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Maritime NZ response to the TAIC report into the 2023 Kaitaki blackout

Source: Maritime New Zealand

The Interislander ferry Kaitaki blackout event, when it lost power south of Wellington in January 2023, was a close call, and would have been traumatising for those onboard when the ferry lost power.

As soon as the MAYDAY call was relayed, Maritime NZ’s Rescue Coordination Centre (RCCNZ) – (which is the lead for mass rescue coordination and safety of life) – initiated the mass rescue plan as intended, and as acknowledged in TAIC’s report.  

Maritime NZ Director, Kirstie Hewlett says RCCNZ’s trained and qualified search and rescue officers quickly coordinated the movement of response assets (aircraft, boats and land support) and formed an Emergency Coordination Centre out at the RCCNZ with the relevant agencies involved.

“Once the ferry regained power, it maintained oversight until it safely came alongside at Wellington,” Ms Hewlett says.

While we are confident our RCCNZ, the frontline safety of life function, was mobilised as soon as possible, we accept that a Maritime Incident Response Team (MIRT), our back-office function stood up in large incidents, should have been formally declared at the outset of the incident consistent with our response policy.

“However, we believe the Commission’s finding that the lack of a formal MIRT declaration would have adversely affected our ability to respond promptly had the situation escalated, misses the pulling together of key facts,” Ms Hewlett says.  

While not formally declared, the necessary functions of a MIRT were in fact mobilised by Maritime NZ and in operation until the ferry was in Port.  The Duty Controller located to RCCNZ, as did necessary support people, and other key capabilities were supporting remotely. The National Coordination Centre (activated with the weather events on that weekend) was alerted to the event. The Minister’s Office was aware of the situation, and the Director was being kept updated on the events.

Given the fact the RCCNZ, which does not require a MIRT, was carrying out its role as intended, and the functions of a MIRT were informally in place, calling a MIRT at a late stage, once the engines engaged, would have made no difference in practice to this event.

Consistent with any incident, we carried out post incident debriefs to learn from the event and have proactively undertaken several improvement actions. This has included regular exercising of mobilisation at the beginning of an event, to ensure MIRTs are formally called consistent with our policies, along with a range of other improvements, which are outlined in the Commission’s report.

Maritime NZ agrees, or partially agrees, with the Commission’s recommendations relating to Maritime NZ, and, as acknowledged by TAIC the recommendations, they have already been completed or are well underway.

“We only partially accept the recommendation on strengthening salvage and rescue capability. While we can, and do, highlight what capabilities are needed for response in NZ, ensuring the resourcing of emergency towage response capability is not something in our power to make happen,” Ms Hewlett says.

More broadly, we investigated and prosecuted KiwiRail in relation to this event, to which KiwiRail plead guilty. We also undertook a deep dive audit on KiwiRail and its maintenance of critical componentry, alongside responding to an earlier TAIC safety insight into the incident in relation to the rubber joints.

Note:

Compliance action undertaken in relation to this incident:

Maritime NZ investigated and prosecuted KiwiRail in relation to this event, to which KiwiRail plead guilty: https://www.maritimenz.govt.nz/news-landing-page/2024/september/kiwirail-sentenced-for-interislander-ferry-kaitaki-s-2023-loss-of-propulsion-south-of-wellington/

We also undertook a deep dive audit on Kiwi Rail and its maintenance of critical componentry. Alongside responding to an earlier TAIC safety insight into incident. Here is a safety update we put out about it in September 2023:

https://www.maritimenz.govt.nz/commercial-operators/all-commercial-operators/safety-updates/september-2023-rubber-expansion-joints/

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Education to Employment – New white paper calls for stronger collaboration to support school-to-work transitions

Source: Skills Group

A new white paper released today by Skills Group is urging secondary schools, tertiary providers, and employers to work more closely together to build and deliver pathways from school to employment and further education.

Titled Multiple Pathways to Success, the white paper argues that while university remains a clear and well-supported route, too many young people are not being provided with clear or structured pathways to other post-school destinations.

