Category: New Zealand

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Police stress safety to heavy vehicle drivers

Source: New Zealand Police (District News)

Southland Police are reminding heavy motor vehicle drivers of the importance of road safety as the country makes its way towards winter.

“There have already been a couple of crashes involving trucks and I want to remind drivers to manage their fatigue and drive to the conditions for this time of year, particularly in early morning,” says Senior Sergeant Scott Mackenzie, Southland Road Policing Manager.

Colder months bring more dangers to the country’s roads.

“In winter the sun sits lower in the sky and sun strike becomes a more common occurrence. Surface conditions, particularly on rural roads become less predictable, and slow-moving tractors and silage wagons are more prevalent at this time of year,” he says.

“All of this makes it even more important to practice appropriate following distances.

“I’m asking drivers to make sure they are getting a good night’s sleep, taking regular breaks, checking their speed, and wearing their seatbelts.”

ENDS

Issued by the Police Media Team.

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Witnesses sought after suspicious fire in Bluff

Source: New Zealand Police (District News)

Police are appealing for information following a suspicious car fire in Bluff on Sunday 4 May.

About 3.40pm, a Ford Courier ute was set alight while it was parked on Marine Parade. The vehicle suffered substantial damage.

Senior Constable Pete Jenkins says a man carrying a red petrol can was seen running away from the vehicle after it was set on fire.

“This person was last seen running south on Henderson Street, where he was picked up in a dark-coloured vehicle.

“We want to talk to this man, and also need to hear from anyone who has information that could help our enquiries. If you saw suspicious activity in the Marine Parade area on Sunday, please contact us.”

Information can be reported to Police online, or by calling 105. Please use the reference number 250504/8027.

ENDS

Issued by the Police Media Centre

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6 May 2025 Coming home to Kerikeri For Rewa, the move to a newly built Kāinga Ora home in Kerikeri was more than just somewhere safe and dry to live following the devastating impacts of cyclone Gabrielle. It was coming home.

Source: New Zealand Government Kainga Ora

“My previous home was in a remote part of Northland,” Rewa said. “It was a special place with a close community, but there weren’t the comforts you get living in town.”

In fact, the whare where Rewa lived with her whanau was so remote that connecting to the grid was out of the question.

“We got by ok,” Rewa said. “We used a generator for power and every time it was switched on my moko would coming running, because for them it meant one thing – TV!”

In February 2023, things took an unexpected turn for the worse, when the devastating tropical cyclone Gabrielle arrived at New Zealand’s shores.

“Gabrielle changed everything,” Rewa said. “There was water everywhere. It damaged the front part of my house, and even damaged the generator, which made things a lot harder. I did my best to stay positive and carry on, but it was a stressful time.”

Positive change came in 2024, when Rewa received a phone call from the Te Tai Tokerau placements team at Kāinga Ora.

“I had heard about the new homes Kāinga Ora was building in Kerikeri, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up,” Rewa said. “So, when I got a call asking if I wanted to view one of the apartments, I just couldn’t believe it.

“I was in awe of my home when I saw it,” Rewa said. “I still am – absolute awe. I’m so grateful I get to settle down here.”

The Kāinga Ora home where Rewa now lives is a warm, dry, energy efficient ground floor apartment, located only a short walk from the town centre, supermarket and shops.

Rewa says it’s hard to pick what her very favourite part of the new home is.

“I really do love everything about it. But, if I had to choose a favourite room, it would be the bathroom. I went from having an outdoor toilet to the best toilet and shower – I just love it.”

“I always keep the bathroom looking extra pretty because it’s the first room I show off when anyone pops in for a cuppa,” Rewa said.

Rewa, now 74 years old, says moving into her new home was extra special as Kerikeri is the town where she grew up and a place she feels very connected to.

“I was 12 years old when my whanau first moved to our home on Butler Road – there were 10 of us kids, plus Mum and Dad. We knew everyone in Kerikeri at that time,” she says.

“So many memories of my childhood and whanau have come flooding back. It means the world to me to settle here and make new memories with my moko, who know exactly where to find nan if they ever need me.”

