds fourthNZshow GlobalpopheavyweightEdSheeran hasaddedasecondAucklandshow tohistourofKiwistadiumsnext year.
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In2014,heevenmadeaspecial appearanceinAotearoa’slongestrunningTVSoap ShortlandStreet treatingtheresidentsofFerndaleto animpromptusong.
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recoverunpaidbills.“Ofcourse,but cuttingoffanessentialserviceto forcepaymentfrompeoplewho simplycannotafforditisbothpunitiveandinappropriate.”
Vulnerablehouseholds,whoare alreadyover-representedamong thosehavingdifficultypayingtheir bills,bearthebruntof disconnections.
“Theconsequencesarereal,”he said.“Coldhomesareaserioushealth risk,particularlyforchildrenand olderpeople.Respiratoryillnessisa majorpublichealthburdeninNew Zealand,costingmorethan$7billion annuallyandaccountingforonein 10hospitalstays.
“Peopleinthemostdeprived householdsarehospitalisedforrespiratoryissuesatthreetimestherate ofthoseinbetter-offareas,”Fugesaid.
JakeLilley,fromfinancialmentor charityFincap,echoedO’Sullivan andFuge,sayingdisconnectinga customerwasasafetyissueand shouldbeavoided.
“Nooneshouldbedisconnected becausethey’reunabletopay—and that’snotcurrentlywhattheregulationssay.Anddisconnectionfees, particularlywheresomeonehasn’t beenabletopay,maketheproblem worse,”Lilleysaid.
Hesaidthefeeswereoftenunlikelytobepaidand,iftheywere, itwasusuallythroughaloan.
“Sothey’rejustkickingthecan downtheroadontheaffordability issues.”
‘Feesreflectcosts’—industry TheElectricityRetailers’andGenerators’Association,whichrepresents ContactEnergy,GenesisEnergy, ManawaEnergy,Mercury,Meridian Energy,andNovaEnergy,said retailersdideverythingtheycould toavoiddisconnectingcustomers andchargingthemfees.
ChiefexecutiveBridget Abernethysaiddisconnectionwasa lastresort,andahouseholdwas typicallyonlycutoffifaretailer foundthebillpayerwasnotengaging.
AbernethypointedtoElectricity Authoritydatashowingthehighest percentageofcustomersdisconnectedformorethan24hoursinany monthwas0.038(3.8peoplefor every10,000customers).
“Disconnectionfornon-payment isalastresort,andErganzmembers workwiththeircustomerstofind solutions,includingaffordablepaymentoptions.Disconnectionsfor non-paymenttypicallyoccuronly whenaretailerisrepeatedlyunable toreachacustomerdespitetheirbest efforts.”
Abernethysaidcustomersfacing difficultypayingforpowershould contacttheirretailerassoonaspossible.
Retailersacknowledgedthey wereessentialserviceprovidersand recognisedthisgavethemaresponsibilitytosupportvulnerable customers,shesaid.
GenesisEnergy and FrankEnergy saiddisconnectionswerealast resortandpointedtotheir “proactiveprocesstocontactdisconnectedhouseholdsandoffer support”.
Ecotricity,alsoownedbyGenesis,saiditsfees“reflectthegenuine operationalcostsassociatedwith managingdisconnectionsand reconnections”.
Meridian didnotaddressitsfees, onlysayingithadamongthelowest disconnectionratesintheindustry, butalsoitwasalastresortfor customerswhoarenotengaging.
PulseEnergyAlliance saidits feeswereawaytorecoverthecost ofdisconnections:“Ourfocusisto engageearlywithcustomerswho areexperiencingissuespayingtheir billstoworkwiththecustomerto avoiddisconnection.”
NovaEnergy saidithadnot changeditspositiononfees;they werestillcharged.Thecompany pointedtoits“longtrackrecordof benchmarklowdisconnectionsfor non-payment”.
ElectricKiwi saiditwouldremovedisconnectionfeesfromone ofitsplans,butdisconnections themselveswerestillanecessary lastresort.
SwitchUtilities,ownedby2degrees,wasstillcharging,butsaidit wouldwaivefeesorrefundthem“if acustomerindicatesfinancialdifficulty”.
TheElectricityAuthority’spublic figuresoncompanies’disconnectionratesintheyeartoMayshowed socialretailerNauMaiRa¯hadthe highestrateper10,000customers, followedbyPulseEnergyAlliance andSwitchUtilities.
EzraHirawani,chiefexecutive andco-founderofNauMaiRa¯,said thehighratereflectedthefactthat thecompanyfocusedonproviding powertothemorevulnerable households.
“Whatwe’redealingwithisthe higher-riskcustomersthattheother retailersdon’t,”Hirawanitoldthe Herald.
Respondingtocallsfor
HealsosaidNauMaiRa¯only disconnectedacustomer(without charge)whenthecustomerwasnot engaging,whichhesaidwasaway topromptthemtore-engage.
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Opinion EDITORIAL Forgethealth orhousing; fixpassport It’sofficial:“NewZealand”is beingbumpedbacktothetop ofourpassports,before “Aotearoa”.
Let’sapplaudtheGovernment’s focus.Amidthecost-of-livingcrisis, recordwaittimesinhealthcare,and abeleagueredhousingmarket, we’vetakenaboldstand...on passportwording.
Becausewhatbetterwayto reassurethepublic—andforeigners ortourists—thanbymakingsure NewZealandisprintedfirst,sono onemistakesusforabilingual backwater?
TheGovernmentinsiststhisis merelyaformattingtweak—justa bitofadmin.Butbehindthe bureaucraticbrushing-offliesa choicewithculturalweight:English backontop,tereoMa¯oriquietly repositioned.
Since2021,newlyissued passportshavecarriedthewords “UruwhenuaAotearoa”printedin silverabovethe“NewZealand Passport”logo.Itwasaslightbut deliberatenodtoourdualidentity —bilingual,bicultural,Treatygrounded.
InternalAffairsMinisterBrooke vanVeldenconfirmedlastweek thatthetextwouldbereversedin futureeditionsinlinewiththe coalition’scommitmenttoits English-firstpolicyongovernment documents.
COMMENT It’satidyjustification— grammaticallysound, bureaucraticallybland.Andit’sa significantamountofpolitical energyinvestedinsomethingthat noonewasreallyaskingfor.
Attheheartofthematter,though, isamovethatspeakstolingering discomfortfeltwhentereoMa¯ori appearslevelwithoraboveEnglish; asifprintingUruwhenuaAotearoa onapassportfirstisaradicalact ofdefiance,ratherthanaquietnod ofrespect.Itisanotherquietstep inthecountry’ssteady,incremental culturalunravelling.Another symbolicslap.
MinisterofForeignAffairs WinstonPeterswaslesssubtle.
Noonehadtheright,hefumed, to“unilaterally,likesomesortof arrogantbureaucrat,tochangethe country’snamewithoutconsulting theNewZealandpeople”.He questionedwhyAotearoashould appearonGovernmentdocuments atall.“It’snotthenameofNew Zealand”.
Noone’ssuggestingAotearoa shouldreplaceNewZealand.Many seethemaspartofthesamebreath —becausethat’showmanysayit, hearit,andliveit.
It’sthenamemanyspeakto,live by,andembrace—inacountry wheretereoMa¯orihasbeenan officiallanguagesince1987,and legallyrecognisedasataonga (nationaltreasure)undertheMa¯ori LanguageAct2016.
Othercountriesmanagethisjust fine.Aroundtheworld,passports reflectmorethanoneidentity—and thefabricofsocietysomehow remainsintact.
Nobodypanics.Civilisation endures.Languageisnotthe enemy.Tereoisnotathreat.
AndiftwoMa¯oriwordsonthe coverofatraveldocumentare enoughtorattleus,we’renot defendingournationalidentity— we’redisplayingjusthowbrittleour confidenceinitreallyis.
GovtshouldcutGSTifit’s worriedaboutfoodprices FranO’Sullivan
NicolaWillishasbeenaround longenoughtoknowyou don’tsummontheheadof NewZealand’slargest companyintotheBeehivefora spankingoverskyrocketingbutter pricesunlessyouintendtoemerge withasolution.
TheunedifyingspectreofMiles Hurrell,CEOofdairyco-operative Fonterra,beingchasedbyTVNZ’s politicaleditoroutsidetheBeehive evenbeforetheWillismeetingraised eyebrows.
ButasaformerFonterrasenior executiveherself,Williswasalready fullyawareofwheretheco-operative stands.
TheFinanceMinisterdidnotneed tocallHurrellintoreaffirmthatglobal dairypricesareatahighandthatthis wouldinevitablyspillovertohigher farmerreturnsand,inturn,boost regionalandfinallynational economies.(That’stheplussideyou didn’thearaboutbeforethemeeting).
OrthatanynotionofFonterra slashingitsownmarginswasnot goingtohappen.Theyarethinwhen comparedwiththemarginsapplied bysupermarketstodairyproducts, andsheknowsit.
TheupshotisthatWillisdidseek explanationsfromHurrelloverthe co-operative’spricing,whichsheof courseaccepted.Withindays,she wastalkingupFonterraandthe surgingglobalpricesontheMike Hoskingshowasaplus–asindeed theyarewhenitcomestotheimpact ontheNewZealandeconomy. Hurrellsubsequentlymadeitclear
hiscompanyisnotmovingtoatwotieredpricingsystem:anexportprice gearedtoglobalpricesanda subsidisedpricefordomestic consumers.Therewasmorebesides.
ItwassensibleforFonterratoshut theissuedownquickly.Itcurrently hasitsconsumerbrandsbusinesson themarket.Anysuggestionofamove toatwo-tieredsystemwouldbea complicationtothatsalesprocessor indeedanIPOofthatbusinessifthat ultimatelyturnsouttobethe Fonterraboard’spreferredoption.
Butwhiletherewasanelementof theperformativetotheBeehive shenanigans,itdoesunderlinehow much“costofliving”issuesarea lightningrodwhenitcomesto sparkingdomesticdissatisfaction withtheGovernment.
Willislaterdescribedhermeeting withHurrellas“constructiveand engaging”,underliningthefactthat Fonterradoesnotcontrolretailprices andthatthefinalpriceissetby supermarkets,whosecontractsand pricingstrategiesvary.
ThiswasmoregristtoWillis’ campaignagainstwhatsheclaimsare supermarketsprofiteeringatthe expenseofconsumers.Already,she hasbeenworkingtoreducethe barrierstoentryforother competitors.
Willishasbeenencouragedthat theCommerceCommissionhas takenacaseagainstgrocerygiant FoodstuffsNorthIslandandGilmours Wholesaletocourtoverwhatit believesiscartelconduct.
Theregulatorsaidcivil proceedingswouldbefiledagainst thebiggrocerysuppliersunderthe
Thereislittlepoint intryingtojawbone pricesdown.In manyrespects,the answerlieswith Willis.Ifsheis overlyconcerned, shecouldwipethe 15%GSTfrom particularfood items.
CommerceActandGroceryIndustry CompetitionAct(GICA).Foodstuffs “stronglydenies”anyunlawful conduct.
TheCommerceCommissionhas alsolevelledcriminalchargesagainst retailerNoelLeemingoverwhatit claimsisamisleadingprice-matching promotion.
Thecompany“firmly”maintainsit hadnotcommittedanoffenceand wouldvigorouslydefenditself againstmultiplechargesof misleadingcustomersundertheFair TradingAct.
Putthattooneside. Priceshaveescalatedonmultiple fronts:dairyproducts,meatandsome fruits;electricityandgas,rates, insurances.Buttheyhavedecreased onothers:mortgageandloaninterest
rates,andsomefuels. Thereislittlepointintryingto jawbonepricesdown. Inmanyrespects,theanswerlies withWillis.
Ifsheisoverlyconcerned,she couldwipethe15%GSTfrom particularfooditems.Thisisthecase inAustralia,whereits10%GSTdoes notapplytomeat,fish,produce, cheeseandeggs,plainmilkand cream,bread,butterandother spreads,bottledwater,teaandcoffee, cookingingredientsandoils,orinfant formula.
InBritain,mostfoodsarezerorated.ManyEuropeancountrieshave reducedvalue-addedtaxratesfor food,typicallyrunningat5%-7%.Basic foodsareexemptedinSingapore, thereisan8%rateinJapan,andin theUnitedStatessomestatesexempt variousfooditemsfromsalestax.
TheupshotisthatNewZealand vergesonbeinganoutlierinthisarea. AnychangestotheGSTregime would,however,haveanimpacton howNewZealand’staxregimeis perceivedasbeingneutral. Farmersarenottheenemy. Thereismuchtocelebratefrom ourruralsector,whichwilldeliver nearly$60billioninexportearnings thisyear.
Thefixationonrisingpriceshas alsooverlyconsumedthePrime Minister,whofrequentlytalksabout “costoflivingissues”. Butthisisnotgoingtobesolved inthemediumterm.
Theupshotisthat,shortofany interventionbytheGovernment, consumerswilljusthavetosuckit up.
Willmarketforcesbeenough tocutthepriceofbutter? Thealarmingriseofbutter priceshasbecomeareal sourceoffrustrationfor NewZealandconsumers,as wellasatopicofpolitical recrimination.
Theissuehasbecomesoserious thatMilesHurrell,chiefexecutiveof dairyco-operativeFonterra,was summonedtomeetingswiththe GovernmentandOppositionparties lastweek.
AftermeetingHurrell,Finance MinisterNicolaWillisappearedto placesomeoftheblameforthehigh priceofbutteronsupermarkets ratherthanonthedairygiant.
AccordingtoStatsNZ,butter pricesroseby46.5%intheyearto Juneandarenow120%higherthan adecadeago.Theaveragepricefor a500gblockis$8.60,withsomelocal brandscostingover$10.
Butsolvingtheproblemisnota matterofwavingamagiceconomic wand.Severalfactorsinfluence butterprices,fewofwhichcanbe altereddirectlybyGovernment policy.
Andthequestionremains— wouldwewantto?
Proposalssuchasreducing exportstoboostdomesticsupply,or cuttinggoodsandservicestax(GST) ondairyproducts,allcarry consequences.
Akeyfactordrivingbutterprices inNewZealandisthat95%ofthe country’sdairyproductionis exported.Limiteddomesticsupply andstrongglobaldemandhave pusheduppricesforarangeof commodities—notjustmilk,butbeef
HOTTOPICS Photo ofthe day
NewIndonesian policeofficers performduringa commissioning ceremonyforaround 2,000graduates frommilitaryand policeacademiesat thePresidential PalaceinJakarta.
aswell.Theseincreasesarereflected inlocalretailprices. Anothercontributingfactoristhe risingcostsalongthesupplychain. Atthefarmlevel,producersare receivingrecordpricesfordairy.But thiscomesatatimewheninputcosts havealsoincreasedsignificantly.It isnotallprofit.
Weighingtheoptions Beforechangingrulesarounddairy exports,theGovernmentmust
weighthebroaderconsequences.