“Despite every student needing to make a successful transition to further education and employment, the system is still overly focused on university entrance as a goal. At the same time, structured tertiary-based opportunities or work experience programmes are only offered to a small minority,” says Skills Group Chief Executive Officer Rosanne Graham.

“Work experience programmes like Gateway, and tertiary experience programmes like Trades Academies are proven to work. Evidence shows that they improve employment outcomes and earnings. However, they have limited student places and are treated as add-ons, rather than as a normal part of senior secondary education. As a result, most students never gain access to them.” Rosanne says.

Each year, more than 60,000 young people leave school. While around 30 percent move directly into degree-level study, the majority take other directions including employment and vocational training, often without a clear or structured transition.

The white paper highlights the scale of the challenge:

  • 69 percent of school leavers do not pursue degree level study and have no equivalently structured pathway.
  • 84 percent of senior students have no access to structured vocational pathway programmes such as Gateway and Trades Academies
  • New Zealand produces twice as many young people not in employment, education or training (NEET) as it does apprentices directly from school.

At the same time, evidence shows that students who participate in Gateway or Trades Academies are more likely to be employed after leaving school, highlighting the impact of early exposure to real-world and tertiary learning opportunities.

The white paper highlights that:

  • Work-integrated and vocational learning opportunities are fragmented across multiple schemes, each with different rules and limited capacity.
  • Schools face financial and operational barriers to expanding these options.
  • There are pockets of strong practice, but they are not consistent or well-supported by existing funding and operational policy.

“At the moment, funding is largely tied to the time young people are inside the school gate. This can lead to too many disengaged students making it harder for schools to support real-world or tertiary learning at scale,” Rosanne says.

“Supporting young people on a productive and successful pathway to their next step beyond school is the core purpose of the final years of schooling. However, schools cannot do that alone and we shouldn't expect them to. Tertiary providers, and employers need to join with secondary educators at the curriculum design table, working in partnership to build and deliver the multiple pathways system that our young people and our economy need.”

The white paper also highlights broader economic and social impacts of the current system, including high levels of skills mismatch, inefficient pathways and transitions into work, and persistent inequities in outcomes for Māori and Pasifika learners.

It calls for a fundamental shift in how senior secondary education operates, including:

Moving from the 'scheme-based' model of alternative pathways to a universal dual enrolment entitlement, allowing any student over the age of 16 to combine their school learning with tertiary or workplace-based education and training.
Ensuring funding enables learners to achieve across school, tertiary, and employment settings, without penalising schools for achievement occurring outside the school.
Embedding partnerships between schools, employers, and tertiary providers into both the design and delivery of senior secondary education.

The release of Multiple Pathways to Success comes as the Government progresses reforms to the secondary school curriculum and replaces the NCEA qualifications. Recent sector work, including the Working Knowledge research report by the New Zealand Initiative, highlights the opportunity to strengthen how curriculum and qualifications support a wider range of post-school options.

“The introduction of new industry-led subjects could be a key vehicle for more proactively delivering vocational options and pathways through partnerships between secondary schools, tertiary providers and employers.”

Skills Group believes this is a critical opportunity but only if system design is addressed alongside those changes.

“These are young people on the cusp of the rest of their lives,” Rosanne says. “That means achieving University Entrance cannot be the only goal of 13 years of school – the new senior curriculum needs to genuinely recognise and deliver multiple pathways.

“If we focus only on changing subjects and qualifications, without fixing how the system supports students to access real-world learning and experience, we risk repeating the mistakes of the past,” Rosanne says.

“This is about making all post-school options visible, accessible, and achievable for every student.”

Link to white paper: https://skills-group.org/news/multiple-pathways-to-success/

About Skills Group
Skills Group is New Zealand's largest private training provider and a charitable trust, delivering hands-on, real-world education to over 23,000 learners across New Zealand and internationally. From school leavers to CEOs, we support lifelong learning through practical, industry-aligned programmes that grow careers, businesses, and communities.

