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Diary of a Smith & Caughey’s sales girl

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NCEA FUTURE IN DOUBT?

Changes being considered as briefing raises alarms g

A damning Government briefing has mentioned significant concerns about the credibility of New Zealand’s main secondary school qualification.

The document, obtained exclusively by the Herald onSunday, was presented by officials to Education Minister Erica Stanford in June It comes ahead of the minister announcing what are expected to be substantial proposals for the future of NCEA.

Among the alerts were students primarily achieving the qualification through internal assessments and skipping exams

Officials say they have “concerns about the depth and consistency of subject learning, and the long-term credibility of the qualifica Full story by Jamie Ensor, 4-5

COLBERT CAN arning, long term ation”.

Entertainment industry shocked as talk show terminated 31

Briefing warns of

Dropping Level 1 entirely among options on table as Government considers changes

Jamie

Ensor

Adamning Government briefing has raised significant concerns about the credibility of New Zealand’s main secondary school qualification.

The document, obtained exclusively by the Herald on Sunday, was presented by officials to Education Minister Erica Stanford in June It comes before the minister announcing what are expected to be substantial proposals for the future of NCEA

Among the red-light alerts to the minister is that the flexibility built into NCEA, including regarding what assessments students sit, means courses can be structured around those perceived to be “easier” to accumulate credits

The system encourages students to stockpile credits across often disconnected subjects at the expense of engaging in a “coherent” course that supports a clear pathway for their future, the briefing says

Students are also primarily achieving the qualification through internal assessments and many are avoiding external examinations

There were more than 250 000

instances last year of students skipping exams because they felt they weren’t necessary

And as trends worsen, officials are highlighting “concerns about the depth and consistency of subject learning and the long-term credibility of the qualification”

In an interview with the Herald Stanford said decisions would shortly be made to address issues with NCEA and significant options, such as dropping Level 1 entirely, remain on the table

There really isn t an option to do nothing,” the minister said I don t think that tinkering around the edges is going to be something that’s going to get us where we need to be ”

However, Level 1 changes were already well in train when Stanford came to office in late 2023 Starting last year there were new literacy and numeracy co-requisites, fewer subjects and streamlined standards

But the minister said 60% of schools weren’t ready and some stopped providing Level 1, which is optional, as a result

A review by the Education Review Office (ERO) found that despite the

overhaul, Level 1 was “difficult to understand” and not preparing students for future achievement It said one option could be to “drop it entirely”

Stanford said ERO “unearthed a lot of things that we weren’t possibly expecting”, not just with Level 1, but the entire qualification It led to a wider programme, with Stanford working alongside a group of principals from across the country to consider the issues

Last month she received a briefing from the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA), which showed a key concern with NCEA relates to its “inherent flexibility” being overused This led to little consistency across student learning and critical areas of knowledge being overlooked

There is no nationally compulsory NCEA course, meaning schools and students have some freedom to pick and choose which subjects and standards are offered and sat

While there are now numeracy and literacy co-requisites, officials said there is otherwise “no core learning required to achieve subjects within the qualification”

“This design feature of NCEA can influence how programmes of learning are constructed, with some being structured around combinations of standards that are perceived to be easier’ to maximise credit accumu-

lation, and help students achieve the minimum 60-credit threshold ”

Additionally while the new Level 1 was designed to have four assessments for each subject about two-thirds of schools last year didn t enrol students for assessment in all four

Students gather credits from a “wide range” of subjects and standards which officials said can come at “the expense of coherent course design and clear pathway outcomes

Nearly half of Year 12 students who achieved Level 2 last year did so “without engaging in a full programme of coherent subject-based learning”

About a third of Year 12 and 13 students who achieved Level 2 or 3 relied on unit standards from disparate” subjects

Unit standards assess students in vocational or industry-related skills rather than traditional curriculum subjects

In 2023, some of the more popular unit standard assessments included “provide basic life support”, “provide life aid” and “produce a personal targeted CV”

The briefing said: “This pattern reflects a systemic issue where the flexibility of the qualification is being used to prioritise credit accumulation over meaningful learning and clear educational or vocational pathways ”

Stanford told the Herald that New

Zealand had wanted to be “worldleading” with its flexible qualification but “nobody followed us” and “we’re out on our own”.

“That flexibility that we were trying to aim for has started to work against us and we need to make some different decisions.”

In 2024, there were more than 250,000 instances where students did not sit external exams, largely because students determined they already had sufficient credits to meet qualification requirements.”

“That inherent flexibility in the system has led to some of these unintended consequences.”

In other news

Police seek witnesses

Police want to speak with anyone who witnessed a collision between two vehicles near Wairakei, Taupo, that killed one person and led to two others being rushed to hospital. The State Highway 1 crash occurred between Link Rd and Kauri Drive at about 7.30am yesterday. The sole occupant of one vehicle died at the scene, while two people from the second vehicle suffered minor to moderate injuries.

Maimed cows killed

About 10 cows have been killed with police euthanising badly injured livestock after two cars ploughed into a herd that escaped on to a North Island highway. The collision happened on Friday night on Napier Rd, State Highway 3, near Ashhurst outside Palmerston North.

Power cut to Westies

Hundreds of West Auckland residents spent Friday night without power after a car crashed into a power pole, blacking out a chunk of the surrounding area. The driver is now facing a charge of dangerous driving and has been issued an infringement for excess breath alcohol. Emergency services were called to Te Atatu Rd on the Te Atatu Peninsula area just after 11.30pm on Friday.

ting more weight on assessments completed later in the year and potentially scrapping NCEA Level 1.

The minister said many schools are ditching Level 1 altogether in favour of the likes of the International Baccalaureate (BC) or Cambridge assessments.

Officials said there is an “increasingly problematic imbalance” between internal and external assessments, with only 22% of 2024 results being achieved through external exams.

“In an age of AI, issues around the authenticity of internal assessment work have become even more challenging.”

Students are able to avoid exams, “which can mean that critical learning in a subject may not occur”.

“On average, students do not attempt 25% of the external assessments they are entered in for by their school.

“For the Level 3 core science subjects (chemistry, biology and physics) the proportion of students entered for all three standards in the three-hour examination session in 2015 was 77%. By 2024, it was 49%,” it said.

“This trend raises concerns about the depth and consistency of subject learning, and the long-term credibility of the qualification.”

Stanford said the cost of students not sitting exams was “huge”.

“As parents, we inherently know something’s wrong when your child is not turning up for their exam. Either they’ve got enough credits to pass or they realise they’re not going to pass and there’s no point,” she said.

But thousands of children including Stanford’s own are still doing NCEA.

“I do not want to be in a position where we don’t have a national qualification that we can all proudly stand behind that is internationally comparable, robust and we know sets students up for success.”

New Zealand has to “arrest that decline” and Stanford is preparing to start talking about proposals shortly.

She made clear “all options are on the table”.

Among those laid out by ERO was rethinking how external exams are conducted, reducing flexibility, put-

“We are considering everything that ERO put on the table, and the professional advisory group have considered everything.”

Asked if she risks creating more uncertainty for the sector, Stanford said, “whatever we end up doing, [it needs to be] very well communicated, very well staged and very well resourced”.

“We will work very closely with the sector to ensure that implementation goes very, very well. This is too important not to get right.”

Labour leader and former Education Minister Chris Hipkins told the Herald this week that he believed Level 1 should be targeted at students unlikely to reach Level 3 to provide “a good foundation for going out into things like apprenticeships and other forms of vocational training”.

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Police boss ‘felt really duped’

Senior police manager alleges bullying and ‘boys’ club’ culture

Shannon Pitman Open Justice

Asenior police manager alleges she was met with swirling gossip, private group chats and a pervasive “boys’ club” culture when she stepped into a leadership role overseeing the predominantly male detective team in Northland

The allegations now form the basis of an Employment Relations Authority (ERA) hearing in Whangarei this week

Bridget Louise Doell a senior police officer with three decades of experience, was seconded to the crime area manager role in 2020, overseeing senior detectives in the criminal investigation branch (CIB) at Whangarei police station

Doell’s evidence has been that the transition was met with resistance

Over the next three years, she claims she was sidelined by detectives, describing a toxic workplace culture marked by gossip exclusion from key decisions, and repeated allegations of bullying

Doell said she eventually took a secondment to Auckland because she felt she could no longer run a district while detectives were speaking negatively about her behind her back

She filed a personal grievance against the Police Commissioner, seeking damages for humiliation

“I felt really duped,” she said through tears at the hearing Authority member Andrew Gane has heard evidence from several detective inspectors and former Northland district commander Superintendent Tony Hill

Doell has given a statement saying she was never formally welcomed into the role or introduced to key stakeholders, such as Mike Smith who was the Northland Crown solicitor at the time

In one case, she said she tried to contact Smith for six months to discuss a case but never heard back from him Smith told the authority by

the time a meeting was held about the case other detective inspectors had been assigned

Smith said Begbie had suggested he meet Doell but, when pressed by Dew Smith conceded the meeting never happened and he could not recall why

Inspector Al Symonds gave evidence around a period in 2022 while he was acting area commander and sharing an office with Doell

Doell returned from a conference in Auckland to find her desk broken and her personal belongings gathered in a box on the floor outside the office

Symonds gave evidence that he

had moved her desk to reach cables and it had collapsed He said he believed he needed privacy in his role and could not share an office

When Hill heard about the incident he recognised it would have been humiliating and allegedly told Symonds to apologise But Symonds said he never received that request and had nothing to apologise for.

It was around this time that a workplace survey was released on the Northland CIB, which highlighted its negative culture

The authority member asked Symonds about his view of the culture at the time to which he re-

sponded that there was a lot of hurt going on “It s not Bridget that was doing that, it wasn t directed at her There was a lot of stuff going on that I think had to be fixed ” Symonds said

The authority member then asked Symonds whether he recognised that the desk incident could have made her feel humiliated

“Well I can’t say what she felt It wasn t my intention

” Throughout the hearing statements have been made about Detective Inspector Joshua Lautogo s strained relationship with Doell, including an alleged incident in which he was witnessed bad-mouthing Doell with hate in his eyes

Evidence was put to Lautogo that he had been making disparaging remarks about Doell, specifically in text messages to Detective Inspector Kevan Verry

It s born out of my frustration at the time in dealing with Bridget, and it is an example of managing up and expressing frustration to my direct supervisor ” Lautogo said

He felt as though Doell was systematically targeting him and when he raised questions he was misconstrued as being argumentative

Lautogo told the authority he ended up leaving because he could no longer work with Doell

Detective Inspectors Verry Rhys Johnson, Geoff McCarthy and David Lynch have also given evidence The case finished on Friday, with a decision to be released at a later date.

NZ follows UK in condemning Russian cyber attacks

New Zealand has joined other countries in condemning cyber attacks orchestrated by the Russian Government.

“Russia’s hostile behaviour in cyberspace continues to threaten global cybersecurity and undermine agreed international rules and norms,” Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement yesterday. It came after the UK’s Foreign

Secretary, David Lammy, announced a campaign of malicious cyber activity by Russia’s General Staff Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU).

“GRU spies are running a campaign to destabilise Europe, undermine Ukraine’s sovereignty and threaten the safety of British citizens,” Lammy said. Over the last few years, Lammy said that the country’s media, telecoms providers, political and

democratic institutions and energy infrastructure have all been targeted by Russia.

Winston Peters

Eighteen Russian spies and their cyber activities have been exposed by the UK.

Lammy announced sanctions on

the GRU units and individuals involved.

“New Zealand stands with the UK in calling out this behaviour,” said Peters. “New Zealand will continue to use the Russia Sanctions Act to hold the enablers of Russia’s military to account and press the Russian Government to end its unlawful and unjust war.

“New Zealand has already

sanctioned some of the groups and individuals the United Kingdom has acted against today and officials are providing advice on whether further sanctions are appropriate.”

The Government said that to date, New Zealand has imposed sanctions on more than 1800 entities and individuals under the Russia Sanctions Act 2022, including the Head of the GRU.

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Truffle farm weathers storm

Grower ensures luxury truffles reach diners despite deluge

Kim Knight

Torrential rain and flooding at a Tasman truffle orchard that supplies some of the country s top restaurants have not stopped gourmands getting their seasonal fix

Photographs showing swamped ground at George’s Truffles in Riwaka had luxury fungi aficionados fearing the worst But the truffiere’s 76-yearold co-owner George Wilkinson says while this week’s supply was down about 30%, chefs demands were able to be met

Wilkinson flies north weekly, hand-delivering the product (average cost: $1500 a kg) to restaurants in Auckland and Wellington

He said last Friday s rainfall was the most concentrated he d experienced at the truffle orchard, which was established in 2009 and had its first harvest in 2016

I haven t seen it like that before We had about 38mm in an hour, followed by two more hours of around 25mm It just turned these little streams that are near the orchard into raging rivers “I was standing there, watching these freaking logs come down It was incredible, just the power of the water, and there was so much of it ”

Between last Friday night and Saturday morning, up to 200mm of rain fell in some areas of the Nelson Tasman region A state of emergency was declared and around 100 homes were evacuated

At the start of this week, more than 800 properties were to be assessed for damage and on Wednesday, 41 roads remained closed

Meanwhile, Nelson and Tasman mayors announced the region was formally entering a transition period

on Thursday, moving from a state of emergency into a recovery focus after the impacts of severe weather experienced in June and July

Wilkinson is thankful that only about 10% of the truffle farm he operates with his partner, Pip, was directly hit by floodwater but ongoing high rainfall before Friday’s event had already affected harvest quality truffles with any sign of rot were unsaleable

“We’re still getting truffles, but it’s a very much smaller amount ”

Truffles develop underground on tree roots Dogs are used to find the fungi, and a flag is planted to mark

It was incredible, just the power of the water.

Truffle grower George Wilkinson

the spot for human harvesters

“[The floodwater] knocked over a few markers, but Serge who brings

the dogs through, registers them on his phone as he goes He’s logged them, so we still know there s a truffle there ” Sodden ground had made unearthing the luxury product more difficult

“The rain compacts the soil and when Pip is trying to harvest, she digs a hole and it just fills up with water ” In New Zealand truffle season runs from about May to September depending on the variety Wilkinson said his orchard was almost at the end of its commercial supply for 2025, and was on track to have delivered around 200kg of black perigords The

two heaviest truffles harvested on the Riwaka property this year weighed around 500g each

New Zealand’s high-end dining scene is currently in full fungi mode Multiple restaurants are offering “truffle supplements” at up to $25 per serve of shaved A-Grade product In Auckland this week, Wilkinson s black perigords were destined for at least three special events with Esther, Spiga and Paris Butter restaurants all advertising multi-course, trufflethemed menus Anticipated dishes included truffles with the likes of a crayfish congee paua and pig trotter ravioli and roast banana ice cream

New radar to bring weather ‘peace of mind’

Calls for a new weather radar in the Nelson-Tasman region have been answered after recent devastating flooding in the area.

The Government yesterday announced it will fund the new system “to improve severe weather monitoring and response in the region”.

It will result in MetService’s contract with the Crown being adjusted to begin a procurement process for the new infrastructure, which could cost up to $5 million upfront and about $800,000 per annum to operate.

“This is something the community has asked for,” said Associate Transport Minister James Meager, who holds the responsibility for the meteorological forecasting and warning service.

“It’s my hope the investment will give locals peace of mind over their individual and property safety in future events.” A state of emergency

roads damaged and properties inundated with flood waters in what was described by local authorities as a “one-in-100-year event”.

Between the night of Friday, July 11, and the following Saturday morning, up to 200mm of rain was reported to have fallen in some areas

of the region.

Slips, surface flooding and significant damage from the floods have rendered many roads across the upper South Island unsafe.

“Roads are unsafe for general travel due to flooding, slips, and damage,” Nelson Tasman Civil Defence said last week.

Since 2011, there have been five states of emergency declared in the region, Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell said. Mitchell said the new radar “will give emergency managers greater ability to monitor rainfall and flooding risk during a severe weather event, reducing the risk of loss of life and property”.

The Government has also put together a $600,000 support package for farmers impacted by the flooding as well as accommodation support for displaced residents.

There are currently 10 weather radars in the national network managed by MetService.

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Man faces jail for intimate recordings

Lane Nichols

An Auckland man faces up to three years in jail after he admitted making covert intimate video recordings of 64 women, including some inside a Newmarket clothing store

Although evidence of the man’s offending was discovered on his devices after investigators searched his house and a business, just three of the victims have been identified so far by police.

Police confirmed some of the women were filmed getting undressed in the clothing store changing room.

Newmarket Business Association chief executive Mark Knoff-Thomas was shocked to learn this week of the man’s offending.

People deserved to feel safe, but there were “bad humans” in all communities,” he said.

“It’s incredibly disappointing and very alarming.

“I hope he gets the full extent of what the law is capable of doing in terms of sentencing.”

Auckland City East area investigations manager Detective Senior Sergeant Mark Greaves said officers were tipped off after a woman reported “a man’s concerning actions” in an Auckland supermarket on October 7 last year.

“Inquiries were made into this man’s actions, which resulted in further search warrants being carried out on his devices and the Newmarket business.

An examination of his devices identified 64 victims, of which only three have been identified,” Greaves said. He noted that most of the locations where women had been filmed were in the broader Auckland region, but he confirmed some of the offending occurred at a Newmarket clothing store.

The videos were captured on a “mobile device”. The two other identified victims were workers at the Newmarket store.

The man, in his 30s, was originally charged with 64 counts of making an intimate visual recording and first appeared in Auckland District Court a week after the supermarket incident was reported in October.

At that time he pleaded not guilty and elected trial by jury.

However, the charges were later amended to two representative counts of making an intimate visual recording, and he has since pleaded guilty.

The man is on bail and was granted interim name suppression until his sentencing later this year, when he could be sent to prison. Court documents show his offending spanned from June 2023 to October 2024, with 64 separate victims— all filmed without their knowledge.

His lawyer, Daniel Schellenberg, directed Herald inquiries to police and said his client did not wish to comment.

Knoff-Thomas added that he had never heard of such offending in the area before. He stressed that those responsible for any such breach of safety need to face the law’s full range of consequences.

‘Mothers’ support is

Three newborn babies have been dumped in Auckland rubbish bins since 2021, sparking outrage and sadness in the community and impacting those who find the grisly remains and investigate how they got there. Anger and judgment are often directed at the women disposing of the babies, but a top cop says the priority should be to support them.

Senior journalist Anna Leask

reports.

July 1 2025 The body of a newborn baby is found in a wheelie bin in Freemans Bay August 16 2021 The body of a newborn baby girl is found amid detritus by sorters at a Onehunga recycling plant

August 4 2021 The body of a newborn baby boy is found in a sanitary waste bin in a patient bathroom by a cleaner at Middlemore Hospital

Three little lives lost, and so many more impacted by their deaths

“All investigations involving the death of a baby are difficult, said Detective Inspector Scott Beard tasked with overseeing the inquiries into the Freemans Bay and Onehunga deaths There can be a lot of emotion attached, particularly because they are so young and small and can t do anything to help themselves

A number of the police staff have young children, so it hits home even more

“We also have to have a staff member and a supervisor attend the post-mortem That can be particularly tough

“As a team we have a job to do and support each other ”

Beard said the distressing finds also affected the community

“Obviously the impact is more than just on police staff,” he said

“Although the community don’t know full details, the fact that the investigation relates to a baby makes it more impactful due to how vulnerable babies are

“For these actions to occur, there are obviously key issues and factors that the police won’t always know in relation to the mother

“The mothers in these cases must need support, and that is the first priority Yes, police have a job to do, but we also need to look at the welfare of the mother

As expected the situation is devastating and distressing to all the family members

” Beard said in the Freemans Bay case, police were not seeking any further information

A 32-year-old woman was arrested the day after the body was found She was listed to appear in the Auckland District Court on July 3 charged with interfering with human remains

Her lawyer told the court that due to ongoing health issues, she was in hospital and could not attend the hearing in person

She is expected to appear before a judge on July 31

The woman was granted interim

name suppression

We are conscious that this is a very delicate situation, and we are ensuring there is support in place for the woman,” Beard said at the time

I n the case of the baby found at the recycling plant, despite extensive investigations, police still have no clue who her parents are Beard revealed last week that the baby named Anahera by the community will be buried in a woven casket next month

The burial will take place four years to the day after her body was discovered

“We have worked with the coroner so she can be laid to rest ” Beard said

“Now she can be released we will work through the arrangements for a community service for her ” Beard made another appeal for the mother of the child or anyone with information, to come forward Beard said it was important for police to “resolve this for the baby and her family”

“It s not too late for the baby s mother or someone within her immediate circle of family or friends, to come forward, he said

“Whether it’s police or someone who can notify us on their behalf

More than a year after the newborn baby boy was found at Middlemore Hospital, his mother pleaded guilty to a charge of concealing the dead body of a child

In April 2023, the 29-year-old was convicted and granted permanent name suppression

No further punishment was handed down for her offending, described in court as “an unprecedented tragedy”

The court heard that the woman had been brought to the hospital by her parents at 5 20am on the day of the birth and death with stomach pain and bleeding

At some point before 7 40am, she gave birth inside the bathroom attached to her hospital room, placed the baby boy in the bin and cleaned

the first priority’

says there can be “a lot of emotion attached” when police with the deaths of newborn babies.

