Author: MIL OSI Publisher

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Fatality crash north of Mangaweka, Manawatū-Whanganui region, SH1, major detour for travellers

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

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A fatality car crash before 1 pm today, north of Mangaweka on SH1, will involve two hours or more detour for SH1 road users through the Manawatū-Whanganui region, says NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA).

The Police Serious Crash Unit will be investigating the causes of the crash and the highway could remain closed for several hours into the evening.

People are encouraged to delay their travel today north of Wellington if possible through this area.

SH1 is closed between Waiouru and Marton, with the alternative route on SH4 via Whanganui adding more than two hours to the journey time.

Detour

Southbound traffic heading towards Wellington use SH49 from Waiouru to Tangiwai and Tohunga Junction, then SH4 and SH3. Reverse for northbound travellers.

NZTA thanks all drivers for being patient on the detour route, which will be busy. If people can delay travel today that will help ease congestion on the detour route.

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Multi-vehicle crash causing delays, Papakura

Source: New Zealand Police (District News)

Motorists are being warned to avoid the Southern Motorway in Papakura following a multi-vehicle crash.

The crash, reported to Police at about 12.08pm, involves at least four vehicles.

At this stage there are no reports of injury.

Traffic heading south is down to two lanes.

Motorists are being asked to avoid the area or expect delays.

ENDS.

Holly McKay/NZ Police

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Public assists Police in arrests following aggravated robbery

Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

A vigilant member of the public who alerted Police to suspicious activity in the area has aided Police in taking four people into custody following a nasty aggravated robbery.

At about 9pm last night Police received a report of several masked people entering a commercial premises on Hillsborough Road, Mount Roskill armed with weapons.

Detective Senior Sergeant Chris Allan, of Auckland City CIB, says the group allegedly attacked the sole attendant and stole alcohol, cigarettes and money before leaving in a vehicle.

“Just prior to the alleged robbery a member of the public called police to report some suspicious activity by people in two vehicles.

“Responding to this matter, equipped with the information from the member of the public including registration plates, Police were later able to locate two vehicles and apprehend the alleged offenders.”

Detective Senior Sergeant Allan says the victim received minor injuries and support is being provided to them.

“This type of serious violence offending will not be tolerated.

“We would, however, like to praise the conscientious member of the public for reporting the suspicious activity as this information was critical in the swift response to this incident and apprehension of the alleged offenders.

“This is a great example of the community assisting Police, leading to these offenders being held to account.”

Police were also able to recover the weapons and some of the stolen property.

A male and female, both 21, will appear in Auckland District Court today charged with aggravated robbery.

A 16-year-old will reappear in Auckland Youth Court on 9 January charged with aggravated robbery.

As that matter is now before the court Police are limited in providing further comment.

ENDS.

Holly McKay/NZ Police

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Stay fire safe this summer in 2025

Source: New Zealand Government

Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden is wishing all New Zealanders a great holiday season as Kiwis prepare for gatherings with friends and families to see in the New Year. It is a great time of year to remind everyone to stay fire safe over the summer.

“I know many New Zealanders will be looking forward to a good barbecue with friends and family this summer, having relatives over, and using some Christmas gifts from loved ones”, says Ms van Velden.

“Always remember to barbecue in a well-ventilated area away from anything that could easily catch fire, check for gas leaks before using, and have someone supervise it at all times.

“This is also a good time to make sure all smoke alarms are working, especially if you’ve got extra guests staying over.”

Fire and Emergency have an escape planning tool at www.escapemyhouse.co.nz/ with useful and accessible information about putting together an escape plan for your home.

“If you received a nice battery-powered gift this Christmas make sure to use the correct batteries and charger for the device, and avoid using any damaged electrical cords.”

More information about different fire hazards and how to avoid them, including for urban, rural, and outdoor activities, including outdoor restrictions can be found on Fire and Emergency’s website: https://www.fireandemergency.nz/ .

