Tourist killed by elephant, prominent Kiwis oppose regulatory standards bill
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1News
5 hours ago
- 1News
Qantas cyber attack: Culprits and motive unknown
A major Australian airline will soon be able to tell the six million customers whose data was stolen by cyber criminals exactly what type of personal information was harvested. In an update on Friday, Qantas also said the group believed responsible for the incident remained unclear and that it had not received a ransom request. The hack, revealed earlier this week, occurred on a third-party system used by a call centre working for Qantas. Sensitive data such as credit card details, personal financial information, passport details and Qantas Frequent Flyer accounts were not exposed. But millions of customers did have names, dates of birth, and email addresses stolen. ADVERTISEMENT Asked by 1News whether any New Zealanders were affected, the airline would only say the "majority" of affected customers were in Australia. Qantas next week will contact customers individually to tell them exactly what type of personal data was "contained in the system" or compromised. "I want to apologise again for the uncertainty this has caused," chief executive Vanessa Hudson said in a statement. "We're committed to keeping our affected customers informed with regular updates as our investigation progresses." Qantas, which continues to work with the government authorities to investigate the incident, reaffirmed that there has been no further threat in the system and that it remains secure. Multiple cyber experts believe the group responsible for the attack is called Scattered Spider, a cabal of young cyber criminals living in the US and the UK. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation recently warned that the group was targeting the airline sector by impersonating legitimate users to bypass multi-factor authentication and access systems. ADVERTISEMENT Airlines such as America's Hawaiian Airlines and Westjet have faced cyber attacks in the past fortnight. Qantas has rolled out additional security measures to counteract any more potential threats and increase detection. These include more security measures for frequent flyer accounts by introducing "additional identification" for account changes. "We are treating this incredibly seriously and have implemented additional security measures to further strengthen our systems," Hudson said. "Our customers can be assured that we have the right expertise and resources dedicated to resolving this matter thoroughly and effectively." Qantas also warned scammers are already impersonating the airline in the wake of the attack and told customers to be vigilant. The airline will never contact customers requesting passwords, booking reference details or sensitive login information. ADVERTISEMENT "If customers do receive any suspicious emails, text messages or calls from someone purporting to be Qantas you can report this via our dedicated support line, Scamwatch, or contact local authorities," it said. In the wake of the hack, Qantas has received more than 5000 customer enquiries. Meanwhile, legal experts suggest the incident could lead to a class action against Qantas, after compensation claims were made against Optus and Medibank after major breaches in 2022.
Scoop
9 hours ago
- Scoop
Pandemic Perspectives Focus Of COVID-19 Inquiry Public Hearing Next Week
The Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons Learned will next week hear a range of perspectives on the pandemic as the Inquiry's first public hearing begins. The Inquiry's 'Pandemic Perspectives' public hearing will take place between Monday 7 July and Friday 11 July. This hearing will allow Commissioners to hear from groups, organisations, and individuals from around Aotearoa New Zealand about their experiences of the pandemic and the Government's response to COVID-19. 'The Pandemic Perspectives public hearing will allow us, in the open, to hear a range of experiences as well as suggestions for future pandemic responses. It is important we listen to these voices and ask key questions, so we can develop robust findings and recommendations,' says Grant Illingworth KC, Chair of the Inquiry. Individuals, organisations and experts will talk about the effects of key public health decisions, including social division and isolation, health and education, and business activity. Commissioners are focusing the hearing on three key areas of the Inquiry's terms of reference and that have been key themes raised in public submissions already received by the Inquiry: · Lockdowns in 2021, in particular the extended lockdown in Auckland and Northland from September 2021. · Vaccine approvals and safety. · Introduction and use of vaccine mandates throughout 2021 and 2022. The hearing schedule and list of witnesses is available on the Inquiry's website: A second and final public hearing will take place from 20 August to 27 August in Pōneke Wellington, where Commissioners will hear from key decision makers who led the Government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and from senior public servants. 'As Commissioners, our job is to identify lessons from the country's COVID-19 response to ensure that as a nation, we can be better prepared for future pandemics,' says Mr Illingworth. 'Our goal is to provide recommendations – that can be understood by all New Zealanders – to help build a strong response for the future. 'We need a well-organised, resilient, robust defence, and we need to be able to come together as a country to face future pandemics.' Alongside the public hearings, the Inquiry has also held interviews with key decision makers, met with individuals and organisations who experienced the pandemic and the response to it, gathered 31,000 public submissions, and sought extensive written evidence from Government departments and other organisations. 'We are encouraged by and thank the 31,000 of you who shared your experiences through our recent public submissions process. I also thank the huge number of people and organisations we've met in engagements up and down the country. Your experiences and perspectives are vital to our work,' says Mr Illingworth. The 'Pandemic Perspectives' public hearing will be streamed on the Inquiry's website so it can be watched live by the public. Registered media will be able to attend the hearing for reporting purposes. A range of accessible resources will also be available during and after the hearings. Due to physical limitations, the Inquiry cannot accommodate members of the public.