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Treasury announces second restructure

Thomas Coughlan

After shrinking its leadership team earlier this year, Treasury is embarking on a wider restructure, cutting managers and policy adviser roles.

The proposed restructure would reduce manager positions from 32 to 18. Treasury currently has eight temporary team leaders which will increase to 14 permanent team leader positions.

This would change the span of control for leadership positions from an average of 6.6 to an average of 8.1, the spokesperson said.

The proposal aims to create more flexibility and adaptability in our workforce create for e. spokesman

If you or someone else is in immediate danger, please dial 111 for assistance or go straight to your local emergency department

Not an emergency, but you need to talk to someone right away? These services are all available 24/7:

• PlunketLine is a free parent helpline and advice service available to all families, whanau and caregivers Call 0800 933 922

• Lifeline offers free confidential support Call 0800 LIFELINE (0800 543 354) or send a text to HELP (4357)

• 1737, Need to talk? Free call or text 1737 to talk to a trained counsellor

• Samaritans offer confidential, non-judgemental and non-religious support, If you are experiencing loneliness, depression, despair, distress or suicidal feelings call 0800 72 66 66 now

up the area

A cleaner found the child’s body at 9am, about an hour after the woman had been moved to another room. When confronted, the woman denied that she had been pregnant and insisted she was not sexually active.

A DNA test confirmed the child was hers, but she continued to insist to police that the baby couldn’t have been hers and that she had no memory of giving birth She spent about a year in psychi-

atric care before the criminal charge was filed against her.

The defendant was diagnosed with having suffered “dissociative amnesia”, possibly triggered by a traumatic event associated with conception.

Police told the court that a postmortem examination suggested the newborn was born prematurely at 33 to 34 weeks of gestation.

His lungs indicated he was alive at birth. They also showed evidence of extensive congenital pneumonia, but

that was unlikely to have been fatal had the baby received medical intervention.

Court documents stated that it was unknown if the boy passed away immediately after birth or survived for some time.

The cause of death remains unknown.

Police said there was no evidence that the woman or her parents knew she had been pregnant.

She did not look pregnant when she presented at the hospital.

The woman’s lawyer sought a discharge without conviction but Judge Stephen Bonnar refused to grant the application.

His decision, he said, came “not without some degree of regret” given the sad circumstances of the case.

Other than the conviction, he did not impose any further sentence on the mother.

He noted the defence position that the offending was “clearly born out of trauma” and that the woman was “a victim before she was an offender”.

The judge said he had “a huge degree of sympathy” for the woman but what would help her most would be concealing her identity rather than avoiding conviction.

“I know that this has been a traumatic ordeal for you. I hope you are able to put this behind you, move on with your life,” he told her in court.

“This need not determine who you are and what you do. It is a tragedy, but it is a tragedy that I hope you will overcome.”

to readviser create positions. current analytiaverage 1:6 to ratios the the more in our career many other agencies, our proposed changes are also designed to help the Treasury to operate on a financially sustainable basis over the next few years within a constrained fiscal situation.”

The restructure follows the implementation of Treasury’s new leadership structure being stood up on July 1. On Thursday, Treasury released the proposal to all staff.

“We are now in a consultation period, and it is important to note that no final decisions have been made.

“All Treasury staff, along with their union representatives, now have the opportunity to provide feedback on the proposal.”

Finance Minister Nicola Willis said on Thursday she was aware of the restructure.

Treasury had 606 fulltime equivalent staff as of March 31 2025, down from 623 in 2023, but up from 513 in 2019.

Lessons in grace and delusion

Varsha Anjali worked at Smith & Caughey’s as a parttime sales assistant, mostly in menswear, while she was studying at university. She shares her experiences, and the lessons she learned.

Iremember the first time I heard it Short, sharp tones drawling out of the mouths that breathed and stuttered in the correct way It wasn t British but it sounded sort of British; like an Oxbridge fellow having a child with a lamington soiree, and it was spawned in Parnell

I thought it was a game at first Something like a roleplay A joke that everyone was in on because it s fun to play a posh Brit, I guess? I stood there voyeuring, suddenly aware of where I put my hands, where I put my spine

It wasn t jealousy, exactly More a kind of intrigue, burnt with the knowledge that accent alone could open and close doors Good afternoon, ma’am Of course, sir That’s a beautiful choice ma’am I listened, I mimicked, and I understood no one else knew about the game But they were still playing

Let me explain This was my first exposure to the upper class of Aotearoa I was 18 It was a far cry from the thundering laughter and poverty of Onehunga, where I was raised, shaped and gifted a tongue I’m also an Indo-Fijian immigrant It was 2010

I remember serving Christopher Luxon He told me he worked for an airline It would have been 2013 or 2014 He came in alone to the Newmarket branch of Smith & Caughey’s and got two shirts As I was bagging up, he asked me if I was a student

I was used to men coming in and making useless conversation, often bizarre tales, that non-casually wove in ludicrous wealth I m a manager of this and that, they would say I’ve travelled here and there Once, a middle-aged man detailed coherently in 10 long minutes how he helped forge passports to get people out of the Bosnian War All I asked was if he needed help finding something These chats almost always led to an invitation to “talk more” and a gifting of the business card at the till

I remember thinking they were all boring, and I didn’t understand at that age why they thought talking about jobs and wealth was a good way to flirt Perhaps it was because as a student on just above minimum wage I knew I couldn’t reciprocate Perhaps it was because the main shop we got our clothes from growing up was The Warehouse Perhaps it was because it isn t a good way to flirt I would smile I would feign interest; being polite was my job I’m very aware of how conceited I sound, but this happened Every single shift

They felt like they “made it” they were “a somebody”.

I told Luxon I was studying a BA in Politics and Spanish The degree that gets criticised for poor job prospects I expressed my uncertainty about my future He said: I studied the same thing [referring to the politics part, though I’m not sure in what capacity], and now look, I’m the CEO of Air New Zealand ” I never forgot that moment for two reasons One, Luxon did indeed succeed in inspiring a young student suffering from disenchantment Two it didn’t feel like I was his tool to score validation Luxon’s politics as the leader of one of the country’s most conservative coalition governments to date aside that energy was rare in the menswear department

Although the talk was often dull I admit I was always curious about how they came to be how they were

I’d serve men with their breastimplanted trophy wives fashion designers, models, gangsters, politicians, sugar babies, drug dealers, chief executives, escorts, the I-grew-up-poorand-now-I m-here people, the generational wealth people and the I-wear-real-fur kind of people Not all of them were muppets, of course I ve had plenty of nice and kind conversations with customers at Smith & Caughey’s But being nice and kind is the baseline What I remember more is the absurdity of exchanges with some of them, fascinated by their delusion of power And that’s what this story is about

I remember when a man literally threw his cash at me after I asked for payment

“There you go, I just paid your wages,” he said, looking at me dead straight in the eye I looked at the woman presumably his wife standing beside him physically and, apparently metaphorically Are you okay with your husband speaking to me like that? I said to her with my eyes She held the same expression as him and said nothing

Once, an older man of large stature, maybe in his 60s perhaps even early 70s, walked in and stopped dead when he saw me I greeted him as

I was trained to do He looked me up and down without a tinge of coyness Instead of greeting me back, he said loudly: “Mmm, I want you I want a piece of you ” While I was no stranger to flattery, this felt different His eyes were wide and locked in The arrogance of his display told me he didn t play by normal social rules He didn t touch me He didn’t come closer He didn’t say anything more, and yet my frozen body wanted to get as far away from him as possible

What followed is a blur; I found an excuse to walk away and hide, forcing my colleague to attend to him After a while, I returned, and the man had left I told the security guard what happened, more out of making conversation than to prompt action His anger surprised me The security guard went out on to the street to see if he could spot him He reviewed the security footage He told the assistant store manager who then came down to personally check if I was okay I will note that I always felt physically safe while at work It was clear that our store manager was protective of her staff

Before this job, I was a part-time sales assistant at a Hallensteins outlet store in Dressmart There, discounts were king Here, in the land of $200 keychains, discounts were offensive

I remember the first time I voluntarily told a Smith & Caughey’s customer about a sale It was also the last

The woman was looking for a nice handbag, which was the department I started in before moving to menswear I showed her the ones on special first thinking she would be grateful to know everything is rudely expensive after all and it’s a normal practice for retail staff But this wasn’t a normal place I might as well have told her I had a lovechild with her son and stole her cat She didn’t need to buy things on sale The price didn’t matter She could buy anything in the store if she wanted to and I darn well should

know that

I remember the first time a customer shouted at me It had to have been in my first year I was serving this man at the Dr Hauschka counter We’re not meant to do that as we re not trained in those products being from a different department, but I had no choice as no one else was there I didn’t know how to handle angry men then I’m not sure I know how to handle them now

His signature did not match his credit card I politely let him know even asked if he wanted to try again He started pointing his finger at me He started protruding his veins at me It was like he morphed into an evil character from a Hayao Miyazaki film “YOU ARE NOT GOING TO DO THIS TO ME NOT TODAY I AM A LOYAL CUSTOMER,” he screamed as he walked off with the goods I was shaken and in tears

Concerned about a potential theft that I let happen, I informed my superiors The counter manager told me they called him, secured payment and that he was sorry for how he treated me A colleague told me the company called and apologised to him before rewarding him with store credit for his loyalty

I remember a man walked in quite literally with I kid you not his nose in the air

Our conversation was the following: “Good afternoon,” I said “I need a pair of jeans, but I am far too rich for you Smith & Caughey s won t have the jeans that I need I am too rich ” It was like a scene from a cartoon

There is nothing wrong with grandeur inherently nor the desire to show respect and appreciate someone s artistry and the beauty of their creations

Some Smith & Caughey s customers I know felt special when they were inside They felt like they “made it” they were “a somebody” To simply be seen there, for many, I believe was always the point

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Data centre construction linked to water shortages

Eli Tan

In the race to develop artificial intelligence, tech giants are building data centres that guzzle up water. That has led to problems for people who live nearby.

After Meta broke ground on a US$750 million ($1.25 billion) data centre on the edge of Newton County, Georgia, the water taps in Beverly and Jeff Morris’ home went dry.

The couple’s house, which uses well water, is 300m from Meta’s new data centre. Months after construction began in 2018, the Morrises’ dishwasher, ice maker, washing machine and toilet all stopped working, said Beverly Morris, now 71. Within a year, the water pressure had slowed to a trickle. Soon, nothing came out of the bathroom and kitchen taps.

Jeff Morris, 67, eventually traced the issues to the buildup of sediment in the water. He said he suspected the cause was Meta’s construction, which could have added sediment to the groundwater and affected their well.

The couple replaced most of their appliances in 2019, and then again in 2021 and 2024. Residue now gathers at the bottom of their backyard pool. The taps in one of their two bathrooms still do not work.

“It feels like we’re fighting an unwinnable battle that we didn’t sign up for,” Beverly Morris, a retired payroll specialist, said, adding that she and her husband have spent $5000 on their water problems and cannot afford the $25,000 to replace the well. “I’m scared to drink our own water.”

The Morrises’ experience is one of a growing number of water-related issues around Newton County, which is a one-and-a-half-hour drive east of Atlanta and has a population of about 120,000 people. As tech giants like Meta build data centres in the area, local wells have been damaged, the cost of municipal water has soared and the county’s water commission may face a shortage of the vital resource.

The situation has become so dire that Newton County is on track to be in a water deficit by 2030, according to a report last year. If the local water authority cannot upgrade its facilities, residents could be forced to ration water.

In the age of artificial intelligence, water has become as critical to data centres which power the development of the cutting-edge technology as electricity. The facilities pump enormous amounts of cold water into pipes that run throughout the buildings to cool the computers inside so that they can perform calculations and keep internet services like social networking humming.

A data centre like Meta’s, which was completed last year, typically guzzles around 500,000 gallons of water a day. New data centres built to train more powerful AI are set to be even thirstier, requiring millions of gallons of water a day.

Data centre companies often demand as much water as they can get, using the tax revenue they pay as leverage, said Newsha Ajami, a hydrologist and director of urban water policy at Stanford. Some projects are so large that they require the land to first be “dewatered,” which is when groundwater is pumped out of the surrounding area in preparation for construction Yet water is a particularly difficult resource to manage. But the water

Their taps ran dry when Meta built next door

What the data centres don’t understand is that they’re taking up the community wealth.

Mike Hopkins, Newton County Water and Sewerage Authority executive director

used by Newton County comes from a nearby reservoir that can be replenished with only rainwater.

Because electricity is more costly for data centres than water, companies often prioritise building their facilities in places with cheap power, even if the area is drought-stricken. That has exacerbated water shortages across the world, Ajami said. Water is an afterthought” for tech companies, she said. “The thinking is, ‘Someone will figure that out later.”’

Water troubles similar to Newton County’s are also playing out in other data centre hot spots including Texas, Arizona, Louisiana and the United Arab Emirates. Around Phoenix, some homebuilders have paused construction because of droughts exacerbated by data centres. In Colorado, water usage by data centres has become a focal point of renegotiating the Colorado River’s water treaty.

A Meta spokesperson said the company had recently commissioned a well study on the Morrises’ property and said it was “unlikely” that its data centre affected

the supply of groundwater in the area.

Meta’s data centre uses about 10% of the county’s total water usage daily, said Mike Hopkins, the executive director of the Newton County Water and Sewerage Authority, which is the county’s water authority. “What the data centres don’t understand is that they’re taking up the community wealth,” he said. “We just don’t have the water.”

For years, Newton County was a growing residential exurb of Atlanta, until that future was put on hold by the 2008 financial crisis. In the late 2010s, data centres, which can generate millions of dollars in tax revenue, filled that bill.

Meta’s project was the first major data centre to arrive in Georgia in 2018. At the time, Governor Brian Kemp, a Republican, celebrated with Facebook-branded shovels at the state Capitol. New tax incentives and cheap industrial power soon made Georgia one of the top picks in the nation for new data centres.

In recent months, Hopkins said, nine companies had applied to build data centres in Newton County, some asking for as much as 6 million gallons of water a day more than the county’s entire daily usage. Some applicants are tech companies as large as Amazon, according to the water permits, while other companies used aliases to hide their identities.

The county’s water authority is wrestling with how to accommodate the projects and the tax revenue

they bring while saving enough water for residents. Its solution is to upgrade its recycling facilities, which Hopkins said was a “race against the clock” that would cost more than US$250 million.

Data centre companies rarely disclose how much water they use, which has left some policymakers in the dark when it comes to regulation, said Chris Manganiello, the water policy director of Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, an environmental nonprofit in Georgia. Last year, Manganiello figured out a way to get access to some data: if a site was so large it needed to rezone land, the company had to submit its water usage as part of a mandatory regional development study.

The first time he saw the data, Manganiello said his “eyes popped”.

One data centre company was asking for 9 million gallons of water a day, equal to 30,000 households. “It is a tremendous amount,” he said.

The strain on Georgia’s water has been so severe that some legislators tried to slow down new developments with a bill to repeal tax incentives. Those efforts were vetoed by Kemp, who said in a statement that the bill would hurt economic development.

When Beverly and Jeff Morris bought their house in 2016, it was even quieter than their last home in Madison, Georgia, a speck of a town with one stoplight. They paid $265,000 for the house and its 6-acre lot, charmed by the dirt roads and forest of oak trees where Beverly Morris could ride her horses. “It was supposed to be our forever home,” Beverly Morris said.

Meta bulldozed the oak forest in 2019, and the well water problems began soon after. The couple has taken out thousands of dollars in loans to grapple with the water issues. Jeff Morris has also delayed his retirement as a machine operator at a nearby wood yard.

Three of their neighbours have also had issues with their well water since the data centre was built Chris Wilson, who lives three doors down,

said his house had experienced water pressure issues within months of the construction. To keep the taps from going dry, he replaces the water filters every month instead of every year. Sometimes the water is “so brown, you’d think it came from a creek,” Wilson, 40, said.

Ben Sheidler, a spokesperson for the Joint Development Authority, which manages the industrial park that Meta’s facilities occupy, said the cause of the water issues was unknown. The Joint Development Authority did not do a well water study before construction to determine any potential effects, but the timing of the problems could be a coincidence, he said. “I wouldn’t want to speculate that even the construction had something to do with it,” he said. “One thousand feet away is a pretty significant distance.”

The hardest part, Beverly Morris said, is that the house now has just one usable bathroom, which they have to share with her adult son Jon, 48, who has Down syndrome. They tried selling the house, with no luck. “Our realtor told us, ‘There’s only one party that would ever be interested in buying this land and that’s Facebook,’” she said.

The walls of her home are decorated with phrases about faith and family, and she has spent countless nights questioning how the data centre fits into God’s plan for her. Above the kitchen sink, one sign reads: “The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh.”

In May, after an activist media outlet, More Perfect Union, made a video about some of the issues, Meta sent a community relations manager to visit. The company offered to do the well study and fixed some nighttime lighting to reduce glare, but it took no responsibility for the water issues.

When Beverly Morris said she was afraid to cook with the tap water because of the sediment, the Meta employee suggested that she try boiling the water before using it. The company has denied that its employee said that. New York Times

Has New Zealand’s next leaky building crisis already begun?

Building inspectors are warning of the new leaky home scandal coming down the pipeline. As the country attempts to solve its housing crisis, many have noticed an increase in lowquality and non-compliant work. The OneRoof team investigates.

Jlding arning pipeline

eff Fahrensohn pulls at some tape on a building site somewhere in Auckland

“Yeah,” says Auckland Council’s chief building inspector “It’s been put there to hide things that are not right with the framing That’s just blatant concealment ”

Fahrensohn posts the video to LinkedIn there are other videos, too and reports this building project has a hump in the floor as well as low-quality welding and other non-compliant work

“So we issued a notice to fix on this and it's going to take them quite some time and a lot of deconstruction to remediate a lot of these issues ” In another post he says a Licensed

Practitioner (LBP) has left the owner

with an expensive job to remediate, and in another, “this qualified builder s cladding is coming off” Complaints about LBPs take time to investigate and compile, Fahrensohn posted on LinkedIn: “We’ve had to employ someone full time to do these ”

The Licensed Building Practitioner Scheme was launched in 2007 in response to New Zealand’s leaky building crisis, “to encourage competent building practitioners to build homes right the first time,” a Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) spokesperson told OneRoof

But Fahrensohn s videos are of new builds, not of historic leaky building cases

The Government meanwhile has embarked on a big shake-up of regulations and building consents

Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk told OneRoof the ambitious programme of reforms was to make it easier and more affordable to build but that changes under way included reviewing penalties and accountability for bad builders Among announcements so far is the exemption of so-called granny flats from requiring a building consent, although those dwellings can be up to 70sq m the size of a small house

The Government is also moving towards self-certification schemes for “trusted professionals” to be able to sign off their own work

Some are alarmed however saying defective buildings are still being built today with more misery to come for owners on

top of a massive amount of financial and emotional misery which is still ongoing from the leaky homes crisis

John Gray, a pilot who owned a leaky house and who co-set up advocacy organisation Hobanz in 2007, says radical change is needed but worries the Government’s reforms will leave the same old problems, like a lack of consequences for builders and expensive and emotional battles for owners

Gray believes the current penalties for LBPs equate to being slapped with a wet bus ticket and that the Companies Act gives builders and developers the ability to walkaway from personal liability by winding

Unfixable homes spark

Continued from p15

up one company while carrying on under another, leaving councils, and therefore ratepayers, as the last man standing in the tier of those responsible for defective buildings.

Gray wants changes to the Building Act, which in his view does not have adequate civil and criminal liability teeth, saying the focus has to be on the consumer because defective buildings ruin lives.

This year alone, the NewZealandHerald has reported on big building fails, including apartments in Kingsland where owners were given a choice between a minimum $36.6 million bill to fix or $82.9m to demolish and rebuild; and owners of The Ridge apartments in St Mary’s Bay won court approval to sell the land beneath their “wrecked homes” and walk away.