“I hope everyone gets a chance to relax and spend some time outdoors this summer, while taking some small steps to keep themselves and their families safe. 

“I would also like to acknowledge the Fire and Emergency staff and volunteers who help keep New Zealanders safe during the holiday period.”

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Activist News – Opposing the Normalization of Apartheid Through Sport – PFNZ

Source: Palestine Forum of New Zealand (PFNZ)

[Auckland, New Zealand] – The arrival of Israeli tennis player Lina Glushko to compete in Aotearoa raises serious concerns about the normalization of systemic oppression and apartheid. Glushko’s participation in the event sends a troubling message that undermines the values of justice, equality, and human rights.

Welcoming Israeli athletes to Aotearoa is not a neutral act. It normalizes the systemic injustices perpetrated by the Israeli state against Palestinians. Just as the international sports community united to oppose South Africa’s apartheid in the 20th century, we must now stand firm against Israel’s ongoing violations of international law and human rights.

Lina Glushko, a former Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) soldier, symbolizes a regime that:

  • Implements apartheid policies: As documented by leading organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
  • Operates under leadership accused of war crimes: With an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant issued against Israeli officials.
  • Continues its illegal occupation of Palestine: In direct violation of international law and countless United Nations resolutions.

While sports often aim to transcend politics, they cannot be isolated from the realities of injustice and oppression. By welcoming athletes representing an apartheid regime, we risk ignoring the voices of the oppressed and allowing sports to be used as a tool for whitewashing human rights abuses.

We urge the international and local sports community to remain consistent in their principles by refusing to host representatives of regimes that perpetuate apartheid. The global boycott of South African athletes during apartheid proved that sports can be a powerful force for change. The same principle must apply today.

Take Action

We call on all New Zealanders who stand for human rights and equality to join us in expressing opposition to the normalization of Israeli apartheid through sports. Together, we can send a clear message: Aotearoa will not be complicit in the whitewashing of systemic oppression.

Maher Nazzal
Palestine Forum of New Zealand

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Govt Employment – Border Operations staff take strike action tomorrow after zero pay offer – PSA

Source: PSA

Immigration Border Operations staff begin strike action tomorrow at 6am, joining other colleagues at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, insulted by the Ministry’s recent zero pay offer.
The Immigration Border Operations staff, being essential workers, must give longer notice to take strike action. Tomorrow, they join some 3000 other PSA members who began action on 17 December.
PSA members will not undertake unpaid essential or non-essential work, and take rest and meal breaks together at specific times.
“These are critical workers who have been totally disrespected by this Government which is determined to run down the public service at every step regardless of the consequences,” said Fleur Fitzsimons, acting National Secretary Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.
Immigration Border Operations workers at New Zealand’s four international airports ensure only properly documented travellers arrive and leave the country, amongst other duties.
They work alongside counterparts in Customs, Police, MPI and other agencies who help keep New Zealand safe from threats and hazards by reducing the risks from people, goods, or craft arriving at our border.
“Border Operations staff and all MBIE workers deserve a fair pay rise that respects the valuable work they do across the economy and one that reflects the cost-of-living pressures on their budgets – the PSA will keep pushing for that,” said Fleur Fitzsimons.
MBIE workers are the latest group of workers to be offered a zero percent pay increase. It follows New Zealand Defence Force civilian staff being offered the same. These workers are also undertaking industrial action.
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Communications – New Zealand’s sinking feeling: 2024’s toughest PR challenges revealed

