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Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
AI use intensifying scams: Netsafe
Artificial intelligence (AI) is enabling fraudsters to devise ever-slicker romance scams, Netsafe says. The online safety agency recently presented updated resources as part of its Get Set Up for Safety programme, aimed at protecting older people from an upswing in sophisticated digital cons. Business development manager Sarah Bramhall said scammers might spend weeks or months building online relationships before seeking money. "Scammers most often use the techniques or the emotions of trust, fear and hope, usually in a combination. "So they will tap into human emotions." Exploiting lonely or companionship-seeking victims, scammers try to stop them sharing information with friends or family. "They will try to keep them isolated so that they don't tell anyone, because obviously otherwise friends and family will pick up on something happening." At some point the scammer will begin requesting money, sometimes large amounts or gradually increasing amounts. These requests could be couched in ways that played on people's natural desire to be kind or helpful. "Usually it presents itself in something like a medical requirement, they need to travel, they have got family that are sick. "Those sorts of things that really play on emotions." Kind-hearted people who felt they had developed a bond would feel like they wanted to help that person out. "Most of the time, people really don't recognise that they are being scammed in those scenarios. "It is really quite hard for even support workers and family to get them to come to that realisation because they suffer heartbreak, essentially." Generative AI tools were enabling scammers to polish their English, generate fake images or create believable back-stories. Poor grammar or language used to be a red flag that it was a scam message. "That is getting harder to pick up on now," she said. While there were many ways AI was opening up useful and beneficial possibilities, it was important to be mindful of some of the drawbacks of AI, in particular large language models such as ChatGPT, which could create "hallucinations" that could seem plausible but were falsehoods. "I just say 'sometimes AI can lie'." Netsafe has refreshed its portfolio of resources that can help organisations and individuals navigate the online digital realm safely. The material tackles challenges such as spotting scams, safer online dating, privacy settings, securing accounts and verifying requests for personal information. Get Set Up for Safety offers a wide range of resources, including checklists, fact sheets, videos and interactive activities. • To find out more, visit
Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Chopper to visit city
Heath Franklin's Chopper will once again wow audiences with his unique comic appeal. Photo: supplied A time-travelling outlaw from 2030 will ride into Dunedin when Australian comedian Heath Franklin brings his cult alter ego Chopper to town on Saturday, June 14. His latest tour The Last Hard B*stard on Earth has Chopper busting through time to stop an imagined collapse brought on by "gentle parenting, love languages and paper straws". The alter ego of Chopper as a "crude, bogany kind of person" provides an opportunity to subvert and lampoon modern anxieties. While Franklin allows a "window for the zeitgeist" he tends to avoid following topical news issues too closely. "You need to make sure you write a show that can tour for six or 12 months without people being like, 'what is he talking about again'?" After two decades on stage, Franklin still relishes the build-up to a fresh tour. "Every year I write a whole new hour of jokes." While Franklin has a plan for his shows, he makes time for unique moments to emerge at every gig. Dunedin audiences can expect a show that is not simply a carbon copy. "It is nice to know that there was something about that experience that was unique to that show, that it is not just almost a version of pressing play on a tape recorder." Franklin enjoys the enthusiastic spirit of New Zealand that tends to avoid the heckle culture more prevalent in Australia. "In New Zealand, there is a real enthusiasm where people just kind of, they are so excited they want to be part of it." "They are usually big enthusiastic audiences and everyone is pretty benevolent and all on the same page." Franklin treats Chopper like a work uniform. "There is a real on and off switch now." When the house lights go up, the tattoos come off and the handlebar moustache is tucked away. "It is a little bit like if someone worked at McDonald's. "They don't go to the bar afterwards in their uniform." Although he has inhabited Chopper for many years, a 2023 stand-up tour as himself reaffirmed his appetite for the moustached, in-your-face character. "My interest in it was reinvigorated and I knew that I actually wanted to be there, I was not just putting one foot in front of the other. "I had all these ideas and I was like, 'oh wow, this is great', I know that I really want to be here now instead of it just being a recurring habit." Heath Franklin's Chopper The Last Hard Bastard on Earth Saturday, June 14 7pm Regent Theatre
Otago Daily Times
28-05-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
‘Their story is part of my story'
Ajax Banstola, 11, shows a photo taken soon after Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary achieved their stunning summit. PHOTO: SAM HENDERSON The extraordinary achievement of two pioneering mountaineers highlights the value of friendship and connection. Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, of Nepal, and Sir Edmund Hillary, of New Zealand, scaled Sagarmatha (Mt Everest) on this day 72 years ago, becoming the first to stand on its 8848m summit. Ajax Banstola, 11, said the story was ''one of the coolest adventures in history''. Hillary and Norgay began their final push for the summit at 6.30am on May 29, 1953. Backed by an expedition of more than 400 people led by Colonel John Hunt, they set off from base camp on the long journey to the top. ''Their resilience, teamwork, the effort is honestly legendary, but a thing we should all remember is they did it together, not alone. It would be really hard alone,'' Ajax said. ''They did it together as friends.'' Ajax has a personal connection to both Nepal and New Zealand. ''I was born in Pokhara, a lovely city [in Nepal] and I came here when I was 3 years old, really small. ''But my dad and my mum, they always share stories about how or what I did when I was small.'' The city sits near the Annapurna mountain range, which contains some of the world's highest peaks. The tale of Norgay and Hillary resonates with Ajax because of his connection to both countries. ''To me, Sagarmatha Everest Day is more than just remembering a climb. ''It is about two amazing people, one from Nepal, where I was born, and one from New Zealand, where I now live. ''It is like their story is part of my story too.'' Ajax said Norgay was a true mountain expert. Hillary, a beekeeper from Auckland, also showed guts and skill, he said. For Ajax the best part was they respected each other. ''They came from totally different worlds, but they worked together like champions. ''That is what makes this story so special.''