Ontheonehand,highmilkprices benefit“NZInc”.Thedairysector accountsfor25%ofexportsand employs55,000NewZealanders. Whenfarmersdowell,thewider ruraleconomybenefits—withflowoneffectsforthecountryasawhole.
Ontheotherhand,thereisthe ongoingchallengeofdomesticfood security.Manypeoplecannotafford basicgroceriesandfoodbankuseis rising.
SohowcanNewZealand maintainafoodsystemthatbenefits fromexportswhilealsosupporting strugglingdomesticconsumers?
Oneoptionistoremove GSTfromfood.Other countriesexemptdairy productsfromsuch taxesinaneffortto makestaplesmore affordable.
Thisideahas beenrepeatedly reviewedand rejected—including bythe2018Tax WorkingGroup.
In2024,itwasestimated thatremovingGSTcouldcostthe Governmentbetween$3.3billion and$3.9b,withonlymodestbenefits fortheaveragehousehold.
Fonterraorsupermarkets? Anotherroutewouldbetoexamine Fonterra’sdominanceinthesupply chain.Thereareadvantagesto havingastrongglobalplayer.And itisnotinthenationalinterestfor thecompanytoincurlosseson domesticsales.
Still,thestructureofthemarket maywarrantscrutiny.
Foralongtimetherewerejusttwo mainsuppliersofprocesseddairy products—FonterraandGoodman Fielder—andtwomainretailers— FoodstuffsandWoolworths.Thissetupreducedtheneedtocompeteon prices.
Whilethereisarguablymore competitioninthemanufacturing sectornow,supermarketsarestill
underscrutinyandhavelongfaced criticismforalackofcompetition. Theopaquenatureoftheprofit marginsacrossthesupplychainalso fuelssuspicion.Consumers knowwhattheypayatthe checkoutandwhat farmersreceive.But therestislessclear. Thislackof transparencyinvites speculationabout whobenefitsfrom soaringprices. Intheend,though, theGovernmentmay notneedtoactatall.
Aseconomistsliketosay: “Nothingcureshighpriceslikehigh prices.”Whiledemandforbutteris relativelyinelastic,therecomesa pointatwhichconsumersreduce theirpurchasesorseekalternatives. Internationalbuyerswillalsopush back—andfallingglobaldemand mayredirectmoresupplyto domesticmarkets. Highpricesalsoactasasignalto producersacrosstheglobeto increaseproduction,whichcould happenrelativelyquicklyifthereare favourableclimaticandother conditions.
Weonlyneedtolookbackto2014, whenthepriceofdairydroppedby 48%overthecourseof12months becauseofreduceddemandand increasedsupply,toseehowquickly thesituationcanchange.
Quiz 1 TheindigenousArawaksare primarilyfoundwhere?
2 Whowrote TheCatcherinthe Rye?
3 Inwhichcountryisthe Penanggalanpopularinfolklore?
4 WhichRussianpoliticalfigurewas assassinatedinanoperahousein Kievin1911?
5 Whatisthenameofthefictional grimoireinH.P.Lovecraft’sworks thatcontainsknowledgeof forbiddenlore?
6 Whoistheleaderofthethe fantasyworldMcDonaldland?
7 TheMagnaCartawassignedin whatyear?
8 TheBattleofHeligolandBightwas primarilyfoughtonwhichbodyof water?
9 Whatisthetermforaprolonged periodofdecliningstockprices?
10 MilfordSoundandDoubtful SoundarelocatedinwhichNZ nationalpark?
Complaints
ThisnewspaperissubjecttoNZ MediaCouncilprocedures.First emaileditor@hbtoday.co.nz.Ifnot satisfied,goto www.mediacouncil.org.nz.
Photo/AFP
Rainpummels Beijing,forces evacuations IntensestormsbatteredswathesofnorthernChinathisweek
HeavyrainintheChinese capitalBeijingkilled30 peopleandprompted authoritiestoevacuate 80,000,statemediasaidyesterday. Intenserainstormshave pummelledswathesofnorthern Chinathisweek,includingthecapital andtheprovincesofHebei,Jilinand Shandong.
Asofearlyyesterday,“thelatest roundofheavyrainstormshasleft30 peopledeadinBeijing”,statenews agencyXinhuasaid,citingthecity’s municipalfloodcontrolheadquarters.
Morethan80,000peoplehad beenevacuatedintheChinesecapital alone,localstate-runoutlet Beijing Daily saidonsocialmedia.Itadded that“continuousextremeheavyrainfallcausedmajordisasters”.
Thedeathtollwashighestin Miyun,asuburbandistrictnortheast ofthecitycentre,itsaid.Alsobadly affectedwereHuairoudistrictinthe northofthecityandFangshaninthe southwest,statemediasaid.
Dozensofroadshavebeenclosed andover130villageshavelostelectricity, BeijingDaily said.
“Pleasepayattentiontoweather forecastsandwarningsanddonotgo toriskareasunlessnecessary,”the outletsaid.
InMiyun,aresidentsurnamedLiu saidhewatchedfloodwatersweep awayvehiclesoutsidehisapartment blockonMonday.
AFPjournaliststheresawa crawlerliftpeopleandadogtosafety asrescuerswadedthroughwaterup totheirknees.
Nearby,inthetownofMujiayu, AFPjournalistssawareservoirreleaseatorrentofwater.
Powerlinesweresweptawayby muddycurrentswhilemilitary vehiclesandambulancesploughed floodedstreets.
Firefightersalsorescued48people trappedinanelderlycarecentre, CCTVreported.
‘All-outefforts’ ChinesePresidentXiJinpingyesterdayurgedauthoritiestoplanfor worst-casescenariosandrushthe relocationofresidentsofflood-
Residentsrideascooterthroughafloodedstreetafterheavyrainsat TaishitunvillageinMiyundistrictontheoutskirtsofBeijing.
TheGovernment hasallocated350 millionyuan($82m) fordisasterreliefin nineregionshitby heavyrains.
threatenedareas. BeijingDaily saidlocalofficialshad “madeall-outeffortstosearchand rescuemissingpersons...andmade everyefforttoreducecasualties”.
TheGovernmenthasallocated350 millionyuan($82m)fordisasterrelief innineregionshitbyheavyrains, statebroadcasterCCTVsaidyesterday.TheyincludenorthernBeijing, Tianjin,Hebei,Shanxi,Shaanxi,Inner Mongolia,northeasternJilin,eastern ShandongandsouthernGuangdong. Aseparate200myuanhasbeen setasideforthecapital,thebroadcastersaid.
InHebeiprovince,whichencircles thecapital,alandslideinavillage nearthecityofChengdekilledfour people,witheightstillmissing,CCTV reportedMonday.
Localauthoritiesissuedflashflood warnings,withChengdeandsurroundingareasunderthehighest levelalert,Hebei’sradioandtelevisionstationsaid.
In2023,heavyrainkilledmore than80peopleacrossnorthernand northeasternChina,includingatleast 29peopleinHebeiwheresevere floodingdestroyedhomesandcrop fields.
Naturaldisastersarecommon acrossChina,particularlyinthesummerwhensomeregionsexperience heavyrainwhileothersbakeinsearingheat.
Flashfloodsintheeastern Shandongprovincekilledtwopeople andleft10missingthismonth.
Alandslideonahighwayin Sichuanprovincethismonthalso killedfivepeopleafteritsweptseveralcarsdownamountainside.
—AFP
Residentstrytoextinguishthefireof aburninghouseduringawildfirein KryonerinearAthensatthe weekend.
Photo/AFP
Firefightersbattledblazesacross TurkeyandBulgariayesterdayasa deadlyheatwavewentintoasecond weekaroundmuchofthe Mediterranean. Therehavebeenatleast14deaths inthepastweekinTurkeyandabout 20villageshavebeenevacuated, accordingtoofficials.
InneighbouringBulgaria, emergencyservicesfoughtmorethan 160wildfiresacrossthecountryon Monday.Greecealsostruggledtoclear upafteraweekofforestfiresand Spanishplaneswenttohelp Portuguesefirefighterstacklinga blazeonaremotemountain.
“Weareburningup,wedon’teven knowwheretogoanymore,”Asmin Gezginci,24,saidwhilereturningfrom aparktoherhomeintheKurdishmajoritysoutheasternTurkishcityof
Diyarbakir.Temperaturessoaredtoa recordhighof50.5ConSaturdayin Silopi,twohoursfromGezginci’s home.
Accordingtoforecasts,the temperatureswillremainfierythis weekwith45Cto50Cheatexpected insoutheastTurkeytoday.
Yesterday,authoritiesinDiyarbakir warnedresidentsthattemperatures wouldremainabovetheseasonal averageuntilAugust2.
Theheatwavehasexacerbated forestfiresthathavespreadrapidlyin windyconditions.
Firefightersyesterdaytackled blazesaroundBursainthenorthwest, Turkey’sfourth-largestcityanda majorindustrialcentre,forthethird consecutiveday.
Amidstrongwindsthatfannedthe flames,someresidentsusedtractors
TrumpcitesMurdoch’sage,seeksswiftdepositionin USPresidentDonaldTrumpaskeda federaljudgeyesterdaytoexpedite adepositionofRupertMurdochinhis US$10billion($16.75m)defamation lawsuitagainstthe WallStreetJournal, citingthemediabaron’sadvanced age. “Murdochis94yearsold,has sufferedfrommultiplehealthissues throughouthislife(and)isbelieved tohavesufferedrecentsignificant healthscares,”Trump’sattorneyssaid inafilingwithadistrictcourtin
Florida.“Thesefactorsweighheavily indeterminingthatMurdochwould beunavailableforin-persontestimonyattrial,”theysaid,askingDistrictJudgeDarrinGaylestocompel an“expediteddeposition”. GaylesgavelawyersforMurdoch untilAugust4torespond. TrumpsuedMurdochandthe Journal thismonthafteritpublished anarticleabouthisfriendshipwith sexoffenderJeffreyEpstein. Thenewspaperreportedthatin
2003,thethen-realestatemagnate wroteasuggestivebirthdayletterto Epstein,alludingtoashared“secret.” Trumpdeniesanysuchletterexists. Epstein,alongtimefriendof Trumpandmultiplehigh-profilemen, wasfounddeadinaNewYorkprison cellin2019whileawaitingtrialon chargesthathesexuallyexploited hundredsofunderagegirlsathis homesinNewYorkandFlorida. Thecasesparkedconspiracy theories,especiallyamongTrump’s
far-rightvoters, aboutanalleged internationalcabalofwealthy paedophiles. WhenTrump returnedto powerfora secondtermthisJanuary,hissupportersclamouredforrevelationsbut theFBIandJusticeDepartmentreleasedamemothismonthsaying Epsteinhadnotblackmailedany
prominentfiguresanddidnothave a“clientlist”. Inanotherdevelopmentyesterday,alawyerforGhislaineMaxwell, Epstein’sassociateandtheonlypersonfoundguiltyofcrimesinconnectionwithhisactivities,askedthe SupremeCourttothrowouther2021 sextraffickingconviction. Maxwellisseekingtohaveher convictionoverturnedongrounds thatapleadealreachedin2008 betweenEpsteinandfederal
DonaldTrump
Photo/AFP
Informed,thoughtful publicinput.Focused ondialogue,notjust debate.
Fortyeverydaypeople, selectedrandomly, representingtheir community,coming togethertolearn, discussanddevelop recommendationsthat willinformtheLong TermPlan2027-2037.
Eharaitemeame matataurawa. Noexpertknowledge needed.
Kawhaiutukoe. Getpaidfor yourtime.
Akohia,kōrerohia, whakatauria. Learn,discuss, decide.
“Faith Hope Love – Malaysian food done really well by people who care.” Brad, Roam
“For something beautiful to wear, Degas delivers.” Lizzie, Tennyson Gallery
“For a fanc snack, we lov the Hapi ice-cream!” Hohepa Creat Works
“If you’re after a proper post-work pint it’s Rogue Hop, no question.” Tom, FizzyPop
“Vinci’s is our
for a
Discover the spots locals love, scan to explore
“Sunrise Bakery Banh Mi, if you know you know!” Grant & Alice, Goldie’s Napier
“Flo & Frankie = wardrobe wins. Every time.” Crystal, Hair At Henderson
go-to
quick slice between batches” Tiago & Sofia, Lisbon Artisan Pastry Shop
“Wardini’s is the coolest book shop this side of the earth.” Chantelle, Miss Fox Aesthetics
What’s s On inNapier thisWinter Banishthewinter blueswiththese winterwarmers.
Frommarketstomusic, there’ssomething happeningnearyou.
SoundbitesatMTG, 31July,7&14August,12-12.30pm
ProjectPrimaVoltaisofferingthree freeconcerts.Enjoy30minute performancesshowcasingthetalent, passionandhardworkoflocal rangatahi.
Hawke’sBayMagpies, Sunday3August
There’sfivehomegamesthisseason. ThefirstoneisonSundayAugust3 againstCountiesManukau,withkick offat4.35pm.HeadalongtoMcLean ParktosupportthemightyMagpies.
WinterStreetJams, 15August,5-8pm
HeadalongtoEmersonStreetEast andMarketStreetforfood,late-night shoppingandstreetentertainment.
TheTaco-ver, 16August,12pm-late It’satacotakeoveratGoldies!The teamisjoiningforceswithRagtag fromTāmakiMakaurauandHands Downforoneflavour-packedday.
Grabyourfavejacketand turnuptheheataftersunset withWinterStreetJams.
Hawke’sBayWineAuction, 13September
ThelegendaryHawke’sBayWine Auctionistheoldestwineauction inthecountryandthebestfun youcanhaveraisingmoneyfora greatcause.
YogaFestival, 30&31August
TheHawke’sBayYogaFestival returns.Withyoga,soundhealing, workshopsandwellnessmarkets bythesea,it’stheperfectwinter reset.
Hometurf.Bigenergy. CatchtheactionthisSunday.
FashionIntheCity, August
Napier’sfashionsceneiscomingto lifewithacuratedseriesofin-store events,stylingsessions,giveaways, drinks,giftswithpurchaseand creativeshowcases,co-labsandmore! ViewfulltimetableonEventfinda.
StreetSoup, Wednesdays,July&August
Twosoup-ermonthsofdelicious, soul-soothingsoupsfromyour favouritespotsaroundtown!12-2pm atMarketandEmersonStreets.
ComingupthisSpring Hawke’sBayArtsFestival, 9-19October
Acelebrationofboldideas, brilliantperformances,andcreative connection.Experiencecircus, theatre,music,danceandevents forthewholefamilytoenjoy. Moreinfoathbaf.co.nz
NuitBlanche, 4October
Napier’sbiggeststreetpartyis back!From6-10pm,Tennyson andHastingsStreetswillcome alivewithartgalleryevents,live music,buskers,greatfood,laser lights,interactiveart,andvideo projections.Whatwillyoufind?
HBYogaFestival–warmup fromtheinsideout!
Firesrageas heatwave enters secondweek totransportwatertanks,while televisionimagesshowedothers rushingtowardthefirescarrying bottlesofwater.