Source: Blackland PR
Wellington PR company Blackland PR today issued its annual list of the toughest public relations challenges for 2024, showing that the most difficult communications jobs in New Zealand were handling boat catastrophes and energy shortages.
Criticism of electricity generators following business closures due to high energy prices was rated the toughest issue because the event combined the highest public profile with the strongest range of emotional reactions, social impact and complexity of actors involved.
The top 5 included the global Microsoft outage, May energy shortages, Interislander grounding, and HMNZS Manawanui sinking
Blackland PR Director Nick Gowland said 2024 was a tough year for organisations handling issues. They could no longer rely on Covid 19 to divert public attention or serve as an excuse for blame when things go wrong.
“2024 was a year confidence and optimism sunk to new lows.  The national gloom was made real with major physical failures.
“It was bookended with two very high-profile and embarrassing mistakes. Both involved boats and both were human screw-ups with handling autopilots.  
“The Interislander grounding shows how simple mistakes can be used as evidence to confirm existing assumptions people have about organisations.”
He said the sinking of HMNZS Manawanui was a cause for national embarrassment and seemed to confirm that in New Zealand this year many things were not working well.
“It’s rare for non-government issues to rank so highly in terms of profile, but they were kept running by extensive social media, office water cooler chat, and news media speculation on the causes.”
Energy shortage issues featured prominently in the rankings, responsible for 4 of the top 10 toughest challenges.
“Top of our list were accusations that high wholesale prices forced the closure of businesses because it added a new tier of emotional reaction to the issue.
“These issues ranked very highly because everyone uses energy, and reasons for the shortages and prices were complex, interdependent, and required multiple actors to resolve, and communicate.
“It was much easier for people to construct simple answers to a complex problem and assign blame.  High profile, retail generators found themselves unfairly criticised in news media as responsible for job losses.”
Mr Gowland said communicators in 2024 had to deal with very unusual issues; rats in supermarkets, allegations of mishandling bodies, and lollies contaminated with methamphetamine.
“Photos of rats perched on supermarket shelves sparked disgust and therefore outrage. It spawned a months’ long national craze to find rats.  No supermarket was safe.”
He said the long life of the supermarket rat story was unusual as attention on issues faded more quickly than normal this year.
“Kiwis are emotionally drained after years of bad news, mistakes, and poor treatment from institutions. They didn’t have enough energy to get mad at everything.”
Mr Gowland said 2025 was also likely to be a very tough year, but companies could make it easier on themselves and consumers by being more upfront of problems, earlier.
“In the white heat of a public issue, it’s easy to blame and hard to explain.  Businesses can best prepare by telling customers when issues are likely, and to give unambiguous, practical information on what they’re doing or what customers’ need to do.
“Businesses sometimes trip up by explaining too much, but with unspecific language. This confuses, creates inertia and feeds cynicism.  One piece of direct, actionable information is usually all that’s required to convince.”
“A large part of PR is prevention. PR’s role is to think about the worst possible outcome and change things before they happen, or get too bad. 
BlacklandPR is a Wellington-based PR consultancy built for the social era. It specialises in today’s type of tough issues, using modern techniques to help organisations talk with real people.
BlacklandPR uses a scoring system that ranks issues out of 10 for four factors – Impact (how many people are consciously affected directly or indirectly), Profile (media coverage and ‘talkability’ in everyday life), Emotion (the intensity of emotional reaction), and Complexity (complications and technicalities of the issue).
In previous years BlacklandPR’s PR Challenges list has been headed by events such as the Covid 19 lockdowns, Roastbusters, the Fonterra botulism issue, and the Flag Referendum.

2024 Toughest PR Challenges 
Organisation affected
High wholesale spot prices and blame for business closures
Electricity generators
Global Microsoft outage
Interislander grounding
May energy shortage, criticisms on lack of resilience
Government
HMNZS Manawanui sinking
Ministry of Defence
Shortages of gas
Gas industry
Increased financial scams
Budget 2024 not including the funding of 13 cancer drugs
National Party
Pylon maintenance leads to power outages in Northland
Transpower
Decision to cap new Dunedin hospital spend
Government
Public sector cuts
Government
Government response to Hikoi
Government
Shortages of various staple medicines
Release of report into abuse in state care
Government
Rats photographed in supermarket
Woolworths
Classroom mobile phone ban implementation
Government
Allegations of mishandling bodies
Tipene funerals
Food parcel lollies contaminated with meth
Auckland City Mission
TOW principles bill support beyond 1st read
Government
SolarZero liquidation
NZ Green Investment Fund
Credibility of RBNZ following surprise decision to cut rates
Women Hurricanes Haka critical of government
Hurricanes
Actura New Zealand collapse and cancellation of space camps
Responding to criticism of traffic management changes
Financial woes, CEO resignation and pressure on board to resign.
Fletcher Building
Accusations of poor animal welfare practices at zoo
Orana Park
Criticism of NZ Herald publishing Hobsons pledge advertisement
Golriz Ghahraman shoplifting
Green Party
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Operation Breeze – woman dies after incident in Feilding

Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

Please attribute to Detective Senior Sergeant Dave Thompson, Palmerston North Police
   
Police have commenced an investigation after a woman died in Wellington hospital today following an incident in Feilding on Thursday, 26 December – Boxing Day.

Early morning on Friday, 27 December, the woman was transported by ambulance to Palmerston North Hospital after becoming unwell from an injury she suffered the previous evening. 

While in hospital, her condition deteriorated to the point where she became critically ill. 

The woman was then transferred to Wellington Hospital where she died today, Sunday 29 December.

Police are speaking with the occupants of the Feilding address to understand what occurred overnight Thursday to early morning Friday.

A scene examination was completed at the address yesterday.

Police extend our sympathies to the family of the deceased as we continue our work to piece together how she came to be injured.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

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Road now open after fatal crash on SH1 Mangaweka

Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

Police have now completed the scene examination near Mangaweka on SH1 after the fatal collision today.

The road is now open.

Sadly, one adult and one child died today in the crash.

Our thoughts are with their family and friends at this sad time.

The injured parties, two adults and one child, remain in hospital.

Police would like to thank the members of the public who responded and assisted with this tragic incident, taking control of the scene until emergency services arrived.

The full circumstances of the crash are now under investigation and at this stage Police are not in a position to release the names of the victims who died.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

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Police disappointed with high holiday road toll

Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

Police and other emergency services throughout New Zealand have attended eight fatal crashes so far where nine people have lost their lives.

Police have attended many other serious injury crashes on our road during this time too.

Superintendent Steve Greally, Director of Road Policing says that this number is incredibly frustrating.

There’s no excuse for any driver to be endangering their lives and those of others with unsafe behaviours.

There are many families that have been affected by bad decision making from behind the wheel so far this holiday.

Drivers need to be clear that if they are driving distracted, or speeding or driving impaired by alcohol or drugs, they may cause a crash and possibly cut someone’s life short.

Over the Christmas period last year, 21 lives were tragically lost in road crashes, and sadly as of 29 December this year we have lost nine people on our roads this holiday period.

Police and our road safety partners are very disappointed in this figure.

We will continue to have a co-ordinated, highly visible Police presence at high-risk locations including State Highways and rural areas, during peak travel periods right throughout the country.

If you are caught putting other people’s lives at risk, you can expect to be dealt with and don’t expect a warning.

“Road deaths and serious injuries are preventable. We all need to do better and stop accepting people dying on our roads is what happens when driving.

We have seen over time that our enforcement action has proven to deter people from driving dangerously, however road safety is something we must all take responsibility for.

We should all play our part to be safe on our roads, because so far, too many families have received tragic news this holiday period.

Motorists should expect to see Police anytime and anywhere over this holiday break to make sure that everyone travelling the roads and highways reaches their destination safely.

We can all work together to avoid unnecessary road trauma.

We will continue with our record levels of breath testing and we will continue to issue infringements as part of our prevention and enforcement role.

Ministry of Transport will be providing updates on holiday road toll data throughout the break.

Further background and historical crash data for the holiday period can be found at: https://www.transport.govt.nz/statistics-and-insights/safety-road-deaths…

ENDS

Note: The official Christmas/New Year holiday period is from 4pm on Tuesday 24 December to 6am on Friday 3 January 2025.

Issued by Police Media Centre