NZ weighs evacuations from the Middle East
The government says it's exploring its options for evacuating New Zealanders from Israel and Iran but it could be weeks before air space re-opens. Foreign Minister Winston Peters spoke to Corin Dann.
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RNZ News
43 minutes ago
- RNZ News
Local board bans off-leash dogs at popular Auckland park
Auckland Council is currently reviewing dog rules at several parks and beaches. Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly About 50 Auckland dog owners proudly held up pictures of their pooches at a local board meeting on Thursday. Auckland Council is currently reviewing dog rules at several parks and beaches. The group Monte Cecilia Dog Lovers were protesting a local board decision to ban off-leash dogs at the popular suburban park. Emotions ran high in the packed public gallery as Puketāpapa local board members finalised their vote to axe Monte Cecilia's off-leash bowl area; 4 to 2. The board's communities and residents members chair Ella Kumar, deputy chair Fiona Lai, Roseanne Hay and Mark Pervan voted to make the park strictly on-leash, citing safety for other park users. The board's two City Vision members John Turner and Bobby Shen voted to maintain the status quo. Local Kellie Ames was distraught by the decision. "I'm absolutely gutted. I bring my dog with my daughter to the park at least four times a week. "We've all agreed to follow the current rules and walk our dogs to the bowl before taking them off the leash. "We're picking up after ourselves. If we find poo on the ground we pick up the poo. We're making a concerted effort to work with the whole community." Sam Jack said he took the day of work to "fly the flag" for his furry friend. "It seemed like a set up and a foregone conclusion to take it away against the advice of council staff. It's disgraceful." Maureen Pinto. Photo: RNZ/Jessica Hopkins Maureen Pinto was devastated her dog Freddy would no longer be able to roam free at the park. "There could be one or two incidents, but you don't penalise hundreds of dogs." Dog trainer Mark Jorey did not want to see one of the city's few off-leash dog areas removed. "It's not what's best for the dogs but dogs do need to be trained and controlled. "I agree with the other side that there are issues and those need to be looked at but not a blanket ban." Shona Flood. Photo: RNZ/Jessica Hopkins Shona Flood had been taking her dog Mr Kippy to Monte Cecilia for years before he passed away two years ago. But she continued to visit the park often and said and interacting with off-leash dogs had helped her with her grief. "There have been issues with dogs being off-leash in on-leash areas. "There needs to be better signage, better education and enforcement, but let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater." Iain Bremner. Photo: RNZ/Jessica Hopkins Long-time resident Iain Bremner also attended the meeting and said the park had become dominated by dog owners. He said the off-leash and on-leash areas were too close together. "Owners are removing the leash as soon as they get out of the car park and letting their dogs run down to the off-leash bowl or wander around in the on-leash area. "I know people who won't go to the park because they were approached by dogs, maybe in a friendly manner, but they didn't like it and were irritated." The board's chair said she had heard from members of the public who supported the board's decision, but were too intimated to attend the meeting. City Vision members and the Dog Lovers group argued the decision was undemocratic after 88 percent of public submissions on the future of the park wanted to keep the off-leash area. The group's spokesperson Jonathan Sweeney said they were considering legal action, including a judicial review. He said the Ombudsman had also agreed to investigate after complaints were made about the board's decision process. "I'm completely despondent. We've done a huge amount of work to offer solutions and again we are stonewalled by the communities and residents dominated board who don't listen and are relying on anecdotes and random emails for their decision." Monte Cecilia park will be on-leash from August despite council staff recommending it stay off-leash. Photo: RNZ/Mohamed Hassan Local board member Jon Turner said his colleagues were ignoring the recommendation of Auckland Council's own staff. Staff advised the board to leave the off-leash area as is but improve signage and put in doggy litter bags. "It's disappointing all of the arguments and emotions put forward were basically ignored based on this flawed premise that taking away that area is going to make the park better for everyone," Turner said. He said the few incidents involving dogs at the park reported to the council in recent years happened in the on-leash area and were not more significant than other parks in Auckland. He said despite board members suggesting a fenced-off off-leash area as a solution, council staff advised this would not be possible if the board went ahead with bylaw changes to make the park on-leash only. He said council staff had also recommended delineating the area with big rocks and looking at ways to increase compliance. Board chair Kumar affirmed her commitment to looking out for all users of the park despite backlash from a vocal majority. She said they needed to represent those who didn't engage with their formal consultation process. She said not all dog-related incident that happened at the park would have been reported to the council. She hoped their changes would encourage more non-dog owners to visit Monte Cecilia, where a new playground was being built. When approached for comment, a statement from Kumar earlier given to RNZ in May was provided. "We want our