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RNZ News
2 days ago
- RNZ News
Police using thermal binoculars and drones to find illegal hunters
Photo: Hawke's Bay police say they are using thermal binoculars and drones to track down illegal hunters. At least 16 hunters - encroaching onto private land - have been caught in the region in the past six months. Sergeant Ray Wylie said hunting on private property without permission increased the likelihood of an accidental injury or death. "Lawful hunting parties are often not expecting to come across other hunters when they are operating on private property. When you hunt illegally you are putting your party and other legal hunters at risk. "Not only is it dangerous, but it is also detrimental to businesses and individuals in the community who lose money," Wylie said. Illegal hunters were risking prosecution and having firearms licences revoked and their firearms destroyed. Wylie appealed to members of the public to report any suspicious activity, vehicles or people to help the police focus their inquiries in local areas.
RNZ News
6 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Nearly half of Kiwis applying for Australian citizenship born elsewhere
Max Siqueira (second from right), during his New Zealand citizenship ceremony - he has now moved to Australia. Photo: Neil Macbeth / SUPPLIED Nearly half of the New Zealanders applying for Australian citizenship weren't born here, according to data from the Australian government. Between July 2023 and June 2025, more than 92,000 New Zealand citizens applied for Australian citizenship, its Department of Home Affairs said. The figures raised questions about whether New Zealand had become a launch pad for migrants aiming to settle in Australia . When Max Siqueira moved from Brazil to New Zealand in 2016, he had no firm plans. He arrived on a visitor visa, but after landing a job, he stayed long enough to gain permanent residency and eventually became a New Zealand citizen last year. Soon after, his family went on holiday to Australia - they liked it so much they decided to move there and now live on the Gold Coast. Australia's Gold Coast. (File photo) Photo: 123rf "It's really easy once you get the New Zealand passport," Siqueira said. "I just bought a plane ticket. At the airport, I gave them my passport and said I was moving to Australia. They said 'Welcome, good luck' - that's it. The next day, I applied for a tax number and started working. It was that easy." His case was not unique. In 2024 alone, nearly 30,000 New Zealanders moved to Australia - the highest number in more than a decade . Since July 2023, New Zealand citizens on a Special Category Visa (SCV) had been able to apply directly for Australian citizenship after four years of residence, without first needing to become permanent residents. Australia did not cap the number of SCVs issued, and nearly every New Zealand citizen was eligible for one upon arrival. While Siqueira believed most migrants came to New Zealand intending to settle, he agreed some planned to move on. "It happens, but not as much as people might think. I know a few who had that plan from day one, go to New Zealand, then move to Australia once they get the passport. "But most didn't plan that. They were happy in New Zealand and only thought about moving once they visited Australia or realised how easy it would be with the passport. "I can't speak for all nationalities, but among Brazilians I know, the main reason people move to Australia is the weather. It reminds us of home," Siqueira said. Stats NZ said since the early 2000s, migrants born outside of New Zealand have made up a growing share of New Zealand citizens moving across the Tasman. Of New Zealand citizens who migrated to Australia in 2024, 35 percent were foreign-born. Data form the Department of Home Affairs showed, from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2025, more than 92,000 New Zealand nationals who hold a Special Category Visa (SVC) applied for Australian citizenship. Of these, 48 percent were born outside of New Zealand. Emeritus Professor Richard Bedford, a population geographer, said while New Zealand had a net loss of citizens to Australia, it had also a considerable net gain of citizens from other countries during the same period. "There's sometimes an assumption all the people going to Australia are highly skilled, and those coming here are not, but that's incorrect", he said. "We bring in many highly skilled migrants, and it does help balance the overall flow." But retaining that talent was a real challenge, he said. "We need to take very seriously the factors that attract skilled migrants. It's not always about money, but money is a big one. "We must ensure that highly skilled migrants we bring in get good jobs and are well paid. But we're a small country with a smaller economy, and we can't compete on everything. "What we can offer is a good lifestyle, a welcoming environment, and a strong sense of community, things that also matter to many migrants." Immigration rules were an important factor, he said. "Many barriers to skilled employment in New Zealand come from our own professional associations, like medical or engineering boards. "If we're not letting these skilled people work, we shouldn't be inviting them in the first place. "And once someone has residency, they have the same rights as anyone else. If they don't want to stay in the job they came for, or if they want to move to Australia, they have every right to do so. Bedford, who had been working on migration issues since the 1960s, said it's too difficult to tell if more immigrants are using this country as a stepping stone across the Tasman. He said the real challenge was making New Zealand a place people want to stay. "Not just with good pay, but with access to housing, a welcoming culture, and opportunities. If we want migrants to commit to staying, we have to make it worth their while beyond just the job offer." Emeritus Professor Jacques Poot, a population economist at the University of Waikato, said New Zealand and Australia had long functioned as two closely linked labour markets, and New Zealand had typically come out on the losing side. "Australia's economy is about five times bigger, and wages tend to be higher due to slightly greater productivity." Poot said it was unfair to assume migrants who left had always intended to do so. "People migrate for all kinds of reasons. Some move on, some return