Leaky buildings first became a thing in New Zealand in the 1980s and 1990s when different types of cladding began to arrive from overseas, and a move to use untreated timber resulted in rotting buildings.

More than three decades later, over a third of residential new builds in greater Auckland failed their final inspection in the year to May 1, for a variety of reasons, from cavity wrap (25.6%), to cladding (22.1%), to framing (27%), to foundations (15.2%) and drainage (14.5%).

When OneRoof spoke to Fahrensohn, he said he posted the videos not as a witch hunt but as learnings for the industry and, with his manager Ian McCormick, stressed that although there are concerns the videos do not represent the majority of builders.

Nigel Benton, Auckland Master Builders president, agreed that the majority of builders were good, noting that the Auckland branch had a warrant of fitness programme, which included random checks on members. The results around 99% of members were up to scratch, he said.

The organisation also carried out regular upskilling. “We keep on everything all the time, and our stats are generally showing that most people are pretty good, so it’s not everyone,” he told OneRoof.

Benton said whether it was a used car or a new or used house, people should check before they made a purchase, adding that there were usually reasons for cheaper prices. “You get what you pay for in a lot of these cases.”

He pointed out that the council inspectors saw the worst and were looking for issues, adding that cowboys came out of the woodwork during the boom. “You see the same ones coming up all the time.

Defective buildings have long tentacles. In a suburb near the central city, an apartment block built about 13 years ago is biting the owners financially and emotionally.

Life for owners in the apartment block has been tears, sleepless nights, report after report, lawyers and the blame game.

One couple told OneRoof their complex is not “leaky” but structurally unsound. They said they had felt reassured when they bought because the build was near new and made of steel and concrete.

At first, they put little things that went wrong down to the teething issues of a new building, but the issues kept coming. When the Body Corp decided to get someone in for a closer look “a book” of defects came back: “It was frightening how many things were wrong lots of structural stuff.”

And so it began. Reports found cladding issues, structural issues, and also seismic issues that were so bad “it’s a wonder it

was an owner of one of the defective apartments in The Ridge

didn’t fall down with the trains going past”.

“To figure out what was wrong with the building, we had to bang holes in the walls and drill into the concrete structure.”

The couple says that the owners discovered the complex had a dangerous fire hazard only after an examination of disintegrating water pipes found they did not have the passive fire collars needed to stop fire from spreading.

Owners in the complex sought a report on who was responsible for the defective build. The couple OneRoof spoke to blamed the builder, contractors, and council, saying the builder walked away.

“They start a company to do the development, they do it, sell it off, take the money out, wind the company up, and there’s no way that owners can have recourse because the company that did the development no longer exists.”

The couple said that owners at the complex had lost life-changing amounts of money; and some have suffered depression and illness from the constant stress and feelings of helplessness.

“They’ve spent all their savings on it. Sold cars, sold assets, spent all their inheritances and stuff. Just scraping around for every last dollar they have to put into it.”

The couple said a court case had not gone ahead and that a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) limited what the owners could say.

Gray says NDA agreements are common in cases like this and are a reason many defective building cases slip under the radar.

The building of defective homes seems to peak when there is a peak in housing

construction, he says. One such peak was in the late 1990s, but Gray says that because the National Government of the day removed apprenticeship funding, there were a lot of unqualified builders around.

The last three years saw another building flurry, and Gray says Auckland Council’s inspection fail rate is disturbing. One case he has been involved in was a new house that failed 22 inspections, yet people were looking at buying it.

When asked how this is happening, Gray replied: “Because these builders continue to get away with it.”

Gray says there has been a “ridiculous” acceptance of failure, and when he calls for radical action, he means “significant” consequences for builders who get it wrong or who are negligent.

In Canada, which had its own leaky condo crisis, there was radical action, he said. “They make everyone licensed, so if you’re a development company, you are licensed. You have senior persons within that organisation who are licensed.

“If you have a construction company, the company is licensed. You have senior persons in charge of that company who are licensed, so if they build something that fails, then those people lose their licence, and they can’t start up another company.”

Consequences mean people lift their game, he said.

Also under review is the complicated area of liability. New Zealand operates under a system of joint and several liability, which means that loss or fault is shared between those

responsible. But once, for example, builders or developers have gone bust, or disappeared, councils are often the last ones left when it comes to liability.

Penk told OneRoof he was considering a system of proportionate liability, where councils would only be liable for their share of the total loss.

The current rule, of joint and several liability, acted as a handbrake on the building system by encouraging overly risk-averse behaviour from Building Consent Authorities, often leaving ratepayers to cover losses, he said.

“I am concerned that the current system does not incentivise people to manage their own risk, resulting in unnecessary delays and inefficiencies.”

The Companies Act is also under review. Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Scott Simpson told OneRoof he expected to introduce legislation in the coming months and that reforms would crack down on poor and illegal business practices.

“One such practice is ‘phoenixing’. This is when businesses shift their assets out of the company, then wind up and leave behind debts only for the business to emerge elsewhere under a different name to continue trading. This is clearly wrong.

“The reforms will introduce director identification numbers, which will make it easier to track directors across all the different companies, both past and present, that they are associated with.”

Simpson said he was also working with the Minister of Revenue to improve information sharing between relevant agencies, which would help those agencies to quickly identify poor

calls for building reform

practices, sanctioned directors, and make it easier for people and companies to do their due diligence.

The liability issue is massive.

Benje Patterson, an independent economist from Queenstown, claims that defective building claim settlements have been of such a magnitude that “it has arguably imperilled the entire council”.

Infrastructure funding has been clipped by the amount paid out, and Patterson is concerned about Government measures like self-certification, saying “cowboys” could slip through the cracks or corners cut.

Gray calls for a suite of changes across the board, including giving consumers a stronger ability to take either civil or criminal action against Licensed Building Practitioners as well as designers and engineers, and others responsible for any failures, which he believes will help to make “sure they never do it again”.

Criminal liability was important, he said, because sometimes mistakes were not mistakes: “Someone makes a deliberate decision to substitute timber where it should be steel, for example. That’s not a whoopsie.”

He believes all builders should be required to have mandatory professional indemnity insurance, with an overarching insurance-backed warranty for any build, including renovations and alterations.

Benton said mandatory insurance would be great if it worked, but questioned the cost, saying it could add “a hell of a lot” to a building, which the consumer would pay.

You know, the cost of houses is going to go through the roof if that’s the case because the cost of insuring a builder or something is going to be immense, isn’t it, so they’re just going to make sure they charge more for everything. That’s the only way you can do it or the ones that aren’t are going to be the ones that you don’t want to use because they’ll be the ones that go out of business and you won’t have any guarantees.”

One of the issues council inspectors face is having to inspect and reinspect building sites, over and over again.

Fahrensohn told OneRoof some of sites in his LinkedIn videos required deconstruction but all were either rectified or in the process of being rectified: “Rest assured, we’re not going to be issuing any sort of final certification or passes until that work has been completed to a really good compliance standard.”

Part of the building inspectors’ job was to provide educational input, but some builders did try to pull the wool over the inspector’s eyes, Fahrensohn said.

“They do cut corners for costs that we know and we have the owners interest at heart when we’re doing our jobs, and

is an awful lot of inspections to be doing especially when a large percentage of them are actually recheck inspections as a result of an earlier failed inspection.”

Penk’s response to OneRoof indicates many issues are being looked at, such as around accountability and penalties.

“We are strengthening accountability for poor workmanship by improving the Licensed Building Practitioner complaints and disciplinary processes, updating the public register to show suspensions, and introducing codes of ethics for licensed electrical workers, plumbers, gasfitters, and drainlayers. These changes will take effect in 2026,” he said.

He also said any changes around liability rules would be supported by structures which strengthened liability and risk allocation while protecting building owners when things went wrong: “I expect to have more to say on this later in the year.”

Penk did not believe current penalties for practitioners were strong enough.

“Both builders and homeowners want to know there are effective checks in place to prevent shoddy work, and clear pathways for action when things go wrong.

“The changes for licensed

These reforms will help us crack down on cowboy builders and poor practice.

Chris Penk

it can be a little bit, well, I wouldn’t say demoralising but it is shocking sometimes when you see some of the stuff that people will go to try and hide things.”

Only a “very small percentage” of builders did that, however. McCormick said the industry had a continuum of competency with some of the “best builders you could find anywhere” and others that needed more supervision and checking.

But many sites lacked a robust quality assurance system with inspectors having to shoulder quality control, which builders should be doing themselves.

“We’re doing about 200,000 building inspections a year and I think a couple of years ago we were up to 220,000, which

building practitioners I’ve previously outlined will increase accountability across the system and strengthen public confidence in the sector.”

These changes were only the “first phase” with officials looking at further ways to lift practitioner accountability, including reviewing whether penalty levels were fit for purpose: “These reforms will help us crack down on cowboy builders and poor practice.”

Owners faced a multi-million dollar repair bill

“Applicants will be subject to a fit and proper person test, which will assist factors such as professional conduct and financial history.

“Individuals responsible for work that has led to upheld complaints, or companies with a record of poor financial performance, will not be eligible to enter nor will they be able to re-enter under a new company name.”

Not everyone has faith in effective change. Back in 2002, building survey company Prendos, which had blown the whistle on leaky buildings, was accused of exaggeration about the problem and the cost of repairs.

One of two brother directors, Phil O’Sullivan, now semi-retired, recalls cutting into buildings and being shocked at the rot he was seeing.

Prendos tried to raise the alarm in the early days but few listened and over the years claimed that successive governments and officials have been “hopeless”, O’Sullivan told OneRoof.

He fears granny flats Penk expects up to 13,000 more will be built over the next decade will simply be slums of the future, saying people will not build them properly.

“It just won’t happen. You’re going to end up with people building hovels in their backyards and no one’s going to be responsible for it.” In O’Sullivan’s view, politicians should make decisions around things like the Building Code, then back off and leave the operational side to experts, as he believes that politicians “don’t actually know what they are doing.” He thinks the Government should set up an operational authority, populated by people from the industry engineers, architects, builders but not CEOs, and not people selected by politicians.

“You want people who can identify issues quickly and say, ‘okay, how do we fix it?

Responding to concerns around the introduction of self-certification for some builders, Penk said strong entry requirements would be put in place, and there would be ongoing monitoring.

“The key to our industry is making sure we understand the defects and then rectifying them that is the key to the whole thing and that is the thing we’re not doing.”

South American cartel

When and operation, Operation culminated office of imported methampheta 5kg of $450,0

Ric Steve the people now jail term parts American-linked drug

Claudia Romero Lopez grew up in poverty, enduring a chaotic and abusive childhood caught up among the infamous drug cartels of South America

In 2011, she got the chance to escape her traumatic past and begin a new life, after coming to New Zealand

But she didn’t leave her old life in Colombia completely behind her

She stayed in contact with her exhusband back home an alleged drug dealer named Eddy, and when her son joined her in New Zealand some years later, she helped him in his drug-dealing activities too

Now she is in prison

So is her Kiwi husband her son and another South American immigrant, who all joined forces in a criminal group to import Class A drugs cocaine and methamphetamine.

The Wellington-based syndicate operated at least between February 2021 and June 2022, importing an estimated 28 6kg of methamphetamine and 5kg of cocaine

A joint police and Customs investigation, codenamed Operation Bali, was started after Customs intercepted several drug consignments at the border

The amounts in each and the packaging led Customs to believe the consignments were somehow related to each other

They notified police, and a joint investigation was set up, with a core group of five Customs investigators and between five and 10 police officers

Some of the suspects were identified as foreign nationals who were using Spanish in their communications Spanish-speaking police officers were brought in to provide translations in “close to real time” according to Detective Senior Sergeant Trevor Collett of the National Organised Crime Group Collett told NZME that authorities

have seen an increase in methamphetamine and cocaine coming into New Zealand in recent years from Central and South America

He said this could be attributed to the drug cartels in those areas expanding into the South Pacific “New Zealand is considered by international standards a very lucrative market for the sale of methamphetamine and cocaine ”

Collett said “Users in New Zealand pay premium prices for the controlled drugs and suppliers such as the South American cartels can maximise their profit by supplying the New Zealand market ”

In Operation Bali the drugs arrived in packages and consignments addressed to fictitious people or hidden in imported items, including the legs of a wooden table a plate from a

roading compactor a metal cog, and a sausage grill

Some of it was even in a package containing a painting of the Virgin Mary Operation Bali culminated in June 2022, when police with 11 search warrants raided properties in Wellington, the Hutt Valley and Hamilton

The searches uncovered not only drugs, but also more than $450,000 in cash

The subsequent court cases resulted in hefty prison sentences for syndicate members, handed down by Justice Helen McQueen in the High Court at Wellington Romero Lopez’s New Zealand husband, Peter Alexander Wellman, got the stiffest prison sentence in the group after pleading guilty to importing cocaine importing and supplying methamphetamine, conspiring to possess methamphetamine

led to NZ drug syndicate

methamphetamine

Police found some of the drugs in a steel plate compactor.

for supply, and money laundering. He was sentenced to eight years and six months in prison, with no chance of parole for three years and four months.

Another leading member of the group, Sergio Antonio Vargas Gonzalez, was sentenced to seven years and three months for importing methamphetamine and cocaine.

guilty to importing methamphetamine and cocaine and conspiring to possess meth for supply. He was sentenced to six years and nine months in jail.

Romero Lopez herself, who said she was acting in deference to Wellman and to please her son, pleaded guilty to importing cocaine and money laundering. She was sent to prison for four years.

Gonzalez’s former partner, Frances

Petersen, pleaded guilty to being a party to the importation of methamphetamine and received a sentence of eight and a half months of home detention.

Court documents say Wellman used his business, Speciality Glaziers, to rent a storage container where the drugs were extracted from the imported goods and processed.

When police searched the house that Wellman and Romero Lopez

shared, they found $144,000 hidden in the hot-water cupboard.

The money laundering transactions for which Romero Lopez and Wellman were charged involved buying vehicles with cash the couple paid $25,500 for a Nissan X-Trail SUV, and Wellman handed over $48,000 in cash for a caravan.

They explained their offending by saying it stemmed from a setback which caused them pain and financial hardship. Wellman and Romero Lopez were involved in a serious car accident in 2018.

Wellman’s ability to work was compromised by his injuries, and he turned to meth to deal with the pain while he was working.

Before then, he had been considered a hard-working and highly regarded member of the community, according to references provided to the court from a former employer, a neighbour and friends.

Wellman had previous convictions, not specified by the sentencing judge, but apart from a driving offence in 2002, they were all more than 30 years ago.

But after Wellman started taking

Galicia Romero worked with contacts overseas to send the drug imports to several New Zealand addresses.

Court documents say he was personally responsible for the importation of 2.5kg of cocaine and 1kg of meth, and was found to have $63,450 hidden in a PVC pipe in his home.

Galicia Romero, 27, was born in Colombia, and a report prepared for the court said that he grew up in the context of crime, violence and the idea that people could only succeed and get out of poverty through illegal activities.

Another report said that when he was in his late teens, his father encouraged him to get to know older men involved in criminal activities, because they had money and status.

Galicia Romero joined his mother and two brothers in New Zealand.

He has previous convictions and has struggled with addiction to cocaine and alcohol.

He faces possible deportation after finishing his sentence, and thus separation from his New Zealandborn son.

Vargaz Gonzalez was involved in importing the lion’s share of the syndicate’s drugs 15.2kg of methamphetamine and 2.5kg of cocaine.

.suppliers such as the South American cartels can maximise their profit by supplying the New Zealand market.

meth, he became addicted. His use increased dramatically, and he needed money to pay for the drug at the same time that he was earning less from his business and using up his savings.

He was offered the chance to obtain meth at a reduced cost if he became a supplier and found other people to sell it to.

Romero Lopez was described as having an “extremely difficult personal history” in South America before moving to New Zealand 14 years ago.

She came from poverty. Her early life was unstable and abusive, chaotic and traumatic. She was caught up in a gang-related drug cartel, although she later claimed that she had never used illegal drugs herself.

She had no previous convictions.

She was married for a while to the alleged drug supplier Eddy.

She later met and married Wellman in New Zealand, but suffered spinal injuries in the 2018 car crash, leaving her unable to work.

Romero Lopez claimed she was unaware of the cash found at her home, telling a probation officer that she looked after the house, and he looked after the money.

“[I] didn’t question where the money came from,” she was quoted as saying. “Women from my culture and situation don’t do that.”

Police found $299,000 hidden in a storage locker he had access to.

He also directed his then partner, Petersen, to provide addresses where drug consignments could be delivered.

These were sent to fictitious people, including “Teresa Hendricks”. Teresa is Petersen’s middle name, and Hendricks is her mother’s maiden name.

Petersen is a former psychology student who, according to court documents, is at risk of being trapped in a lifestyle of dancing in nightclubs, vulnerable to drug and alcohol use and predatory men.

She applied for a discharge without conviction and name suppression, and was unsuccessful on both counts.

Detective Senior Sergeant Collett said offshore drug suppliers were using increasingly sophisticated methods to conceal drugs coming into the country.

In many cases, even the recipients don’t know how the consignments will arrive and in what form until they receive the goods.

Wastewater analysis and increased seizures show that cocaine use in New Zealand is on the rise.

The national drugs in wastewater testing programme estimated that in the first quarter of 2025, the national consumption of the drug was 4.5kg a week.

This compares with 3.3kg in the first quarter of last year.

Romero Lopez said that some of her offending was to help her son, Galicia Romero, who took a leading role in the syndicate. She said she would “try to do anything” to make her son happy.

It may be too late to save NCEA

Government officials, and more importantly, parents and principals are losing faith in NCEA

Yesterday, the WeekendHerald reported how Epsom Girls Grammar is set to offer its students Cambridge exams next year, while Mount Albert Grammar School’s (Mags) principal was concerned schools were increasingly abandoning the national curriculum

The anxiety over how we educate and prepare our kids for a rapidly changing world has also reached the upper levels of the Beehive

On today’s front page, the Heraldon Sunday reveals a Government briefing raised significant concerns about the credibility of NCEA

It is now expected Education Minister Erica Stanford will announce substantial proposals for the future of NCEA

“There really isn’t an option to do nothing,” she said

I don t think that tinkering around the edges is going to be something that’s going to get us where we need to be

Part of the problem appears to be the flexibility we deliberately built into the system is now what is causing so much harm and inconsistency

Students quickly also found ways to game the system and avoid external examinations by collecting the required credits to achieve each level throughout the school year

Highlighting the widespread nature of this habit last year there were more than 250,000 instances of students skipping exams because they felt they weren t necessary

Officials warned students being able to avoid exams “can mean that critical learning in a subject may not occur

When students can simply choose not to show up, the credibility of the qualification plummets

The Government also recently introduced some reforms It had been in

LETTERS

Slow to join dots on many issues

In the HeraldonSunday (July 13), so many important issues, where does one start?

First, we read of Justice [Graham] Lang giving a Killer Beez member a lesser sentence because of his “appalling upbringing”.

Instead of wringing our hands about the judge’s soft sentencing, why don’t we start collecting data on the background of all those being granted such sentences?

From that data we would be able to have a comprehensive picture on where to focus resources. Up to now a lot of information is anecdotal and subject to the whims of those making the claims.

The next issue that stands out is letter writer Kathy Simpson’s claim that we need greater mental health services.

At the time Carrington Hospital closed, mental health centres were set up in various parts of Auckland.

These were expected to cater for a range of mental health needs, including the administration of medication to those suffering from serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

As Simpson says, some of the tragedies that have happened would have been avoided if proper community care had been put in place at the time of deinstitutionalisation

Why are we always so slow to join the dots? GlennysAdams,WaihekeIsland.