“Giventhesizeandintensityofthe fires,thestate’sabilitytorespond quicklytosuchdisastersissometimes limited,”TurkishAgricultureand ForestryMinisterIbrahimYumakli acknowledged.
“Ifthereiswind,therearenoplanes, andittakeshours,evendays,foryou totakecontrol,”hesaid.
Inrecentdays,19villageshadtobe evacuatedintheSafranboluregionin thenorth,andmorethan3500people aroundBursa.
Inatelevisedspeech,President RecepTayyipErdogansaid96%ofthe fireswerecausedbyhumanactivity suchascigarettebuttsandpicnicfires. Hesaidmorethan3000fireshave
brokenoutsincethebeginningof summerandsomehavebeenarson.
“Letusnotforgetthatthisisawar, adefenceofourgreenhomeland, againstthisinsidiousenemy,”Erdogan said.
Lastweek,onewildfirekilledatleast 10forestworkersandrescuersfighting ablazenearEskisehirinwestern Turkey.
Afirefighterbattlingtheflamesdied ofaheartattackonSunday.Three morepeoplediedinanaccident involvingawatertankertruck,Bursa authoritiessaid.
Authoritiessaytheriskoffireswill remainhighuntilOctober.AndaUN reportondesertificationworldwide estimatesthat88%ofTurkey’s territoryisatrisk:rainfallisexpected todecrease30%bytheendofthe century,whiletemperaturesare
defamationlawsuit prosecutorsinaFloridacaseruled outprosecutionofany“coconspirators”.
“ThiscaseisaboutwhattheGovernmentpromised,notwhatEpstein did,”herlawyer,DavidMarkussaid.
“Petitioner’sallegedstatusas Epstein’sco-conspiratorwastheentirebasisofherprosecution.”
TheJusticeDepartmenthaspreviouslyopposedMaxwell’smotion butatopofficialmetwithherin FloridalastweekastheTrump
administrationstrugglestotamp downafuroreoverthePresident’s handlingoftheEpsteincase.
DeputyAttorneyGeneralTodd Blanche,whoisalsoTrump’sformer personalattorney,hasdeclinedtosay whathediscussedwithMaxwellin thehighlyunusualmeetingsbetween aconvictedfelonandatopDOJ official.TheformerBritishsocialiteis servinga20-yearsentenceafterbeing convictedofrecruitingunderagegirls forEpstein. —AFP
expectedtoriseby5Cto6Ccompared totheaveragesrecordedbetween 1961and1990.
EmergencyservicesinBulgaria havefoughtmorethan160active wildfires.Somethatbrokeoutatthe weekenddestroyedabout20homes inthevillageofRaniLugclosetothe Serbianborder.
TheBlackSeanationalsorequested EUhelp,withtwoSwedishaircraft beingdeployedtohelp.Helicopters fromSlovenia,theCzechRepublic, Hungary,FranceandRomaniawere alsoatworkyesterday.
InGreece,whereblazeshave ravagedhomesandsparked evacuationsacrossthecountrythis summer,firefightersbroughtdozens ofwildfiresundercontroloverthe weekend.Butanewinfernobrokeout nearauniversitycampuseastof
Athens,inZografoumunicipality. Some65firefighters,20vehicles, sevenhelicoptersandsixplaneswere mobilisedtocontaintheflames, authoritiessaid.
Greecehasenduredheatwave conditionsforaweek,with temperaturespassing40Cinmany areas. OntheIberianPeninsula,four Spanishplanesjoinedmorethan250 Portuguesefirefightersbattlinga mountainblazeinVianadoCastelo districtonthePortuguese-Spanish border.Theflameswerespreadingin twodirectionsanddifficulttotackle becauseofstrongwinds,civil protectionchiefMarcoDomingues said.Authoritieshaveputmuchof northernandsouthernPortugalonthe highestalertforwildfiresbecauseof heatandwinds. —AFP
Policemanpunishedforletting detaineesworkathiswedding AnArgentinepoliceofficerwholet foursuspectedcriminalsoutofa holdingcelltoworkascooks,servers andcleanersathiswedding,was yesterdayfoundguiltyofabusinghis office.
Lastyear,theofficerfreedthemen towalktoandfromthewedding venueaboutablockfromthepolice stationwheretheywerebeingheld, accordingtolocalnewsreports. Oneofthemwaschargedwith
Subsidiesoffered
China’sGovernmentwilloffer subsidiestoparentstothetuneof $840perchildundertheageofthree peryear,Beijing’sstatemediasaidon Monday,astheworld’ssecondmost populousnationfacesalooming demographiccrisis.Thecountry’s populationhasdeclinedforthree consecutiveyears,withUnited Nationsdemographymodels predictingitcouldfallfrom1.4billion todayto800millionby2100.The nationwidesubsidiesapply retroactivelyfromJanuary1,Beijing’s statebroadcasterCCTVsaid,citinga decisionbytherulingCommunist PartyandtheStateCouncil.
Vaticanprofit TheVaticanyesterdayannounceda profitof €62.2million($120m)onits financialassetsandrealestatein 2024—amorethan35%risethat couldhelpeaseitsbudgetdeficit.The Vatican,whichboastsavastreal estateportfolio,hassince2021 publishedannualreportsonits holdings,partofthelatePopeFrancis’ missiontopromotetransparency. TheAdministrationofthePatrimony oftheApostolicSee(Apsa)registered a €16mboostin2024,accordingto abalancesheet.Theresultswillallow foracontributionof €46.1mforthe needsoftheHolySeeandtheRoman Curia—itscentralgovernment.This is €8mmorethanlastyear.Apsa presidentArchbishopGiordano Piccinottilaudedtheresultasoneof thebestinrecentyears.TheVatican declaredthatithad4234properties managedbyApsainItalywith another1200properties—notablyin Paris,LondonandGeneva— managedbyApsaabroad.
NewYorkshooting Atleastfourpeopleincludingapolice officerwerekilledyesterdayinthe UnitedStatesafteragunmanwalked intoaskyscraperincentral ManhattaninNewYorkandopened fireinbroaddaylight,officialssaid. Afifthvictimwasalsoincritical conditionafterbeingshot,whilethe gunmanapparentlytookhisownlife, NewYorkMayorEricAdamssaid.An officetowerblockat345ParkAve —hometohedgefundgiant Blackstone,auditorKPMGandthe NationalFootballLeague—was apparentlytargetedbythegunman, policecommissionerJessicaTisch toldapressconference.Shesaidthat thesuspectwasbelievedtohave actedalone.Tischgavetheshooter’s nameasShaneTamurafromLas Vegasandsaidarevolver, ammunitionandmagazineswere foundinhisvehicle.Tischsaid Tamurahadahistoryofmental healthissues.
Cancerwarning roastingthelamb—butit’sunclear whatthemenwerebeingheldfor, orwhethertheywereconvictedof anywrongdoing.Afterthe celebrations,themenreturnedfreely totheirholdingcell,said ElDiariode LaPampa.“Hewasluckynoneof themescaped,”prosecutorGuillermo SanchotoldtheInfobaenewssite. Thepolicemanwasfoundgivena 15-monthsuspendedprisonsentence forabuseofauthority. —AFP
Thenumberofpeoplewithliver cancerwillnearlydoubleworldwide by2050unlessmoreisdoneto addresspreventablecausessuchas obesity,alcoholconsumptionand hepatitis,astudywarnedyesterday. Newcasesoflivercancer—thesixth mostcommonformofthedisease— willriseto1.52millionayearfrom 870,000ifcurrenttrendscontinue, accordingtoGlobalCancer Observatorydatapublishedinthe Lancet medicaljournal.Itisalsothe thirddeadliestofallcancers,withthe studypredictingitwouldtake1.37 millionlivesbythemiddleofthe century.However,threeoutoffive casesoflivercancercouldbe prevented,theinternationalteamof expertssaid.Theriskfactorsare drinkingalcohol,viralhepatitisand abuild-upoffatintheliverlinked toobesitycalledMASLD.
He’s been scary, funny and sometimes campy, but Godzilla has remained iconic for almost seven decades
Godzilla has morphed over the years but one constant is the devotion of its fans, who celebrated the Japanese monster s 70th anniversary at the pop culture convention Comic-Con in the United States
The Japanese studio Toho, which created Godzilla, maintains a calendar of events to celebrate the beast often called the king of monsters, and Comic-Con is on the agenda
Godzilla was born on November 3, 1954 with the launch of the first movie about it, directed by Ishiro Honda
“I am a very big fan of Godzilla,” said Angela Hill a teacher who travelled from Arizona to take part in Comic-Con which this year featured events and displays celebrating Godzilla
One of the world’s largest celebrations of pop culture, ComicCon brings together 130,000 people, many of whom come dressed as wizards, princesses or characters from movies, games or TV series
As the story of Godzilla goes a prehistoric amphibious beast is awakened and mutated by nuclear bomb testing in the Pacific It emerges from the sea and attacks Japan in a rage symbolising the deadly power of nukes
“I think because he came from such a historic event like a lot of other monsters are just interesting creatures, but they don t hold the grief of a nation,” Hill said, referring to the US nuclear bomb attacks against Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II
At the pop culture watering hole in San Diego, people lined up to shoot pictures and video with an image of Godzilla, which was also the theme of a panel discussion on Saturday that featured Shinji Higuchi, who codirected a reboot in 2016 called Shin Godzilla
The movie franchise includes nearly 40 films and has spawned hundreds of animated productions about the monster as well as TV series and graphic work
On Sunday the writers Ed Godziszewski and Steve Ryfle signed autographs of their book Godzilla: The First 70 Years which sold out at Comic-Con
“It’s a rich history ” Ryfle told AFP
“This is the longest running feature
Big celebration as fans honour King of Monsters film franchise in cinematic history that’s focused on a single continuous character It’s been around longer than James Bond ” He said the key to its longevity is that Godzilla has evolved over time but stayed faithful to its origins
“Godzilla has been serious, it s been scary, it’s been heroic, it’s been funny But at the same time this is a movie character that s rooted in something that’s very real ” Ryfle said And that s the trauma that Japan experienced, both during World War II, and also the trauma of the aftermath of World War II, the aftermath of Hiroshima and Nagasaki ” he
added He said Honda, who directed the first Godzilla movie was a veteran who used the film to send a message against war and in particular against nuclear weapons
Michelle Pena a Godzilla fan who waited in line to get the autograph of the two writers, said part of the monster s charm is how it has changed over the years
Good, bad, hero anti-hero you know And I like that,” she said
He s not, like lovable, she added
“He s a big dinosaur-looking thing, you know He s scary But, like, you really, really find yourself rooting for him ” AFP
Attendees (above and below right) pose for photos with Godzilla during Comic-Con in San Diego in the US at the weekend.
Photo / AFP
Hearing&Balance Audiologyexpand toKaweka SpecialistCentre Hearing&BalanceownersDionHutchinson-JonesandCarlyHensman arepleasedtoannouncethattheyhaverecentlyopenedasecond,more central,clinicatKawekaSpecialistCentre.
Hearing&Balanceisabespoke companydedicatedtoallthingsrelating toearswhetherit’sbalance,hearing, earwax,auditoryprocessingdisorder,tinnitus orhearingaidsandrepairs.Theirfirstclinic wasestablishedinGreenmeadowsand quicklygainedareputationforindependence.
“Ourindependenceisimportant,because itmeanswearenotalignedtoonehearing aidmanufacturerorincentivisedtofita particularbrandofproduct.Everyclienthas individualneeds,andweprovidearangeof servicesandproductstomeetthosespecific requirements,”Dionsays.
TheclinicatKawekaSpecialistCentre openedon21Julyandthismeansthattheir servicesarenowmoreaccessibletoagreater numberofpeopleinHawke’sBay.Previously someclientsfounditdifficulttotravelto Greenmeadows.
Inaddition,theyaresharingspacewithEar, NoseandThroatsurgeonsmakingitfareasier toarrangeconsecutiveappointments.
TosupporttheexpansionDionandCarly havingbeentrainingCrystalforthepastyear. Theyarealsopleasedtowelcomeonboard Billie-Taiasthenewreceptionistclientswill meetattheKawekaSpecialistCentre.Steph continuestoprovideadministrativesupportat theGreenmeadowsclinic.
Whilemuchoftheirworkisseeingadults whohavehearingproblemsorloss,Dioncan seechildrenaged9monthsupwards.They aretheonlyclinic,apartfromthehospital, thatofferpaediatricappointmentsasDion iscertifiedtotreatchildren.Theyalsotreat peoplewithlisteningproblemsandotherswith balancedisorders.
DionandCarlypridethemselvesin providingthepersonaltouch,withcontinuityof careandcustomsolutionsforeachindividual.
Whiletheyarebusyandwonderifthey haveenoughdaysintheweek,theyallenjoy thevariety,notwodaysarethesame,people arealldifferentandcanexpectatailored solutiontosuittheirneeds.
WEARENOWIN HASTINGS ANDGREENMEADOWS Local,independentaudiologyexpertsnowavailableacrosstheBay.
Weareexcitedtoannouncethatournewclinicisopening atthenewprivatehospital,KawekaSpecialistCentreand Ward,inHastingsthisJuly.
AtHearing&Balance,webelievethateveryonedeserves toheartherichsoundsoflife.Thatiswhywetakeaholistic approachtoidentifythehearingsolution,treatment,and managementplanthat’srightforyou,yourlifestyleand yourbudget.
Weworkcloselywithotherspecialistsandhealth professionals,toofferexpertiseandspecialistskillsunique toHawke’sBay.
