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Waitangi Day – Governor-General’s message for Waitangi Day 2026
Source: Government House
The Governor-General of New Zealand, Her Excellency Rt Hon Dame Cindy Kiro, has released a message to mark Waitangi Day 2026. A download link to the filmed message is included below.
Please note that this message is embargoed until Waitangi Day, and may not be published, broadcast, or shared in any form before 12:01am on 6 February 2026. Media are welcome to use the full video or excerpts across television, radio, online, and social media platforms following that time.
Waitangi Day – Celebrating Shared Voyages for Waitangi Day 2026
Source: Mango, DOB Group – for Google.
Anchored in history and guided by stars, today’s Waitangi Day Doodle was created by Kiwi artist Morgan Darlison of Kaitiaki Studios, reflecting our shared histories of migration and voyage to Aotearoa’s shores.
“We all came under the same stars and across the same ocean,” explains Morgan. “This artwork represents the wairua (spirit) of Te Tiriti o Waitangi (the Treaty of Waitangi), as we move toward a better future with mutual respect and safety for all – especially for the next generation.”
The Doodle, in commemoration of Te Tiriti o Waitangi signed on February 6, 1840, depicts beautifully drawn elements of shared cultural navigation techniques:
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The ‘G’ holds a Kūaka bird (bar-tailed godwit) that undertakes a significant migration from Northern Alaska returning annually, connecting to the idea of Pacific migration routes that would have been followed on journeys to New Zealand.
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Alongside, the ‘o’s hold a western-style compass and a map of Aotearoa New Zealand.
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Below the “g,” is a pūnga (anchor), which represents the story of landing and putting down roots, intentionally tethered to the “l” to convey a sense of settling.
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The “l” includes a Pacific motif, symbolising the dispersal of people across the Pacific during the journey and the shared collective histories and similar cultures of the region.
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The final “e” contains a whai (stingray), symbolising Pacific migration journeys, and species seen along the way. Whai also symbolise kaitiakitanga, representing the idea of having someone look after you on your journey.
In the creative process, Morgan began with concepts before letting her hand take over and the creative expression flow onto the page. Having started as a pencil and paper artist in Ōtautahi Christchurch, Morgan’s formal arts education truly began once she found her place at Toihoukura in Gisborne. Morgan has been involved in varied areas such as spatial design, corporate design and branding, commissions of visual art, interiors range, workshops and community projects. Having been mentored locally by many tohunga in different industries, Morgan’s personal style is characterised by very detailed work, fine lines, feminine themes, and a preference for single-colour compositions.
Google has celebrated Waitangi Day through a Google Doodle since 2018 with each year's artwork offering a unique perspective on te Tiriti and current context. From revitalising language in the digital age to sharing our rich histories on a global stage, by integrating te ao Māori into our technology and elevating local artists, we aim to honour Aotearoa’s unique legacy.
Greenpeace – Massive win for moana as Taranaki seabed mining application rejected
Source: Greenpeace
Greenpeace along with iwi and environmental groups are calling the decision to reject Trans Tasman Resources proposal to mine the Taranaki seafloor “a massive win for people power and the ocean”.
In a draft decision, released today, the Fast Track expert panel declined the Australian company’s application to mine the seabed in the South Taranaki Bight.
The panel declined consent for the project, finding it would likely cause material harm to marine ecosystems, threatened species like pygmy blue whales and penguins, and concluded it could not be safely managed, even with conditions attached.
Greenpeace Aotearoa seabed mining spokesperson Juressa Lee says: “This is the outcome we have been fighting for over 12 years. It shows exactly what happens when communities, iwi, experts and ocean protectors stand together.
“This win today is a powerful validation of what iwi and the communities of Taranaki and Aotearoa have been saying for years – seabed mining is simply too destructive to go ahead.
“The resistance to seabed mining in Aotearoa and around the Pacific is strong and persistent. From Taranaki, to the Cook Islands, and across Te Moananui a Kiwa, people are rising up against this destructive industry.
“Now the New Zealand government must listen. Nearly 60,000 people around Aotearoa signed petitions calling for an outright ban on seabed mining in Aotearoa.
“As we head into an election year, government officials should remember that this is who they represent and commit to taking bold action to protect the moana by banning seabed mining.