community to feel safe when enjoying our many parks and reserves in Puketāpapa. "Our decision to change some locations from off-leash to on-leash will ensure these spaces are more accessible for all park users. "Monte Cecilia is well-used by our community - from people out exercising and enjoying a walk, to families, including those will small children, spending some time in nature. "We're exploring a fenced dog exercise area for Monte Cecilia Park, with further work to be carried out on this initiative. "In making our decision, we consider many things like formal submissions, the needs of both local and wider communities, the importance of green spaces for holistic wellbeing, and how the park is maintained and funded. We also looked at how our parks can best serve all users - now and in the future - and the unique role Monte Cecilia plays as a premier park for the entire city." The changes at Monte Cecilia are set to come into force on 1 August 2025. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
an hour ago
- RNZ News
Israel attacks Iranian nuclear sites, missile damages Israeli hospital
By Jana Choukeir, Alexander Cornwell and Crispian Balmer for Reuters Smoke billows from Soroka Hospital in Beersheba in southern Israel following an Iranian missile attack. Photo: JOHN WESSELS/AFP Israel struck a key Iranian nuclear site on Thursday (local time) and Iranian missiles hit an Israeli hospital, as President Donald Trump kept the world guessing about whether the US would join Israel in air strikes seeking to destroy Tehran's nuclear facilities. A week of Israeli air and missile strikes against its major rival has wiped out the top echelon of Iran's military command, damaged its nuclear capabilities and killed hundreds of people, while Iranian retaliatory strikes have killed at least two dozen civilians in Israel. The Israeli military said it targeted the Khondab nuclear reactor in Iran's Arak overnight, including its partially built heavy-water research reactor. Heavy-water reactors pose a nuclear proliferation risk, because they can easily produce plutonium, which - like enriched uranium - can be used to make the core of an atom bomb. Iranian media reported two projectiles hitting an area near the facility, which had been evacuated, and there were no reports of radiation threats. Israel's military said it also struck a site in the area of Natanz, which it said contained components and specialised equipment used to advance nuclear weapons development. On Thursday morning, several Iranian missiles struck populated areas in Israel, including a hospital in the southern part of the country, according to an Israeli military official. Trails of missiles and interception efforts were visible in the skies over Tel Aviv, with explosions heard, as incoming projectiles were intercepted. Israeli media also reported direct hits in central Israel. Emergency services said five people were seriously injured in the attacks and dozens of others hurt in three separate locations. People were still trapped in a building in a south Tel Aviv neighbourhood, they added. About a dozen mostly European and African embassies and diplomatic missions were located just a few hundred metres from the strike on Tel Aviv. Images showed buildings extensively damaged in Ramat Gan near Tel Aviv and emergency workers helping residents, including children. Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, in southern Israel, reported it had sustained damage. Iran's Revolutionary Guard said it targeted Israeli military and intelligence headquarters near the hospital. The worst-ever conflict between the two regional powers has raised fears that world powers would be drawn in and further destabilise the Middle East. Speaking to reporters outside the White House, Trump declined to say if he had decided whether to join Israel's air campaign. "I may do it. I may not do it," he said. "I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do." In later remarks, Trump said Iranian officials wanted to come to Washington for a meeting. Israeli air defence systems are activated to intercept Iranian missiles over Haifa amid a fresh barrage of Iranian rockets. Photo: JALAA MAREY/AFP "We may do that," he said, adding "it's a little late" for such talks. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rebuked Trump's earlier call for Iran to surrender in a recorded speech played on television, his first appearance since Friday. "Any US military intervention will undoubtedly be accompanied by irreparable damage," he said. "The Iranian nation will not surrender." Iran denied it sought nuclear weapons and said its programme was for peaceful purposes only. Last week, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Tehran was in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for the first time in 20 years. The foreign ministers of Germany, France and Britain plan to hold nuclear talks with their Iranian counterpart on Friday in Geneva to urge Iran to return to the negotiating table, a German diplomatic source told Reuters. Israel, which is not a party to the international Non-Proliferation Treaty, is the only country in the Middle East believed to have nuclear weapons. Israel does not deny or confirm that. Trump veered from proposing a swift diplomatic end to the war to suggesting the United States might join it. A source familiar with internal discussions said Trump and his team were considering options that included joining Israel in strikes against Iranian nuclear installations, but the prospect of a US strike against Iran had exposed divisions in the coalition of supporters that brought Trump to power, with some of his base urging him not to get the country involved in a new Middle East war. Senior US Senate Democrats urged Trump to prioritise diplomacy and seek