NowWithTwoConvenientLocations Greenmeadows
NEW!KawekaSpecialistCentre,Hastings
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PayWave costs The Finance Minister says when a ban on contactless card payment surcharges comes into effect businesses should pass on the cost to customers as they would any other business cost, if they can t absorb the bill
The Government plans to ban surcharges on contactless card payments no later than May 2026 Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Scott Simpson announced the change on Monday afternoon declaring: “That pesky note or sticker on the payment machine will become a thing of the past
“Shoppers will no longer be penalised for their choice of payment method, whether that’s tapping, swiping or using their phone s digital wallet ”
The ban builds on the Commerce Commission’s recent decision to reduce the interchange fees imposed on businesses for accepting Visa and Mastercard payments
Finance Minister Nicola Willis said yesterday that change has led to an average reduction in costs for a typical retailer a small business of about $500 each week
“So our concern has been now that reduction has happened, how do we make sure that gets passed through to you, when you re at the shop What’s to stop the retailer just charging you the same fee even though their costs has dropped ”
Banning the fee was the simplest and most transparent thing to do, Willis said
Businesses need to treat the interchange fee like any other cost in their business “and just include it in the price tag on the shelf” she said
“It’ll make it easier for people to compare what they re really having to pay Just think about how many times you’ve been at the counter and then suddenly you learn that it’s a 2 5% or a 3 5% surcharge and that gets added to the price of whatever it is you re buying That’s not very transparent
The sector is warning prices may need to rise at restaurants and cafes because of the ban
Retail New Zealand chief executive Carolyn Young told Morning Report retailers were not happy with the change and have told them they will increase prices as a result
More people will use contactless payments as a result of the change, she said
“It means that a retailer, a higher percentage of their transactions will incur a fee so any savings that they may have seen from the interchange fee, they’ll be countered by the fact that a higher percentage of transactions will incur a fee anyway ”
Young said retailers were already
Retailers warn of price rises after surcharge ban having a hard time trying to stay open
Matthew Lane is the general manager of 54 Night ‘n Day shops around the country and has never put a surcharge on payments
“We fold it into the overall cost of business, we never charged it we like to keep things consistent to the customer,” he said
While Lane welcomed the ban on PayWave surcharges, he said it was the interchange fee which was a massive cost to business
“For context one of our stores paid over $80,000 to the merchant provider over the last year and that’s just a massive cost to business for simply a set payment in store ”
PayWave being used more as a result of a surcharge ban would further diminish savings, he said
He questioned whether the reduction of the interchange fee went far enough and said it was likely some businesses would revert back to offering only Eftpos for transactions
The “vast majority” of businesses don’t currently charge surcharges he said When questioned on that statement the minister said this was something he knew from his personal experience when shopping and information from the Commerce Commission
Consumer NZ chief executive Jon Duffy said with a reduction in the interchange fee, businesses would be making a profit off the surcharges if they remained in place
“Retailers still pay a small amount to offer those services we think that once the decrease comes into effect it will be less than 1% of the total cost of the transaction ” Duffy said
Asked if she thinks the ban will lead to inflationary prices, the minister said: “I think that overall people will charge the price that they think they can get away with”
The change doesn t include international credit card payments or online payments Willis said these payments were usually much more expensive to process and people using these systems have to pay a bit more because they are protected
from things like online scams and fraud
Commerce and Consumer Affairs
Minister Scott Simpson said the interchange fee was a cost of business
“I think that the price you pay at the tills should be the same price that’s on the shelf when you go to buy something ”
Many businesses would absorb this into the prices though there may be some who need to increase prices to cover the cost, he said
“But it would be just the same as if their power bill or their rent went up ”
Consumer NZ was a bit disappointed online transactions were not included but it was understandable for now, he said
RNZ
The Government plans to ban surcharges on contactless card payments. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
Finance Minister Nicola Willis.
SmallbusinessQ&A JonFoote,founder andchiefexecutive ofAxonPerform, talksto TomRaynel aboutcreatinga sportsdataplatform ofthefuture,and theexciting opportunities newsportsbring.
WhatisAxonPerform?
We’readata-platform-as-a-servicefor sportsteams.Typically,sportsteams focusonplaying,andtheyhave specialistpeopleinrolesaround performance,coachingand administration.
Whenitcomestothedata,it’sa growingfunction,andteamsarestill grapplingwiththeideaofhowthey handlesomuchdata.We’vegota scalablesolutionthattakesawayall thehardworkofcollecting,handling andanalysingdatasothattheydon’t havetospendafortuneontryingto setsomethingup.
Whatinspiredyoutostartthe business?
Aboutsix-and-a-halfyearsago,I startedadataconsultingbusiness. Throughthatbusiness,Istarted workingwithhighperformanceat NewZealandRugby.Wewentwith themonajourneymovingfrom spreadsheetsintoadatavisualisation tool,andthenworkingoffadata platform.
IwasworkingwiththeAllBlacksand thentheSuperfranchises,whichled metoworkingwiththeHighlanders. Andy[Watts,AxonPerformproduct lead]wastheperformanceanalyst,so weweredoingalotofworktogether. Andycontactedmepriortothe2023 RugbyWorldCupwhileIwas workingwithJapanandsaid,‘Ilove thisandI’mgoingtogetoutofrugby, howdoIgetintothis?’Thatwas reallythestartofthisturninginto somethingthateveryteamneeds.
Whatgoesintothereportsthe platformproduces?
Thereareanumberofthird-party providersthatteamswillusefor gameanalytics;primarily,weuse onecalledOpta.Theteamssubscribe toOpta,andthenthedatagetssent tous.Eachteamwillhavetheir ownsubscriptionbasedonwhat competitionsandplayerstheywant tofollow,whetherthat’stheJapanese Top14,SuperRugbyorthe internationalcompetitions. There’sahugeamountofdata, butdataisuselesswithoutinsight.
Dataplatformtransforming sportsanalyticsfortopteams Webringthatallintooneplace.The actualanalyticalpieceattheend, thereports,they’veevolvedover thelastfiveyears,andprobablymore sointhelast18to24monthssince we’vebeensellingasaplatform.
Youworkwithanumberofrugby teamsalready.Whatarethe opportunities?
WecurrentlyworkwiththeBritish andIrishLions,Springboks,and SydneyRoostersintheNRL.Wealso recentlypickeduptheEnglishmen’s andwomen’s15steams,andwe’vegot anumberofotherinternationaland clubteamstriallingtheproduct. Thereareonlysomanyteamsin rugbythatwecanworkwith,because globally,it’snotthatbig.Weare
currentlyworkingtowardslaunching infootball,whichisquiteexciting. We’vebeenbuildingoutcore templatemodelsthatwillallowusto presentsomethingtothemarketso theycanseewhatwe’redelivering verysoon.
Didyoufundthebusiness yourself,anddoyouplanon raisingcapitalforany expansions?
Veryself-fundedsofar,andwe’llbe takingoninvestmentinthenear future,oncewehavethelevelof tractionthatwewant.Nonumbers yet,butI’vegotanideaofwhat I’dlikeittobe.Therearealotof factorswhenyou’reraisingmoney, obviouslyaroundvaluationandhow
muchpercentageofthebusinessyou wanttogiveaway. Therearealotofpermutationsand alotofthingsthatweneedtomake surewe’veachievedbeforewegetto thatpoint.Inthetechnologyspace, we’rereallytalkingaboutwhat’sthe potentialvalueofitinfiveto10years.
Whathasbeenthebiggest challengeinstartingthebusiness? Money’salwaysachallenge;it’s alwaystryingtodothingsonthe smellofanoilyrag.ButwhenIfirst startedmyconsultingbusiness,itwas verymuchbuiltonrelationships,and it’sbeenverysimilarwiththesports stuffaswell.I’vebuilteverythingto thispointonrelationships,butnow it’saboutmovingtothenextstage,
andthat’sgoingintothemarket whereyoudon’tknowpeople andencouragingthemtobecome customers.That’sthenewchallenge. Whatwouldbeyouradviceto otherbuddingentrepreneurs wantingtostartabusiness? Theadviceforpeoplethataretrying togetintoentrepreneurshiporinto businessistobuildacommunityfirst. Getoutthereandchallengeyourself tobecomeknownonsocialmedia. MarketplaceslikeLinkedInand Instagramdon’treduceyoutoyour localenvironment.Ifyoucanget outthereandletpeoplegettoknow youfirst,thechancesofbuilding relationshipsandnetworksget easier.
NorthernTerritoryoffersKiwisupto$40kmoretojumptheditch Australiancompaniessaytheyare nottryingtopoachNZ’sworkforce, butanybodywhodoesfancyupping sticksfor‘Straya’sNorthernTerritory isbeingfairdinkumpromiseda chunka’changethatwouldmake yourKiwicolleaguesmadasacut snake.
NorthernTerritoryindustry leaderswereatanAucklandjobexpo overtheweekendtoextolthevirtues ofthevastregionofAustralia.
Therewerestallslookingtorecruit policeandcorrectionsofficers,hospitalityworkers,healthprofessionals, tourismoperatorsandconstruction andinfrastructureworkers.
AnumberofKiwisvisitingthe exposaidbetterpayandbetterwork opportunitiesweretempting.
ButwhatwillitmeanforNew Zealand’salreadydeclining workforceiftheytakeuptheoffer? ForKiwisacrossthemotu,itcan
beadispiritingdailygrind:applyfor jobs,oftenreceivenoreplyandwhen theydolandaninterview,queuesof peopleareliningupforthesamejob. Itcantakehundredsofapplications, andoftenmanymonths,before somethingfinallycomesthrough.
TheunemploymentrateinNew Zealandisatafour-yearhighat5.1%, soitisverycompetitiveoutthere.
ButinAustralia’sNorthernTerritory,theyaredesperateforpeopleto jointheirworkforceandtheyhave gotKiwisintheirsights.
OnSaturdaymorningatAuckland’sManukauDueDropevents centre,theexpowasbustlingwith hundredsofstudents,jobhunters andpeoplejustlookingforachange. TheytoldRNZfindingajobin Aotearoahasbecomeincreasingly difficult.
“I’mlookingforotherworkatthe momentandthere’sliterallynothing
outthere,thousandsofpeopleapplyingforjobsthatIwouldn’tusually applyfor.
“Alotofpeoplehaveappliedfor jobsyousee150peoplehaveapplied, 200peopleandyou’llstillbewaiting forananswer.”
TheNorthernTerritory’sallurelies initshighersalaries,morejobopportunitiesandthepossibilityofbuying ahomethere.
“I’mrentingatwo-bedroomhouse herefor$550atthesametimewhen Iseemysistershe’sinAliceSprings she’srentingatwo-bedroomhouse for$350.
“Ifeelreallybadgoingintoajob thatpayssolittle,andI’vestudiedso hard,wherethere’slikea$20,000 differenceifIstarthereorifIstart there.”
DamienCharlesfromtheNorthern TerritoryInformationandCommunicationTechnologyandDigital
Servicesindustrysaidtherewasa widerrangeofopportunitiesinthe sector.
A$30,000-$40,000paybumpalso didnothurt.
“Havinglistenedtoanumberof peoplecomethroughthey’requite downcastaboutICTanddigitalsector hereinNewZealand,it’squitehard togetintothemarketevenforpeople withexistingskillsandexperience.”
AndrewCravenfromtheNorthern TerritoryPolicesaidtheywerelookingfornewrecruitstojointhepolice andexperiencedpolicewhomight wantachangeinscenery.
First-yearconstablesearnasalary of$111,000comparedto$83,000 here.Afterfiveyearsintheforcethat increasesto$121,000inNorthern Territory,comparedwith$91,000 here. Thereisalsoahousingallowance ofupto$34,000forofficersjumping
theditch.
Cravensaidthereweremany similaritiesbetweentheNorthern TerritoryandNewZealandpolice forces.
“WespeaktotheNewZealand Policealotbecauseweinterview experiencedpolice,particularlyin theNorthernIsland,Ithinktheyhave verysimilarproblems.”
Rahman—MemberoftheParliamentoftheNorthernTerritoryfor FongLiminDarwin’seast—madethe triptoNewZealandtohelpsnagsome Kiwiworkers.
HesaidtheNorthernTerritory offeredadifferentlifestyle,betterpay, ahigherqualityhousingmarketand awarmerclimate.
ButforsomeKiwis,thegrasswas notgreener.
“Australia’swaytoohotandthere’s toomuchdramathere,”saidone. —RNZ
AxonPerformfounderandchiefexecutiveJonFoote(right)andproductleadAndyWattsbothbringawealthofexperiencedealingwithsportsdata.
Callforfairerdisputesystemforretirees Plantostreamline retirementvillage complaints AnneGibson
Anewretirementvillages complaintsanddisputes resolutionschemehas beenproposedwhich couldmakeiteasierandfairerfor approximately63,000residents.
RetirementCommissionerJane WrightsonsaidtheDisputeResolutionCentrehadbeenaskedtoproposethenewsystem.
Thecentreisanationwideproviderofprivatecommercialdispute resolutionandconflictmanagement servicesinNewZealand.
Retirementvillageresidentscurrentlyneedtoapplyforthe escalationofissuestheyhave complainedabout.
Therecommendedscheme
wouldmakethateasiertodo.
Timeframescouldalsobe imposedonvillageowners,putting a10-working-dayperiodonthemto resolveissues.
Theexistingsystemisperceived asnotbeinguser-friendlyand owner-operatorsoftenhavelawyers representingthemindisputes,leadingtopowerimbalances.
Undertheproposedsystem,legal representationwouldbeminimised.
Theroleofstatutorysupervisors couldalsobechanged.Thesepeople arefundedbyowneroperators, creatingapotentialbias.
Buttheproposednewdispute systemwouldbefundedbyoperatorlevies.
Privacycouldalsobechanged, withdisputepanelhearingsheldin public.Confidentialoutcomescould bepossibleunderthechangedsystem.
Wrightsonsaidthesystem neededchanging.
“Theexistingcomplaintsand disputessystemdoesnotmeetbestpracticestandards,andboththe
RetirementCommissionandTe Tu¯a¯papaKuraKa¯inga—Ministryof HousingandUrbanDevelopment wanttoaddresstheseissuesaspart ofthebroadersectorreviewunder way,”shesaid.
“Werecognisetheuniquedynamicsandchallengesoftheretirementsector,whereresidentsoften cannoteasilymoveoutoftheir villages.
“Therefore,theschememust prioritiserestoringandpreserving relationships,beaccessible,andprovideefficientandtrusteddispute resolutionasearlyandascloseto thesourceoftheissueaspossible.”
Acommissionspokeswoman saidtherehadbeenstakeholder engagement,includingwiththe owner/operatorlobbyists,theRetirementVillagesAssociationand residents’lobbyists,theRetirement VillageResidentsAssociation.
Aspectsoftheproposedscheme neededrefining,butgenerally,what wasputforwardwouldbefairer thantheexistingsystem,the spokeswomansaid.
Wrightsonhaslongfoughtfora bettersystem.
In2020,shepublishedawhite paperwithsuggestionsfor“urgent reform”ofthesector.
Operatorstakingagestoresellthe propertyafteradeath,noshared capitalgainsandweeklyfeescontinuingafterdeathorhospitaladmissionwerethemostwidelydiscussedissues,Wrightsonsaid.
“Residentsareneitherownersnor tenantsandtheirconsumer protectionsarelimited.Itistherefore importantthatfit-for-purposelegislativeprotectionsareinplace,”shesaid in2021.
PeterCarr,whowasin2021the RetirementVillageResidents Associationpresident,saidsucha powerfulcallforchange“makesa mockeryoftheindustryoperator’s viewthat96%ofretirementvillage residentsarelivinginanauraof violinsandkumbaya”.
ButtheRetirementVillages Associationobjected,sayingthecall foranurgentlawreviewwasunnecessaryandexcessive.
Wrightsonnotedyesterdaythat theMinistryofHousingandUrban Developmenthadacceptedherrecommendationthatafullreviewwas overdue.
Theministrysubsequentlyissued adiscussionpaperin2023,which receivedmorethan11,000 submissions,Wrightsonsaid.
Othershavecalledforareformof retirementvillagelaw,includingConsumerNZ.
In2021,ConsumerNZchiefexecutiveJonDuffysaidareviewof contractsfoundtermswhichunfairly favouredvillagesandriskedcosting residentsmoney.
“Retirementvillagespromisethe goodlifeinyourgoldenyears.However,theagreementsconsumers mustsignbeforetheymoveintoa villagecanhaveanastyfinancial sting.Somealsoriskbreachingconsumerlaw,”Duffysaid.