Letter of the week

part, triggered by employers complaining about the standard of students graduating with Level 1

Too often these kids couldn t read, write or do simple maths

Now students are required to pass online literacy and numeracy tests in order to gain their qualification

But it may be too late to save NCEA

which now seem phased out entire

A review by th Office (ERO) foun overhaul, Level 1 understand and for future achiev

It said one opt it entirely”

Stanford told t Zealand wanted t with its flexible q

But the world t no thanks

Epsom Girls’ G Cambridge Intern It said it had been “overwhelming c Mags’ principa said his school is to offer Cambridg Parents, Drum concerned NCEA But thousands doing NCEA

While the qual the same in the fu studying hard ev for success

This paper is subject Media Council ● Complaints to formalcomplaints@nzher ● If unsatisfied, referred to the New Council: PO Box 10-879 Wellington 6143, or info@mediacouncil.org.nz

● Details and online at: mediacouncil.org.nz

Geographical isolation real defence

THE WORLD ACCORDING TO EMMERSON

1 What does “aperture” refer to in photography?

2 Who directed the film Jaws?

3 In which country was judo developed?

4 What is the smallest country in mainland Africa by land area?

5 Which singer-songwriter released the album Drive in 1997?

6 Who took over the role of Superman in the 2025 film reboot?

7 Which country borders both the Caspian Sea and the Persian Gulf?

8 Who was the first female university graduate in the British Empire?

9 Which classical composer became deaf later in life?

10 What is the smallest prime number?

Put more women’s rugby on television

I watch my St George NRL team play every weekend plus the NRLW team of women’s players with a woman referee. So why can’t rugby teams in New Zealand also have women’s teams shown on Sky Sport TV? Surely both NZ men’s and women’s rugby teams should be shown on Sky Sport as in rugby league?

MurrayHunter,Titirangi. UN and Nato expensive failures

The cost of running the UN and Nato is astronomical What does the world really get for all this expense?

Both were set up in the hope of stopping international armed conflict. Have they succeeded? Answer, no.

They are both toothless tigers. No one listens to them. The only ones that benefit are all the big fat cats in highly paid positions and the caterers for the endless unproductive meetings. Time to look at a better system before we end up in World War III. JockMacVicar,Hauraki.

Where have the Kiwis flocked to?

The Heraldon Sunday editorial (July 13) highlighted the exodus of the many we would like to retain. Looking around my environment it is obvious that a large proportion of Kiwis have been replaced by new Kiwis.

The question is where have the previous Kiwis gone? From all accounts they have leapt across the Tasman. Currently, that number has reached an all-time high and there have to be reasons such as

remuneration and mental reaction to their lifestyle. Government policies can enthuse or negate the thinking of the population, and it is apparent that the austerity measures introduced have induced a sense of gloom.

The promised relief from the costof-living crisis has not eventuated and generally we seem to be in a time warp.

In summary, negativity from the top can have a profound and farreaching effect hindering performance, morale and wellbeing. Add in our continual wet weather and the call to abandon ship becomes louder RegDempster,Albany.

Change needed in union

The All Blacks have always embraced change. Just compare their haka back in 1956 with today's “25” version. Rugby's mandarins would do well to follow their example by reforming rugby's laws that are stifling the modern game. This is true also of pedantic officials.

Union fans want to see the running passing game restored in place of the present day's endless series of rucks, mauls and wrestling matches. Following rugby league’s stirring athletic running and open field example would be an excellent idea. LarryMitchell,RothesayBay.

MPs attendance I have recently learned that YouTube allows me to sit in on Parliamentary sessions— not I might add, something I wish to do too often. It has been quite distressing to see how few MPs actually attend parliamentary sessions. There is a responsibility associated with being a member of the NZ Parliament. Your views and those of your electorate can only be heard if you are there. I can but hope the sessions I saw do not reflect normal MP behaviour. Otherwise, it seems, nothing useful would be achieved (as there would not be sufficient numbers of MPs to effect laws). BryanFrost,BlockhouseBay.

DREAM HOLIDAYS

C ALEB HE KE

In this Herald on Sunday series, we ask well-known Aucklanders for their favourite spots in the city. This week, contemporary dance artist Caleb Heke takes us on a tour of their top places.

Favouritebeach?

Mairangi Bay has to be one of my favourite beaches to take the whole whanau or a group of mates. There are plenty of shaded spots if, like me, you’re keen to hide from the sun, and the small to medium-sized waves are perfect for a bit of body surfing. Honestly, every time I leave Mairangi Bay, I drive away feeling lighter, happier, it’s just that kind of place.

Favourite brunchspot?

The Breakfast Club in Point Chev is the ultimate brunch destination in my opinion. They’ve got a great range of pancakes, your classic cafe fare, and a solid line-up of thick shakes. My go-to order? Either the Big Brekkie Club or the Classic Stack Pancakes, and yes, I’m always adding bacon. You can’t go wrong.

Favourite restaurantfor dinner withfriends?

Punjabi Kitchen on Lincoln Rd is my comfort food heaven. It’s only five minutes from where I live and it always hits the spot when I’m after a warm, hearty meal. The spices, the flavours, the portions, it’s the kind of place you leave with a full belly and a full heart.

Favourite place totake a visitor to?

Basement Theatre is always my top recommendation when I’ve got someone visiting Auckland. It’s such a creative and exciting space, showcasing everything from theatre and dance to comedy. No matter who you’re with, there’s bound to be something on that’ll spark a laugh or a deep thought, or both!

Favourite spot tofinish a night out?

The Churchill on Queen St is my go-to wind-down spot after a show at Basement Theatre or Q Theatre. It’s a stylish gin bar with a moody, relaxed atmosphere and panoramic views of the city. Something about sipping a cocktail while looking out over Auckland just wraps up the night perfectly.

Favourite place toget coffee?

Coffee Studio in Corban’s Estate, Henderson, is a bit of a hidden gem. It’s where Atamira Dance Company is based, so on my lunch breaks I love sneaking over for a regular oat flat white and a caramel slice. The vibe is cute, homely and welcoming and the staff are always down for a chat.

Favourite fish-and-chipshop?

Smith and Wong’s Takeaways has been our family’s go-to for years, and for good reason. Sunday night fish and chips just wouldn’t be the same without it. Crispy, golden and nostalgic.

Favourite trail fora hike?

I’m not the most avid hiker but I do love the Waitakere Dam Walk. It’s got everything, from lush native bush to rivers and waterfalls (great for a cold dip if you’re brave), and the dam itself is stunning to walk across. It’s not too long or difficult, which makes it ideal for a cruisy weekend mission.

Favourite venue fora gig?

The Tuning Fork is one of my favourite venues for live music. It has this chill, intimate vibe where you can either be tearing it up on the dance floor or tucked into a corner with a glass of red. Whether it’s an emerging artist or someone you already love, the experience always feels personal and electric.

Favourite place tofind a bargain?

As a dancer, I’m constantly needing vitamins, protein, strapping tape and haircare and Chemist Warehouse is a lifesaver. They’ve got everything I need at prices that don’t make my wallet cry. It’s my go-to spot for restocking all the essentials.

● CalebHeke(Ngapuhi)isa contemporarydanceartist,bornand raisedinTamakiMakaurau.Caleb hasbeenadancerwithAtamira DanceCompanysincetheend2020.

LUKE COMBS

Single-cell schooling overdue

It’s been eight months since I last wrote this column

Since then three days before Christmas a lot s happened We ve had a summer break, I had a baby (little girl, adores being carried, everywhere), three months’ maternity leave, come back to work, she s marked six months and cut four teeth, and it’s now the dead of winter

My boy now sleeps in a bed, not a cot He hardly ever sits in a pram anymore and we re about six months away from having to choose which primary school he goes to

That decision comes around faster than you ever imagine it would But it’s actually not really a decision We’re sending him to the only local school that still does single-cell classrooms

New Zealand is ditching open-plan classrooms in favour of single-cell learning, following years of criticism from parents and educators.

It was also bonkers from the start

Common sense would dictate that kids learn better when it s quiet Fewer distractions equal greater concentration Every Single Parent Knows This We also know boys need fewer distractions to learn We also know neurodiverse kids really struggle with lots of noise, movement and stimulation So doing the opposite is beyond baffling

We’re learning now that adults suffer in open-plan workplaces if there’s nowhere quiet to go to concentrate So if it’s true for adults who ve had decades to learn to discipline their minds, how much truer is it for kids who haven’t?

Some teachers love it It gave them the opportunity to learn from watching other teachers work It unfortunately also gave some the opportunity to freeload on another

His best friend at kindy is going to the same school, for the same reason And if my conversations with other parents are anything to go by, this is widespread

So I would imagine Education Minister Erica Stanford’s announcement that the country is going back to single-cell schooling will be popular And overdue

It s been obvious for years now that open-plan classrooms are a failed idea

Shirley Boys High has spent $800,000 putting walls back up Rangiora High School once the poster child of open plan has spent $1 5 million doing the same Silverstream School in Wellington has also done it Reports have been written Principals have admitted they ve changed their minds

Some of these schools have a right to feel a bit annoyed For a while there last decade, the Ministry of Education forced them to take open-plan classrooms if they wanted money to build

We’re learning now that adults suffer in open-plan workplaces if there’s nowhere quiet to go to concentrate. So, if it’s true for adults who’ve had decades to learn to discipline their minds, how much truer is it for kids who haven’t?

It was a financial decision It s cheaper to build one big classroom than it is to build three smaller ones

It was also ideological You’ll find openplan classrooms are often loved by the

same people who love whole-word teaching and student-centred learning and any one of the other silly ideas born in the 1970s that have contributed to our declining education standards

Some defend open plan as a good idea done badly Maybe it works brilliantly when teachers have been adequately trained and the floor space is perfectly laid out and big enough Maybe it works in Scandinavia But it doesn’t work here And a good idea done badly is just a bad idea for the generation of kids sitting in that classroom

Credit to the minister for not swinging wildly from one ideological position to the other Schools that still want to do this can ask for an exemption Classes will be built with sliding doors to switch from open plan to single cell

But mostly, credit to the minister for calling time on an experiment that failed a long time ago In the absence of evidence one way or the other, just follow the parents When parents actively avoid something in a school, you know it’s a bad idea

Rural economy buoying Ma¯ori

Two reports on the Maori economy have provided us with a unique insight into a growing sector of New Zealand’s businesses one now worth $32 billion (8 9% of GDP), according to research from consultancy BERL

It is a sector that demonstrates great potential while showing us how far many mana whenua have yet to travel Its growth also demonstrates why attacks on Maori development by this Government are so misguided

The first research by Stats NZ, looked at 1450 Maori authorities and related businesses at the start of 2025 Like the rest of the economy, Maori businesses have suffered at the hands of this Government

The total number of filled jobs for Maori authorities was 11,870, down 170 jobs or 1 4% annually The total value of earnings for Maori authority employees was $212 million, a decrease of $8 7m or 4% This shows the reduction in hours occurring across the rest of the economy is also reaching Maori businesses

businesses However it also confirms Maori businesses are performing better” than “many of the country’s largest listed companies”

In the last Budget, $20m was cut from Maori economic development initiatives

abandoned when the coalition took office

It looks increasingly likely that the economy is heading backwards again The Reserve Bank is now forecasting that the economy declined 0 2% last quarter

You would think the Government would be pulling every lever to make sure there was new economic activity and new employment But this is a Government that has a complete blind spot when it comes to anything Maori.

Some $88m was cut in total from direct Maori funding at the last Budget on top of $97m last year

There is an urgent need to change thinking The Government is content with ever higher numbers of Maori being in prison, homeless or unemployed

That is not the growth, growth growth many were hoping for It does nothing to support a unique and growing part of the New Zealand economy Nothing to help enterprises and authorities that may be able to reach where other government actions have failed

When examining the business sales data of Maori firms the same problems observed across the wider economy are also present Professional, scientific, technical administrative and support services were down $18m or 13% Meanwhile primary industries were up $11m or 3% annually

The rural economy is supporting the Maori economy as much as primary industries’ buoyancy is helping out anywhere else in Aotearoa

The second insight comes from ANZ’s Te Tirohanga Whanui Report That data confirms 2024 was a tough year for Maori

There is a resilience not seen in other parts of the economy As ANZ notes, “When the Maori economy grows, it strengthens the whole of the New Zealand economy ”

Visit Whakatane and see how Ngati Awa has underwritten the local economy to the benefit of all

Given the increasing size of the Maori economy its asset base having nearly doubled to $126 billion in 2023 you’d think it would form a key part of the Government’s economic agenda But it’s not mentioned once during the Minister of Finance’s Budget speech

The only new funding for the entirety of Vote Maori Development was $3m a year for Maori Wardens and the Maori Women’s Welfare League

The Government s “Going for Growth” economic development plan says the Maori economy is important but that is it

There are no specific programmes to help it grow There is nothing to help Maori businesses grow into new sectors or help capitalise on their intellectual property In short it is left alone

He Kai Kei Aku Ringa: the Maori-Crown Economic Growth Partnership written initially in 2013 under National and revised in 2023 under Labour was

It is time for a better plan and one that recognises a remarkably simple fact The scale of the opportunity in the Maori economy is not being grasped by the Government

We will have spent more on landlord tax relief over the next four years ($2 9b) than we have on the entirety of the Treaty settlement process to date ($2 8b) Budgets are about choices Choices show values The Government should value the Maori economy better That way we all benefit

●

R eview | Weather

Liam Dann

NOT ENOUGH BREAD?

I don’t get the Kiwi butter obsession but our money spread too thin

Rising inflation isn t the Prime Minister’s fault But it is the Prime Minister’s problem And it could be a very big problem

Data on Thursday showed food prices are up almost 5% in the past year

Rising prices for vegetables and fruit are adding to pain we re already suffering for butter, cheese and beef prices

The Stats NZ release came with an avalanche of horrible numbers that really just confirmed what we re already feeling at the supermarket checkout

Milk prices were up 14 3% annually

Butter up 46 5% annually, and cheese up 30% annually Beef mince was up 21% and fruit and vegetables, which had been pretty good rose 5% just in June

Obviously, there are seasonal factors, but that s a big spike, and recent flooding in key growing regions means things will probably get worse before they get better

While overall inflation is considerably lower, grocery bills represent an outsize proportion of weekly spending for the poorest Kiwis

Food prices are also pushing up the overall inflation rate and forcing the Reserve Bank to slow the pace at which it cuts interest rates That, in turn, slows the pace of economic recovery

Tomorrow we ll get the full inflation figures for the second quarter Economists are picking annual inflation to land at 2 8% or 2 9% (up from 2 5%)

From there, they expect it to keep rising to more than 3% in the third quarter above the Reserve Bank’s mandated target range.

That all looks bad but it isn’t necessarily disastrous Inflation should start falling again towards the end of the year, economists say

In the politically sedate world of economics, all the talk is about tradeable inflation the price of volatile internationally priced goods

Non-tradeable inflation, the stuff that is generated by wages and service costs in the core of the domestic economy, continues to fall It s hardly an upside

Ongoing recessionary conditions are expected to ensure that non-tradeable inflation keeps falling

So there is a consensus among economists that the current inflationary conditions won t derail the economic recovery they ll just delay it

Politically, it still hurts though

Remember “survive to 25”!

We spent last year hanging on for the long-promised economic recovery

The problem for Christopher Luxon and Nicola Willis is exacerbated by the fact that they publicly took credit for bringing inflation down.

But the waiting will be wearing thin for voters

Next year it’s the election already, which is cutting things fine for a government which has staked its reputation on being all about economic growth

As I said at the start, I don’t think this is the Government s fault But details like that don t matter much where the economy is concerned

well with a lot of Kiwis) is that Crown debt is out of control, and retrenching was the right thing to do in the long run

Regardless of where you sit on that debate it doesn’t leave any reason to blame the Government for this latest inflationary spike

Still, the idea that governments are responsible for the cost of living is almost unshakeable in the minds of a large chunk of the voting public

The problem for Christopher Luxon and Nicola Willis is exacerbated by the fact that they publicly took credit for bringing inflation down

“This Government has delivered on its promise to Kiwis our careful and deliberate plan to get on top of inflation is working, Willis said in an August 2024 press release celebrating the latest RBNZ rate cut

Also, the Nats weren’t shy of heaping the blame on the Labour when inflation soared in 2022 even though that was initially driven by international price spikes

Labour complained at the time but is now happy to run the same attacks

I still don t get the obsession with butter

How much of the stuff do you actually have to use put some Country Soft on your toast, it’s fine

But I don’t want to downplay the real economic pain that high food prices cause

I’ve personally found the rise in cheese and beef prices worse With two teenage boys to feed, we get through a lot of cheese and bulk our pasta sauces and nacho toppings with plenty of ground beef

The notion that burgers or spag-bol are no longer affordable for many Kiwis is worrying

The commodity cycle will turn International dairy and beef prices will eventually fall But that will mask the real problem It s not that food prices are too high, it s that wages are too low

In the perfect world, prices for our export commodities would stay high, but New Zealand’s domestic economy would be creating more well-paid jobs and generating higher wages

A quick check on supermarket websites in Australia or the UK reveals that (once you do currency conversions), groceries aren’t actually much cheaper there

They just earn more than us

Now we’ve got economists forecasting things will come right in 2026

Looking at all the moving parts, I still remain optimistic that it will

An agricultural export boom and low interest rates must eventually generate some growth in the New Zealand economy it s just not that complicated

Sometimes governments do cause or exacerbate inflation with overly stimulatory fiscal policy

That isn t the case this time The Government can legitimately be attacked from the left for making the downturn worse by running a tight fiscal policy

The counter-argument (which lands

Labour leader Chris Hipkins continues to draw attention to the price of butter on social media, implying Government policy is to blame and ignoring the fact that dairy prices are currently the only thing saving the nation’s economic bacon

Despite my best efforts to explain the ins and outs of global commodity pricing my inbox confirms the public remains highly engaged about the price of butter

Did I say engaged? Sorry, I meant enraged

The Prime Minister understands this, and I believe him when he says his real policy goal is to boost productivity and wages But that’s going to take time Meanwhile, immediate conditions continue to pull the rug out from under him

In the next few months he faces a tough sales job to convince the public that the economy remains on the right track

Chopping your own vegetables will slice dollars from your food bill

One of the things I’ve observed from seeing the minutiae of what clients earn and how they spend it is that generally the higher your income, the more of it you spend trying to claim back time

There’s a tension between these two finite resources, one many of us struggle to find the right balance between If you trade hours for dollars, the more hours you work, the more time-poor you are If you’re retired you likely have a different problem trying to stretch your dollars to last your lifetime

Time is arguably our most precious commodity, and there are myriad options that will relieve you of your cash in exchange for the promise of claiming back more time for yourself

Whether those timesaving expenses are an insane waste of money or key to maintaining your sanity depends on your perspective

A household with two parents working outside the home would probably argue the cost of a cleaner is an investment that “saves hours, allowing them to spend Saturday morning with the kids instead of scrubbing toilets, for example But perhaps for the house-proud type-A who cleans before the cleaner comes (only to be disappointed by the job they do) it doesn t seem like such a great exchange

Time-savers and money-wasters

A short walk around Auckland’s leafy suburbs shows you just how much money gets ploughed into outsourcing jobs

Gardeners, lawn mowers, dog walkers, house cleaners, pool cleaners But is it all worth it? For the residents of those elite enclaves the answer to that is likely inconsequential, but for most of us, it’s worth weighing up whether we’re getting bang for our time-saving buck and the convenience outweighs cost

Not all time-saving expenses are as highfaluting as having someone to sweep the leaves out of the pool, so I’m putting forward some small-scale examples

Saving credit carddetails online

When you find something drool-worthy online that some inspirationally goodlooking influencer is promoting, before you know it, you’ve “added to cart”, and you’re headed for the checkout.

If your account or your browser has your credit card details handily stored, you save yourself a few minutes not having to find your wallet and input your card details.

But crucially you’ve also removed a

key opportunity to pause and reassess whether that purchase is worth it.

All the research shows that credit cards encourage us to spend more whether that’s through removing friction, distancing us from the pain of parting with our money, or by lighting up the addictive parts of our brain, the result is the same.

Therefore, the time you save by having your credit card details on file can become a very expensive decision (and that’s before you incur any interest on those purchases).

Contactlesspayments

If I’ve forgotten my wallet, I will reluctantly tap my phone, but I will curse my forgetfulness, because I resent the transaction fees.

Contactless payments are generally up to about 2.5% of the purchase price and yes, a small percentage on a small expense is a small amount. But did you know Kiwis spend an estimated one billion dollars on payWave and credit card surcharges each year and for what?!

If that was genuinely delivering us value, I’d be first to argue it was money well spent. But that billion dollars probably bought us, collectively, 2 billion seconds, because that’s all it takes to swipe your card and enter your PIN.

Two billion sounds like heaps, but if you want to crunch the numbers, it’s the equivalent of each New Zealander ‘saving’ less the 7 minutes per year, which I’d argue is NOT a good return. If you genuinely can’t spare two seconds to swipe your card and input your PIN I’m worried about you.

Pre-cutvegetables

Making dinner during “witching hour” when the kids are whining and ravenous and you’re at the end of your tether can be hard work, so anything that makes it quicker has got to be worth it, right?