“Greenpeace Aotearoa protested against Trans Tasman Resources‘ attempt to start a seabed mine in Taranaki, occupying the offices of mining industry lobby group Straterra in September 2024. Just months later, along with Ngāti Ruanui, Greenpeace activists shut down the Sydney AGM of Australian mining company Manuka Resources, the parent company of Trans-Tasman Resources.
Lee says: ,”Iwi, the local community, and tens of thousands of New Zealanders have stopped Taranaki being carved up for sale. To prevent this happening again, we must ban seabed mining outright for the waters of Aotearoa, and ensure the moana is never pillaged to line mining industry pockets.”
Notes: The decision can be found here: https://www.fasttrack.govt.nz/projects/taranaki-vtm/draft-decision
BREAKING! Fast Track panel rejects seabed mining bid
Source: Kiwis Against Seabed Mining
Kiwis Against Seabed Mining are celebrating the Fast Track Panel's draft decision to decline Trans Tasman Resources' bid to mine the South Taranaki seabed.
The decision was published at 6pm this evening. (ref. https://kasm.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=40fd433e2f2344060946f0bb8&id=6c68a26fd7&e=26e06db549 )
“This is a victory for the moana, for all the people across Taranaki and Aotearoa, from Iwi and hapu and councils and everyone who loves our ocean,” said KASM chairperson Cindy Baxter.
“We've been fighting this ridiculous proposal since 2013, all the way to the Supreme Court, and back to the Fast Track, and it doesn't matter how many times the government tries to help this company with ever more lenient legislation, it simply doesn't pass muster.”
“This activity has been shown time and time again to be utterly inappropriate in the 21st century and it's time for Aotearoa to move to a full ban on seabed mining.”
Excerpts from decision ( https://kasm.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=40fd433e2f2344060946f0bb8&id=276e7f5c66&e=26e06db549 )
Sections 23 and 24:
“The South Taranaki Bight is an ecologically important area for marine mammals, including twelve threatened taonga species. The Panel has identified underwater noise, sediment plume effects, and cumulative impacts as credible risks and has found that for highly vulnerable species any additional impact would be unsustainable and cannot be reliably avoided or remedied through conditions.”
“The Panel has reached the view that the adverse impacts …are sufficiently significant to be out of proportion to the project’s regional or national benefits.”
Education Appointments – Open Polytechnic welcomes new Chief Executive and Council members
Source: Open Polytechnic
On 3 February a Pōwhiri was held at Open Polytechnic’s Lower Hutt campus to formally welcome new Chief Executive Sharon Cooke as the organisation returns to standalone governance.
The Pōwhiri was led by local Ahi Kaa (Mana Whenua) and Open Polytechnic’s Kaiwhakahaere Matua, Executive and Senior Leadership team. Also formally welcomed at the Pōwhiri were Ministerial appointed Council members, Darren Linton; Chair, Dr Neil Barns; Deputy Chair, and Maea Puriri-Pivac (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Whātua, Ngātiwai, Ngāti Hine).
Ms Cooke joins the Open Polytechnic, New Zealand’s specialist provider of open online and distance learning, at a significant time as the organisation celebrates its 80th Anniversary year.
Previously Chief Executive at Airways International Ltd, she brings over 20 years executive leadership experience across aviation, technology, and higher education, with a focus on strategic growth, digital transformation, and improving customer and learner outcomes.
During her first day on campus, Ms Cooke took the opportunity to meet with the Open Polytechnic’s wider leadership team, and host an all kaimahi (staff) hui to introduce herself and hear what was top mind for kaimahi as the organisation begins its standalone journey and as an anchor polytechnic in the Federation under the Government’s redesign of vocational education.
“The Open Polytechnic has a long and successful history of delivering vocational education throughout all of Aotearoa New Zealand. There are great opportunities ahead of us to build on that legacy,” says Ms Cooke.
Council Chair Darren Linton says, ” On behalf of the council and Open Polytechnic NZ I would like to warmly welcome Sharon to the organisation. We are privileged to have Sharon's extensive leadership experience from the public and private sector, and I look forward to working with her.”
The recruitment to fill the remaining three Council roles in the six-member Council will be carried out later this year.