Our purpose is rooted in our charitable mission: advancing vocational education for the benefit of Aotearoa New Zealand. We exist to grow people, not profits. Surpluses are reinvested in teaching quality, campus facilities, learner and employer support, and the capability of the industries we serve. We deliver high-quality, future-ready training that equips New Zealanders to thrive in their careers and contribute meaningfully to their communities.

As a trusted partner to government, employers, and educators, Skills Group shapes New Zealand's workforce and drives economic growth. Our programmes are built with industry, for industry ensuring learners gain skills that are relevant, future-focused, and immediately applicable. Whether training the next generation of electricians, upskilling healthcare workers, or supporting leadership development, we are committed to maximising human potential through lifelong learning.

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New climate report yet more reason to reduce dairy herd – Greenpeace

Source: Greenpeace

Greenpeace Aotearoa is calling for immediate action to reduce the size of New Zealand’s largest climate polluter, the intensive dairy industry. This follows the release of the 2026 National Climate Risk Assessment today by the Government’s independent Climate Change Commission.
Greenpeace agriculture spokesperson Will Appelbe says, “Already this year, New Zealanders have faced one climate change-fuelled extreme weather event after another, with no time to recover. This latest report shows that we can expect things to get even worse, as the climate crisis becomes more severe.”
The report identified the 10 biggest risks to the country from climate change, including threats to buildings, road and rail, water infrastructure, social and community wellbeing, and emergency management.
Greenpeace is calling on the Government to regulate climate pollution from intensive agriculture, in response to the assessment.
“The intensive dairy industry – led by Fonterra – is New Zealand’s worst climate polluter,” says Appelbe.
“Fonterra’s oversized dairy herd is cooking the climate, putting us all at risk so that the industry can send milk powder overseas for KitKats and Mars Bars, while our communities are suffering and Luxon’s Government cuts funding for responding to climate emergencies.”
“The agriculture sector is the only industry in New Zealand that doesn’t have to pay for the pollution it’s causing. Successive governments have refused to take action to stop intensive livestock’s climate pollution, enabling their climate destruction,” says Appelbe.
Last year, the Government slashed New Zealand’s methane targets by almost half, at the request of the agribusiness lobby.Climate scientists, environmental groups, and the Climate Commission opposed this move.
The agriculture industry is New Zealand's biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions, making up more than half of the country's total emissions. Pollution from the intensive dairy industry alone accounts for 26% of New Zealand’s emissions, more than any other industry.
“A handful of milk powder millionaires are profiting from pollution, but the rest of us pay the price as climate disasters hit us where it hurts,” says Appelbe.
“We urgently need a transition to regenerative, ecological farming, that’s better for people and the planet. Not only would this be more climate-friendly, but it would also be more resilient to the ongoing threat we face from extreme weather events.”
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Federated Farmers – Government running out of time on freshwater fix