Scoop
9 hours ago
- Scoop
Far North Mayor Calls On New Zealanders To Vote For Māori Wards In October
Far North Mayor Moko Tepania is calling on all New Zealanders to vote to keep Māori wards at the October local elections polling. On October 11 polling will close at 42 councils on whether to continue with Māori wards. Earlier polls have typically resulted in councils' (SUBS: correct plural apostrophe) Māori ward plans being canned. But the Far North mayor has predicted that will change, because in places like his district people have had a chance to see their Māori wards in action. Tepania predicts Far Northerners will poll in favour of keeping Far North District Council (FNDC)'s Ngā Tai o Tokerau Maori ward and Northland Regional Council (NRC)'s Te Raki Māori constituency. 'I am optimistic that because of (Te Tai Tokerau's) Waitangi, the home of the nation where He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni /Declaration of Independence of New Zealand and Te Tiriti o Waitangi were signed, there'll be a positive vote by electors to keep our Māori ward. 'If anywhere in New Zealand can do it, we can,' Tepania said. Almost 52% of people in the Far North identify as Māori, one of New Zealand's highest percentages. Tepania, who is Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ)'s Northland board member, said he did not agree with the requirement for his council to have to poll electors about its Māori ward. The council in September said it was not a foregone conclusion (SUBS: hyperlink not a forgone conclusion ) polling would happen after it chose to recommit to its Māori ward. FNDC first polled its electors on setting up a Māori ward during a 2015 representation review. Two-thirds of electors voted against this, one-third for. The binding poll precluded the establishment of a Māori ward in the following two elections - 2016 and 2019. Tepania said that rejection was because Far Northerners had not had a chance to see a Māori ward in action. That had changed with Ngā Tai o Tokerau starting life three years ago. The council's first term Māori ward had surpassed expectations. He claimed there were many achievements that had been made - for all constituents - with the presence of the ward and its four councillors. Māori ward councillors' connections into the community had helped make significant infrastructure improvements for all in the Far North, he said. Examples of this included working towards resolving longstanding Kaitāia Airport land ownership issues. Māori ward Cr Hilda Halkyard-Harawira had received an award from LGNZ's Te Maruata Māori council politicians' group for her mahi including the airport where she championed the return of the land the airport sits on to Ngāi Takoto and Te Pātu, and Government funding She'd also had a key role in working towards a more environmentally and culturally sustainable solution to address growing local community concerns over wastewater discharging into Hokianga Harbour, Tepania said. Māori ward Cr Tāmati Rākena had played a key role in the North Hokianga roading working group, successfully dealing with the Panguru and Motuti slips. The group was formally set up in 2024 between the council and mana whenua to address local roading issues. Northland Māori ward politicians currently make up 20% of the region's elected representatives. Tepania said Māori wards went towards council meeting its requirements to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi under the Local Government Act. Polling outcomes will take effect from the 2028 local elections, with the decision being binding for the 2028 and 2031 elections. Northlanders across Far North District Council (FNDC), Whangārei District Council (WDC) and Northland Regional Council (NRC) are among electors at 42 councils who will get to have their say in the binding poll with the following words: 'I vote to keep the Māori ward / constituency' 'I vote to remove the Māori ward / constituency' FNDC's Cr Kapa said Ngā Tai o Tokerau Māori ward had given Māori a voice they'd not had previously. He said it offered a path inside the council chamber for those who had sat outside. And it brought new opportunity for Māori outside traditional leadership roles to take part. He said it was important all local election voters in the Far North voted and also had their polling say in October. Kapa said the council was now working more closely with Northland iwi as a result of the new electoral areas. Its Te Pae o Uta policy underpinning how the council included Te Ao Māori in its operations had boosted responsiveness to the local community. Te Kahu o Taonui (Northland Iwi Chairs Forum) member Pita Tipene co-chaired the council's Te Kauaka Māori committee.