home, and others stay. There's a lot of churn in modern labour markets. Migration today is often temporary." Still, he said New Zealand should improve its ability to retain people who wanted to settle. "We should revisit our pathways to residency. We need to make sure people who want to settle here have every opportunity to do so." He also pointed to New Zealand's wage gap as a long-standing push factor. "Australia offers higher wages, and that's tied to their larger economy and more populous cities. Cities like Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane generate what we call 'agglomeration advantages', with more productivity, more opportunities, better pay." Even so, he said the narrative of a mass exodus from New Zealand was overstated. "If you look at the numbers in proportion to our total population, the real exodus happened in the late 1970s, when we only had 3 million people. Now we have over 5 million. So while the numbers may look big, they're not records in relative terms. "One of the things that struck me in 1979 was the big headline in two papers in Wellington: 'Last one to turn off the light.' Because they were really amazed about the out migration from New Zealand. "Well, since then, we're still having the lights on in New Zealand, so I wouldn't worry too much about it." 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NZ Herald
22-07-2025
- Health
- NZ Herald
Ministry warns of vaping product over chemical linked to ‘popcorn lung'
'When the product was first notified in 2024, information was incorrectly supplied by the notifier (Hoopers Vapour). This information was correctly supplied in 2025, and non-compliance was picked up by the ministry at this time and the notifier informed of the non-compliance,' the ministry said in a statement. It said Hoopers Vapour, which imports the product for sale in New Zealand, had proactively taken steps to remove the product from the market and had withdrawn its product notification. 'A consumer level recall is currently being undertaken by the notifier and the ministry is assisting with ensuring that these steps are being taken. 'The ministry is concerned that the product has entered the market and has issued a public warning about the Suntree Vanilla Cream vaping substance. As this is an evolving situation the ministry will not comment on the potential for enforcement action.' The ministry said it had previously prompted notifiers to withdraw products on the basis that they did not meet nicotine labelling claims or had tested above the legal nicotine limit. Twenty-four products prohibited for sale are listed on the ministry's website. Vape Free Kids NZ is calling for increased testing after highlighting that only 3% of products are currently tested. Photo / 123rf The ministry said last year it focused product testing on nicotine concentration and tested 250 products out of the approximately 7000 available for sale. It said it considered this 'sufficiently robust to provide insight into product compliance'. 'Where non-compliant products are identified the ministry generally works with the notifier to ensure compliance. This may be through removing the product from the market or in some situations taking enforcement action.' But advocacy group Vape Free Kids NZ has called for the frequency and scope of testing for vape products to be increased. Co-founder Charyl Robinson said the regular checking and testing undertaken by the ministry only covered around 3% of the overall number of vapes and e-liquids for sale. 'It's entirely a game of chance to know if a dangerous product is being sold possibly to hundreds of people,' she said. In the case of Suntree Salts – Vanilla Cream, she said that product had been on the market more than 18 months before it was picked up. 'The system relies on the tobacco and vaping industry to honestly declare their products are safe and provide their own testing data when they notify a product for sale.' – RNZ
NZ Herald
20-07-2025
- Health
- NZ Herald
Expressions of anger decreased over time, suggesting that control grew as women aged
Women feel more anger but express less of it as they age, according to a recent analysis in the journal Menopause. Photo / 123rf Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech. Expressions of anger decreased over time, suggesting that control grew as women aged Women feel more anger but express less of it as they age, according to a recent analysis in the journal Menopause. Photo / 123rf Women feel more anger but express less of it as they age, according to a recent analysis in the journal Menopause. Researchers looked at health reports and menstrual data from 501 participants in the Seattle Midlife Women's Health Study, analysing a subset of data from 271 women to look for possible connections between age, reproductive stage, and anger in women. The women who were studied were between 35 and 55 and still menstruating. The average participant was 41.6 years old, well educated, employed, married, and in a median income range when the study began in 1990 and 1992. The majority were white. Angry feelings, or 'state anger', increased with age, the researchers found. But expressions of anger decreased as women aged, suggesting that anger control grew with chronological age. Participants' anger spiked in the late reproductive stage of women's lives, but as menopause approached, participants expressed their anger less frequently and with less aggression or hostility.
NZ Herald
20-07-2025
- NZ Herald
South Africa bar shooting leaves five dead; gunmen wanted by police
The attackers burst into a bar and killed five customers, wounding three others. Photo / 123rf Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech. Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen. The attackers burst into a bar and killed five customers, wounding three others. Photo / 123rf South African police said they were hunting for attackers who burst into a bar in a township outside the capital and killed five customers and wounded three others. The attack at approximately 10.30pm Friday local time (8.30am Saturday NZT) is the latest mass shooting in the crime-ridden country, where murders average over 75 a day. About 10 gunmen raided the tavern in Olievenhoutbosch, around 25km south of Pretoria, and 'started shooting randomly without saying a word', police said. Three men and two women were killed. 'The motive for the shooting is unknown at this stage,' police said in a statement.
