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Northland Tsunami Siren Testing Set for end of Daylight Saving

Source: Northland Regional Council

Northland’s six-monthly outdoor tsunami siren test will take place at 10 am on Sunday, 5 April, marking the end of daylight saving.
The network of more than 90 outdoor sirens in coastal communities across Northland is tested twice a year to ensure it remains ready to alert communities in the event of a tsunami.
While it’s hoped such an emergency never occurs, regular testing helps ensure the system can respond effectively if needed and raises awareness of Northland’s tsunami risk.
During the test, sirens will sound for up to two minutes, emitting the familiar siren tone followed by a voice message:
“Test only, test only. This is a test of the Northland tsunami siren network; no action is required.”
While the indoor siren network will not be activated during this test, residents with indoor sirens are encouraged to manually check their devices by pressing the test button, similar to testing a smoke alarm.
Northland Civil Defence Emergency Management Group Chair Colin (Toss) Kitchen says community feedback remains a vital part of the testing process.
“Community feedback is one of the most important parts of these tests. It helps us confirm the sirens are working properly, that people can actually hear them, and that everyone becomes more familiar with what they sound like and what to do when they activate.”
Residents can provide feedback on the day via forms available on the Northland Regional Council website and the Civil Defence Northland Facebook page.
“Could you hear it? Was the message clear? Let us know.”
Kitchen also reminds Northlanders of the importance of recognising natural tsunami warning signs, especially in coastal areas where local-source tsunamis may arrive before any official alert.
“If you feel a strong earthquake that’s hard to stand in, one that lasts longer than a minute, or notice unusual sea behaviour, such as a sudden rise or fall or strange noises, don’t wait for an official warning, move inland or to higher ground immediately.”
To check if you live, work, or play in a tsunami evacuation zone, and to plan your safest route, visit: www.nrc.govt.nz/evacuationzones 
Northland’s outdoor tsunami sirens are funded and owned by the region’s four councils (Far North District, Whangarei District, Kaipara District, and Northland Regional Council).
To hear what the sirens sound like, visit: www.nrc.govt.nz/tsunamisirens 
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Outdoor Activities – Map reveals hundreds of DOC public access easements

Source: Herenga ā Nuku – the Outdoor Access Commission

Hundreds of public access easements held in the Department of Conservation’s (DOC) internal property records are now visible to the public for the first time, marking a significant step forward for public access transparency.
The milestone follows an ongoing collaboration, working together to translate historic legal records into mapped digital data that can be viewed by the public.
The Outdoor Access Commission has published 858 land parcels -representing 175 confirmed DOC public access easements – on its mapping system (WAMS). Until now, these easements have been recorded in DOC’s National Property and Land Information System (NaPALIS). Many existed in legal documentation rather than mapped spatial layers, meaning they had not previously appeared on any public-facing map.
Outdoor Access Commission geospatial manager Matt Grose says DOC converting the information into accurate mapping data gives a free, accessible and public way to view the data.
“Many of these easements were contained in legal instruments rather than digital map files,” Matt says. “We have turned that historic property information into accurate spatial data that can be confidently shared with the public.”
Many of the newly displayed easements show legal public access links between the ends of formed roads and public conservation land. In many cases, access has existed in law for years, but people have not been able to easily see those routes when planning trips.
DOC’s spokesperson, Manu King, Geospatial Services Manager, says the release reflects both teamwork between agencies and the increasing value of public data.
It demonstrates what can be achieved when technical teams work together with a common purpose. By combining property expertise, GIS capability and the commission’s mapping platforms, we’ve been able to unlock information that benefits all New Zealanders.”
The commission is displaying the easements on WAMS and its Pocket Maps app, making the information readily accessible to people naturing; walkers, hunters, trampers and others who recreate on public conservation land.
“Map users will now be able to see how public access actually reaches DOC land,” Matt says. “Instead of an isolated block of conservation land, people can see the legal access that connects them to it.”
The initial release will soon be followed by a second tranche of around 300 additional easements currently undergoing verification. Many of these are older records that require manual review and confirmation before they can be confidently mapped and published.
Outdoor Access Commission chief executive Dan Wildy says the publication of public access easements is another step to deliver transparent and accessible information related to public access.
“Through our GIS team, helped by our partners at DOC, we are delivering greater public access information than at any other time in our country’s history.”
Together, this mahi reflects a shared commitment to making public access clearer, more visible and easier to understand – now and into the future.
Three examples of these easements
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Energy – Major solar array to power Toyota NZ’s logistics hub

Source: Toyota

• Surplus energy will support local power needs
• Panels set to last up to 30 years
• Payback expected in just over five years

Toyota New Zealand has installed one of the largest rooftop solar systems in New Zealand on top of its 35,000m2 warehouse and National Customer Centre in Palmerston North.