Termswhichmaderesidentsresponsibleforthecostsofmaintaining andrepairingitemsintheirunit— eventhoughtheydidn’townthem —wereaworry,hesaid.
Farmchore rulesunder reviewforkids Theagriculturesectorwillbe consultedonproposedchangesto riskregulationsonwhatchores youngpeoplecansafelycarryouton thefamilyfarm.
WorkplaceRelationsandSafety MinisterBrookevanVeldensaidit willconsultonthesethresholds,like collectingeggsorfeedingsmall animals,whileensuringsafetyisnot compromised.
TEM Templeton 4.454.704.70+.2424.703.2711.82.752.5114.47
STU Steel&Tube .72.74.74+.03201.08.662.78-3.75-
ERD EROADLtd 1.461.511.51+.061871.59.84 --203.83 FSF FonterraShrhldsUnts 6.816.926.92+.262266.963.9162-8.96-
SML SynlaitMilkLtd(NS) .64.65.65+.0221.08.275
ALF AlliedFarmrs .77.78.78+.025.82.70 --3.96
HGH HeartlandGrpHolding .81.82.82+.022551.18.706.94.928.4717.75
FT Infratil 11.98511.9911.99+.2939613.349.1320.5-1.71-
APL AssetPlusLtd .215.22.215+.0055.27.1785.23-24.31-
TWR Tower 1.7251.741.735+.044651.7351.0617.731.6210.227.32
PGW PGGWrightson 2.252.292.25+.05152.281.533.473.341.5426.97
TAH ThirdAgeHealth 4.454.504.50+.10594.511.7520.431.694.5418.13
MHJ MichaelHill .46.60.46+.0195.69.42 --81.11
KPG KiwiProp .97.98.98+.027761.015.826.7.666.8427.54
SPN SouthPortNZ 7.357.507.50+.1517.505.1037.51.435.0019.48
AGL AccordantGrp .26.30.255+.00512.86.245
THL TourismHoldings 2.062.122.11+.04212.311.2810.421.524.9418.5
KMD KMDBrands .26.265.265+.005203.59.25
MCY MercuryNZ 6.156.216.20+.1052737.005.5032.78.155.29176.48
BRW Bremworth .61.62.62+.019.69.365
KFL Kingfish 1.331.341.34+.02571.371.1911.961.068.9311.26
VNT VentiaServices 5.505.715.65+.08.1655.783.7521.931.303.8819.89
VGL VistaGroup 3.503.553.55+.0594.002.25
HLG HallensteinGlasson 8.508.628.62+.12238.805.5562.651.147.2714.89
BRM Barramundi .71.72.72+.01138.73.616.211.158.6310.44
1.001.041.00-.039811.62.88 OCA OceaniaHlth .69.70.69-.02169.85.57 --16.43 BPG BlackPearlGrp 1.131.141.14-.03481.75.60 CDI CDLInv .77.78.78-.0229.88.7154.861.516.2314.78
CVT Comvita .46.48.46-.01701.24.455
EUG SmartEUEqu 4.0118.004.011-.08184.0933.312
AIA AuckAirport 7.627.817.65-.1314438.857.0717.71.382.31158.23
FWL FoleyWines .59.60.59-.011.85.52
BFG BurgerFuel .315.32.32-.005.317.40.28 --11.59
BIT BankersInv 2.732.772.72-.04162.792.265.98-2.20-
SPK SparkNZ 2.4552.512.455-.03537624.481.94535.59.4014.5023.05
CMO ColonialMotor 7.057.207.20-.10.5617.306.2548.61.196.75107.54
EUF SmartEU 2.602.6152.614-.036452.672.185.1-1.95-
RBD RestaurantBrands 2.952.962.96-.04284.322.82251.188.4513.92
SEK SeekaKiwifruit 3.823.843.84-.05234.112.316.944.071.8118.85
ASF SmartAUFin 11.4811.6811.513-.1471512.0679.28631.84-2.77-
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GPR SmartGlobalProp -5.002.711-.033203.0132.3656.18-2.28EBO EBOSGroup 40.2040.8540.73-.4812042.5534.75130.021.183.1929.03
RAK Rakon .86.89.89-.01209.92.41
MEL MeridianEnergy 5.715.755.71-.069146.8155.3027.65.214.84126.55
Disclaimer:Allpartieshaveendeavouredtoensuretheaccuracyoftheinformationcontainedhereiniscorrect.NeitherthisnewspapernorPagemasters,relatedcompaniesnoranyoftheirrespectiveemployeesoragentsmakeanyrepresentationastoitsaccuracyorreliabilitynorwill they,totheextentpermittedbylaw,beliableforanylossarisinginanywayfrom,orinconnectionwith,errorsoromissionsinanyinformationprovided(includingresponsibilitytoanypersonbyreasonofnegligence).Pleasenote:Allproductsandservicessubjecttochangewithoutnotice.
VanVeldensaidchildrenwillbe abletodomorecomplextaskswith supervisionandtrainingastheyget older—butexpectshigher-riskactivitieslikebeingnearheavymachinery toremainoff-limits.
“Farmersknowtheirfarmsand therisksthatcomewithfarminglife betterthananyone,”shesaid.
“They’vetoldmethelawneedsto recognisethatthefarmisoftenboth theirworkplaceandtheirhome.
“Thatincludesmakingspacefor childrentosafelylearnandcontributetofarmlifeinwaysthataresafe andage-appropriate.”
Shesaidchangesshouldgive farmingfamiliesconfidencethatchildrencanstillbeinvolvedwiththe familybusiness.
Cabinetdecisionswillbemadein Novembertocomeintoforcemidnextyear.
Itwillalsoconsultonapproved codesofpracticeforrolesand responsibilitiesinagriculture,and forsafeuseoffarmvehiclesand machinery. —RNZ
TomRaynel
AirNewZealandhaslaunchedanew programmeinpartnershipwithregionaltourismorganisationsacross thecountrytoshowcase20emerging eventsinlocationstheairlinefliesto.
TheAirNewZealandRegional EventSponsorshipprogrammeaims tosupportandpromotedomestic travelandthecollectiveeffortin buildingNewZealand’seventcalendar,especiallyduringshoulderand off-peakseasons.
AirNewZealand’schief sustainabilityandcorporateaffairs officer,KiriHannifin,saidtheairlines goalwastobacklocaleventsthat deservedthespotlight.
“Theseeventsnotonlycelebrate thespiritoftheirregions,buttheyalso givepeopleanotherreasontovisit, explore,andstayalittlelonger.
EventsliketheHokitikaWildFoods Festivalareaperfectexample— authenticallylocal,proudlyunique, andunforgettable,”Hannifinsaid. “Wewanttohelpcreatemoreof thesealloverthecountry.Thekind ofeventsthatbringcommunities togetherandshowcasethebestof Aotearoa.”
Thefirst-of-its-kindsponsorship programmeforAirNewZealandwill supporteventsacrossarangeof categories,includingsport,artsand culture,foodandwine,music,heritageornature.
Eacheventwillalsoreceivea three-yearcommitmenttosupport theregionstheyarein,whetherthat’s flights,marketingandpromotional activity,orinvestment.
AirNewZealandsaidtherewasnot aspecificamountallocatedtothe programmeasitsfundingwouldbe
assessedcasebycase.
Twoverydifferenteventshave beenpickedtolaunchtheprogramme,Nelson’sTheSpectacleand theHamiltonArtsFestival.
TheSpectaclebringsrunnersofall levelsandbackgroundstogetherto racethroughthestreetsofNelson, witheventsrangingfromonemileto a100-milerace.
TheHamiltonArtsFestivalhas beentheWaikato’spremierartsevent for25years,showcasingperforming artsandacuratedselectionof nationalandinternationaltouring showsatthecity’saward-winning HamiltonGardens.
MinisterforTourismandHospitalityLouiseUpstonwasthrilled withtheinitiativetoencouragemore visitorstotheregions.
“We’vebeenlaser-focusedon growingtourisminNewZealandand
onewaytodothisistoencourage peopletoexplorebeyondthemain touristcentres,”Upstonsaid.
“Itmeansmorevisitorsspending moneyinlocalcafes,businessesand accommodationproviders,driving economicactivityinourregions.”
AirNewZealandwillbeprioritising applicantstothesponsorshipfornew oremergingeventsthathelpstimulatevisitationoutsidepeakperiods andalignwiththeprinciplesof sustainabletourism.
“Thisisjustthebeginning.AirNew ZealandwillcontinuetorolloutsupportacrossAotearoa,withmore regionssettobenefitfromtheprogrammeinthecomingmonths,” Hannifinadded.
AirNewZealandhaspreviously facedflakforhighfares,especiallyto theregionswhereitisoftentheonly airlineoperating.
ButearlierthisyeartheCommerceCommissiondecidednotto initiateamarketstudyintoregional airfares.
Afterlookingintothedomestic marketinFebruaryandMarch,the commissiondecidedamarketstudy wasunlikelytoresultincheaper pricesforconsumers.
Itsaidmajorfactorsdrivingcurrentconcernswerestructuraland duetoeconomicfactorsmuch broaderthancompetitionissues.
“Manycostsoccuronlanding, take-offorfromhavingaplaneon theground.”
Costsincludedairportlanding charges,airtrafficmanagementand passengersecuritylevies.
Airlineshadfacedbigfeeincreases,thecommissionsaid,and thesehadtoberecoupedfrompassengersthroughfares.
BIGGEST25 FALLS
A Fleetwood Mac Tribute Tour will hit the right note for youth mental health.
Tribute show backs good cause Tour will raise funds for Gumboot Friday counselling programme
Australian singersongwriter Bloom one of the country’s most powerful vocalists, is bringing her acclaimed show Seventh WonderPerformsFleetwood Mac to New Zealand this September and this time, it s for a cause close to home
Teaming up with mental health charity I Am Hope, the tour will raise funds and
awareness for Gumboot Friday the charity s free youth counselling programme Donation points will be available at all shows, with fundraising also happening online via Givealittle
“We re proud to be backing this tour and even prouder of the heart behind it,” says Mike King, founder of I Am Hope “Bloom isn’t just one of the best voices you’ll hear live
she s someone who truly understands the power of using your platform for good She’s showing up for our young people in a way that’s real, generous, and community-led We hope Kiwis support her the same way she s supporting us Best known for her powerhouse tributes to Adele, Stevie Nicks and Amy Winehouse Bloom has sold
out theatres across Australia and earned the praise of Mick Fleetwood himself, who called her performance “spooky good”
Behind the music Bloom uses her platform for good having raised more than $30,000 for Parkinson’s disease and shining a light on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/ Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
As an artist, I ve seen how music can heal and teaming up with I Am Hope lets us turn that connection into real support for young people who
need it most,” Bloom said Managed by Dennis Dunstan, former co-manager of Fleetwood Mac she will perform a six-stop NZ tour with her band Seventh Wonder from September 12-20 A special guest appearance from Mike King is also on the cards, with final show details to be announced soon
■ Theevent willplayon Friday,September19at ToitoiOperaHouse, Hastings.Ticketsat seventhwonder.com.au/nz/
TopicaleventsfeatureinVenice JudeLaw’sPutinandthe storyofadeathinGaza amongfilmslikelyto drawattention
JuliaRobertsistomake herdebutattheVenice FilmFestivalthisyear, whichwillalsofeature JudeLawplayingRussian leaderVladimirPutinanda hard-hittingfilmaboutGaza.
Robertsisoneofmany A-listerssettoappearatthe increasinglyinfluentialVenice festivalfromlateAugustfor thepremiereofherlatest movie,theAmazon-produced AftertheHunt
DirectedbyItaly’sLuca Guadagnino,aVeniceregular, ittellsthestoryofasexual assaultcaseataprestigious Americanuniversityandwill runoutsidethemainfilm competition,accordingto festivaldirectorAlberto Barbera.
“ItisthefirsttimeJulia Robertswillwalkthered carpetoftheVeniceFilm Festival,sowe’reveryhappy tohaveher,”hetoldreporters.
Themaincompetition category,where21features willviefortheprestigious GoldenLionforbestfilm, includesahostofstar-packed productions,including The WizardoftheKremlin by OlivierAssayas. Themovieisanadaptation bytheFrenchdirectorofa best-sellingbookaboutPutin’s risetopower,featuringLawas theKremlinstrongman.
Lawtold Deadline in Januarythattherolewas“an
Everesttoclimb”,addingthat hewas“lookingupthinking, ‘OhChrist’.”
Otherhigh-profilemovies selectedbythefestivalinclude thelatestthrillerfrom AmericanOscar-winner KathrynBigelow,titled A HouseofDynamite,and Father MotherSisterBrother byJim Jarmusch,starringAdam DriverandCateBlanchett.
BennySafdie’sfilmabouta wrestlingchampion, The SmashingMachine,has Dwayne“TheRock”Johnson intheleadrolealongside EmilyBlunt.
Amuch-discussednew interpretationof Frankenstein byGuillermodelTorowillalso beintherunningforprizes, Barberasayingthatproducer
Netflix“hasnotskimpedonthe meansmadeavailabletodel Toro’simagination”.
AmericandirectorNoah Baumbachreturnswith Jay Kelly,acomedyco-written withhiswifeGretaGerwig, featuringanA-listcastthat includesGeorgeClooney playinganactorwithan identitycrisis.
AlongsidefiveItalianfilms, ahandfulofarthouse productionsandthe Hollywoodblockbusters, festivalorganisershavealso selectedafeatureaboutthe warinGazainwhatisthemost overtlypoliticalofferinginthe maincompetition.
TheVoiceofHindRajab,by TunisiandirectorKaouther BenHania,reconstructsthe
deathofthe6-yearoldPalestiniangirl whowaskilledlast yearbyIsraeli forces.
Sheandseveral relativeswerefleeing anIsraelioffensivein GazaCityinJanuary 2024whentheircarcame underattack.
thefilmsthat“willhavethe biggestimpactonaudiences andcritics,andIhopethere willbenocontroversies”. Around370actorsand directors,includingCannes jurypresidentJuliette Binoche,signedanopenletter duringtheCannesfilmfestival inMaysayingtheywere “ashamed”oftheirindustry’s “passivity”aboutthewarin Gaza.
OtherhighlightsatVenice willincludethereturnof AmericandirectorGusVan Sant,settoshowhisfirstmovie since2018, DeadMan’sWire outofcompetition.
Inacasethatledto internationaloutrage,Rajab couldbeheardpleadingfor helpinadesperatephonecall torescuersfromtheRed Crescentaftershewasleftas thesolesurvivorinthebadly damagedvehicle.Sheandtwo RedCrescentworkerswho wenttofindherwerelater founddead.