But every time I see the pre-cut, prepackaged vegetables in the supermarket I can’t help but do the maths and conclude it’s a waste of money (and a waste of plastic packaging when the vegetable

came with its own protective skin!)

This week my local supermarket had 120g of pre-cut celery for $4 which works out to $33.33 a kilogram, for something that’s not only easy to cut, but mainly water. 120g of cut carrots was $4, when an individual carrot was 33 cents.

A piece of pumpkin was $3 a kilo, but 400g of pre-cut pumpkin pieces was $7.50 a kilo, so more than twice the price. If that was whole pumpkin it might be worth the higher price, as that can be tricky to cut, but a chunk of pumpkin isn’t that hard to deal with, (and a few minutes in the microwave can also make the job easier).

This might sound like I’m splitting hairs (and not just pumpkins) but this is just to get you thinking. The point is that every spending plan deserves an audit of what really brings you value.

There will be expenses that are worth every cent for the time they save and sanity they preserve, but no doubt there are also things where that delicate timemoney balance is out of whack and needs re-thinking.

‘So many cool beaches’

Real estate agents on why their suburb is the best place to live

OneRoof Editor

OwenVaughan

Why someone buys in this suburb and not that one can vary quite a bit

Price does play a large part in people’s thinking Let’s face it, if houses next to our favourite beach restaurant and cafe were within budget or money was no barrier the housing market and our towns and cities would be very different places from what they are now But liveability is important We grow to love the neighbourhoods we choose to live in because we care In fact, love is probably a more powerful factor in our property choices than we realise OneRoof has just launched its new TV ad around that very thought: “Love where you live ” In such a big country, and with so many property options available what makes a suburb or home liveable and lovable will vary from person to person OneRoof s Diana Clement decided to ask agents around the country why they love where they live and where they sell Reasons ranged from rainforest views and award-winning steak pies to dog-friendly beaches, zero traffic lights, surf-casting before breakfast, and vege gardens with million-dollar views

What shines through is a deep connection to community These agents aren’t just selling homes, they’re helping people find their place in new neighbourhoods

DeedeeDaly,Greymouth

Canadian Deedee Daly moved to New Zealand s West Coast 35 years ago and hasn’t looked back since Her husband Greg convinced her that they should help out his parents at their pub in the tiny settlement of Ikamatua

The couple left Ikamatua some years later and shifted 50km south to Greymouth, where they joined the real estate world, subsequently launching Greg Daly Real Estate Greg and grown-up son Mitch sell rural properties, while Deedee and daughter Zoe concentrate on houses and lifestyle blocks in the Grey Valley and surrounds

When asked what she loves about her patch, she doesn’t hesitate to answer: the people We get a lot of buyers who come from outside the West Coast I say to them my area is great because the people are so friendly and easy-going and relaxed Everyone s just so generous and kind ”

Getting around is a lot easier than a Canadian city as well “There are no traffic lights ” Deedee told OneRoof “There are only a couple of roundabouts in Greymouth ” Deedee also loves the environment The West Coast gets a lot of rain, she said, but that meant lush rainforests “It is so beautiful ” Her job takes her through some of the country’s most dramatic scenery

“You don t mind driving up the Coast Road because of the beautiful coastline Even when you go up the Grey Valley, you’re going into dairy farm country and it just takes your breath away ” She added: “You’ve got views of Mount Cook and the Alps It’s not far from Christchurch if you need to be there You’ve got the airport in Hokitika if you need to fly anywhere ” West Coast house prices jumped 35% in the last 12 months, according to the latest housing market figures from the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand a huge leap when prices elsewhere were flat or dropping Despite the leap, the region s median house price is still only $420,000, the country s lowest, and Deedee said affordability was a big drawcard People are selling in Nelson or Christchurch and coming here and buying a really nice house for half the price ” Her favourite listing this year was a two-storey modern home on Welshmans Rd in Marsden, which sold for $945,000 in January “It felt like an oasis You are surrounded by bush You are very private, and the house was very, very tastefully decorated ” SteveKoerber,Remuera Remuera means a lot to Bayleys agent Steve Koerber The prestigious Auckland suburb is where he lives where he has brought up his children, and where he works “We feel we can do a better job for our clients if we know our patch intimately ” Koerber said Most New Zealanders will have

heard of Remuera It’s the aspirational suburb, where rich-listers, doctors, business leaders politicians and generally successful professionals choose to live

Schools are a real drawcard in Remuera Koerber and wife Nila brought up a blended family of seven

family favourite is Wilson’s Beach at the bottom of Victoria Ave

When asked what recent listing stands out most, Koerber highlights a house on Darwin Lane which he sold in April

The modest home, which had an RV of just over $5m was on the block for the first since the 1980s and the proceeds of the sale were split between seven charities It was a heart-warming sale said Koerber

children in the suburb, so they know all about it “It’s not just the state schools, it’s the private schools, especially Dio, St Kents, Kings, Baradene, St Cuths and ACG A lot of people we meet in our patch are coming to be near ACG at the moment ”

The Koerbers know all about the community cafes and all the little nooks and crannies of Remuera, thanks in part to their blended family There is barely a cafe, pharmacy, or employer of young people in the suburb that hasn’t come across one of their teens over the years One

JoelVieviorka,Karikari

Peninsula

Haze agent Joel Vieviorka works in one of New Zealand’s most far-flung real estate markets: the Karikari Peninsula He describes it simply as a chillax lifestyle”

The Vieviorka family moved there from another remote Northland location drawn by the lifestyle they could offer their young sons They quickly found the community warm and welcoming

My family enjoys being a part of the community There are cool people ” he told OneRoof

“So many cool beaches, so close You can launch your boat, take the kids to the beach, or do some surfcasting It has lots of cool outdoor activities ” While Northland boasts plenty of great beaches the Karikari Peninsula takes coastal beauty to another level Thanks to the peninsula being long and narrow, the list of beaches at your fingertips is almost endless: Tokerau Rangiputa, Puheke, Maitai Bay It’s also a short drive to Cable Bay Coopers Beach, and Hihi Beach Whatuwhiwhi is the big smoke for

Karikari Peninsula, boasting a shop, petrol station, takeaways, a pub, and Top 10 holiday park

The remote nature of his patch means that Vieviorka sells a bit of everything, from million-dollar beach homes to farms and tiny off-grid hideaways The housing market is similar to other parts of the country It s a buyer s market But I reckon we’ve probably done better than some other areas, just because I think people have wanted to move more ” Vieviorka’s favourite listing of late was a home on Bay Heights Drive It had magnificent views from the deck, but even better from the vege garden at the very top of the property It sold for $850 000 in June

AntonJones,WesternBayof Plenty

Tremains agent and managing director Anton Jones grew up in Tauranga but he loves the quiet lifestyle of the Western Bay of Plenty which he retreats to after a busy day selling property

Jones loves outdoors pursuits and reels off a long list of tramping and mountain biking trails, especially the Omokoroa to Tauranga cycle trail. He also loves the district’s white sand beaches

“I guess it’s the diversity of the area I love, in terms of you can go to the beach, you can go to the lakes It s close to everywhere The schools are great We just enjoy that it’s not so much of a hustle and bustle Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty are a bit of a golfer s mecca Jones is a member of the Fairview Golf Club, but rates them all

He notes that the market in his patch isn’t booming, but it s not as “lumpy” as it has been “It s pretty steady,” he said

Jones favourite Tremains listing at the moment is 925 Upper Ohauiti Rd, Tauranga The six-bedroom, fourbathroom, 677sq m home is for sale by negotiation The home’s footprint is bigger than many people’s sections and sits on 2 37ha of land It is billed as the ultimate country estate and has an RV of $4 09m

OwenVaughaniseditorof OneRoof co nz

Society

The Burlin A new lif

New Zealand sailing legend

Peter Burling and his wife

Lucinda are juggling his fast-paced global sailing career with settling into their new home base in Italy

Peter Lucinda and their 1-year-old daughter Paloma are living in the city of Cagliari on the island of Sardinia Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli is based in Cagliari, a major port city, until the next America’s Cup regatta takes place off the coast of Naples in 2027

Last month, the former Emirates Team New Zealand three-time America’s Cup skipper announced he was joining Prada Group chairman Patrizio Bertelli’s team

I ve always loved racing against Luna Rossa, and now to join this iconic team is a real honour, said 34-year-old Burling

Burling will play a pivotal role in the team s leadership group and development programme

The impressive base is nestled on the Molo Ichnusa harbour area, where the team perform daily tests and analyses on and off the water Society Insider is told Burling and Luna Rossa are keenly awaiting the release of the final protocols for the 2027 cup by Burling’s former boss, Team NZ chief executive Grant Dalton

Lucinda a lawyer and interior design expert, loves Cagliari’s rich history and diverse architecture

She is also enjoying the wonderful Prada clothing she has access to thanks to her husband’s new role

“The family are all embracing learning Italian,” a source close to the family tells Society Insider

“In Italy, pre-school education [scuola dell infanzia] starts far earlier than in New Zealand and Paloma will attend a bilingual one

Burling is also pleased to be working with a team who are as passionate about looking after the ocean as he is

Days after the Black Foils won silver in SailGP in New York last month, Burling, his family and his Black Foils co-chief executive and Live Ocean Foundation co-founder Blair Tuke, spent three days at the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, France

The pair were star guests at the Ocean House Nightcap, where the duo highlighted issues closer to home in Aotearoa and the Pacific

Also at the conference was Bertelli’s son Lorenzo, who is the chief marketing officer of the Prada Group and its head of corporate social responsibility

Prada Group has pledged more than $4 million for its Sea Beyond project, which focuses on ocean literacy

The Burlings have a multimilliondollar house in Ponsonby; however, their new base in Sardinia allows speedy access to the European SailGP racing all over the Continent in the next few months

Lucinda has many friends in London, and this month the Burlings have been spotted out and about Peter headed to the Silverstone Circuit, near the Northamptonshire villages, for the Great Britain Formula One Grand Prix and both Peter and Lucinda got dressed up for Wimbledon

They were guests in the royal box on the sixth day of the tennis tournament, and among the sports stars in their row was British sailing champion Sir Ben Ainslie, one seat down Burling is making a return to ocean racing as a crew member on the French trimaran Trim SVR-Lazartigue in the Rolex Fastnet Race, just days after sailing in the British Sail GP this

Jesse James hosts

Tradie, extreme sports athlete and YouTube star

month He will race with the Black Foils in Portsmouth this weekend and then head to Cowes in the Isle of Wight to join the French team, which will race over 600 nautical miles to Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, France

Burling, who sailed in the Volvo Ocean race in 2017, told Yachting World that when SVR-Lazartigue contacted him to race, it was an easy decision to say yes

“I ve always loved offshore racing that’s what led me to the Ocean Race The Ultim class is the pinnacle of high-performance offshore sailing ” said Burling

“These boats are incredibly innovative and versatile I’m really excited to get back offshore and to learn more about how this class is evolving ”

The family will get some time at home in New Zealand this summer when SailGP returns to Auckland in February

Jesse James hosted a fundraiser at the Ponsonby Rd bar he co-owns, Jolene, on Saturday afternoon to support victims of the Texas floods. The event came just a week after Jolene’s opening party.

“When I saw the catastrophic floods, we couldn’t sit around and do nothing,” James tells Society Insider.

“In my teens, I spent time at a summer camp in Maine, so it rang home, the loss of life for so many people affected in Texas.

“I knew Jolene had to hold an event to raise money for the families who have lost so much.”

James grew up on Auckland’s North Shore, and chased an endless summer between the United States and New Zealand in his teens after completing his plumbing apprenticeship.

In between tradie jobs he would seek out extreme sports adventures, including wakeboarding, skydiving, surfing, motorsports, boating and freediving.

He took his love of creating

Society Insider with Ricardo

The glamorous parties, the exotic holidays, the hook-ups, the break-ups, the scandals and the multimillion-dollar business deals this new column unveils how the other half lives.

Contact: society-ins der@nzme co nz

On social media: @ricardosimich

Kiwi It girls elax in the Med

London-based Kiwi It girl

Kimberly Owen is hitting Europe’s hot spots this summer, and a new generation of women is following in her footsteps.

It’s been nearly a decade since Society Insider announced that Owen, the daughter of one of New Zealand’s most successful property men, Steve, was relocating to London, where her father owns a smart abode in Belgravia and she mixes with the city’s elite.

Owen was a guest last month at what was billed as the biggest party ever on the Spanish party island of Ibiza: the opening of the new super club UNVRS, featuring a starstudded lineup of DJs including Carl Cox and Jamie Jones, and celebrities such as Will Smith and English football star Jude Bellingham.

UNVRS has been called the world’s largest nightclub, with a capacity of 10,000.

VIP tables with table service for eight guests are said to cost more than $3000 for DJ booth access and it can cost twice that for a prime dance-floor table.

Last week, we reported that Gretchenhad enjoyed the club with friends as part of his 19th birthday celebrations.

Owen was back in Ibiza last week for the UNVRS Enchanted Forest party, where the club transformed into a forest of sequins.

The next generation of Kiwi women turning heads in the Mediterranean are London-based model Ella Sloane, Auckland-based social media co-ordinator Estella Gapes and Sydney-based model Yasmin Christian.

The trio originate from the same Auckland private school circles.

Sloane and Christian share the same New Zealand agency, 62 Management.

Christian got her love of fashion from her mother, in-demand, Auckland-based fashion stylist Rachelle Christian.

Gapes is the daughter of successful property developer Tony. Her mother, Nikki, was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident seven years ago.

a Texas fundraiser at Jolene

med. Guests included Precinct Properties’ Lily Montana, lawyer Taylor Sutherland and James’ good mate, former world champion wakeboarder Brad Smeele and his family.

When Auckland nurse Rachel Lockwood saw Jolene fundraising for the Texas Flood Relief Fund, she asked if she could attend the event to share a personal connection.

Lockwood had spent time working at Heart O’ the Hills, a Texas Summer Camp for girls by the Guadalupe River, which was completely washed away by the floods.

“I am grateful to Jesse and the team at Jolene for putting on a beautiful event and to everyone who showed up to show their support,” says Lockwood.

The afternoon event was familyfriendly and alcohol-free, to mark Dry July. Sponsors came on board from Asahi 0.0% and Sober AF drinks, with food served by Hamish Pinkham’s Tex-Mex pop-up, Sheppards Kitchen.

“All the money we raised from the drinks and food will be going straight to the relief fund,” says James.

At

Kiwi country star Rosie Teese and her band led the day’s entertainment with her new single Breathe which

was released this week.

In February, before he opened Gigi, Kirby and Newdick were doing Jolene pop-up nights at 155 Ponsonby Rd.

“I have known Brent for a decade, and when I saw what he and Thane were doing, I loved it,” says James.

“I perched up at the bar and said, You two should do this with a permanent spot with a real cowboy,” he says.

When Mexico closed its doors in Ponsonby in May, the posse went about securing a permanent home for Jolene.

James, whose full name is Jesse James Cassrels, says his dad, Geoff, named him after the legendary outlaw, which gave James a fascination for America’s Wild West.

His mother, Arnse, is a singersongwriter and his cousin is singer Benee.

James says music is very much in his blood and Nashville, Tennessee, is his second home.

He says line dancing and ladiesonly nights will be part of Jolene’s schedule.

“Customers have a great time enjoying fantastic country music and authentic, Southern-inspired food.”

Sloane is the daughter of former RealHousewives ofAuckland star Julia Lorimer, and Dunbar M. Sloane, from the auction house family.

Sloane and Gapes have also spent time in Ibiza recently, enjoying the world-renowned outdoor nightclub Ushuaia’s high-energy techno Ants Metal Works party.

The pair also spent time in Marbella and celebrated Gapes’ 23rd birthday in Madrid, before heading back to London to enjoy Sabrina Carpenter’s Hyde Park concert VIPstyle. This week, Gapes enjoyed the

the whole trip so far has been amazing.

Christian has taken time out of her successful Australian modelling career to enjoy the European summer.

So far, she has enjoyed time in Paris, France and Monaco, islandhopped in Greece and taken in Rome, the Amalfi Coast and Capri, in Italy, and this week, Spain.

Christian tells Society Insider that Milos in Greece was a standout, with good times had at O! Hamos!

“Rome was a dream.

“In Capri, the terrace at restaurant Villa Verde was stunning,” says Christian.

Also in Spain is Auckland Bay Audiology heiress Ali Andrews, who married multi-billionaire Chanel heir Raph Wertheimer in a private ceremony at their home base of Manhattan in December.

The couple started the European season in London, where Andrews caught up with Lucinda Burling. Last week the couple were in Paris, where Wertheimer’s family brand Chanel held its fall 2025 couture show at the Grand Palais, also attended by Kiwi singer Lorde.

The couple joined friends in Marbella this week, staying at a palatial casa.

In honour of their wedding, Andrews and Wertheimer had a

Naveya & Sloane

Central city splash

CBS cancels The Late Show

‘Agonising decision’ to axe franchise after Colbert contract expires

John Koblin

In a decision that shocked the entertainment industry and comedy world, CBS said it was cancelling the most-watched show in late night, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert and ending a franchise that has existed for more than three decades Colbert’s run and The Late Show itself will end in May after his contract expires CBS executives said in a statement that the cancellation was “purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night”

“It is not related in any way to the show s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount, said the executives who included George Cheeks, president of CBS and a co-CEO of Paramount, CBS parent Our admiration affection and respect for the talents of Stephen Colbert and his incredible team made this agonising decision even more difficult

Paramount is in the midst of closing a multibillion-dollar merger with the movie studio Skydance, a deal that requires approval from the Trump administration Paramount recently agreed to pay President Donald Trump $16 million to settle a lawsuit over an interview on 60 Minutes, a move Colbert criticised on his show as “a big fat bribe” The merger still requires the approval of the Federal Communications Commission

Colbert said during the taping of The Late Show on Thursday that he was informed of the decision Wednesday night When his studio audience unleashed a chorus of boos upon hearing the news Colbert said “Yeah I share your feelings ”

He then praised the network, saying CBS executives “have been great partners”

“I m so grateful to the Tiffany Network for giving me this chair and this beautiful theatre to call home ” said Colbert, who tapes the show at the historic Ed Sullivan Theater on Broadway

The show s abrupt cancellation is the latest in a series of profound changes to the world of late-night television The genre has been struggling as the majority of the country migrates in droves to streaming entertainment and away from traditional broadcast and cable television Last month, streaming over-

took broadcast and cable as the leading distribution method for video entertainment for the first time

The number of late-night shows has dwindled in recent years So much so that earlier in the week the Emmys awarded only three nominations for best talk show because of a lack of submissions Six years ago, the category had double the number of nominees

The genre has also experienced a sharp decline in advertising revenue in recent years In 2018, network latenight shows took in $439m in ad revenue according to Guideline, an

advertising data firm By last year, that figure had dropped to $220m a 50% drop in just seven years

The cancellation of The Late Show raised immediate questions, though, about whether it was tied to the Government’s review of Paramount s merger with Skydance or the recent settlement with Trump Colbert, who has hosted the show for a decade, has been a passionate critic of Trump

Senator Adam Schiff, D-California, who was a guest on Colbert’s show Thursday, said on social media after the show’s taping: “If Paramount and CBS ended The Late Show for political

reasons, the public deserves to know ”

Likewise, Senator Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts said in a statement: CBS canceled Colbert s show just three days after Colbert called out CBS owner Paramount for its $16 million settlement with Trump a deal that looks like bribery America deserves to know if his show was canceled for political reasons ”

Colbert took over The Late Show in 2015, after David Letterman had founded it in 1993 in the 11 30pm slot to compete with NBC’s longtime franchise, The Tonight Show

It took some time for Colbert to find his sea legs as a network latenight host A veteran of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report both on Comedy Central, he struggled mightily in the ratings for well over a year alarming CBS executives

Colbert then became laser-focused on topical news, and he was increasingly pointed in his criticism of Trump who had been one of his early guests in 2015 as he swept into the White House His ratings picked up steam quickly, and The Late Show overtook The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in early 2017 The show remained in first place for the next eight years

But ever since the pandemic, viewership for late-night topical shows has been falling — New York Times

HomeandAway Omnibus PG

Don’tForgettheLyrics

TwoandaHalfMen PG 3

ANewAge PG 3

Sullivan’sCrossing

6.05 TheBigBangTheory PG 3 7pm Strandedon HoneymoonIsland PGL 0 8.30 M OlympusHasFallen 16VL 3 0 2013 Action When a terrorist kidnaps the American President a disgraced former guard becomes the president’s only hope Gerard Butler Aaron Eckhart Morgan Freeman 10.45 Watson MC 3 11.40 FBI:International 16VC 12.20 M TheFinalDestination 16VLS 3 2009 Thriller 1.45 LoveIslandUK 16LC 3 (Starting Today) 2.35 MysteriesandScandals MC 3