At almost 700-kilowatt capacity, the solar array is expected to generate the equivalent of 60 percent of the centre’s power usage and, during peak periods, will inject renewable energy back into the local network to power up to 35 local homes.

Following its own auto production principles of Quality, Durability and Reliability, Toyota NZ selected Singaporean-manufactured solar panels that have one of the lowest points of degradation; they are expected to still be producing at 90% or more of total capacity (698.88kW) after 30 years of operation.

Toyota NZ Chief Risk and Value Chain Officer Mark Young said sustainability is a core feature of the purpose-built warehouse and National Distribution Centre (NDC), which was enlarged to the size of five rugby fields in 2018.

“We’re committed to making a positive impact on the environment from our NCC operations and renewable energy is a strong focus. We’re incredibly proud of the solar array going atop the building and the benchmark this will set for future Toyota developments in New Zealand. Already 11 of 63 Toyota Stores have installed solar power on their roofs,” he says.

Solar power production capacity from the NDC is expected to generate enough energy to power 132 houses per year and avoid approximately 93 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year – equivalent to a Toyota RAV4 Hybrid driving the length of New Zealand 481 times.

Forecast solar performance is 921 MWh per annum. Based on historical energy consumption data of the building, the system has an expected payback period of approximately five and a quarter years.

The scale of the array means Toyota will be generating more electricity from its roof during peak sunshine hours than it needs. On a typical summer’s day, the panels will generate more electricity than the building consumes from 6am to 6pm. Excess power of around 350MWh will be injected into the local lines network, providing more renewable energy for up to 35 Palmerston North households over the course of a year. In winter, the peak period reduces to 9am to 4pm.

Mark Young says installing solar panels in a large scale on the NCC roof made strong commercial sense.

“While we have made a substantial upfront capital investment, the panels will reduce the average monthly electricity bill by around 50%. We expect to have a total return on investment of more than 600% over the life of the panels,” Mark says.

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Universities – Video helps parents of fussy eaters – UoA

Source: University of Auckland – UoA

Parents are better equipped to teach picky eaters how to eat healthily, thanks to a video developed by University of Auckland researchers.

A short evidence-based video helps parents of fussy eaters steer their kids towards healthy eating, new research shows.

The video, which includes a story, the acronym HEART and an analogy, was developed by Dr Sam Marsh, a senior research fellow in the Department of General Practice and Primary Care at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland. See the video:

“We tried to align with parents’ value of wanting to raise healthy children and offer some simple tools,” Marsh says. “We know it’s hard having young children, so we didn’t want to make parents feel guilty.”

The video uses a story that helps parents put themselves in their child’s shoes at mealtimes, as well as an analogy and a mnemonic.

“We got parents to imagine coming home from a hard day at work, sitting down at the table, and then somebody throwing all these questions at them about what foods they want, and then dumping a massive plate of food in front of them, foods they are not familiar with, and demanding they eat it.

“Then we painted another picture where you come home, your partner takes care of everything. They put a nice plate, with not too much food, in front of you, and you have a pleasant conversation during the meal. How much more relaxed will you feel?”

The acronym, HEART, reminds parents of the strategies they can use.

– H is for ‘helping’, getting children to help prepare food: they are much more likely to eat food if they are engaged in putting it together.

– E is for ‘environment’, for example, eating as a family at the table with no screens or other distractions.

– A is for leading with your ‘ace’ by starting with healthy foods, creatively prepared.

– R is for ‘rules’, such as at least 90 minutes between a snack and a meal. Rules for parents include never using food as a reward or punishment. “If you do not eat your broccoli, you won't get dessert,” reinforces the value of dessert and that there's something wrong with broccoli.

– T is for ‘trust’: “We know children need to feel emotionally safe and relaxed to eat and try new foods. So, connecting with your child before dinner, even in a small way can be very helpful.”

The analogy was teaching a teenager to drive a car, making the point that children need to learn how to eat and it is a process.

“They are in control of driving the car, just like children are in control of what they eat,” says Marsh.

“You can't force a child to chew their food and swallow, but the things we can control are when they eat, where they eat, and what they eat. That is our job as parents.”

In written feedback, parents were overwhelmingly positive about the video resource.

Comments included, ‘Practical tips, handled a sensitive topic well, wasn’t judgmental.’

Results from the pilot trial, involving almost 100 parents and their children aged three to six years, show those who used the video made positive changes and enjoyed the process. See Appetite (March 2026).

“Research shows that positive parental feeding behaviours are associated with better appetite self-regulation in kids,” says Marsh.

“A child who knows when they are hungry and stops eating when they are full will tend to have a healthier bodyweight and a better relationship with food when they get older.”