Barberasaiditwasoneof
Amongthedocumentaries, GermandirectorWerner Herzogwillprojecthislatest film, GhostElephants,about“a mysteriousherdofghost elephantsinthejunglesof Angola”,accordingto Barbera. Herzogwillbe presentedwitha GoldenLionfor lifetime achievement duringthefestival. SofiaCoppola willpremierea documentaryabout herfriend,fashion designerMarcJacobs, whileAmerican directorsLauraPoitrasand MarkObenhaushave persuadedveteranUS journalistSeymourHershto collaborateforafilmabout him,called CoverUp Theheadofthejuryforthe maincompetitionatthe82nd festivalwillbeUSdirector AlexanderPayne,bestknown forfilmssuchas Sideways The Descendants and About Schmidt —AFP
Blendof60sflairinexcitingtakeonRomeoandJuliet EthanSills Review
● What: RomeoandJuliet
Themajorityofus havelikelyseen someversionof RomeoandJuliet in ourlifetime.Fromcinemato highschooldramaclasses, whetherit’sastraight presentationoftheoriginal text,oramodernadaptation, oraWestSideStory-esque reimagining,William Shakespeare’smostaccessible workisoneweareallfamiliar with.
Oneoftheissueswith adaptingsomethingthat everyonehasseenisfinding awaytomakeitdifferent.It’s achallengethatdirector BenjaminKilby-Henson mostlyrisestointheAuckland TheatreCompany’slatest reimaginingoftheplay.
Thisversionhasmovedthe storytothe1960sbywayof purgatory—openingwith Julietcontemplatingherdeath beforeshedrinksthepotion. Deaththenrewindsthestory totakeustothebeginning.
Thefamiliarstoryplaysout againstthebackdropofan opulentballroomthatisfading away.There’samoviestarchic tothecharacters,givingthe firstacttheairofadecadent sliceofItaliancinema. Everythinginthis productionisgorgeoustolook at,fromproductiondesigner DanWilliams’stunningsetto DaniellaSalazar’ssumptuous costumes,eachpiecesimply works.
Kilby-Hensonhas streamlinedtheplay,cutting
● Where: ASBWaterfront Theatre,untilAugust9
downonthecharactersand somescenes,andtweaking otherswithamodernflairto speedthingsalong,anditdoes givethestorymorespeedand urgency.
Nearlyeverycharacterhas sometweakorflourishadded totheirstoryline.Parisand Juliet’smotherareina relationship,asareMercutio andBenvolio.Severalrolesare gender-swapped.Productionwise,there’sabig choreographeddancenumber attheballscene.
It’sallexcitingandgripping andneverboringtolookatit, butattimesitfeelsasthough thestoryisdrowningin choices.Bytryingtogiveevery characterandperformer somethingnewanddifferent toworkwith,thegoodare forcedtocompetewiththe odd(whatwastheParisand Capuletrelationshipmeantto add,andwhyiseveryone writhingaboutonabilliard table?),soit’sharderforthe greatbits—likethedance sequence—tofullystandout. Thesecondactgrippedme more.Thestagingwaspared backtoappearmorelikean abandonedfilmset,with darkerlightingandableaker atmospherethatsellsthe feelingofdeathbetterthan anyotherproductionI’ve
seen.Itis,though,ahardpivot fromthefirstacttothepoint wheretheydon’tfeellikethe sameproduction. PhoebeMcKellarwas hauntingandcaptivatingas Juliet,mesmerisingeverytime
shewasonstage,butshe doesn’tgetthebroadcomedy treatmentthatnearlyevery othercharactergetsinthefirst act,soshestandsasanoutlier untileveryonemeetsherlevel inacttwo.
Meetingthecomedy, CourtneyEggletonnearlyruns awaywiththeentireshowas Nurse.TheoDavidbringsa cockycharmtoRomeothat givesagreat,youthful chemistrytothecentral romance.
MiriamaMcDowellasthe gender-swappedWhaea Lawrencefindsabalance betweentheplay’sdifferent tones,seriousandengaged whenneeded,whilegetting thebiggestlaughswiththe simplestoflooks. ItisperhapsAmandaTito, whodonsmultiplehatsas Death,thePrince,andPetra theCapulets’assistant,who perfectlyencapsulatesthe production.Shesellsthe broadestcomedypossibleas bumblingPetraandalso deliversasultrybutdarkly campDeath(completewitha maniacallaughI’mstill thinkingabout)thatfits seamlesslyintobothacts withoutchangingabeat,and immediatelycommands attention. Thedualityinher performancesjustspotlights thetwosidesofthis adaptation.Andwhileitdidn’t allworkforme(andIwill admitImaybeanoutlierhere —gleeforthe‘freshnessofthe take’wassomethingIheard variationsofthroughout intervalonopeningnight), whenallthepiecesconnectin therightway, RomeoandJuliet producessomeofthemost engaging,thought-provoking theatreyouareeverlikelyto see.
TheHunt. Photos/AFP, GettyImages
Bangersgettheclassicaltreatment SAnne-MariedeBruin
aturday’sdoubleheaderof Synthony featuringFullMetal Orchestraand Origins atSparkArenabeganwith formerShihadfrontmanJon Toogoodstridingoutto performanacousticsetthat includedhisownhits,aswell asKiwiclassicsfromother bands.
Toogoodbeganwith Run “Turnuptheambienceso Icanhearthesef***ers,”hetold boththecrowdand, presumably,theproduction staff.
Toogood’spowerfulvoice rangoutforhisversionsof Bliss byTh’Dudes,aswellas Victoria bythatclassicband fromGeraldine,the(Dance) Exponents.“IwishIwrotethat songandmyaccountant wishesIwroteit,”Toogood quipped.
Toogoodalsoperformed Pacifier,byShihad.Henoted hewas27whenhewroteitand wasnow54,sohisvoice would’vechangedsincethen. Heplayedcrowd-pleasing songssuchas Rain byDragon andSplitEnz’s IGotYou Henotedonperforminghis classic HomeAgain thathe’d playeditduringhistimein Shihadhundredsoftimesa year,sowouldchangethe lyricstoentertainhimselfand theband. Synthony’saudience gotoneofthese:“Putyourc*** backinyourundies.”
Thenightalso belongedtoE.J. Barnes, daughterof JimmyBarnes, whohasclearly inheritedher vocaltalents fromherdad. Toogood’sperformanceset thetoneforwhatwastocome. TheAuckland Philharmoniawasably conductedbythebrilliant Sarah-GraceWilliams,oneof thestarsof Synthony’s performancesaroundNew Zealand,Australiaandthe globe.
Toogoodranbackonstage for EnterSandman by Metallica.
Thenightalsobelongedto E.J.Barnes,daughterofJimmy Barnes,whohasclearly inheritedhervocaltalents fromherdad.
JennieSkulanderfrom Devilskinwasalsoahighlight onnumberssuchasLed Zeppelin’s ImmigrantSong
Therewasatributetothe latePrinceofDarkness,Ozzy Osbourne,whodiedonJuly22 with Toogoodperforminga brilliantrenditionofBlack Sabbath’s WarPigs AC/DC’sex-drummerPhil Rudd,whohaslivedin Taurangaforyears,wasalsoa tourdeforcewhenhewas welcomedtothestagefor Thunderstruck,withBarneson vocals,and HighwaytoHell, withWellingtonmusician SeamusJohnsonbehindthe microphone.
Otherfeaturesofthenight includedSkulandertackling Aerials bySystemofADown, whileothersongsincluded MasterofPuppets byMetallica,
Alienonsmallscreencanstillmakeyouscream PaulaRamon
Thehighlyanticipatedscience fictionseries Alien:Earth has officiallylandedatComic-Con inCalifornia,wherethousands offanswatchedthepilotofa newTVseriesinthefranchise.
Thepopcultureconvention heldannuallyinSanDiegowas thechosensettingforthe worldpremiereoftheFX seriescreatedbyNoah Hawley.
“Thisisbyfarthebiggest thingI’veevermade,”Hawley told6500cheeringfansin Comic-Con’sHallHbefore presentingthefirstepisode,
whichhealsodirected.
AndinHallH—unlikein space—youcouldhearthem scream.
“Itwascrazy!”squealed NicoleMartindale,afanofthe franchisewhotravelledfrom northernCaliforniaforthe event.
“Itwasn’twhatIexpected basedonthe Alien movies,but itwasprettycool,”shesaid.
Alien:Earth issetacouple ofyearsbeforetheeventsof RidleyScott’sseminal1979 filmstarringSigourney Weaver.
Scottservedasexecutive producerofthisexpansionof
thefranchise,whichwillhit streamingplatformsinAugust.
“IfIhaveaskillatadapting thesefilms,it’sin understandingwhatthe originalmoviemademefeel andwhy,andtryingtocreate itanewbytellingyouatotally differentstory,”Hawleytold theaudience.
Thepanelalsofeatured starsSydneyChandler,Alex Lawther,TimothyOlyphant, BabouCeesayandSamuel Blenkin.
“It’sadream,itwassurreal,” saidChandler,whoplays Wendy,a“hybrid”whoisa blendofhumanconscious-
nessandasyntheticbody.
“I’vebeenasci-fiand Alien fanforever.
“Ikeeppinchingmyself.” Oneoftheworld’slargest celebrationsofpopculture, Comic-Conbringstogether 130,000people,manyof whomcomedressedas wizards,princessesor charactersfrommovies, gamesorTVseries.
Despitemajorplayer MarvelStudiosstayingaway, therewasstillplentyfor aficionadostogetexcited about,includingapanelon Predator:Badlands directedby DanTrachtenberg.
DCdrummer PhilJuddon thesticksfor Synthony feat.Full Metal Orchestra. Photo/Radlab
performedbyToogood. Forthefinale,allthe musicianscamebacktothe stagetojoinRuddonAC/DC’s It’saLongWaytotheTop(If YouWannaRock‘n’Roll) accompaniedbybagpipers. WiththeFullMetal Orchestraperformancedone, wefiledouttoeatchicken wingsandwaitfor Synthony’s Origins featuringtheelectronic dancemusicclassicsthat began Synthony’sworldwide run.
Thenextsectionbeganwith aDJsetfromBevanKeysand Synthony’smusicaldirector DickJohnsonandanMC. Theywerefollowedby AustralianEDMpioneers SneakySoundSystemwith singerConnieThembi Mitchell’spowerfulvoiceand rainbow-colouredoutfiton show.
Theorchestrathen returnedtogetintothe spectaclethatwas Origins Greatvisualshighlighted Williams’conducting.Emily WilliamsandNyreeHuyser stunnedonvocals.
Greatvisualsaccompanied “epicsaxguy”and Synthony OGLewisMcCallumashe performedFatBoySlim’s Right HereRightNow TheDaftPunksongswere alsoplayed,including Around theWorld andSamAllenon vocalsfor OneMoreTime Thenitwasbacktothe90s, withRobertMiles’ Children, FeelSoClose byCalvinHarris and Levels byAvicii.
Asthenightdrewtoaclose fansof Synthony’sfusionof classicalandEDMclassics werenotdisappointed,with Darude’s Sandstorm,whichhas become Synthony’stheme song,lastintheline-up.
theFXseries Alien:Earth, createdby Noah Hawley.
“Thereissomethingreally specialaboutstrappinginto something...andhavingno ideawhatwillhappennext, andthat’s Badlands,” Trachtenbergsaid.
Theproductionplacesthe predatoratthecentreofthe plotforthefirsttimeasprey, nothunter.
“Heisferociousandbadass, andverymuchananti-hero,” Trachtenbergsaid. —AFP
Skydiving?Heli-hunting?Ridge-biking? Youpickthethrill–we’llpickupthetab. We’llgetyoutoGreymouth,sortyourdigs,and shoutyourbigdayout.Thenwinditalldownwith Monteith’sbrewsandproperWestCoastpies. Grabtwomatesforaweekendyouwon’tforget. TEXTWILDto3483 togetinthedraw.
Skydiving?Heli-hunting?Ridge-biking? Youpickthethrill–we’llpickupthetab. We’llgetyoutoGreymouth,sortyourdigs,and shoutyourbigdayout.Thenwinditalldownwith
Photo/Getty Images
6am Breakfast 0
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5.30 TeKarere 3
7.45 AlltheOldKnives 16VLSC2022 Thriller.
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2am LightsOut 16VLC2024Thriller.
3.30 BeingtheRicardos MLS2021 Drama.
5.40 Gladiator2 16VL2024Action.
BeattheChasers,at7.30pm ILiterallyJustToldYou,at8.35pmOpalHunters:RedDirtRoadTrip,at
6am LesMillsBorntoMove 30
6.30 Children’sProgrammes Kiri andLou;ToiTime;KampKoral; BeybladeX;BrainBusters; PetronixDefenders;TheLittle PrinceandFriends.
9.05 Infomercials
9.35 LesMillsAdultClasses 3
10.05 TheDrewBarrymoreShow PG 3
11am HomeandAway PG 30
11.30 ShortlandStreet PG 30
Noon TippingPointAustralia 30
1pm ComeDinewithMe 0
1.30 BrooklynNine-Nine PGV 30 Theteamtakesaroadtripto FloridatotrytohelpJakeand HolttakedownFiggis.
2pm TheRookie MV 30 Nolan andChensearchforamissing personwhomayhave dangerousinternationalties; Harpercontinuesthesearchfor aserialarsonist.
3pm Seinfeld PG 30
3.30 Neighbours 0
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5pm TheBigBangTheory PG 30
6pm TheSimpsons PG 30
6.30 HomeandAway PG 0
7pm ShortlandStreet PGL 0 Moniqueholdsontohersecrets.
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8.35 ILiterallyJustToldYou M JimmyCarrhoststhegame showwherepayingattention paysoff.
9.35 F MelGiedroyc:Unforgivable 16L MelGiedroycandLou SandersarejoinedbyRobert Rinder,SophieDukerandDavid Baddielastheycompeteto convinceMelthattheyarethe worstoftheworst.
10.35 BigBoys 16LC 3
11.05 GoldDiggers 16L Gertand Marigoldgoontherun.
11.40 Wentworth 16VL 3
1.20 Emmerdale PG 3
1.45 Infomercials
2.45 LoveIslandUK 16LC 3 (Starting Today)
3.35 MrRobot 16L 3
4.20 Neighbours 3
4.45 Closedown
5am Infomercials
6.05 ConantheBarbarian 16VS2011 Action.
7.55 Selma MVL2015Drama. 10am Invictus PGL2009Drama.
12.10 TheBourneUltimatum MV 2007Action. JasonBourne comesoutofhidingand discoversmysteriesabouthis past,whichputshiminthepath ofasuperkiller.
2.05 SavetheLastDance MVL2001 Drama. Afterhermotherdies,an aspiringballetdancergoesto livewithherfatherinChicago, anditseemsherdreamshave beenthwarted.
3.55 MysticRiver 16VL2003 Drama. Threemen,linked byachildhoodtragedythat overshadowedtheirlives,are reunitedwhenoneofthemloses hisdaughter.
6.15 TheBourneLegacy MV2012 Action.
8.30 Sicario 16VC2015Crime. An idealisticFBIagentisenlistedas partofaspecialisedtaskforce tohelpdealwiththeescalating warondrugs,shatteringallher illusions.EmilyBlunt,BenicioDel Toro,JoshBrolin.