3.20 Infomercials 5.20 Closedown 6am BeachfrontBargain Hunt 0 6 30 LeadingtheWay PG 7am CharlesStanley PG

KeyofDavid PG

TurningPoint PG 9am Getaway PG 3 0 9 25 TheHui 0 9.55 YouLiveinWhat? 3 0 10.45 TheGreatFoodTruck Race 0 The final three teams head to the Coachella Valley, where each truck must create and sell an original Medjool date dish to music festival fans 11.35 Motorsport:Nascar XfinitySeries 12 30 Motorsport:European RallyChampionship 1pm Motorsport:DTM

6am TheDrawingShow 3 0

6 30 KeaKidsNews 3 0

7am ReligiousProgrammes

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9.30 TheMaoriRollCall 3

10am Rugby:Australiav BritishandIrishLions (DLY) First Test From Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane

Noon L UFC318Prelims PGC Viewer discretion is advised

2pm L Basketball:NBL Final

5pm Motorsport–Monster Jam (HLS) 0

5.30 RugbyNation

6pm The100KDrop PG

7pm AmazingAnimalBabies PG 3

8pm RobsonGreen’s WeekendEscapes PG 0 Robson’s brother and uncle join him on a boat in the Yorkshire Dales, complete with fishing rods and a bit of competition

8 30 TheTattooistof Auschwitz 16VLSC 0 3/6 Heather navigates the painful twin paths of truth and grief with Lali; in the past, Lali wakes up to devastating news

9.30 TheTattooistof Auschwitz 16VLSC 0 4/6 Gita is distraught as Lali has not been seen for days; the weight of Lali’s story takes its toll on Heather’s health

10 30 Netball:ANZ Premiership (DLY) Elimination Final – Tactix v Pulse

12 30 RugbyLeague:NRLW (HLS) Knights v Warriors 1am Infomercials

8 30 NgaKapaHakaTuarua oAotearoa 3 9.30 M MonsterFamily2 3 2021 Animation 11am TeaowithMoana 3 11 30 TagataPasifika Noon Fresh 12.30 MauriReoMauriOra 3 1pm WildCity 3

2pm MatauBrosGone Fishing PG 3

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6pm Homesteads 3

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7 30 TheFrontier PG 3

As the former British Colonies on the east coast become the United States of America, their sights are set on what lies west

8.30 HikinateManuka 3

8.45 M Limbo M 2023 Drama A jaded detective travels to a remote town in Australia to investigate the cold case murder of a local indigenous girl Simon Baker

10.45 Closedown

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Trump in battle over Epstein letter claims

‘Scam and fake’: President seeks $16.7b damages

US President Donald Trump is seeking at least US$10 billion ($16 7b) in damages in a defamation lawsuit filed yesterday against media magnate Rupert Murdoch and the Wall Street Journal

The Journal published a report on Friday (NZT), saying Trump in 2003 wrote a suggestive birthday letter to accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, illustrated with a naked woman and referring to a shared “secret”

Trump has called the purported letter a “scam” and “fake” on his Truth Social platform

The US$10b defamation lawsuit filed in federal court in Miami, is Trump trying to hit back at a scandal threatening to cause serious political damage

In another bid to dampen outrage among his supporters about an alleged government cover-up of Epstein s activities and 2019 death

Trump ordered his Attorney-General, Pam Bondi, to seek the unsealing of grand jury testimony from the prosecution against the disgraced financier

In a filing in New York, Bondi cited “extensive public interest” for the unusual request to release what is typically secret testimony

Epstein a longtime friend of Trump and multiple high-profile men, was found hanging dead in a New York prison cell while awaiting trial on charges that he sexually exploited

dozens of underage girls at his hom in New York and Florida

The case sparked conspira theories, especially among Trum far-right voters, about an alleged ternational cabal of wealt paedophiles Epstein died before could face trial

When Trump returned to power for a second term this January, his supporters clamoured for revelations about Epstein s supposed list of clients But Bondi issued an official memo in July declaring there was no such list

The discontent in Trump’s Make America Great Again base poses a rare challenge to the Republican’s control of the political narrative in the United States

It remained unclear whether a court would authorise the unsealing of the grand jury testimony

But even if such material were made public it was also unclear whether it would shed much, if any light on the main questions raised in the conspiracy theories particularly the existence and possible contents of an Epstein client list

Asked by reporters if he would pursue the broader release of information related to the case Trump did not answer

Trump was for years close with Epstein and the two were photographed and videoed together at parties although there has never been evidence of wrongdoing

The Journal article was damaging because it indicated a shared interest in sex

The letter ends, according to the newspaper, with “Happy Birthday and may every day be another wonderful secret”

— Agence France-Presse

voting age might seem rather odd, when ministers don’t think they’re mature and responsible enough to do any of the following

Farmer makes splash with homemade submarine

A 60-year-old farmer in China has built his own “Big Black Fish” a homemade submarine that can accommodate two people, dive eight metres and stay underwater for 30 minutes at a time.

Zhang Shengwu, a villager in China’s eastern Anhui province, recently launched his five-ton sub into the river near his rural home, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

Footage from CCTV showed Zhang piloting the 7-metre steel craft from its hatch while surfaced and diving down with the hatch closed.

After seeing footage of submarine construction on TV in 2014, Zhang, a former carpenter who also worked in shipping, decided to start building his own.

“I’ve been around the water for many years and seen iron boats and wooden boats, but I had never seen a boat that can dive into the water,” Zhang said. “I thought, if others can do it, I can do it too.”

Despite his wife’s opposition to the “expensive, risky, useless” idea, Zhang began pursuing his submarine dream, first by spending 5000 yuan ($1170) on steel plates, engines and other materials.

The inventor launched his “first

generation” sub in 2016, but it leaked.

“It was like a dream. I was both afraid of it leaking and hoped to go deeper,” Zhang said.

Years later, after spending another 40,000 yuan on a new hulking steel structure, pouring two tons of concrete into the bottom of the submarine, and adding two ballast tanks, Zhang’s Big Black Fish was ready for sea trials.

Unlike the Chinese navy’s advanced nuclear-powered submarines that can spend months submerged, Zhang’s sub uses a small battery and electric motor, can travel just four knots per hour and needs to surface after half an hour.

He plans to build an even bigger submarine in the future.

Zhang is not the first Chinese inventor to take a deep dive into submarine construction.

In 2015, a villager in China’s northern Shaanxi province accumulated a debt of 200,000 yuan to fund the construction of his 9.2m-long submarine. In 2009, karaoke bar worker Tao Xiangli cruised around a local reservoir in Beijing in a homemade submarine. AFP

have the vote”. To some of us, though, the Government’s decision to lower the

1. Getmarried Two years ago, the minimum age for getting married in England and Wales was raised from 16 to 18. And quite right, too. After all, we don’t want impulsive under-18s making any reckless

decisions that could ruin their lives, do we?

2. Play theNational Lottery At the age of 16, young people will soon be trusted to help decide how the UK spends its annual budget of around £1.3trillion ($2.93t). Until they turn 18, however, they still won’t be permitted to spend £2 of their pocket money on a Lottery ticket. Which is as it should be, because, as our Gov-

ernment recognises, it would be wildly misguided to let children blow their parents’ cash on foolish financial gambles.

3. Serve ona jury You’ll still have to be at least 18 to do this. That’s because juries are required to make important and far-reaching decisions based on complex arguments and detailed information.

And, as the former barrister Sir Keir Starmer would surely agree, under18s simply aren’t equipped to do that.

4. Buyfireworks For the sake of public safety, category two and three fireworks (basically anything above the level of a party popper) can only be sold to people who are at least 18 years of age. But, of course, it’s perfectly safe to leave the political fate of the nation

Zhang Shengwu pilots his submarine in a river in China’s eastern Anhui province. Inset: He makes adjustments to his homemade creation Photo / AFP

in the hands of people who are two whole years younger than that.

5. Earn thefull minimum wage

The full National Minimum Wage currently stands at £12.21 an hour but only for those aged 21 or over. 16-year-olds get a mere £7.55 an hour. Still, that’s fair enough, because the latter do jobs that are much simpler and less stressful. At that age, you can’t possibly be entrusted with the same responsibilities as a grown adult.

6. Learnto drive

You have to be at least 17 before you can climb behind the wheel of a car. Naturally the Government wouldn’t be so daft as to let anyone younger do it, because, as a result of their rashness and naivety, they could cause a terrible crash. Naturally there should be no such

Americans return in prisoner swap

More than 250 Venezuelans deported in March by the Trump administration and flown to a high-security prison in El Salvador were sent home yesterday in exchange for 10 American citizens and permanent US residents imprisoned in Venezuela by the Government of President Nicola ´ s Maduro.

The swap at least partially ended one of the most controversial episodes of President Donald Trump’s second term the secret removal under a 1798 wartime law and indefinite incarceration without charge of Venezuelan migrants he said were members of a “terrorist” gang. Legal challenges to those actions continue.

In a carefully co-ordinated series of events following months of negotiations among Washington, Caracas and San Salvador, the 252 Venezuelans were bused from El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Centre (CECOT) to be picked up by two aircraft sent from Venezuela. Simultaneously, a US-chartered Gulfstream plane departed a small Georgia airport carrying US diplomatic officials and medical personnel en route to Caracas.

Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele later said in a social media post that the releases meant his Government had now handed over “all the Venezuelan nationals detained in our country”. He said Maduro had also released a number of domestic political prisoners as part of the deal.

In a statement issued after the departing US plane cleared Venezuelan airspace with the Americans aboard about 4pm, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that more Americans had been wrongfully jailed “under highly questionable circumstances without proper due process” in Venezuela than in any other country. He said that “every wrongfully detained American” in Venezuela was now free.

Maduro has often accused the CIA and American mercenaries of infiltrating Venezuela in plots to overthrow his Government. US administrations have accused him of electoral fraud and human rights abuses and imposed economic sanctions. — Washington Post

problems putting them in charge of the nation’s economy.

7. Watch anepisode of The Thick ofIt

The youngest voters will have to wait two whole years before they’re permitted to watch this profanityfilled but laceratingly accurate BBC satire of our dysfunctional governing class, because it’s got an age rating of 18. And rightly so, because it would

be awful to expose their young, innocent minds to the ugly reality of politics.

8. Stand asan MP

Well, obviously we can’t let anyone under the age of 18 sit in the House of Commons. What sort of lunatic would give such power to someone so absurdly young?

TelegrapgGroupLtd

former leader while he stands trial on coup charges. Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes, a Bolsonaro adversary, yesterday ordered the exPresident, 70, to wear an electronic ankle bracelet, not leave his home at night, or use social media.

EALES, Geoffrey Manville. RNZN Service No. NZ 16702 Been six years today, Still as raw as the day you suddenly left us. Love you always Dad, till we meet again. Marie, Kurt, Konrad, Krystle, Kye, Emelia, Konor and Keanu.

love you gave to us, never forgotten.

Much love Brian and Tracey xoxo

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Rookie claims

O

punake Cup

Joshua Brown and his trainer Lance Gussey score their biggest victory, while Lawson-Carroll rides 50th winner

TherookiepairofJoshua Brown and his ownertrainer Lance Gussey took out one of New Zealand racing’s biggest winter prizes in yesterday s $120,000 Listed Sinclair Electrical & Refrigeration Opunake Cup (1400m) at New Plymouth

Things have happened quickly for Joshua Brown who made his debut 15 months ago, and also for Cambridge-based Gussey and his wife Angela With only five horses in work Gussey now boasts four wins from 20 career starters

Gussey is continuing the thoroughbred legacy of his late father, Joshua Brown s breeder Ron Gussey Joshua Brown gave the younger Gussey his first training success at Rotorua in May last year, followed by two more at Te Rapa in September 2024 and last month But yesterday s black-type triumph tops them all

That was amazing Gussey said “Lynsey Satherley gave him a perfect ride and the horse did us proud It’s a great feeling The horse has come a long way in quite a short time He s a bit of ahardhorseto getalineonwhen he s fit, but I think he s fit now! I really don’t know where we’ll go with him from here We ll have to talk about it and make a plan This was the race we were targeting and we ve done it, so we’ll just enjoy that for now ” Yesterday sOpunakeCupwas the 13th start of Joshua Brown s career The Dalghar gelding has now won on four occasions placed in another three and has banked $149 540 in stakes

Drawn the outside gate in an 11-horse Opunake Cup field Joshua Brown broke only fairly and eased back to settle secondlast With leaders having won the previous five races on the card

that seemed far from an ideal place But Satherley allowed the 5-year-old to roll forward midway through the race, improving around the outside of the field and drawing alongside leader Spencer before the home turn

Joshua Brown pounced and took command in the straight pulling ahead of a tiring Spencer

Soldier Boy emerged as a threat with a powerful late finish down the outside but Joshua Brown saw him coming and lifted again He kicked away in the final 75m and won by a length with his ears pricked

“This means a lot,” said Satherley who has ridden Joshua Brown in all but one of his 13 starts “He’s a champion horse for champion people They’ve been loyal to me and this horse has been great

“He snottheeasiest He sprobably one of the hardest horses

I ve ever dealt with You d never get an exhibition gallop out of him and some days we re lucky if we can even gallop him But he s got a ton of ability and he s done it pretty easily [in this race]

He doesn t even really know what he s done

It was a muddling race, they didn t seem to really know what they were doing so I just kept him happy He s a horse you’ve got to keep happy I don’t really like travelling, so I probably wouldn t have come this far if I didn t rate this horse highly It was well worth it for him ” ● Ace Lawson-Carroll completed his first 50-win season with an early double at Rotorua yesterday, including a perfectly judged front-running ride on Diomedes in the Arawa Park Hotel Rotorua (1560m)

The 20-year-old apprentice went into yesterday s meeting with 48 wins from 609 rides this season That put him 17th on the

national premiership He was fourth among apprentices behind Lily Sutherland (64 wins), Triston Moodley (52) and Amber Riddell (50)

Lawson-Carroll moved to 49 wins with a four-length victory on favourite Moelle in the Rotorua ITM (1400m) and then Diomedes helped him hit the half-century in yesterday’s $40 000 open handicap feature Diomedes broke well from gate two and strode forward to take the early lead He had company for some of the back straight as Solidify who had been over-racing moved up alongside him

But Lawson-Carroll began to increase the tempo from the turn out of the back straight, shaking free and pinching a break on his opposition

Diomedes rounded the home corner with a big margin up his sleeve, and despite solid chasing efforts by Solidify and Nigella Lane down the straight, he never looked like being caught Diomedes crossed the finish three lengths in front

I thought he d be a good chance he s got nice wet-track form, Lawson-Carroll said It was a matter of giving him a comfortable enough run then getting the revs up early and putting away the field ” The Kurtis Pertab-trained Diomedes has now had 23 starts for four wins, seven placings and $76 190 in stakes The 6-year-old son of Echoes Of Heaven is raced by his breeders, Sandy Schlaepfer and Julie Young

“This horse had been racing really consistently and has kept putting in good performances,” Pertab said “He s up in the grades a bit now and needs to have everything go his way He got that, so we’re really happy ” LoveRacing.NZ

Keeper awaits belated debut

Woud signed for Auckland FC thinking he would be No 1 then the new A-League club secured Alex

Paulsen

Football

When Michael Woud signed with Auckland FC, he wasn’t just joining a new football club he was taking an opportunity to play at home

One of the first players contracted, the 26-year-old goalkeeper looked destined to own the No 1 jersey in the team’s inaugural season

And in those early weeks it was easy to picture the former Sacred Heart College student patrolling the goalmouth at Mt Smart, rousing the crowd with fingertip saves and commanding the backline

But in a move few saw coming the Bill Foley-owned club secured Alex Paulsen on loan one of the A-League’s most talented keepers

As Paulsen was signed to fellow Foley-owned club Bournemouth but had most recently played for Kiwi rivals the Wellington Phoenix the move was a masterstroke

Paulsen had been a key figure in the Phoenix s most successful season, making 29 appearances and keeping 12 clean sheets on their way to the semifinals in 2023-24 He took out three of the A-League s post-season awards: Goalkeeper, Fans’ Player and joint Young Player of the Year

Securing Paulsen without paying a transfer fee strengthened Auckland FC and ignited a bigger rivalry with the Phoenix But for Woud, it was a curveball that altered his role from likely starter to understudy

Instead of defending the goalposts on game day, he spent the season as an observer training watching and waiting Now, more than a year after his arrival at the Black Knights Woud looms as Auckland FC’s number one No 1 with Paulsen moving on to his parent club

Despite the highs experienced by Steve Corica’s side as they were crowned regular-season champions in their remarkable debut campaign, Woud was forced to be patient

“It was difficult Obviously I d come back to play and that wasn’t able to happen because AP [Paulsen] came and I had to accept it, Woud told the Herald on Sunday

I d be lying if I said it wasn t hard

It was It hit me pretty hard I didn’t expect that would happen ”

Among a group of Auckland FC’s first signings in May last year, Woud returned to his hometown with professional club and international experience Across almost a decade he had played in England (Sunderland) the Netherlands and most recently Japan (Kyoto Sanga)

Woud started at the Tokyo Olympics as the Oly Whites advanced to the knockout stage for the first time He played in three age-group Fifa World Cups and received his first All Whites cap in 2017

He’s made six appearances for the national team since with the All Whites boasting arguably the strongest goalkeeping stocks in the history of New Zealand football

Sitting on the bench for a year though, has dealt Woud a damaging

blow in his bid to push for a spot in coach Darren Bazeley’s squad for the 2026 World Cup

“I always knew they were going to sign another goalkeeper I thought, they don t have a good chance to play whoever they brought in

“But they brought in the goalkeeper who got the best goalkeeper of the year [award] the year before, [so it] was always going to be difficult to play ahead of him ”

Woud admitted accepting the fact his playing time would be limited was particularly hard around the time of Paulsen’s official announcement

“[It was] tough at the beginning Getting the vibe that AP was going to start most of those games. It’s just important sometimes to put your ego aside and what you re personally trying to achieve in the game ”

Through the season, goalkeeper

coach Jonathan Gould was honest in his assessment of Woud’s role within the Black Knights

“What [Gould] spoke to me about a lot last season is you re very far away from playing, but at the same time you re not’ AP didn’t get injured he didn’t get sent off, but a goalkeeper can get injured at any moment of the game and you might be called upon ”

Woud shifted his mindset

“It’s a team sport and just helping AP prepare for the game the best I could and making sure I was ready if I got an opportunity and seeing the team do well on the weekend and being part of that even though it was on the sideline, was still a cool experience for me.”

There was no animosity between Auckland s first and second keepers Paulsen Woud and third-choice Joe Knowles continued to challenge each

Players ‘freaking out’ over Premiership’s

Netball

Alarm is setting in among the country’s top netballers over the continued uncertainty around the ANZ Premiership’s future.

There is still no broadcast deal for next year, which upholds the competition’s pay structure.

Netball New Zealand claims a new contract is weeks away but is refusing to comment until a deal is finalised.

NNZ chairman Matt Whineray also declined an interview when approached by Newstalk ZB. Silver Ferns and Central Pulse midcourter Maddy Gordon told the Inside Netball podcast the public do

not understand how nervous they are.

“It’s not really out there how uncertain it is, and it actually is. I know there are a lot of girls who are freaking out. It’s hard to say that we do try and put it to the back of our minds because it is our career.”

Gordon was asked if they had been told anything by NNZ.

“I think they’re just still working through it. There’s really nothing more from that. They’re still trying to work it out.”

The 29-test Silver Fern said she was open to shifting to Australia’s Super Netball.

The NNZ board is also wrestling with whether it changes the Ferns’ eligibility rules to allow top players to shift abroad for club netball.

other on the training field

We had a really good relationship with each other and ultimately his playing well, which he did, will help the team do well I wasn t hoping he’d make mistakes When we kicked balls at each other we’d kick them really hard because we knew ultimately that would make us better ” Keeping Woud motivated was knowing that Paulsen was on loan for one season

“It meant it was just about doing my best to make sure I was given the opportunity this season to play and not giving any of the coaches any doubts about playing me ”

All going to plan, Woud will make his Auckland FC debut in their Australia Cup fuxture against the Gold Coast Knights on July 29 It will be 630 days since he last played an official football match

uncertain future

Gordon was not ruling out leaving the Pulse.