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World Vision – This World Water Day: Clean Water Is More Than Survival – It’s a Pathway to Women’s Empowerment

Source: World Vision

This World Water Day, World Vision New Zealand is putting the spotlight on the global water crisis as a quarter of the world’s population still cannot access safe drinking water.
More than 2 billion people globally lack access to safe drinking water, with women and girls bearing the greatest burden. In some communities, women walk up to 15 kilometres a day to collect water – a task that can consume hours and limit their opportunities for education, work and participation in community life.
World Vision New Zealand International Partnerships Director Stephen Court says it is unacceptable that so many people are still denied access to such a basic human right.
“It’s unacceptable that in 2026 a quarter of the world’s population still doesn’t have access to safe drinking water. Clean water is a basic human right, yet millions of families are forced to live without it.
Without safe water, disease spreads, children miss school, and women are prevented from participating fully in work and community life. It traps families in a cycle of poverty that should no longer exist.”
New World Vision research in Guatemala, Honduras, Kenya, and Zimbabwe, finds that combining water access with behaviour change and economic empowerment activities can create lasting impact.
This family-centred approach integrates water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services with financial literacy training, savings groups, livelihood support, and engagement around social norms.
Court says when this approach is adopted women report higher personal income and household savings, greater participation in financial decisions, increased confidence, and stronger leadership within their communities.
He highlights the changes seen in Rumate, Kenya, where women once walked up to four hours a day to collect water, often returning with only a fraction of what their families needed.
After a borehole was installed in the community, women no longer had to spend hours collecting water and instead had time to pursue income-generating activities. Many formed savings groups, which enabled them to start small businesses and invest in their families.
“Access to safe water didn’t just meet a basic need – it unlocked opportunity,” says Court.
“When safe water is close to home, women gain something incredibly valuable: time. That time can be used to earn an income, participate in community life and invest in their families’ futures.”
The impact extends far beyond individual households.
“In many communities, the time women and girls spend collecting water goes unseen and undervalued. When safe water is accessible, women gain time, income opportunities and a stronger voice in their households and communities.
World Vision reaches one new person with clean water every 10 seconds, and we are aiming to reach 30 million people with clean water between 2023 and 2030.”
Court says this World Water Day, the message is clear:
“Safe water is about far more than survival. It is the foundation for dignity, equality, and opportunity. When women gain access to clean water, they gain time, income, and influence – and entire communities thrive.”
New Zealanders who want to help ensure children have access to safe drinking water can support World Vision through its Gift Catalogue, which includes the option to provide clean water for a child: https://www.worldvision.org.nz/give-now/smiles-gift/#/product/smiles-clean-water-for-a-child
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Economy – Tariff ripples: Modelling the effects of US trade policy on the New Zealand economy

Source: Reserve Bank of New Zealand

16 March 2026 – The RBNZ has published an Analytical Note exploring the implications of changes in US tariff policy for the New Zealand economy.

What this paper is about
On 2 April 2025, the US government announced its intention to significantly increase tariffs on imported goods.

In this Note, we study the potential impact of these events on the New Zealand economy. We find that in the short-run, trade diversions and the appreciation of the New Zealand exchange rate create deflationary pressures. Lower inflation induces lower interest rates which boosts domestic output. Over time, however, there may be inflationary pressure as global supply chains become less efficient. The analysis in this Note supplements our other related studies on the impact of changes in US tariff policy, such as on the impact of uncertainty shocks.

Key findings

  • This Analytical Note explores the implications of changes in US tariff policy for the New Zealand economy, using the G-Cubed model to undertake scenario analysis. Our baseline scenario captures tariff announcements as of 31 July 2025. 
  • To capture the depreciation of the US Dollar following the tariff announcement, we further consider shifts in bond and exchange rate markets that are associated with an increased perception of risk in investing in US assets.
  • The shock is disinflationary in the short run as it leads to trade diversions and appreciation of the New Zealand currency which lower import prices. The disinflationary pressure induces lower interest rates supporting the domestic economy. Overall, despite the weaker export sector, the effect on domestic real GDP is relatively modest.
  • Over time however, global supply chains become more inefficient contributing towards higher import prices, creating some inflationary pressure by around 2030.

Why we did this research

On 2 April 2025, the US government announced its intention to significantly increase tariffs on imported goods. Estimates suggest that the breadth and magnitude of tariff increases would have seen the effective tariff rate on imported goods into the Unites States rise to the highest level in over a century. Since then, there have been changes to the specifics of the US tariff policy as well as to the reciprocal tariffs set by US trading partners, heightening uncertainty around the global trade policy environment for New Zealand.