10.35 Seven 18VS1995Thriller.
12.45 SingStreet ML2016Drama.
2.30 CatchMeifYouCan ML2002 Crime.
4.50 ThePrestige MV2006Drama.
6am TheBlockAustralia PGL 30
7.30 TheBlockAustralia PGL 30
8.45 Infomercials
10.30 HouseHuntersInternational 0 Afteryearsofworkingabroad, aUSdiplomatisreadytoplant rootsinEpernay,theheartof Frenchwinecountry.
11am GossipGirl MLSC 0 GossipGirl reportsthatSerenavander Woodsenhasbeenspotted buyingapregnancytest.
Noon MarriedatFirstSightAustralia PGLSC 30
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2pm McBeeDynasty:TheReal AmericanCowboys M 0 CalahandSteven’srelationship takesasurprisingturn;Galyna losesitwhenshefindsouther formerbestfriend,Masha,ison aromanticgetawayinMexico withStevesr.
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6pm ThreeNews 0
7pm BondiRescue PGLC 30
7.30 OpalHunters:RedDirtRoad Trip PG 0 RodandJCgeta painfullessonwhileminingin thehotandhostileAndamooka. Then,theyprovideanairdrop ofsuppliestoflood-ravaged farmers.
8.30 IntheEyeoftheStorm ML 0 HurricaneIdaslammedthe Louisianacoastin2021.Shocked eyewitnessesfilmedtornadoes andfloodingallthewaytoNew YorkCity.
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10.30 McBeeDynasty:TheReal AmericanCowboys M 30
11.30 MysteryRoad:Origin MLC 30
12.40 Infomercials
WilliamandHarry:TheRiseandFall, at8.35pm
8am TakaroTribe 3
8.30 TheDrawingShow
8.35 KeaKidsNews 3
9am AotearoaRugbyPod
10.05 Infomercials
12.05 PointlessAustralia 3
1.05 RugbyNation 3
1.35 TheHui
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3.10 TheBreakdown 3
4.20 Motorsport:IndyCar (HLS) Monterey.FromLagunaSeca, Monterey,California.
5.30 SuddenlySusan PG Vickitries togetSusanandLuistodate; Jack’sprizedboxinggloves disappear.
6pm TheNewAdventuresofOld Christine PG Christinefindsout Barbisresponsibleforsetting RichardupwithNewChristine; MatthewtakesRitchieto swimminglessons.
6.30 PointlessAustralia
7.30 LicencetoDrive ML QuadriplegicSamFitnessisrelearninghowtodrivewithvoice activatedindicatorsandhand controls;RyanBoheawaitsfor importantnews.
8pm SOS:ExtremeRescues An underpreparedLondoner’s mountainhiketurnsinto anightmare;onafreezing afternoon,rescuersracetoget toawalkerwhohasslippednear awaterfall.
8.35 WilliamandHarry:TheRise andFall PG 1/3.PrincesWilliam andHarrywerethrustintothe spotlightin1997followingtheir mother’sdeath.Cracksinthe relationshipbegantoshowin theiradultlives.
9.35 LeagueLoungewithShaun Johnson PG
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BelowDeckMediterranean M 3 1.40 24HoursinPoliceCustody MVLC 3
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TopChef
6am MorningReport WithIngrid HipkissandCorinDann. 9.06 Nine toNoon WithKathrynRyan. Noon MiddayReport RNZnews,followedby updatesandreports. 1.06 Afternoons WithJesseMulligan.Anupbeatmixof thecuriousandthecompelling. 4pm Checkpoint WithLisaOwen.News andcurrentaffairsprogramme. 6pm ThePanel WithWallaceChapman. Discussionfeaturingarangeof panellistsfromalongtheopinion spectrumandexpertphoneguests. 8.06 Nights WithEmileDonovan. Entertainmentandinformation. 8.30 Mediawatch Examinationand analysisofrecentperformanceand trendsinthemedia.
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7pm Evenings WithDavidMorriss. 8pm MusicAlive WithClarissaDunn. Visitrnz.co.nz/musicaliveformore information.
10pm Evenings Continued. 12am MusicThroughtheNight Detailsavailableonrnz.co.nz/concert.
Puzzlesandhoroscopes Crypticcrossword ACROSS
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WordWheel YourStars Insertthemissinglettertocomplete aneight-letterwordreadingclockwise oranti-clockwise.
Quickcrossword WordBuilder Howmanywordsofthreeormore letters,includingplurals,canyoumake fromthefiveletters,usingeachletter onlyonce?Nowordsbeginningwitha capitalareallowed.There’satleastone five-letterword. Good 9 VeryGood 12 Excellent 14
Previoussolution: age,bag,ban, bane,bang,bean,beg,began,ben,gab, gean,gen,nab,nabe,nag,neb,neg
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Previouscrypticsolution
Across: 1.Horse4.Bear-cub8.Lever9.Explore10.Eve 11.Explained12.Oast13.Frau18.Examiners20.Aid 21.Existed22.Asian23.Figured24.Sheds Down: 1.Helpedoneself2.Reviews3.Earned4.Bleeps 5.Appear6.Crown7.Breadpuddings14.Realise15.Winter 16.Headed17.Essays19.Aping
Previousquicksolution
Across: 7.Erring8.Palace10.Endless11.Theme12.Trap 13.Quiet17.Fatal18.Pale22.Odour23.Confess24.Leaves 25.Gratis.
Down: 1.Beneath2.Gradual3.Enter4.Farther5.Laden 6.Deter9.Assurance14.Barrier15.Majesty16.Persist 19.Mould20.Total21.Angry.
PREVIOUSSOLUTIONS
TRIO Findthethreelettersequence whichwill completeall thesewords
Fitthewordsintothegridtocreateafinishedcrossword
UNWELCOME
Fitthenumbersintothe grid. Crosseachoneoff asitspositionis found.
7digits:
THESITUATION A strongandmoistnortheastflowprecedesafrontasitmoveseast acrossNewZealandearlytoday,followedbyshowerywesterlies. AnotherfrontmovesnorthacrosstheSouthIslandlaterintheday.A deeplowtotheeastofthecountrydirectsastrongsoutherlyflowonto theeasternNorthIslandtomorrow,whileanotherlowmoveseastpast thefarnorthandaridgebuildsovertheSouthIsland.
HAWKE’SBAYFORECAST
Today: Occasionalrain,clearingwithincreasingfinespellsinthe morning.Strongnortheasterlies,turninglighternorthwesterly. Tomorrow: Afewshowers.Southwesterliesdevelopingbeforedawn. Friday: Afewshowers.Southerlies.
Saturday: Cloudy.Southerlies.
Sunday: Mostlycloudy,withisolatedshowers.Southerlies.
NEWZEALANDTODAY
Auckland showers179
Hamilton showers167
Taupo fewshowers146
PalmerstonNth showers158
Wellington fewshowers149
Christchurch fewshowers157
Queenstown showers103
Dunedin showers136
HAWKEBAYRECREATIONALMARINE
Today: NE30ktgusting40ktbut35ktgusting50kteastofCape KidnapperstoWairoa,easingtoN15kteverywhereinthemorning,then to10ktintheafternoon,beforeturningNW15ktintheevening.Eswell 1m.Veryroughseaintheeasteasing.Poorvisibilityinrain,clearing. Tomorrow: NW15kteasingto10ktearlymorning,thenturningSW10kt latemorning.RisingtoS20ktintheafternoon.Eswell1m.Showers.
Friday: S25kt.Eswell1mdyingout.Sswell2mdeveloping. Occasionalrain.
Saturday: SW25kt,easingtoS15ktlate.Sswell2m.Cloudy.
TONGARIRONATIONALPARK
Today
Mountainweatherhazards: Snow,Wind,WindChill. Rainwithheavyfallsandsnowto2000m,easingtoafewshowers.
Windat1200m: GaleN80km/h,easingto35km/hbeforedawn. Windat2000m: SeveregaleN110km/h,easingtogale65km/hbefore dawn,thentoNW35km/hinthemorning.
Windat2700m: SeveregaleN110km/h,easingtogale65km/h,then toNW40km/hbeforedawn.
Freezinglevel: 2600m,loweringto2100minthemorning. Additionalmountainforecastareasanddaysavailableon metservice.com
THEWORLDTODAY
Adelaide showers136
Beijing cloudy3224
Berlin cloudy2313
Brisbane showers2312
Cairns fine3021
Johannesburg fine176
London rain2315
LosAngeles fog2917
Melbourne showers136
NewYork thunder3327
Paris drizzle2518
Perth fine185
Rarotonga cloudy2321
Suva thunder2622
Sydney rain1510
Tokyo fine3424
Vancouver fine2515
Zurich showers1812
HAWKE’SBAY WEATHER Occasionalrain, clearingwith increasingfine spells.StrongNE, turninglighterNW.
Occasionalrain, clearingwith increasingfine spells.NE,turning Wbeforedawn.
Mainlyfine, chanceofa showerinthe afternoonand evening.SW.
Mostlycloudy, withshowersin theafternoon andevening.SW developing.
Partlycloudy, withthechance ofashower untilafternoon. Southwesterlies.
Mostlycloudy, withthechance ofashower. Southerlies.
Partlycloudy. Southwesterlies.
Partlycloudy. Southwesterlies, easing.
0.2
Makaretu
Hobbs’raceagainsttime ATHLETICS BonnieJansen
ZoeHobbsknowshertimeonthe groundislimited.
Whethershe’sflyingalonga100m track,smashingnationalrecords orsqueezinginafleetingvisithome,the 27-year-oldisdeterminedtomakeevery momentcount.
It’stherealityshesignedupfor—and oneshe’slearnedtonavigatewith precision—inpursuitofherdreamto becomeaworld-classsprinter.
Thismonth,freshoffapersonalbest(PB) andOceania100mrecordof10.94seconds attheWorldAthleticsContinentalTour GoldMeeting,followedbyapodiumfinish attheDiamondLeagueinMonaco,Hobbs (Nga¯ruahineiwi)returnedtoAuckland fromhertrainingbaseinLeuven,Belgium.
Hervisithomehasbeenbrief—just17 days—beforeshejetsoffagaintocontinue hercampaigntoqualifyfortheWorld Championshipfinals.
Thetightturnaroundisnothingnewfor Hobbs.
She’smasteredtheartofprioritisingher time,ensuringeverycommitmentis purposeful.
InherfirsttriphomesinceearlyMay, Hobbsspoketothe NZHerald abouthow shebalancesthedemandsofelitesport withthemomentsthatmattermost.
Home,sweethome Hobbssaidbeinginherownspaceiswhat shelooksforwardtomostwhenreturning home.
“Livingoutofasuitcaseforsolong,it startstogetalittlebitold.
“There’sonlysomuchyoucanpackand takewithyou.”
Sheappreciatesthosethingsoftentaken forgranted—herownbed,wardrobe,car andkitchen.
“I’veheardalotofpeoplesaythatthey getmorejetlagwhentheycomehome. ButIactuallyfindittheopposite,just becauseIcansettleintoasolidroutineand everythinghereissoeasy,it’sallfamiliar.
“Idon’thavetothinkaboutanything; everything’sjustautopilot.
“It’salljusteasyandfamiliarand comfortable.”
LivingonAuckland’sNorthShore, Hobbsalwaystakesavisittoherfavourite Birkenheadeatery,Duo,andotherdinner spots.
However,havingspentmostofhertime abroadinAirbnbsinEurope,she’snot opposedtothemorehumblemealoption.
“Whenyou’reawayfromhomeforso
long,youdolookforwardtohavinga home-cookedmeal,havingakitchen availabletobeabletodothat.”
Wha¯nau Hobbsgetsoverwhelmedifsheschedules toomanycommitments,butsheprioritises catch-upswithherfamilyandpartner.
“I’venottriednottooverwhelmmyself withfittingintoomuchwhileI’mhome becausethere’ssomanypeopleandso manythingsthatIwouldliketodo.
“Butonly17daysontheground,there’s onlysomuchtime.”
Onecatch-upshedidschedulethistime aroundwas,ofcourse,withherpartner, StewartDodson,aprofessionalsailoron theSwissSailGPteam.
LikeHobbs,Dodsontravelsalotforhis job.Itmeanttheirrecentreunionbackin Aotearoawasevenmorefleetingthan Hobbs’entiretriphome.
DaysafterHobbsreturnedhomeearlier thismonth,DodsonflewtoPortsmouthfor
theGreatBritainSailGPrace.He’s scheduledtoreturntoAucklandjustaday beforeshejetsoffagain.
Hobbssaidwhenthepairareathome, theyenjoy“sit-insatnight”and“beingin theirownspace”.
“IalsocaughtupwithMumandDad thisweekend.Theymadeatripup[from NewPlymouth]tospendsometime.” Momentum Hobbsrevealedthemainreasonshe bookedaflighthome—evenifonlyfor ashorttime—wastorefinehertechnique.
Sheexplainedthatit’sacrucialpartof thetrainingasatopsprinter.
“We’regettingintothecrunchtimenow, sothere’snottoomuchrelaxing.
Hobbssaid,giventhathergoalisto qualifyforthefinalattheWorldChamps inTokyoinSeptember,it’simportantshe optimiseshertimeathometobuild momentum.
“AlthoughI’vedoneaPBandrunthe
BlackCapsexpecthoststo bringmoreintestmatches CRICKET BlackCapscoachRobWalterbelieves theteam’sadaptabilityisshaping theirsuccessinZimbabwe.
NewZealandwentthroughthe T20Tri-Seriesunbeaten,scoringa three-runwinoverSouthAfricainthe finalinHarareonSunday.
Walter,whoisonhisfirsttourin charge,saidtheplayersadaptedwell tolocalconditions.
“Playedonthreedifferentpitches throughtheseriesandallthreeof themplayeddifferently,”Waltertold RNZ.
“Thewaytheguyswereableto adapttotheconditionsandtheoppositionwasexcellent,bothwithbat andball.”
Walterused18differentplayers duringtheTri-Series.
TimSeifert,RachinRavindraand DevonConwaywerethetopthree runscorersinthetournament,while MattHenrygrabbed10wickets.
Leg-spinnerIshSodhihadthebest bowlingeconomyrateof5.75,with ZakFoulkesjustbehindon6.31. Conwaywasn’toriginallynamed inthesquadfortheseries,butwas
BlackCapsv Zimbabwe
Testseries, QueenSportsClub, Bulawayo
Firsttest:July30-August3
Secondtest:August7-11
BlackCapstestsquad
TomLatham(c),TomBlundell, DevonConway,JacobDuffy,Matt Fisher,MattHenry,DarylMitchell, HenryNicholls,WillO’Rourke,Ajaz Patel,MichaelBracewell(firsttest only),RachinRavindra,Mitch Santner,NathanSmith,WillYoung.
calleduptoreplacetheinjuredFinn Allen.Hemadethemostofhisopportunity,averaging45overfour games.
“Devisaqualityplayerandsometimesformcanbeabitwanting,but ultimatelytheseguyswillshineat somepoint,”Waltersaid.
“Itwasgoodtoseehimexpressing himselfandplayingwithfreedom.”
TheBlackCapsnowpreparefor atwo-testseriesagainstZimbabwe startinginBulawayotonight(8pm NZT).