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Government move to kill pay equity process is an attack on women workers – E tū

Source: Etu Union

E tū is slamming the Government’s announcement that it will make it harder for workers to claim pay equity, describing it as an attack on women and a green light to pay them less for work of equal value.

The changes, announced by Workplace Relations Minister Brooke van Velden, will raise the bar for proving historical undervaluation in female-dominated workforces – cutting off current claims and making new ones near impossible.

Marianne Bishop, a retired residential aged care worker, says the move is a slap in the face to workers who have been fighting for fairness for years.

“I am absolutely disgusted. It makes me angry as a woman, and makes me feel like we’re going backwards,” Marianne says.

“We’ve been fighting for 13 years. To have the rug pulled out from underneath us now is unbelievable. We thought we were going to get there – this just removes our road to fairness.”

Marianne says the impact on the care sector will be severe.

“This will make it even harder to get people working in aged care. People won’t go the extra mile anymore – why would they, if they’re not going to get paid fairly? This announcement is terrible for women and families now and in the future.”

Tamara Baddeley, a home support worker, says the Government’s actions show total contempt for the workers who hold the care system together.

“This makes me feel f***ing angry. This Government is a nest of vipers – they speak with a forked tongue,” Tamara says.

“I challenge every single one of them to come and work with us. On our wages. Getting assaulted at work, paying for travel out of your own pocket. Then tell us why cutting off our pay equity claim is a good idea.”

“Our claim’s been sitting there for 1,040 days. Why the f*** are we still waiting?”

E tū National Secretary Rachel Mackintosh says the decision is cruel, ideological, and deeply anti-women.

“The Government is dismantling one of the most important tools for fixing gender-based pay discrimination,” Rachel says.

“These changes are not about evidence – they are about saving money by keeping women underpaid. It’s a disgraceful reversal of decades of hard-fought progress and an insult to the working women who carried this country through a pandemic.”

Rachel says workers will not stay silent.

“We won’t go back to the days where a woman’s work is automatically worth less just because it’s been done by women in the past. We’re not going to stand quietly while this Government rips up the rules and tells us to be grateful for whatever we get.”

“This is a line in the sand. And women across Aotearoa will fight this every step of the way.”

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Government turns back clock on pay equity for teachers

Source: Post Primary Teachers Association (PPTA)

“This claim has followed a robust and agreed process between all parties,” said PPTA Te Wehengarua President Chris Abercrombie.

“We’ve conducted more than 300 interviews with teachers and comparator roles across the sector, using a consistent, agreed-upon tool to gather data. That evidence has been through consultation with both teachers and principals. To have the Government now walk away from that work is nothing short of disgraceful.”

The Government’s announcement comes with no attempt to engage in a fair public process. “The Minister’s decision to bypass the select committee stage shows a lack of confidence in the public’s response. This Government knows New Zealanders value fairness—and it’s clearly afraid to face the backlash.”
Chris Abercrombie said the move sends a disturbing signal in the lead-up to teacher collective negotiations. “This Government has made a choice—a deliberate choice not to value work that is predominantly done by women. It’s a message to teachers, many of whom engaged in the claim process in good faith, that their contribution doesn’t count. It feels like we’ve been sent back to the 1950s.
“The integrity of the pay equity process is now being undermined by political interference. Every step in this process has met legal and procedural standards, and was conducted in good faith under an agreement with previous governments.
“This isn’t just about teachers. This is about whether Aotearoa New Zealand is committed to addressing the historical undervaluation of women’s work. This decision breaks faith with that commitment.”
Chris Abercrombie said the implications would be felt beyond the pay equity process. “At a time of ongoing teacher shortages, this sends the worst possible message about how we treat and retain our workforce. It’s also a blow to the trust teachers have in a process that was supposed to deliver justice and fairness. Our members are rightly angry.
“When delivering last year’s budget and its completely unaffordable tax cuts, the Finance Minister said that her coalition government represented ‘the parties of the worker.’ 

“No Government that was for the worker would treat this pay equity process – a process which goes to the heart of treating workers fairly – with such contempt. It’s mean-spirited, unfair and just plain wrong.”