About Open Polytechnic
Open Polytechnic is New Zealand’s specialist provider of open and distance learning, enrolling around 40,000 mainly part-time learners per year. The majority of learners are adults, combining work and study.
Greenpeace – Kiwi-killing Bill 2.0: Government’s RMA reforms strip wildlife protections
Source: Greenpeace
Greenpeace says it has identified a “kiwi-killing clause” in the 300-page Natural Environment Bill (NEB), which is set to replace the country's primary environmental law – the Resource Management Act.
Last year, the Government legalised killing kiwi for commercial activity with a permit from DOC, under the Wildlife Act. The Government is now proposing to override the Wildlife Act, bypass its safeguards, and give Councils the power to issue permits to companies to kill protected wildlife in the new planning system.
“Legalising killing kiwi was bad enough, but now the Government wants to make it even easier for companies to get permission to kill native wildlife, ” says Greenpeace Aotearoa campaigner Gen Toop.
“So many of our native species are already on the brink of extinction, yet the Government is proposing to dramatically weaken remaining legal protections for wildlife in Aotearoa.”
New Zealand has one of the highest extinction rates in the world. In the Cabinet paper on the Bill, the Government dedicates just two paragraphs to its proposed overhaul of the nation’s wildlife protection and states they inserted the override clause to “reduce the burden on developers“. Greenpeace says that framing is “chilling”.
“This kiwi-killing clause shows just how far the Government’s overhaul of the RMA has strayed from what New Zealanders value.
“Millions of dollars are spent and thousands of people volunteer their time trying to save Kiwi every year across the country. This Government plans to undermine all that effort by letting roading and mining companies kill them off to make a quick buck.”
Under clause 128 of the NEB, Councils would replace DOC as the decision-maker on killing and harming wildlife. The protective purpose of the Wildlife Act and its safeguards would no longer apply to permit decisions, which would instead be made under the new and more permissive planning system.
“The purpose of our new environmental law should be to protect and restore nature, not allow corporations to kill it off, ” says Toop.
“The Government’s RMA reforms are specifically designed to allow more environmental harm, and nowhere is that made clearer than in this kiwi-killing clause.
“Decisions about protected wildlife must stay with DOC, under the Wildlife Act, where protection is the clear and sole purpose. Councils simply do not have the specialist, species-by-species expertise or national oversight needed to make those decisions.”
Greenpeace is calling on the Government to remove the Wildlife Act override from the Natural Environment Bill.
Weather News – Waitangi Weekend split: Heat builds in the North, fronts bring rain to the South – MetService
Source: MetService
Covering period of Thursday 5th – Monday 9th February
– North Island: Mostly fine and dry for the long weekend, with high temperatures for eastern areas
– South Island: More changeable, with rain at times as weak cold fronts move north
– Waitangi Day: Dry for most in the north, including Waitangi itself, with some morning cloud. Rain in parts of the south
It’s a split weather story as we head into Waitangi Weekend, with many North Islanders enjoying settled, summery weather, while the South Island sees more cloud and rain at times as weak cold fronts brush the country.
For the North Island, a weak ridge of high pressure persists through the long weekend, bringing plenty of fine spells. While western areas may see occasional cloud and the odd shower, eastern regions such as Coromandel, Bay of Plenty, and Wairarapa are expected to stay mostly sunny, with temperatures climbing, and potentially nudging into the low 30s on Saturday and Sunday in Hawke’s Bay.
Waitangi is expected to be mainly fine for the big day, but there may be some patchy cloud through the day and the chance of a shower before dawn.
MetService meteorologist Devlin Lynden says the contrast between the islands will be noticeable.
“It’s a tale of two islands this Waitangi Weekend. The North Island is shaping up well, with just the odd shower for western areas and high temperatures in the east, while the South Island will be more variable as several weather systems move north, bringing periods of rain.”
The South Island has a bit more weather to contend with. A cold front approaches the south late Thursday, then tracks north on Friday, gradually weakening but still delivering periods of rain for many areas south of Ashburton at the start of the long weekend. Another weak front follows late Saturday, keeping conditions unsettled at times, especially for Fiordland and Southland, where daytime temperatures are likely to stay in the teens.
For the northeastern South Island, there will be more dry breaks, but a passing shower remains possible, so keeping an umbrella handy is a good idea.