Zimbabwehaveplayedseventests thisyear,withtheirmostrecentresult a2-0serieslossathometoSouth Africa.
Theylostthefirsttestby328runs andthesecondbyaninningsand236 runs.
“They’llcertainlybeabetterteam inthisseries,they’vegotacoupleof playerscomingbackthatwilldefinitelystrengthenwhattheylooklike.
fastestI’veeverrun,Ineedtobeableto doitinSeptember.
“IfIweretobeawayfromhomefor16 weeks,thenIwouldstarttofeeloutof touch.”
ReturninghomemeansHobbscan convenewithhercoaches,refreshingthe cuesandmentalimagesthatsheusesto improvetechniqueandefficiencyduring racing.
“I’vebeenseeingthemalmosteveryday sincebeinghome,andit’sbeengreatto havethemresetsomethings.
“We’renottryingtochangetoomuch nowbecausewe’regettingintothatpointy endoftheseason.We’rejustbrushingup onsomeofthestuffthatwe’vealready workedon.
“We’vejustbeendoingabitofa reloadingphase,gettinginasmuchwork aswecansothatonceIgobackoverto Europe,Icanbuttonoffandthenreally takeitintheleaduptotheWorld Championships.” —NZHerald
“We’llbepayingattentiontoour standardssowe’relookingtodeliver areallygoodperformance.” —RNZ
Onthe trackorat home, Zoe Hobbshas tomake every second count.
Photo/ GettyImages
Gametimetakespriority NETBALL NathanLimm
SilverFernscoachDame
NoelineTauruahasexplained whytheANZPremiership’s bestshooterisoptingoutof theSilverFernsteamtobattleSouth AfricainlateSeptember.
CentralPulsegoalshootAmelia Walmsleyshot492goals—97more thanhernearestrival—at96.1%this season,moreaccuratethananyother attacker.
However,Walmsleyissettobe selectedfortheNewZealandUnder21side,withtheYouthWorldCupin Gibraltartotakeplaceconcurrently withtheTainiJamisonSeries.
Tauruasupportsthe21-year-old’s decision,wantinghertoget tournamentexperienceaheadof nextyear’sCommonwealthGames andthe2027WorldCup.
“Toplayagainstdifferentcountries andbeabletoadapttodifferentstyles isveryadvantageousforher,instead ofherbeingwithusandpossibly sittingontheside,”Tauruasaid.
TauruasaidWalmsleymighthave theopportunitytocaptaintheUnder21sandwillbebackintimefortheir nextcampaheadoftheir ConstellationCuptitledefence againstAustralia.
Walmsleywouldhavebeena shoe-inforthegoalshootbibagainst SouthAfrica,butNewSouthWalesbasedGraceNwekenowlookspoised toreceiveaneligibilityexemption.
NetballNewZealandhas revampeditsapplicationprocessto allowselectSilverFernstoplayfor overseasclubsonacase-by-case basis.
TheCentralPulseshooterhas playedsecondfiddletoNweke duringhersixtestsandwouldlikely findherselfonthebench.
Tauruawillnameasquadof16to 18playerstofaceSouthAfricaon August11andthecoachsaidshewill stillnameWalmsleyinthesquad.
Walmsley’sunavailabilityisjust thelatesttheSilverFernshavetodeal with.
SkipperAmeliaranneEkenasiolast weekruledherselfoutoftestsin2025, citingtheneedforrestwhileTactix shootersEllieBirdandTePaeaSelby Rickit,veterandefenderJaneWatson andPulsegoalattackTianaMetuarau havealsomadethemselves unavailableforpersonalreasons.
Tauruaisshrugginghershoulders.
“Ithinkpeoplearejustintheir differentageandstageoflife.It’sa commitmenttobeintheSilverFerns andsometimespeoplehavejustgot otherthingshappening.”
● TainiJamisonSeries—New ZealandvSouthAfrica
September21,7.40pm;Eventfinda Stadium,Auckland September24,7.40pm;Pettigrew GreenArena,Napier
September28,7.40pm;ILT StadiumSouthland,Invercargill
Rojashas reached endaspro footballer FOOTBALL FormerAllWhitesand WellingtonPhoenixplayerMarco Rojashasannouncedhis retirementfromprofessional football.
The33-year-oldNewZealand internationalmade155A-League appearancesover16years,with stintsatthePhoenix,Melbourne VictoryandBrisbaneRoar.
Healsoplayedforclubsin EuropeandSouthAmerica.
TheAllWhiteswinger returnedtoWellingtonforthe 2024-25seasonbutinjuries meanthemadejustseven appearancesbeforetherewas mutualagreementtoterminate hiscontractthreemonthsearly.
EarlierthismonthRojas returnedbrieflytohisformer club,Victory,totakepartinpreseasontraining.
“NowIcanputthecuriosityto bed,andacknowledgethatit’s timeformetomoveon.Iam ready.Iwillnotbeplaying anymore,week-inandweek-out liketheprofessionalsdo,”Rojas toldA-Leagues.
“I’myettoknowwhattypeof footballImightplaydownthe line,althoughIreallylovethe ideaofkeepingfitfortheodd charityorcommunitygame.”
Rojasplayed45timesforthe AllWhitesaftermakinghisdebut in2011.
HewontheJohnnyWarren Medalfollowingthe2012-23 A-Leagueseason.
MarcoRojasmanagedjustseven gameswiththePhoenixlast season. Photo/Photosport
BASKETBALL ParkerJackson-CartwrightsaysNew ZealandBreakersNextStarKarim Lopezisjustscratchingthesurface ofhispotential.
Backforasecondseason,the 18-year-oldisalreadyintheconversationforatop-10NBADraftselection nextyear.
Helitupthebackhalfoflastseason withawaveofstandoutperformances,makingitclearhe’soneofthe league’sbrightestyoungtalents. And,accordingtohisteammate, Lopezisjustgettingwarmedup.
“Heputsintheworkandhehas agreatsupportsystem,”JacksonCartwrightsaidonNBLNow.
“Hisdadiswithhimeveryday,just inhiseargivinghimtherightamount ofsupportbutfreereinforhimtodo
thingsonhisown.
“Thisisagrownman’sgame.He’s inagrownmanenvironment,andit reallyhelpedhimseeingguyslike myself,SamMennengashowup everyday,workhard…
“Ijustthinkbeinginthatenvironmentreallyhelpedhimgrowatafast rate.Yousawfromthebeginningof theseasontothemiddleandtothe end,hejustkeptgettingbetterand better.Isaysky’sthelimitforthatkid, andI’mreallyexcitedtoseehowhe continuestogrow.”
BreakerscoachPetteriKoponen couldn’tspeakhighlyenoughofthe risingMexicantalent.
“Hestartedalotofgamesforus (lastyear),andhe’sgoingtostartthis yearasathreeforus,”Koponensaid.
“Hegivesusthatsize,thatlength andathleticismonthewingand,of course,I’mreallyexcitedtoseehim
Smallforward KarimLopezis expectedtogo highinthenext NBADraftafter another campaignwith theNZ Breakers. Photo/Photosport
afterthissummer.Becauseit’skind ofdifferenttoinEuropewhenyou’re togetherfor10,11months.Wefinished ourseasoninmid-Februarysoit’sa longtime,especiallyforaguylike Karimathisage.Hecouldtakehuge leapsalreadyifheusedthattime wisely.”
LopezsitsatnumbersixinESPN’s 2026MockDraft.
DuringtheHungryJack’sNBL25 Season,heputup9.6pointsand4.7 reboundsagame.
“Heputstheworkinandhe’snot afraidtolisten.He’saspongeandhe’s notafraidtotakecoachingandimplementitinhisgame,”JacksonCartwrightadded.
“He’sasilentkiller.Hedoesn’tsay alot,buthe’stough,he’sphysical,he wantstogetbetter,andhe’s coachable.Attheendoftheday,for akidthatage,that’shardtobe.”
Photo/Photosport
Deaths
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NANKIVELL, MaureenMerle (formerlyHarrison). Passedaway peacefullyathomeon 26July2025,aged92. LovedMumofLinda andStuartCameron, MartinandDebbie Harrison,Caroland MikeKellett.Proud NanaofRachel, Emma,Ben,Hanna, Abbyandtheir partners,andGreat NanaofLincoln, Skyler,Bodhi,Archie, MaddieandMax. LovedStepmumto Julia,Barbara, Lynette,Debbieand theirfamilies. Aservicetocelebrate Maureenwillbeheld intheBethShan Chapel, 371 GloucesterStreet, Taradale onFriday,1 Augustat10.30am. Messagestothe NankivellFamily,C/o POBox439,Napier 4140. SMITH, Esme´Letitia. On22ndJuly2025, withfamilypresent, Esme´,aged97,passed intothepresenceof theLord.Dearlyloved wifeofthelateJim. Adoredmotherand mother-in-lawofDale andSteve,Sharonand Lloyd,Coralieand Jim,ClareandArnold, andFayeandBrent. Honoraryparentof AdrianandWayne. BelovedNanatoher15 grandchildren,26 great-grandchildren, and2great-greatgrandchildren. Acelebrationserviceof Esme´’slifewillbeheld atRiverbendBible Church,TeAuteRoad, onSaturday2August 2025,at2:00PM. PleasecontactTerry LongleyandSonson (06)8777873forthelive streamlink.Messages toEsme´’sfamilycan besentcareofPOBox 8424,HavelockNorth.
Treasurethemoment. Ifyourfriendsorfamilyhavebeen photographedbyoneofouraward-winning photojournalists,youcandownload,printand framethepictureat www.newspix.co.nz
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Lockedforeverinour HeartsandMemories Lovedandmissed dearly Arohanui Alameinwhanau
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Sport Rossinthemix toplaytheLions RUGBY AustraliahavecalledupformerAllBlackspropAidan Rossforthethirdandfinal testagainsttheBritishand IrishLions,whilewingHarryPotter wasruledoutinjured.
Ross,whowasborninAustralia beforemovingtoNewZealandasa child,hasjoinedthesquadasthe Wallabiestrytoavoida3-0series whitewashinSydneyonSaturday.
TheLionswonthefirsttestin Brisbane27-19andthesecondin controversialfashionatMelbourne 29-26.
Rossplayedhissoletestforthe AllBlacksinJuly2022against Irelandandhasnowcompleted WorldRugby’smandatorythreeyeargapbeforeswitchingallegiances.
The29-year-oldwasattheChiefs since2017,playinghis100thgame intheirSuperRugbyfinalinJune, buthewillswitchtoQueensland Redsnextseason.
Potterstartedthesecondtest againstlastweekend,buthobbledoff 20minutesintothegamewithreplacementhalfbackTateMcDermott playingaswing.
WallabiescoachJoeSchmidthas severaloptionstoreplacePotter, includingDylanPietsch,Filipo DaugunuandCoreyToole.
● AustralianrugbybossPhilWaugh hasdemandedWorldRugbyexplain acontroversialdecisionbytherefereetoawardtheBritishandIrish Lionsaseries-clinchingtryinthe secondtest.
Schmidtwasfumingafterthe gameonSaturday,adamantthat ItalianofficialAndreaPiardigotit wrong.
Australialedfor79minutesand wereonthecuspofanupsetwhen HugoKeenancrossedatthedeath tosealanepic29-26comebackvictory.
One-testAllBlackAidanRosshasbeencalledintotheWallabiessquadfor thisweekend.
Schmidtwasadamantthetry shouldnothavestood,citingahigh clean-outinthelead-upbyWelsh forwardJacMorganonCarlo Tizzano.
WorldRugbyrulesstatethatcontactmadeabovetheshouldersatthe ruckisnotallowed.
Piardireviewedtheincidentand ruledtherewasnofoulplay,but RugbyAustraliachiefexecutive WaughbackedSchmidt’sinterpretation.
“We’vegottheutmostrespectin respectingthereferee’sdecision,” Waughtold TheAustralian newspaper.
“ButIdothinkthere’salevelof accountabilityandexplanationthat needstocomewiththat.Andwe
lookforwardtothat.”
Inhispost-matchcomments, Schmidtsaidthedecision“doesn’t reallyliveuptothebigplayersafety push”beingmadebyWorldRugby.
“MyresponseisabsolutelyidenticaltoJoe’scommentsinthepress conference,”saidWaugh.
“Iplayedprofessionallyfor13 yearsandJoe’scoachedprofessionallyfor20yearsandbothourviews, andallthoseorganisationally,are veryalignedwithwhatJoetalkedto inthatpost-matchpressconference.
“IlookforwardtoWorldRugby’s responsetoit.” —afp
TheAllBlacks’concerns RUGBY Injuryupdate ThereismixednewsontheAll Blacks’injuryfrontaheadofthe RugbyChampionship. It'sbeenconfirmedthathalfback NoahHotham,propTyrelLomax, wingCalebClarkeandloose forwardLukeJacobsonwillallmiss thefirstfewweeksofthe tournament,whichstartson August17withtheAllBlacks’first matchinArgentina. Lomax’sinjuryisthebiggest concernwithahandfracture,and the29-year-oldisexpectedtomiss fivetosixweeksoftheseason.It putshiminaraceagainsttheclock tobefittoplaytheSpringboksin AucklandonSeptember6. ANZRugbystatementsaid brothersBeaudenandScott Barrett,TamaitiWilliams,Wallace SititiandTupouVaa'iremain injuredbutshouldrecoverintime totraveltoSouthAmerica. Meanwhile,eightplayersfrom theAllBlackssquadthatbeat Francewillbeavailableforthis week'sopeningroundoftheNPC. AntonLienert-Brownisavailable toplayforWaikatoagainst Auckland,whileRubenLovecan playforWellingtonagainst Canterburywhowillbeabletocall onBrodieMcAlister. ChristianLio-Williecouldfeature forOtagowhentheytakeon Southland.
NoahHotham: Willneedsurgery forahighanklesprain.Estimated returntoplay:7-8weeks.
TyrelLomax: Hashadsurgery forhandfracture.Estimated returntoplay:5-6weeks.
CalebClarke: Highankleinjury, doesnotrequiresurgery. Estimatedreturntoplay:5-6 weeks.
LukeJacobson: Thighinjury. Estimatedreturntoplay:5weeks. ScottBarrett: Calftearhealing well.Estimatedreturntoplay:3 weeks.
WallaceSititi: Rehabilitatingwell followingsurgeryforhighankle injury.Estimatedreturntoplay:3 weeks.
TamaitiWilliams: Rehabilitating wellfollowingsurgeryfortorn meniscus.Estimatedreturnto play:3weeks.
BeaudenBarrett: Subtlehandrefracturebuthealingwell. Estimatedreturntoplay:2weeks. TupouVaa'i: Goingthrough concussionprotocols.Estimated returntoplay:2weeks.
BayofPlentywillhaveEmoni NarawaandPasilioTosiavailable fortheirgameagainstTasman, whocancallonTimoci Tavatavanawai.
DaltonPapali'iisavailablefor selectionbyCountiesManukauto faceHawke'sBay.
Photo/Photosport
TyrelLomaxisoneofthebestfront-rowersintestrugbybuthecould missachunkoftheRugbyChampionship.