Last modified on Tuesday, 6 May 2025 12:43

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Politics and Health – Mental health workforce crisis exposed – urgent action needed now – PSA

Source: PSA

The Government must take urgent action on the acute shortage of mental health workers after revelations of the scale of problem.
The PSA is demanding the Government:
1. Immediately fill all vacancies
2. Lift the hiring ban across the country
3. Reinstate police support for all mental health call outs
3 News has obtained a draft report showing the scale of the workforce crisis, but the official report to the Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey removed the numbers. The draft report said 1,485 more frontline mental health and addiction workers were needed right now, including 470 specialist nurses, 145 psychiatrists and 145 clinical psychologists.
“This is stark evidence of the Government failing to get on top off the workforce crisis and the public will be rightly shocked at the scale of the problem exposed by the media,” said Fleur Fitzsimons, National Secretary for the Public Service Association for Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.
“This not news to us. The PSA has been well aware of the scale of the problem for a long time. That’s why we have been repeatedly demanding that Health NZ Te Whatu Ora accelerate recruitment, but these numbers show that it’s not solving the problem fast enough.”
The PSA represents most mental health workers including mental health nurses, community mental health workers, psychologists, social workers, and child and adolescent specialists.
“There is a crisis in ever hospital where mental health workers are under more pressure than ever. The phased withdrawal of police support is compounding the problem.
“But recruitment is happening at a snail’s pace. It can often take months for Health NZ to sign off on hiring even one worker, who is often lost to the private sector or to higher paying jobs overseas because of these long delays.
“It’s just not good enough. We have a dedicated Minister for Mental Health for the first time and the Government promised New Zealanders it would get on top of the problem.
“The buck stops with the Minister. But unless the Government properly funds and resources mental health, patient care will suffer. This is a critical frontline service and New Zealanders deserve better.”
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PPTA calls on Minister Stanford to come clean on Kāhui Ako

Source: Post Primary Teachers Association (PPTA)

Kāhui Ako, or Communities of Learning, bring together schools with the aim of helping students to achieve their full potential. They give highly skilled and experienced teachers the opportunity to lead projects in and across schools, providing support and advice to teachers on agreed priorities such as attendance, transitions and implementation of new government initiatives.

“Kāhui Ako provide an alternative and greatly valued career path for about 4000 teachers around the motu and they need clarity about their future,” says Chris Abercrombie PPTA Te Wehengarua president.

“At the moment the Minister seems to be making unilateral decisions about the programme without any consultation.

“There has also not been any consultation on where the funding could be reallocated for learning support especially in the secondary sector where students’ learning needs are quite different from primary school students’.” 

Last modified on Tuesday, 6 May 2025 11:23

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State Highway 2 blocked, Waiotahe

Source: New Zealand Police (District News)

State Highway 2 is blocked at Waiotahe, west of Ōpōtiki, due to a serious crash.

It happened at the intersection with Baird Road about 5:35am, and involved two vehicles.

Indications are that one person is seriously injured.

Diversions are in place and motorists are asked to delay travel if possible.

ENDS

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Delays on the Auckland network

Source: New Zealand Police (District News)

Motorists should expect delays on parts of the Auckland motorway network this morning.

Emergency services are responding to a two-truck collision on the Northern Motorway, near the Auckland Harbour Bridge.

Southbound traffic is being impacted this morning, with some lanes closed while the scene is cleared.

Fortunately no injuries have been reported.

Crews will work as quickly as possible to clear the scene, however motorists should expect delays on their commute this morning.

This is in addition to an earlier serious crash this morning further south, on the South-Western Motorway near Onehunga.

ENDS.

Jarred Williamson/NZ Police

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Serious crash, Southwestern Motorway

Source: New Zealand Police (District News)

Emergency services are at the scene of a serious single-vehicle crash on the Southwestern Motorway, northbound, between the Onehunga Harbour Rd on-ramp and the Queenstown Rd off-ramp.

Traffic management is in place. 

Motorists should avoid the area or expect delays. 

ENDS 

Issued by Police Media Centre