Source: Federated Farmers

With today marking six months until the next election, Federated Farmers says the Government is rapidly running out of time to fix a broken freshwater system.
Freshwater spokesperson Colin Hurst says while progress has been made repealing or replacing some of the previous Government’s unworkable freshwater rules, far too many of the rules still sit idle on the books.
“Former Environment Minister David Parker brought in a swag of poorly written freshwater rules in mid-2020,” Hurst says.
“The current Government came into office promising to unwind them and put things right for farmers.
“Farmers are starting to get really worried that, with only six months to go until the election, a number of those promises haven’t been fulfilled.
“The clock is really ticking now and we’re getting genuinely concerned they’ll run out of time.”
When elected, the Coalition Government said it would replace Labour’s freshwater targets with rules allowing more flexibility.
Nearly three years on, Parker’s National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020 remains law.
“It’s good the Government has hit pause on regional councils coming up with new rules to try to achieve the unachievable freshwater targets,” Hurst says.
“Early drafts of these plans showed huge areas of farmland would need to be retired to even come close to the targets.
“But in the background, Parker’s policy still sits on the books, which means resource consents must be tested against it and Environment Court decisions will also consider it.
“It’s continuing to cause real headaches across the country.
“There’s also the risk that any change in Government would mean it can be immediately turned back on and implemented.”
Hurst says the current Government also promised changes to make vegetable growing and on-farm water storage permitted activities – but again, that’s yet to happen.
New Freshwater Farm Plan regulations also haven’t been completed, he adds.
Many of these changes hinge on the Government delivering an improved replacement to the Resource Management Act (RMA).
Mark Hooper, Federated Farmers RMA reform spokesperson, says bringing in that new legislation was one of the Government’s flagship policies.
“The RMA is by far the biggest handbrake on the growth of our agricultural sector and rural economies,” he says.
“From expensive resource consents to unachievable freshwater targets, these difficulties for farmers all sit under the RMA legislation.
“We were really pleased when the Government introduced two bills to replace the RMA last year, but a deep dive into the wording revealed some significant flaws.
“The Natural Environment Bill, in particular, is so poorly drafted that it risks making things even worse for farmers than the current RMA.”
Hooper says a major gap right now is the lack of detail around what will replace the current national policy framework.
“What we’ve got in front of us with the Natural Environment Bill is essentially the framework for the new system.
“But a lot of the real detail will sit in national policy direction and national standards, and that’s the part we haven’t seen yet,” he says.
“That creates uncertainty. Farmers are being told change is coming, but we still don’t know what the replacement for things like the National Policy Statement will actually look like.”
He says, in the meantime, farmers remain stuck operating under the very rules the Government has promised to replace.
“Farmers were told there would be new national standards for things like vegetable growing, water storage and gravel extraction, but none of that has happened yet.
“So, despite all the talk of major reform and quick wins, nothing has really changed in practice and the old system is effectively still live.”
Hooper says that uncertainty is weighing on farmer confidence and investment decisions.
“People want clarity. They want to know what the rules of the game are before they make long-term investment decisions – and right now, that certainty just isn’t there.”
Hurst says credit must go to the Government for moving quickly to repeal Labour’s replacement RMA in 2023, and make fixes to stock exclusion rules and winter grazing rules.
“Farmers also breathed a sigh of relief at last year’s law change to roll over existing resource consents into a promised new resource management system.
“Those are all good things – but the job is far from done.”
He says there’s cautious optimism about new Environment Minister Nicola Grigg, who comes from a strong farming background.
“For Nicola Grigg, I think there’s a real opportunity here to cut through the noise and deliver what farmers have been waiting for.
“She’s shown she understands the issues, but I guess the challenge now is whether she can turn that into action.”
With only months left in the Government’s term, Hurst says time is running short.
“Farmers are watching closely, because what happens next will shape how this works on the ground for years to come.
“The Government needs to get cracking.”
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Federated Farmers – Countdown begins for Canterbury local government reform