a binding agreement to prevent Iran from attaining nuclear weapons, while expressing concern about his administration's approach. "We are alarmed by the Trump administration's failure to provide answers to fundamental questions," they said. "By law, the president must consult Congress and seek authorisation, if he is considering taking the country to war. "He owes Congress and the American people a strategy for US engagement in the region." In social media posts on Tuesday, Trump mused about killing Khamenei. Asked what his reaction would be if Israel did kill Iran's Supreme Leader with the assistance of the United States, Russian President Vladimir Putin said: "I do not even want to discuss this possibility, I do not want to." Putin said all sides should look for ways to end hostilities in a way that ensured both Iran's right to peaceful nuclear power and Israel's right to the unconditional security of the Jewish state. Since Friday, Iran has fired about 400 missiles at Israel, some 40 of which have pierced air defences, killing 24 people - all of them civilians - according to Israeli authorities. The Iranian missile salvoes marked the first time in decades of shadow war and proxy conflict that a significant number of projectiles fired from Iran had penetrated defences, killing Israelis in their homes. Iran reported at least 224 deaths in Israeli attacks, mostly civilians, but had not updated that toll for days. US-based Iranian activist news agency HRANA said 639 people were killed in the Israeli attacks and 1329 injured as of 18 June. Reuters could not independently verify the report. - Reuters
Scoop
2 hours ago
- Scoop
New Zealanders' Worry About Cost Of Living On The Rise Again Following The Budget 2025 Announcement
New Zealand / Aotearoa, 17 June 2025 - Ipsos New Zealand has released the 28th edition of the Ipsos Issues Monitor which tracks the issues most important to New Zealanders today and which political parties are best able to manage them. The survey has been running since 2018. The quarterly survey of 1,002 New Zealanders reveals that following a steady decline since May 2024, more than one in two (55%) consider inflation / cost of living to be the most important issue. Healthcare follows as the second highest concern, while the economy remains the third most important issue, with slight increases (by 2pp) for both issues. Notably, New Zealanders' concern for the economy has reached the highest level since February 2021. Key findings for the New Zealand market include: Inflation / cost of living is still the primary concern for one in two New Zealanders. While not statistically significant, the proportion of New Zealanders selecting this as a key issue has risen by 5 percentage points from the previous wave in February. Healthcare / hospitals remains the second top issue and continues on its upward trend, reaching its highest level of concern since tracking began (43%). Concerns around the economy continue to rise over the long-term, once again reaching the highest level seen since February 2021. Issues change in importance across generations: Inflation / cost of living is the primary concern for New Zealanders aged 18-64, while those aged 65+ are significantly less likely to be concerned about it Healthcare continues as the primary concern for those aged 65+, it ranks third and second respectively for those aged 18-34 and 35-64 Housing is the second most important issue for 18-34 age group and fifth for 35–49-year-olds, while it is outside of the top-5 issues for those aged 50+ While concern for the economy is relatively consistent across all the age groups, unemployment is more significant issue for young New Zealanders aged 18-34 (23%). Although political leaning has an impact on the perception of importance for multiple issues, both those intending to vote on the 'left' if there was an election tomorrow, and those intending to vote on the 'right' continue to agree that inflation / cost of living and healthcare are the two primary concerns facing New Zealand. However: The economy and crime are of significantly higher concern to right-leaning voters Left-leaning voters are significantly more concerned about poverty / inequality. Following a significant decline, New Zealanders' rating of the current coalition government's performance has stabilised, rising by 0.1 points to 4.3, with 39% of New Zealanders scoring it 0-3 out of 10. Labour is now perceived as the political party most capable of handling three of the top five issues – inflation / cost of living, healthcare, and housing, while National is seen to be most capable of managing the economy and crime. Beyond the top 5 issues, National is now seen as being the most capable of managing just one of the remaining fifteen issues: Defence / foreign affairs / terrorism. New Zealanders' top five concerns are largely in line with our Australian counterparts, with both countries identifying inflation / cost of living as their top issue and showing a similar level of concern for the economy. More Australians are concerned about housing than us, while more of us are concerned about healthcare. Carin Hercock, Country Manager, Ipsos New Zealand, said: 'Despite several reductions in the OCR, New Zealanders are still feeling the impact of high living costs. This is particularly an issue for young adult New Zealanders who are increasingly concerned about inflation, housing costs and unemployment.' Amanda Dudding, Executive Director Public Affairs, Ipsos New Zealand, added: 'No matter your political stance, inflation and healthcare are seen as the most important issues for New Zealanders. Healthcare is now the leading issue for 7 out of 10 New Zealanders over 65 years and is well ahead of the level of concern felt during the peak of Covid community transition. '