The resulting disruptions to the global trade may affect the New Zealand macroeconomy through export demand, import prices, supply chains, and global financial conditions. In this Note, we study the impact of the changes to the US tariff policy through the lens of the G-cubed model. The model is a global trade model that features disaggregated country- and sectoral-level details. Alternative scenarios are examined to capture the evolving situations around the global tariff environment.  

What data have we used?
The calibration and estimation of the parameters in the G-cubed model are done by the external model developers. The data used originate from various sources, such as the Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) model, IMF, World Bank, OECD, United Nations, the US Energy Information Administration, and the University of Groningen Growth and Development Centre.

More information:

Effects of US Trade Policy on the New Zealand Economy: https://govt.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=bd316aa7ee4f5679c56377819&id=5fb6033bf4&e=f3c68946f8

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Arts Grants – Do you have a completed draft of your manuscript that’s ready to take to the next level?

Source: NZSA

NZSA 2026 CompleteMS Programme – Do you have a completed draft of your manuscript that's ready to take to the next level? Poetry, fiction, short fiction, non-fiction…

Apply now for the NZSA Te Puni Kaituhi O Aotearoa CompleteMS Manuscript Assessment Programme: https://authors.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=905a5275ec5c023659502ec21&id=ef6ef93ca8&e=466373ae7c

The NZSA CompleteMS assessment programme is open for applications
 until 28 May 2026.

CompleteMS is for writers who have completed a manuscript through a number of drafts and now require the objective view of an experienced assessor to provide a constructive critique.

The thirteen successful applications will receive essential critical written feedback (followed by a Q+A session) from an NZSA Assessor on an advanced work, moving it closer to publication.

To apply for this professional development opportunity you need to be a current member of The New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa (PEN NZ) Inc. Membership of NZSA is $150 per annum, with a reduced rate for students – more about membership here: https://authors.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=905a5275ec5c023659502ec21&id=3b051fb2e8&e=466373ae7c

The New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi O Aotearoa seeks to reflect and expand the depth and breadth of Aotearoa New Zealand writing and welcomes applications from diverse writers working across a range of genres and writing disciplines. We tag three places on the programme each year for diverse writers.

Further information and application forms: https://authors.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=905a5275ec5c023659502ec21&id=e009bd3985&e=466373ae7c

Some comments on the assessment experience:

From writer's who have received assessments through CompleteMS:

'The comments were insightful, applicable, and specific. I feel as though I left this assessment with concrete next steps not only for my manuscript but also for my ongoing practice.'
'The Q&A session was really useful as I was able to brainstorm plot tweaks and improvements on the spot and get instant feedback about whether I was on the right track now. '

From our NZSA Assessors:

Award-winning author and assessor Rosetta Allan says: 'I believe this programme is of real value to writers. It provides not only professional feedback but also a sense of being taken seriously at a critical stage in their development. The combination of written assessment and Q&A dialogue offers both direction and encouragement, helping writers see their work through an industry lens while still supporting their creative ownership. For many, it may be the first time their manuscript is engaged with at this depth, which can be transformative.'
CompleteMS programme assessor, author, editor and creative writing lecturer Siobhan Harvey says: This is an absolutely indispensable service offered by the NZSA to a key author market.

The annual CompleteMS Programme is made possible with support from Creative New Zealand.
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Fire Safety – Total fire ban as risk escalates in parts of Nelson and Tasman Districts

Source: Fire and Emergency New Zealand

Fire and Emergency New Zealand will enforce bans and restrictions on outdoor fires in much of the Nelson-Tasman area from tomorrow morning (Monday 16 March) due to the escalating fire risk.
This includes a Prohibited Fire Season in the Coastal, Waimea and Lake Rotoiti fire zones, where all outdoor fires will be completely banned, and a Restricted Fire Season in the Murchison zone, where outdoor fires will require a permit.
Announcing the fire season changes, District Manager Grant Haywood said no further permits would be issued until conditions ease across the area. Recent rain has not had a significant impact on the underlying fire risk, and he urged people not to be complacent.
“Fires will start and spread very easily and will be more challenging for our firefighters to contain and put out in these conditions,” he said. “If anyone sees signs of smoke, please call 111 immediately.”
Anyone considering an outdoor fire can easily see whether their location is covered by the total ban or the restricted fire season by going to www.checkitsalright.nz
Notes: 
The Coastal, Waimea and Lake Rotoiti fire zones incorporate most of the land within the Nelson and Tasman Districts, extending from and including Abel Tasman National Park, Nelson Lakes National Park, Kahurangi National Park (east of the Mt Arthur Range), Richmond Ranges and all of the areas of the Waimea Plains and urban settlements.
The Murchison zone runs from west of Glenhope and includes Longford, Mangles Valley, Matakitaki, Shenandoah and Murchison township. 
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International travel: January 2026 – Stats NZ information release

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International migration: January 2026 – Stats NZ information release