“We’ll see how this exemption process goes because I’d never say no.”

New Zealand skipper Ameliaranne Ekenasio, midcourter Kate Heffernan and defender Kelly Jackson have all called for change to the criteria, which demands Silver Ferns play in the ANZ Premiership.

Ace shooter Grace Nweke is ineligible for the test team, as she plays for the New South Wales Swifts.

The Players’ Association has suggested shifting New Zealand’s domestic competition so it does not clash with Super Netball, thereby allowing athletes to compete in both.

The association has also been encouraging athletes to plan for life

after the ANZ Premiership, having given NNZ until the end of the current competition to confirm a new broadcast deal.

The ANZ Premiership nears its crescendo, with the elimination final between the Pulse and the Mainland Tactix in Christchurch tonight.

The Tactix are unbeaten at home this season and favourites to meet the Northern Mystics in next weekend’s grand final in Auckland.

Gordon said they would attempt to neutralise Tactix goal attack Te Paea Selby-Rickit.

“Disconnecting TP [Selby-Rickit] is quite key for us. She plays that extra third feeder and she has a big workload down there. I definitely think she’s a target.”

Cacace to Wrexham for $8.9m

All White doubles club’s transfer record on brink of return to English second tier

Ben Francis

All Whites defender Liberato

Cacace has signed a three-year contract with Wrexham the Welsh club announced hours before their game against the Wellington Phoenix yesterday

Wrexham owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have splashed the cash for the 24-year-old, with reports estimating Cacace’s transfer fee at $8 9m for Cacace, double the club’s previous transfer record

Cacace did not play in yesterday s pre-season friendly, Wrexham s third and final match Downunder before returning home to prepare for their first campaign back in England’s d i Ch i hi ki ki ff

in three weeks Wrexham’s highest ever finishing position is 15th in the English Second Division, achieved in 1978-79 the first of the club’s only four years in the second tier

Cacace said he was “absolutely delighted” to commit to Wrexham and couldn t wait to get started at the club

Looking from the outside, what they are creating here is something I want to be part of, Cacace said

“The family they have here, it’s a tight-knit club and that enticed me

I had a great phone call with the manager, and after that, I really wanted to sign ”

Cacace began his top-level career with the Phoenix while still at school before moving to Belgian club SintT id d

played 93 games but was unable to prevent the club being relegated from Italy’s Serie A last season

to Wrexham and look forward to integrating him with the squad on our return home ” Wrexham became famous in 2021

by Reynolds and McElhenney

At the time, they were playing in the National League, the fifth tier of English football They have since secured a record three straight promotions to reach the Championship one below the Premier League for the first time in 43 years

The club has grown a global following through the Disney+ series Welcome to Wrexham

Wrexham are one of the world s oldest football clubs, formed in 1864, and play in the English system because when the club was founded, there was no established Welsh league to join

Wrexham beat the Melbourne Victory 3-0 and lost to Sydney FC 2-1 before arriving in New Zealand

Cacace won’t be the first All White to play for Wrexham, with striker Chris Killen featuring in 14 games in 2000, while Scottish-born Tom McNab played 47 times during 1957-59 before moving to New Zeal d i 1964

Teenage striker nets Phoenix winner

“I

a striker, you’ve just got to be there when it matters and I was.”

The Phoenix were massive underdogs heading into the contest without first-choice players Corban Piper, Tim Payne, Paulo Retre and captain Alex Rufer, but they defied the odds to beat the Welsh club owned by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. The Red Dragons dominated possession and created the better chances but failed to capitalise. In the first half, Isaac Hughes was impressive in the home defence, Luke Brooke-Smith proved a handful for the Wrexham defence and Phoenix keeper Josh Oluwayemi was forced to make some tough saves. At halftime, the Phoenix changed

all their outfielders for academy players and it didn’t take long for Flowerdew to send the Phoenix fans into a frenzy with his goal. Wrexham striker Ollie Palmer had a goal ruled out in the 80th minute for hand ball, as the Phoenix fans took off their shirts in traditional fashion. Victory will give the Phoenix confidence for their round of 32

Kiwis miss Open cut by one shot

Fox and Hillier narrowly miss the weekend, while Scheffler surges into lead with his lowest round at a major

Golf

RChristopher Reive

yan Fox and Daniel Hillier missed the cut by a shot, while Scottie Scheffler led by a shot at the Open’s midway point yesterday

The Kiwi duo finished on two over par through two rounds at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland which left them hovering around the projected cut line as the second round was completed

The top 70 and ties made the cut, and Fox and Hillier were in a share of 71st late in the round, which meant they needed others still on the course to drop down the leaderboard to extend the cut

However, the official cut line stayed at one over, leaving the Kiwi duo on the wrong side of it

It ends Fox s run of 10 straight cuts in major championships, his first miss

at one of golf’s four biggest tournaments since the Open in 2022

Hillier was unable to repeat his efforts from the Open last year, when he finished in a tie for 19th

The Wellingtonian has had a strong campaign on the DP World Tour this season but has now missed the cut in his last three tournaments

For Fox, the bulk of the damage was done in his first round when he shot a four-over 75, which included five bogeys in his first six holes

He bounced back well in the second round finishing two under for the day with an eagle and two birdies but two bogeys were enough to see him fall just short of the weekend.

It was the opposite for Hillier The 26-year-old finished at even par on day one and looked like he would at least hold that mark through the second round before two bogeys in his last three holes essentially ended his tournament

Scheffler ignited his bid for a maiden Open title by surging through the field to take a one-shot lead after the second round

The world No 1 brushed aside two torrential rain showers to fire a sevenunder-par 64 the best round of the week, and send an ominous warning to his title rivals

He was 10 under overall at the halfway stage one stroke clear of Matthew Fitzpatrick

“Fortunately it didn t pour the whole time,” said Scheffler after his lowest round in a major “We only had maybe four or five holes where it was really coming down and I was able to take advantage of the holes where we had some good weather.”

Fitzpatrick produced a brilliant 66 to boost his hopes of becoming the first English winner since Nick Faldo claimed his third title in 1992

Brian Harman, the 2023 champion, was one shot further behind on eight under, alongside China’s Li Haotong

Walter continues winning start

Alex Powell

The Black Caps are two from two in the Rob Walter era.

Two days on from a 21-run victory over South Africa in Harare, New Zealand managed a comprehensive eight-wicket win over their hosts yesterday, remaining unbeaten in the Twenty20 Tri-series and consolidating their place as leaders after each team’s first two matches.

Back to as close to full strength as possible, given the return of Mark Chapman, Rachin Ravindra and

Michael Bracewell from American Major League Cricket, New Zealand’s senior players stepped up.

Having played a secondary bowling role in the Black Caps’ opener, Matt Henry led the way with 3-26 in restricting Zimbabwe to a run-a-ball 120-7. Opener Devon Conway, the squad’s senior batter, then hit an unbeaten 59 from 40 balls to guide New Zealand to victory with 37 balls to spare.

Home favourite Rory McIlroy carded a two-under 69 to reach three under for the tournament but was already seven strokes off the pace Former US Open champion Fitzpatrick reeled off four straight birdies at the start of the back nine to briefly reach 10 under, before giving a shot back on the 14th

He missed a three-foot birdie putt on the penultimate green but made up for it by draining a 23-footer for par on 18

“He s world No 1 and we re seeing Tiger-like stuff I think the pressure is for him to win the golf tournament ” Fitzpatrick said before playing the third round with Scheffler in the final group overnight.

Harman who won by six shots at Hoylake two years ago, completed a bogey-free 65 with his sixth birdie of the day on the 18th green

“It’s a very boring approach that I take I m not trying to be heroic or do anything crazy,” he said

Li is bidding to become the first Chinese man to win a major championship and he made five birdies in a second consecutive round of 67 He came close to edging ahead of Harman but saw a birdie putt on the 18th agonisingly slip by the hole

“Definitely want to be comfortable Will be a lot of pressure for sure but just have to find a way to deal with that ” Li said of the scrutiny on him over the weekend

McIlroy’s roller-coaster tournament continued as his errant driving prevented him from taking full advantage of excellent early scoring conditions

But the world No 2 found his groove late in his round, making two birdies in his final seven holes to stay in touch

“I feel like I maybe could be a couple closer to the lead but overall in a decent position heading into the weekend, said Masters champion McIlroy with AFP

The only blemish on New Zealand’s day came with the news Glenn Phillips was ruled out by a groin injury and replaced in the squad by Tim Robinson man of the match in the opening victory over the Proteas.

Victory put New Zealand further ahead with four points from two matches, above South Africa (two points) and Zimbabwe (zero).

The Black Caps continue their Triseries campaign with second games against South Africa on Tuesday and Zimbabwe on Thursday at Harare.

Conway’s innings was not only timely, given his lack of form at the end of the New Zealand summer, but needed after the 34-year-old was initially overlooked for the squad and included only when Finn Allen was ruled out through injury.

France

15 Leo Barre 7/10

A rare bright performer for the visitors in the second test, the fullback held a second-minute high one nicely in Hamilton and was involved in lively early dashes. When he got on the ball with a little space the visitors looked dangerous. Got bumped when Lienert-Brown scored, and his influence faded through second half.

14 Theo Attissogbe 5/10

Star of the first test in Dunedin, quietened in Wellington and seldom sighted in the Tron. Spent most of his evening scrambling about on defensive chores; on evidence of recent weeks, he’s better on the front foot.

13 Nicolas Depoortere 7/10

Great work in the melee to hold up Finau in 25th minute was typical of the defensive muscle that frustrated the All Blacks for much of the evening.

12 Gael Fickou (c) 7/10

Most-capped Frenchman on show was a workhorse on defence

11 Gabin Villiere 8/10

Came off his wing to and did a heap of work amid the forwards with short carries and dabs. A menace when chasing kicks in play and restarts.

10 Antoine Hastoy 5/10

Flyhalf arrived with seven tests to his name and a reputation for a bit of flair. Ropey early-on with a missed touch-finder and a deadset spilling of the ball, he finished the first half with an ineffective flap at Lienert-Brown. Nailed a clever droppie and had some wily moments with his boot.

9 Nolann Le Garrec 8/10

Only Frenchman to start all three tests bagged a smart, cheeky try from eighth-minute lineout drive. The halfback was more effective and decisive than in previous showings on tour, his control and direction keeping heat on the ABs in first 40 minutes.

8 Mickael Guillard 8/10

The mini-dreads make him highly noticeable, as does the 6ft 4in frame. As in Dunedin, he was possibly the pick of the loosies on the field: a breakdown menace, up for physical confrontations, deft in his handling and all with a massive workrate.

7 Joshua Brennan 5/10 Irish-Gaul backed up from impressive debut in Wellington. In his move from lock to openside, the French possibly gave the ABs a bit of a headstart with Kirifi well-versed in the No 7 trade.

6 Alexandre Fischer 6/10

Playing his second test, big flanker made plenty of big hits which was pretty much all his teammates would have wanted from him.

5 Matthias Halagahu 6/10

At 1.94m, he might be a little short for an international lock, and the ABs certainly didn’t seem threatened in the middle of the lineout.

4 Hugo Auradou 8/10 Piled into plenty of gutsy work and was the spark of the maul that brought the opening try.

3 Rabah Slimani 6/10 Bruising work for 44 minutes before entire front row was subbed out.

2 Pierre Bourgarit 6/10

Nice work to set up and drive the maul that brought the opening try. This was a good-old fashioned shift of piling into bodies on a night where the French front rowers had (and probably wanted) few opportunities to show their fancy handling skills.

1 Baptiste Erdocio 4/10

Put in a daft late check on McKenzie that strengthened ABs’ hand with lazy penalty, then got snotted by Tuipolotu in a ruck clear out.

All Blacks sweep series

Liam Napier in Hamilton

The pendulum between risk and reward frequently swung towards the former to leave a constant state of unease before the All Blacks hung on for an unconvincing victory that secured a series sweep of the understrength French in Hamilton

Exercises in attempting to build depth are often fraught affairs That again proved true as All Blacks coach Scott Robertson grasped the chance to rotate his squad by making 10 starting changes after locking away the Dave Gallaher trophy last week

Samipeni Finau was a standout figure last night in his first start of the series from blindside flanker with strong carries and a physical presence the All Blacks demand from their enforcer

After two starts from Tupou Vaa’i at No 6 Finau sent a reminder of his claims in an impressive 65-minute shift

In other areas such as hooker and halfback, though, the drop-off from incumbents Codie Taylor and Cam Roigard was significant

Given the widespread adjustments, it should perhaps be no surprise the All Blacks lacked cohesion, which resulted in few fluid moments for the 24,162 crowd to savour.

While the French were vastly improved, as expected after recalling their few experienced players, the All Blacks lacked composure and accuracy. Their excellent carry and clean, the direct, combative approach and maul tries that were so effective in setting the front-foot platform in Wellington last week were absent at Waikato Stadium.

Backline moves were clunky, too, with the ball hitting the deck on multiple occasions as combinations battled to gel. In but one example, the All Blacks were fortunate not to be pulled back for a clear forward pass in the lead-up to Anton LienertBrown’s try just before the break.

Option taking was another issue for the All Blacks too often, they kicked poorly instead of keeping the ball in hand.

That the All Blacks gained the lead for the first time in the 59th minute

Kefu

through Du’Plessis Kirifi’s scrappy try speaks to their struggles.

With Brodie McAlister missing three lineout throws after emerging off the bench for his debut, the All

Blacks needed big defensive plays to hold out the French.

Jordie Barrett pulled off a trysaving tackle on French replacement Emilien Gailleton, and not long after,

‘gutted’ as Lions veto Samu

The British and Irish Lions have blocked Wallabies back rower Pete Samu from appearing for a First Nations and Pasifika XV against them because he did not play Super Rugby this season.

Coach Toutai Kefu told the Sydney Morning Herald he was “absolutely gutted”.

“I still can’t believe they would do it, complain about it. I suppose it is what it is but it’s extra motivation for our boys,” said Kefu, who played 60 times for Australia. “We’re a team that’s just been put together, we’re facing a massive challenge as it is, so he [Samu] would have definitely strengthened us, there’s no doubt about that. They must have been worried we were going to win. I don’t know why they would do it.”

Kefu’s side, made up of Australians with First Nations or Pacific Island heritage, face the tourists in Melbourne on Tuesday.

The team concept came into being after the Lions’ original fixture against the Melbourne Rebels fell through when the club folded.

Samu was named in the squad this week but the Lions reportedly had an issue because he played the past two years with French Top 14 side Bordeaux and only recently signed for the Waratahs.

There were no objections when the 33-test flanker played for the combined Australia-New Zealand side that lost to the Lions 48-0 in Adelaide last weekend.

The original tour agreement between Rugby Australia and the

Lions had the Rebels fixture in it and the need to change to an alternative team meant the contract had to be amended.

The Lions agreed but only if they had sign-off on the First Nations and Pasifika squad put together.

In a brief statement, the Lions said: “Only eligible players, as agreed by both sides as part of the tour agreement, can play in the game.”

Lions assistant coach Johnny Sexton, speaking in Brisbane ahead of last night’s first test, said it was more about following the pre-tour agreements than blocking Samu.

“I don’t know if the Lions have blocked him, I think it’s more the rules and regulations of what was agreed before the tour,” Sexton said. AFP

penalty on his line.

The All Blacks needed Jordie Barrett to bust through the line and send McAlister over next to the posts to

with unconvincing win

put this contest to bed with four minutes remaining but this was not the performance Robertson was seeking. There was no exclamation mark,

no continued improvement, in the third match of this series against a French side missing the vast majority of their first-choice players. Holding the French scoreless in the

All Blacks

15 Ruben Love 7/10

rare exposure as Robertson pushes on with plans to develop four deep in each position, but as the Rugby Championship looms, the All Blacks’ focus will now shift to regaining accuracy and momentum.

The All Blacks were forced into another late reshuffle when loose forward Luke Jacobson withdrew before kickoff to promote Kirifi to start at openside, Ardie Savea switching to No 8 and Christian LioWillie coming onto the bench.

Further changes didn’t help but the All Blacks were largely disjointed, with lost lineouts, handling errors and discipline consistently hurting them.

In a reverse of the All Blacks’ comfortable second-test victory in Wellington, France applied pressure through their kicking game in the first half.

A helter-skelter approach from the All Blacks contributed to a sense of overanxiousness. One example involved Savea attempting an audacious chip that handed France the ball on the 22 which cost the All Blacks three points.

Another quick lineout allowed French No 8 Mickael Guillard, who caused major problems at the breakdown in Dunedin, to earn a turnover penalty that left Robertson seething in the box.

French halfback Nolann Le Garrec claimed the opening try following a maul with a snipe down an unmanned blindside and his boot then kept the tourists ahead for the remainder of the half, with playmaker Antoine Hastoy also snapping a dropped goal.

While the All Blacks claimed two first-half tries Will Jordan’s the best after Cortez Ratima exposed the French backfield with a deftly-placed box kick their attack struggled to penetrate staunch French defence.

Two second-half tries ensured the All Blacks emerged unscathed keeping France winless in New Zealand since in 2009.

But there was nothing ruthless about this All Blacks performance.

When he reflects on the series, Robertson will be satisfied with one of the three victories.

second spell is a notable win for the All Blacks defence but they will be disappointed with many elements of their game.

Fringe players will be better for the

All Blacks 29 (Will Jordan, Anton Lienert-Brown, Du’Plessis Kirifi, Brodie McAlister tries; Damian McKenzie 3 cons, pen) France 19 (Nolann Le Garrec try; Le Garrec con, 3 pens, Antoine Hastoy dropped goal). HT: 17-19.

Suaalii: Lions bigger than Origin

Wallabies star Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii said the prospect of facing the British and Irish Lions inspired him to switch from rugby league last year.

The 21-year-old wing, who produced a man-of-the-match performance on debut as Australia upset England 42-37 at Twickenham in November, said taking on the Lions would eclipse his achievement of playing in rugby league’s fierce State of Origin rivalry.

“Yeah, that was probably the biggest carrot for myself,” he said ahead of last night’s first test in Brisbane.

“These are the biggest games, they happen only every 12 years, so that was probably the biggest thing coming across.”

Suaalii said he had been inspired

by the two tries scored by another rugby league convert, Israel Folau, in the opening test of the 2013 series, the last time the Lions toured Australia.

“I was nine. In my house, all the young kids sitting on the floor, and I just remember being real close to the TV.

“I remember watching [Folau], Kurtley Beale, all these different players do their thing in the game and it sparked something for myself,” Suaalii said.

“So to be a part of this squad, it’s amazing.”

Suaalii played down any thoughts he might carry on a feud with Lions centre Sione Tuipulotu when they renewed hostilities last night.

The pair had to be separated when they first encountered each other as

First start in the black jersey for young man with plenty to prove. Mixed first half summed up with nice dash on first touch and lost possession next time on the ball. Couple of iffy decisions with his kicking but confident and accurate in the air. Improved as match went on.

14 Will Jordan 8/10

Surprise, surprise the Cantab flier scored a try. A livewire threat every time he got his mitts on the ball.

13 Anton Lienert-Brown 8/10

Stalwart clocked up his 85th test, running on home soil, returning after 12 weeks with a crocked collarbone. Put his body straight back into the fray with grunty short-game work. Crucial try to end first half highlighted his strength and smarts.

12 Quinn Tupaea 6/10

Human battering ram battered away he’s at his best blazing on to his first-five’s shoulder. A couple of handling errors.

11 Sevu Reece 7/10

Worked hard in his return after unlucky head knock in first minute of series. Brought trademark dash and hustled smartly for chances.

10 Damian McKenzie 6/10

Organised well and was able to get his team in the right areas of the park.

9 Cortez Ratima 5/10

Produced a smart rolling boot for Will Jordan’s try but sometimes seemed in two minds when delivering the ball from fast breakdowns. Halfback delivery seemed snappier when Hotham came on.

8 Ardie Savea (c) 5/10

A chip-and-chase 10m out from your own tryline? France were grateful for the three-pointer that followed; and again a few minutes later when he spilled the ball in his next carry in his own 22. First half was possibly one of his wobbliest in black. The Ardie we know so well all leg strength, dash and breakdown bustle returned in the second spell. Finished the match with the most carries (21).

7 Du’Plessis Kirifi 7/10

Hurricanes skipper stepped up nicely following late call to the starting ranks. Loose pass in 13th minute hot on attack led to defensive scramble. In the second half, his old-fashioned breakdown skills came to the fore.

Smart work to put himself in place to grab a crucial try. Another whose game improved as the night went on.