Overall, it’s a weekend of contrasts, so checking the local forecast before making outdoor plans is recommended. For the latest updates, head to metservice.com
Police watchdog concedes violence against mental health workers ‘serious’ but too underfunded to investigate – PSA
Source: PSA
Govt must better fund our critical watchdogs
The PSA is appalled that the IPCA doesn’t have the resources to investigate the policy of Police withdrawing from supporting mental health workers which is now being phased out.
The PSA laid an official complaint with the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) last month after Police failed to assist mental health workers who were assaulted by a distressed patient. It also requested a wider review into the consequences of the Police’s phased withdrawal from supporting mental health workers.
In its response to the PSA (attached) the IPCA concedes that violence and assaults against mental health workers are a “significant concern” – but states that it does not have the resources to investigate the Police Mental Health Change Response Programme.
The Authority says it currently has a “high volume” of complaints and that it may be some time before it can assess the mental health workers’ complaints about the incident which took place on 21 November 2025.
“This is extraordinary. A critical public watchdog is admitting a serious safety crisis exists but lacks resources to investigate it. That's a damning indictment of Government funding priorities for independent oversight,” said Fleur Fitzsimons, National Secretary for the Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.
The Government has been warned of the funding pressures by the Authority in recent annual reports and in its Briefing to Incoming Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith in December 2023. It advised him then that ‘our current funding allows us to operate at the minimum viable level’, stating that cash reserves would run out in late 2025.
The IPCA also has the clear authority, under Section 12 of the Independent Police Conduct Authority Act 1988 to carry out investigations into ‘any Police practice, policy or procedure’ related to the complaint.
“Mental health workers are being left exposed to increasing violence and the very Authority that should be investigating the policy doesn't have the resources to do its job. That's deeply alarming.”
“This comes at a time when public confidence in Police is dropping, making independent oversight more important than ever.
“For democracy to function, the Government needs to properly fund the watchdogs that hold agencies to account, especially in the face of widespread cuts to public services which have consequences like this.
“If the IPCA can't investigate threats to worker safety because of funding constraints, what else is being ignored? What other critical issues are falling through the cracks because oversight bodies are stretched too thin?
“This is part of a disturbing pattern. We know for a fact that the Privacy Commissioner is overwhelmed with complaints and has been starved of funding despite repeated warnings to the Government over the last few years.
“We call on the Government and Police to shelve plans for Police withdrawal from mental health support before it's too late and more workers are assaulted or an avoidable tragedy occurs.
“The failure to provide Police support to mental health workers on 21 November should be urgently investigated.”
The IPCA has assigned the specific complaint in relation to the assaults on workers to a caseholder for assessment.
Recent statements
The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi is Aotearoa New Zealand's largest trade union, representing and supporting more than 95,000 workers across central government, state-owned enterprises, local councils, health boards and community groups.
Appointments – Fonterra announces Mainland Group leadership change
Source: Fonterra
Fonterra Co-operative Group Ltd today advises that René Dedoncker has notified his resignation from his position as Managing Director Global Markets Consumer to take up a position outside of Fonterra.
René Dedoncker has been with the Co-op since 2005 and has held several global leadership positions during that time, including leading our Mainland Group business since March 2025.
Prior to this role, René was a member of the Fonterra Management Team as Managing Director Global Consumer and Foodservice.
René has also led Fonterra’s Australian business, including through its merger with Fonterra Brands New Zealand to form Fonterra Oceania, and has held global leadership roles within our Foodservice business.
René has a 6 month notice period and has indicated his willingness to continue leading Mainland Group through the completion of the divestment transaction and transition to Lactalis ownership.
CEO Miles Hurrell thanks René for his significant contribution to Fonterra, particularly through the process to divest Mainland Group, where René has continued to provide strong leadership and drive performance as we prepared the business for sale.
About Fonterra
Fonterra is a co-operative owned and supplied by thousands of farming families across Aotearoa New Zealand. Through the spirit of co-operation and a can-do attitude, Fonterra’s farmers and employees share the goodness of our milk through innovative consumer, foodservice and ingredients brands. Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do, and we’re committed to leaving things in a better way than we found them. We are passionate about supporting our communities byDoing Good Together.