Source: Federated Farmers

Federated Farmers is calling on Canterbury’s council leaders to move quickly and show real leadership for their communities in the face of impending local government reform.
“The starting pistol has been fired and there’s now real urgency here to get this right,” says Federated Farmers North Canterbury president Bex Green.
“Central Government has been very clear that local councils have three months to come together and do something, or the Beehive will step in and do it for them.
“This is our community’s best and only chance to land a locally driven solution that will actually work for Canterbury. We simply can’t afford to let that opportunity pass us by.”
Green says the worst-case scenario for provincial Canterbury, and the region’s rural communities, would be a ‘super region’ centred around metropolitan Christchurch.
“Environment Canterbury has been a dysfunctional and divided shambles since its inception, but a super region would be even worse. It would amplify the problems instead of fixing them.
“Urban and rural communities have different needs and priorities. When you put them at the same table, it dilutes the voices of the communities they represent.
“The needs of Christchurch city’s rapidly growing population are very different to the needs of those who live in places with smaller rural populations like Hurunui, Methven and Waimate,” Green says.
Federated Farmers is firmly opposed to a single unitary council for Canterbury.
Instead, it favours two or three unitary councils representing distinct communities across the region.
“It makes sense to have one unitary authority – a metropolitan council – focusing on managing urban growth pressures and changes in Christchurch city.
“And then we want to see one or two other unitary councils that focus on the unique needs, challenges and priorities of rural Canterbury.
“That’d be better for everyone.”
In South Canterbury, there are three district councils: Mackenzie, Timaru, Waimate.
“Bringing those councils together to create one South Canterbury unitary authority, rather than having land use rules and rates set from Christchurch, simply makes sense,” Green says.
“There’s uncertainty around where the boundaries might fall for Mid and North Canterbury districts, but one thing is clear – the needs of those communities are very different to those of metropolitan Christchurch.
“Whatever happens, it’s essential that rural representation is protected.”
Green says getting local government reform right in Canterbury is crucial.
“The Government is in the process of replacing the Resource Management Act but that won’t be successful unless we have councils that can deliver it properly.
“We need a functioning local government in Canterbury that truly represents the communities they’re setting rules and managing infrastructure for.
“Council leaders now have three months to present a credible and workable solution, so we all need to get around a table quickly and get on with the job.
“Federated Farmers wants to be part of that conversation to make sure rural voices are heard loud and clear when recommendations are made to Government.”
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Health – Medical Specialist Association reaches agreement with Health NZ, looks to next steps

Source: Association of Salaried Medical Specialists

The Association of Salaried Medical Specialists – Toi Mata Hauora (ASMS) has ratified a new collective agreement with Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora. The new agreement has been endorsed by 94 per cent of members who voted in an indicative ballot this week.
“This is positive news,” ASMS Executive Director Sarah Dalton says, “but there remain significant and ongoing challenges in our public health system that need to be addressed.
“Unmet need, inequitable access to care and failure to staff and resource health services cast huge shadows over the work of our members. We will keep fighting for safe staffing and improved access to public healthcare.”
The new collective agreement runs until the end of January 2027. As well as an effective 5.9 per cent average pay increase, the agreement fully restores doctors’ personal grievance work rights (taken away by the coalition Government’s amendments to the Employment Relations Act earlier this year) and enshrines Te Mauri o Rongo New Zealand Health Charter into the collective agreement.
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Banking and Security – Fraud check delays well worth the inconvenience, says Banking Ombudsman

Source: Banking Ombudsman Scheme

Delays in processing payments while banks conduct fraud checks can be frustrating but are necessary to prevent scams, says the Banking Ombudsman.
Nicola Sladden said the scheme recently investigated a case in which a customer was unhappy with such a delay, and the consequences it caused.
The customer asked the bank to transfer $500,000 so he could buy gold. The bank refused because it was concerned the payment could be a linked to a scam.
The customer later said the delay meant he had to pay more for gold because the exchange rate had changed. The scheme found the bank was entitled to refuse to process the payment while it checked the fraud risk and did not uphold his complaint about the delay. However, the customer accepted $1,500 compensation offered by the bank for how it communicated the reason for the delays.
Ms Sladden acknowledged that security checks could sometimes be frustrating, particularly when urgent payments were involved. However, such measures were a vital part of protecting customers from scam-related losses.
“When banks detect high-risk transactions, they have an obligation to conduct a check. This might be frustrating in some circumstances, but can be seen as a small price to pay to prevent being scammed out of thousands of dollars – as has often happened.”
Ms Sladden said banks were mindful of the need to strike a balance between protecting customers and avoiding unnecessary delays.
She said following a few simple steps could minimise the risk of being scammed. They included independently verifying the identity of an organisation by using its official website or publicly listed contact details, rather than relying on the information provided in a message. She said a genuine representative from a bank or similar organisation would never pressure anyone to act quickly or oppose efforts to verify that person’s authenticity.
Checking the bank’s website for scam alerts was also useful because it kept customers alert to current scams. A final tip was never to share PINs, passwords or one-time codes with anyone.
Ms Sladden said customers who suspected they had been scammed should immediately cease all contact with the scammer and notify their bank. The bank could then secure their accounts and review any suspicious activity.
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University Research – OpenAI’s evolution examined amid Musk lawsuit – UoA

Source: University of Auckland (UoA)

Elon Musk is suing OpenAI and its chief executive, Sam Altman, alleging the company abandoned the public-interest mission on which it was built. New research suggests Musk has a point, though the full picture is complex.