Otago Daily Times
24-05-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Tool safety taught
Learning how to safely operate carpentry equipment are Outram School pupils (from left) Liam Kruger, 9, Indie Buchan, 10, Katrina Pollock, 10, Luke Wallace, 10, Tyson Hayes, 9, Lane Todd, 9 and Arlo Thomson, 9. Photo: Sam Henderson Young children have been enjoying hands-on activities that build positive self-esteem. The Edge Workshop, run by BB New Zealand, is an initiative that enables children aged 8 to 11 to gain confidence with hand tools. South Island development manager Warwick Tomlinson, assisted by Graham Knauf, has been visiting Outram School to deliver the six-week programme. A mobile workshop stocked with equipment and materials lets children learn to use basic tools, including saws and hammers, as well as power tools such as drills and jigsaws. "It is about having fun and learning as we go," Mr Tomlinson said. The children build simple items such as phone holders, stools or wooden toy cars. "We use pallet timber for the most part." As well as making items, the programme helps build confidence and social skills. "The kids we are dealing with are at an age where they are learning things that will carry them on through their lives. "Their personalities are being set up, how they interact with each other and how they understand how things go." The aim was to give children an early chance to think about their future, he said. The programme is offered at no cost to schools thanks to local and national community sponsors. Outram School principal Kim Allan said it was very lucky to have Mr Tomlinson bring the programme to the school. "Warwick and Graham work alongside our tamariki to create their projects, but [the pupils] gain so much more from their participation." As well as practical skills, the pupils gained confidence, positive self-esteem and qualities of becoming constructive role models and future leaders. The children developed key competencies and values in resilience, creativity, caring, responsibility and independence. Previous groups completed projects for the whole school, including a seat, a pallet car for juniors and a cornhole game, she said.
Otago Daily Times
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
‘Super fun stuff' at sanctuary
Visitors to Orokonui Ecosanctuary are fortunate to be able to get close enough to observe kaka at multiple feeding stations around the sanctuary. PHOTOS: TAYLOR DAVIES-COLLEY Orokonui Ecosanctuary is rolling out the welcome wagon to encourage more locals of all ages to visit over King's Birthday Weekend. Orokonui Ecosanctuary communications and advocacy lead Taylor Davies-Colley said the three-day event would offer heavily discounted entry for Otago locals, along with "some super fun stuff" for visitors to enjoy. "We do have a lot of regular local visitors, but we want to make visiting the wildlife at the sanctuary as accessible as possible for locals — so everyone can come out and see us. "We would love to share our very special residents with as many people as possible." Along with the regular stars of the Orokonui Ecosanctuary experience — the takahē and their juvenile chicks, the flamboyant kaka feeding at stations, the tūī and their songs — visitors would also be able to try to spot the sanctuary's newest residents, the tīeke/South Island saddleback. The takahē are a huge hit with visitors to Orokonui Ecosanctuary, and are caring for juvenile chicks at present. "It's going to be wild." Entry to the ecosanctuary will cost only $10 for adults and $5 for children throughout King's Birthday Weekend, May 31-June 2, and it will hold a range of activities. These will include talks and activities in the sanctuary from 10am-2pm each day, visitor centre talks at 2pm each day and children's conservation craft activities in the visitor centre. The visitor centre cafe will also be open throughout the weekend. For more information, visit