The article, OpenAI: Governance for Public Good or Private Gain? by Alexandra Andhov (University of Auckland) and Ian Murray (University of Western Australia), traces OpenAI’s development.

It follows the company from its origins as an incorporated non-profit charity, through a capped-profit hybrid model, to its most recent shift to a for-profit, for-purpose public benefit corporation.

When OpenAI was set up, Andhov says its non-profit status was designed to remove the profit motive from developing powerful AI, signalling to researchers, regulators and the public that safety and social benefit would take precedence over returns.

“Our paper analyses OpenAI's trajectory from non-profit to possibly a really substantial IPO later this year and shows how their non-profit mission has eroded over time,” she says.

The paper finds safeguards were put in place at each stage to protect OpenAI's purpose. Yet, those safeguards faced pressure from a small group of key funders, commercial relationships, and the need for capital. As a result, the researchers note a gradual ‘mission drift’: a shift away from OpenAI's original purpose toward commercial priorities.

Read the full release and research paper: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/news/2026/05/06/openai-s-evolution-examined-amid-musk-lawsuit.html
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Consumer NZ – The award no brand wants to win: The Yeah, Nah Awards 2026

Source: Consumer NZ

Consumer NZ has opened nominations for the worst businesses, services and products in Aotearoa New Zealand – the ones that have excelled at letting consumers down.

It’s time for the Yeah, Nah Awards 2026.

“If you’ve been at the pointy end of a bad experience that’s cost you time or money, given you a headache and left a bad taste in your mouth, we want to hear about it,” says Consumer NZ head of research and advocacy Gemma Rasmussen.

“The Yeah, Nah Awards are an opportunity for consumers to make their voices heard and put bad operators on notice.”

Last year’s awards covered a wide range of issues, including sticky plasters that did not stick, misleading claims about consumer rights, online services that were difficult to unsubscribe from, and retailers’ promoting “specials” that were anything but.

“In a cost-of-living crisis, it’s important to keep businesses honest – and that’s what we’re all about at Consumer NZ,” says Rasmussen.

Who won last year?

Last year, Pams plastic plasters won the “You Had One Job” Award after a Consumer member tipped us off that the plasters “do not stick properly” and our in-house trial confirmed it.

Barkers took out the “On Bad Terms” Award for potentially misleading consumers about their rights. We reviewed return policies across 30 online stores and were unimpressed by Barkers’ high number of dubious claims.

The “Unsubscribe Impossible” Award went to HelloFresh. After months of research into deceptive online design practices, the food delivery service stood out for a particularly exasperating cancellation process (also known as a subscription trap).

Finally, the “No, Harvey Norman, No” Award went to Harvey Norman, following our review of pricing at New Zealand big-box retailers. A bewildering number of specials were labelled “super deal”, “great price” or “huge deal” when they really were not.

How to nominate

“We want to hear from the people on the receiving end of dodgy deals, broken promises and baffling business behaviour,” says Rasmussen. “Tell us what’s left you annoyed, out of pocket or shaking your head in disbelief – and help us expose this year’s Yeah, Nah winners.”

To make a nomination, head to the website and fill out the nomination form: https://consumernz.cmail19.com/t/i-l-zhjlkiy-ijjdkdttjk-j/

Nominations close 31 July 2026.
Winners will be announced in November 2026.

About Consumer

Consumer NZ is an independent, non-profit organisation dedicated to championing and empowering consumers in Aotearoa. Consumer NZ has a reputation for being fair, impartial and providing comprehensive consumer information and advice.

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Unemployment rate at 5.3 percent in the March 2026 quarter – Labour market statistics: March 2026 quarter – Stats NZ news story and information release