6 Samipeni Finau 6/10

Finally gets a chance to show his goods in the No 6 jersey after watching Chiefs teammate Tupou Vai’i impress in opening tests. Handled plenty and was accurate without being able to physically dominate the big Frenchmen.

5 Fabian Holland 8/10 Tallest timber on show at 2.04m, his giant frame looks even bigger in the black jersey. The Dutchman has been the find of the series for Razor.

4 Patrick Tuipulotu (v-c) 8/10

Phenomenal effort from ABs locking duo who each played full match. The Blues skipper showed he has much to offer to a team that occasionally needs serious grunt work.

3 Tyrel Lomax 6/10

Scotland beat Australia 27-13 at Murrayfield last November.

Suaalii had stayed down after injuring his arm in a big hit on Scotland captain Tuipulotu, who then fired off some verbals at the Wallaby.

Suaalii jumped back to his feet and said, “I’ll see you next time,” before heading off for treatment

“I feel like there’s been a lot of talk around that moment, but at the end of the day, it’s just a game of footy,” Suaalii said. “I’m a big believer that whatever is said on the field stays on the field.

“I’m not going to speak on it.

Obviously fans want to see a rivalry and all that, but at the end of the day, it’s a team sport and I’m just trying to do the best for the team.” AFP

Returning from injury, he didn’t get many carries.

2 Samisoni Taukei’aho 7/10 First lineout of the night went too long but the rest were better as he capitalised on hitting the taller locks. Contributed mightily with ball in hand.

1 Ethan de Groot 8/10

Handled the pill and bashed away well in an impressive first-half display. That half-chance try would have been well deserved.

Reserves

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Dunedin Writers Festival 2025 The Dunedin Writers and Readers Festival returns from October 17-19 2025 This vibrant event celebrates Otepoti’s status as a Unesco City of Literature bringing together a rich mix of author readings, panel discussions book signings and lively conversations Attendees can meet favour-

ite writers, discover fresh literary voices and dive into diverse genres and themes For Kiwis passionate about travel and culture, this festival offers a unique chance to combine a scenic trip to Dunedin with an immersive literary experience dunedinwritersfestival co nz

Hong Kong takeover Bar Albert is gearing up for a spectacular rooftop event on August 3 featuring a one-nightonly takeover by Singapore’s 28 Hong Kong Street Visitors will savour a special menu of four exclusive cocktails crafted by General Manager Lukas Kaufmann and Head Bartender Mohamed “Naz” Yazhib From the creamy “Galactic Booze Cruise” to the energising “28 Energy Ultra Fuel”, each showcases the creativity that has earned 28 Hong Kong Street a global reputation Its a rare chance for Kiwis to experience top-tier international bar culture without leaving the city Entry is free, no bookings required baralbertauckland com/whatson

TAKE THE REINS

From Argentina’s gauchos to Italy’s butteri and America’s rodeo wranglers, cowboy culture is booming. Erika Ebsworth-Goold shares where to saddle up for an unforgettable experience.

Credit Beyonces Cowboy Carter album and tour, or perhaps Kevin Costners star turn in the western saga Yellowstone, but curiosity about cowboy culture from the gauchos of Argentina to American ranch hands is sky-high

Some adventurous travellers are even planning epic holidays to capture a bit of that self-reliant rough-riding spirit

Here’s a round-up of the best places where you can channel your inner buckaroo

Argentina

Argentina’s gauchos drove cattle across the countrys grasslands La Pampas beginning in the early 1800s Interest in these legends remains high with tourists seeking out the traditional gaucho experience Estancias across Argentina offer visitors the chance to live the culture first-hand One of the best is Estancia Los Potreros near Cordoba You get customised trail rides and can help the onsite gauchos with daily tasks including cattle counting and vaccinating The best part: they can also swap the gauchos traditional Yerba Mate tea and peasant picnics for incredible Argentinian wines and locally sourced gourmet meals

Australia

Stockmen, also known as ringers, are part of Australias cultural fabric

For generations, theyve worked the countrys craggy landscapes and vast Outback Stockmen first arrived on the scene in the early 19th century, when European settlers established cattle and sheep ranches

Their adept rustling skills were passed down through generations and are still in use today

To see modern Australian cowboys put their roping techniques to the test head to the Mount Isa Mines Rodeo in northwest Queensland The Birdsville Races held each September also have a distinct stockman flair

their American counterparts Visitors to the popular tourist town of San Miguel de Allende can get an authentic vaquero experience with a full-day ride at Rancho Xotolar a working ranch Bonus: during the tour, youll also spy ancient Toltec pyramids

Spain

Without Spanish vaqueros, there wouldn’t be “cowboy culture” These original ranch hands worked the Iberian Peninsula’s haciendas during medieval times and were responsible for rounding up livestock and branding the animals to aid in identification Their horseback skills proved so useful that conquistadors often brought them along as they expanded the Spanish empire around the world

Italy

Italys cowboys the butteri have worked the land between southwestern Tuscany and northern Lazio since Etruscan times tending long-horned Maremmana cattle

The butteri employ an elegant quick riding style and carry the traditional mazzarella a hand-carved wooden staff used to open gates, herd cattle and train horses

While the butteri still ride the open land across central Italy, their numbers are dwindling, leading lawmakers to kick off training programmes to bring new wranglers into the fold The six-room Tenuta Di Alberese located in the Maremma region of Tuscany, offers visitors horseback tours with the butteri who live and work nearby

Mexico

When the Spanish first came to Mexico in 1519, they knew they’d need vaqueros, or cowboys, to wrangle the cattle they brought with them They quickly trained indigenous men to ride horseback on the range

Those Mexican vaqueros eventually took their skills with them throughout North America developing the art of lasso (from the Spanish lazo or rope) and later inspiring

Today you can get a modern-day vaquero fix during the annual El Rocio Saca de las Yeguas During the event held every June 26 hundreds of mares are brought to the shrine of the Virgin del Rocio for a special blessing The animals are then driven to nearby Almonte for a livestock fair and sale

The Philippines

You might not consider Southeast Asia a hotspot for cowboy culture but in the Philippines rodeo reigns supreme Each spring hundreds of contestants flock to the Masbate City Rodeo Festival to show off their lasso skills ride bulls, and take part in the carambola, an attempt to restrain rowdy cows by hand Many more come out to watch the spectacle, all dressed in their western best As with many other cowboy hotspots, the Filipino tradition took shape when Spanish colonisers arrived on the scene and brought cattle and horses with them Locals learned to manage and herd cows and steer by horseback and that tradition still remains strong

United States

America’s cowboy culture is truly a melting pot

People of African Mexican and indigenous descent all joined cattle drives moving steer throughout the western states after the countrys Civil War Rodeos roundups and stampedes remain cherished parts of American tradition; there are many spots to partake in that cowboy spirit throughout the country’s southwest One of the swankiest is Paws Up located on Montanas Blackfoot River Guests at the luxe resort enjoy trail riding authentic dude ranch cookouts and glamping accommodation

The global travel company Trafalgar also offers a family cowboy tour from Salt Lake City Utah to Rapid City South Dakota

TAKING OUTDOORSY TO THE EXTREME

In a region where early gold miners endured brutal winters for the promise of fortune, competitive ice swimmers embrace the cold in pursuit of rewards less tangible, yet perhaps even more valuable, writes Kathy Young

Why in the world would anyone willingly plunge into sub-5C water with nothing but a standard swimsuit silicon cap and goggles?

My curiosity got the better of me so I headed to the Blue Lake at St Bathans Central Otago one wintry July weekend to find out why

Its here that 51 swimmers go to battle with themselves in near-freezing conditions during the International Ice Swimming Association (IISA) Aotearoa NZ national open water championships

IISA holds the ice swimming event at this spot biennially (it is held at Alexandra Aquatic Centre in alternate years), with top swimmers eligible for selection to compete at the World Ice Swim Championships

The location of the venue is thick with New Zealand’s rich pioneering history St Bathans was established in 1863 as hopeful gold chasers flooded the area hoping to strike it lucky A quarry below the township, abandoned in 1932 when mining ceased filled with mineral-rich water transforming it into the startlingly beautiful Blue Lake known as “the cathedral of swimming”

“It’s a stunning location ” says event director Susan Sherwen whose own swimming prowess is noteworthy The 64-year-old has swum across Lake Taupo around Rangitoto Island and across Raukawa Moana Cook Strait to mention a few For Sherwen who represents New Zealands growing ice swimming community the extreme sports appeal lies in its pure confrontation with limits

I think its addictive she says The endorphins are quite a rush but its also the community spirit here Giving and receiving support are equally important Plus nothing compares to being outdoors with your mates in such a stunning setting

Yet this is no reckless plunge IISA has established comprehensive safety protocols that transform what might appear as madness into a measured sport Each swimmer is accompanied by an inflatable rescue boat with a lifeguard and medic on board Medical clearance is mandatory Stroke rates are monitored Medical teams stand ready, positioned lakeside in recovery tents packed with hot water bottles and blankets

The sports growing appeal has attracted remarkable domestic talent including the Winter sisters, Heidi, 16, and Sophie, 18, from Alexandra who recently returned from the sixth IISA World Championships in Italy with Heidi becoming New Zealand’s first open category winner with gold in the 100m freestyle and a world record in her age category while Sophie claimed gold in the 100m breaststroke

As I talk to swimmers three things become clear

First, it all comes down to mindset and challenge

As Stacey Balich, a 45-year-old educator, says before taking the plunge for her first-ever ice mile (1 6km), “Its 80% mind, 20% body I argue with myself before getting in and even during the swim I tell myself over and over that I can do this

“It’s not easy when everything is hurting but it’s worth it ”

The ability to “switch off the chatter” is what Wellington-based software engineer and father of two Jackson Arlidge 34 is looking for in the water’s numbing embrace He’s just completed the fastest ice mile in New Zealand history at 23 minutes 19 seconds and swims 2 75km in 44 minutes 43 seconds which is a New Zealand ice swim record

As organiser and referee Roger Soulsby notes this success stems from a community of inclusiveness and a desire for extreme hardness

I think Kiwis are known for being outdoorsy and this is the next step in that journey he says

Secondly theres typically a back story adversity or a cause greater than themselves that drives them For some, its recovering from illness, for others, its losing a friend or overcoming mental or physical hardship

Balich swims because her swimming friend who passed away from cancer is unable to be here

Teodor Tsvetkov, a 30-year-old Bulgarian, swims to help raise awareness about water conservation

“I want people to realise that water is precious and I want people to be inspired to follow their dreams,” he says

Thirdly swimmers seem to simply find beauty in swimming in the natural environment and connecting with community

Davey Jones (Ngati Kahungunu Te Aitangaa-Hauiti Nga Rauru) 57 a Fish & Game field officer who begins each swim with karakia acknowledges “the whenua for the privilege of being in te taiao [nature] and acknowledging all those who have come before me ”

Among the international contingent is Marion Joffle 26 from Normandy France affectionately known as the smiling penguin Her presence at Blue Lake represents the fifth stage of her goal to swim ice miles on each of the seven continents

For Joffle the motivation runs deep At 6 years old cancer claimed one of her fingers When her treatment finally ended at age 16 she made a pact with herself to fill her life with water-based adventures and challenges She went on to become Frances national 25km swimming champion and set a new French female record for swimming the English Channel, at nine hours, 22 minutes

She tells me of her most sobering lesson in Norway, where she attempted an ice mile in -1C water with a wind chill of -17 At 1550m she blacked out

“I find the recovery the most difficult,” she says, echoing a sentiment shared by many swimmers who discover that leaving the water, not entering it, brings the real pain

I speak with Dr Arend Merrie, Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of Auckland and a surgeon at Nelson Hospital a volunteer supporting his wife at the event who explains the body’s response to these extreme conditions

“The body adjusts by shutting down the peripheries in order to maintain blood flow to the brain ” Recovery requires warming “from the inside

out to prevent whats colloquially known as the “afterdrop” where the bodys core temperature continues to fall, even on leaving the water

This championship unfolds within Central Otagos breathtaking landscape St Bathans main draw is the heritage-listed Vulcan Hotel arguably the countrys most well-known haunted building

Sporting achievement seems to be part of the areas DNA; a plaque outside nearby Oturehuas Gilchrists general store listing all the local champions who have represented New Zealand in sport Its apparently due for an update The heritage-listed store itself is worth a visit Its the oldest continuous trading general store in New Zealand and a rare delight for nostalgia enthusiasts merging the old and the new

Just 30 minutes from St Bathans is the township of Naseby whose residents are awaiting word from the International Dark Sky Association that they will soon be acknowledged as the Naseby Night Sky Community the culmination of nine years of community dedication to controlling light pollution The town also houses New Zealand and Australias only international curling rink, cementing the regions reputation for embracing winter sports Nearby, theres Cambrian boasting the rustic weathered school building And Ranfurly, with its Art-Deco buildings, is a great stopping-off point on the Otago Rail Trail

The landscape has been a magnet for Hollywood location-spotters over the years The rolling hills visible from the highway between St Bathans and Oturehua served as the backdrop for The Power of the Dog and Netflix movie East of Eden, while the rocky tundras of Ida Valley are known to fans as the location that served as the village of Rohan in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy

As the ice swimmers prepare for their next challenge they’re participating in something that feels uniquely suited to this landscape It’s a sport that demands the same kind of resilience and determination that built these isolated communities Where gold miners once prospected for wealth these swimmers are prospecting for riches in health and testing their limits against natures harshest conditions

The writer was supported by Tourism Central Otago

From top dawn breaks over Blue Lake creating a mag cal backdrop for the ice swimming event the renowned haunted Vulcan Hote in St Bathans provides a warm refuge for ice-swimmers; Davey Jones receives his medal for his ice swimming achievements; the historic Gilchrists general store in Oturehua is a charming reminder of St Bathans gold rush history Stacey Balich mentally prepares herself before her swim encouraged by organiser and event referee Roger Soulsby

A HOT ADDITION

In need of some winter warmth? Jet over to Sydney, where a bathhouse boom is taking place, writes Jene ´ e Tibshraeny

The wellness movement is evolving beyond raw foods and silent yoga retreats to appeal to those of us less inclined to pay for unpleasurable experiences in the name of health Cue the rise of the humble sauna, or in Sydneys case, the bathhouse

Bathhouses are popping up all around the city, presenting a chance to disconnect and rejuvenate The idea is simple: move between hot and cold spaces for a few cycles the temperature change giving the body a good kick It’s certainly not a new concept but the desire by many to escape the relentlessness of the iPhone era has perhaps mainstreamed it

The two bathhouses I visited in Sydney are quite different from each other but sit somewhere in between Aotearoa’s charming beachside saunas that have popped up and the impressive new Wai Ariki Hot Springs and Spa in Rotorua

I will start with Natures Energy which has a few bathhouses dotted throughout Sydney I visited the one in Glebe and can say it is no wonder its an award-winning institution When you arrive you take a quick shower with a salt scrub before choosing one of many spaces to relax in

There is a traditional 80-90C Finnish sauna with hot rocks a 55-65C infrared sauna a steam room and a spa pool There is also a room with full-body red and near-infrared panels Standing in front of one of these for 10 minutes is supposed to support skin clarity, cellular energy muscle recovery and sleep As for the cold spaces, there are ice baths and outdoor pail showers

The range of temperatures offered at Natures Energy is a real selling point There is the option of taking a more mellow approach, which I appreciated not only because Im a bit of a wimp when it comes to ice baths, but because the health benefits of undergoing extreme temperature changes are contested

Following my hot-cold session I was treated to an exceptional massage Again the concept of the bathhouse is basic if not primitive But the experience is enhanced by the botanical decor natural oils and crystals which feature heavily at Nature’s Energy The environment is soothing and the staff welcoming

From top the mineral poo s at Slow House Bondi the cold plunge bath and shower at Natures Energy give the body a good k ck Slow House Bond feels like stepping into an ancient Greek sanctuary; the Finnish sauna at Natures Energy; natural oils and crystals feature heavily at Natures Energy

Photos / Supplied

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA

GETTING THERE

Several airlines fly direct to Sydney from New Zealand including Air New Zealand Qantas and Jetstar

DETAILS naturesenergy com au slowhousebondi com

It all might sound a bit woo-hoo , but I left feeling a million times more relaxed than when I arrived I had never thought to spend time at a bathhouse during a city holiday For some reason we associate spas with holidays in the Pacific Islands But why not take a break from the wining, dining and retail therapy on offer in a city and indulge in some natural therapy?

While I enjoyed spending my time at Natures Energy alone and in peace, going to the bathhouse is a social outing for many an opportunity to connect with someone over a shared experience without necessarily talking

This was the vibe at the second bathhouse I visited Slow House Bondi Quintessentially “Bondi” this place was frequented by the toned and the tanned who were surely qualified to appear on Bondi Rescue as lifeguards of course

Entering Slow House Bondi which is tucked in the basement of a parking building feels like stepping into an ancient Greek-inspired sanctuary

The fitout is beautiful enhanced by the use of warm ambient light You can see why Slow House Bondi has amassed quite the Instagram following

There is a Finnish sauna steam room mineral pools ice and cold plunge baths There is also an infrared offering available for a few extra dollars

The space is more open than Natures Energy which feels quaint in comparison

A bonus of my Slow House Bondi experience was discovering a wonderful brand of natural Australian-made hair and body products called Leif (which I later discovered is available in New Zealand) Its the first time Ive found plant-based shampoo and conditioner that actually work The eucalyptus and rosella smell amazing and the packaging is chic

I returned home with a stockpile of Leif goods and an appreciation for making time to unwind during a city holiday Being in a new place is so much more enriching when you are attuned to your senses Question is are you game enough to plunge into an ice bath to really tap into those senses?

The journalist travelled as a guest of Destination NSW

WHAT’S INSIDE 7

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OUT-TAKES

WHAT PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT

THE SECRET OF KIWIFRUIT

Gut symptoms like bloating and constipation are incredibly common affecting up to a third of the population Many people prefer natural remedies But Trisha Pasricha an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School knows simply recommending an increase in fibre is not always useful Thats why shes been prescribing two kiwifruit a day to her patients for years

Kiwifruit green or gold are bursting with nutrients: a single kiwifruit contains 80% or more of an adults daily vitamin C requirement and two to four grams of fibre They also provide vitamins E and K along with antioxidants and phytochemicals An enzyme called actinidin helps break down proteins and aids in digestion Actinidin is so powerful that its used commercially as a meat tenderiser

In a randomised controlled trial in 2022, scientists from New Zealand, Italy and Japan found eating two green kiwifruit per day for four weeks helped people have more complete bowel movements

For those with constipation at base-

line kiwifruit improved symptoms such as abdominal pain indigestion and straining during bowel movements often even more so than psyllium

Beyond fibre the benefits of fruits like kiwifruit are attributed to their antioxidants, which help protect against cancer, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes Scientists suspect kiwifruit’s vitamin C works in synergy with its other phytochemicals to boost its protective power This natural remedy is an accessible and tasty way to support digestive health

SIGNS YOU HAVE A FOOD ADDICTION

About 15% of adults in New Zealand are estimated to have a food addiction Dr Jen Unwin a clinical psychologist battled this uncontrollable urge to eat she explains six signs that identify a food addiction

1. Certain foods are impossible to resist Youre craving it so badly that you have a compulsion to eat it that feels impossible to resist ” Unwin says

31% of New Zealand women experienced poor mental wellbeing compared with 22% of New Zealand men

The Washington Post

begin to ignore what you once valued and prioritise food above socialising hobbies family time and even work

2 You’re always reaching for more cake: “If you start having a glass of wine with dinner every night your tolerance builds and soon youll need two glasses or three to feel the same level of tipsy ” Unwin says “The same is true with food One slice of cake might have cut it in the beginning but now you need two or three or even half the cake to really get that dopamine hit 3. Food is prioritised above all else A common factor in addiction you

4. There are times when you cant stop yourself from eating: You completely lose control Unwin says Perhaps you bought a packet of biscuits for your grandchildren and think youll sit down with a cup of tea and eat one or two before they arrive However, before you know it you ’ ve lost control of the amount and eaten the entire pack ”

5 You get headaches and feel low when you stop eating sugar: If you try to cut down on sugary snacks and carbohydrates do you suffer from withdrawal symptoms? “These include headaches migraines gastrointestinal symptoms low mood anxiety fatigue and brain fog ” Unwin says

6 You know the food is damaging you and you dont care: “This is the really defining one ” Unwin says It’s continuing to eat these foods despite knowing theyre damaging you and causing harm

Ella Nunn, Daily Telegraph

Stripe Statement

Whether up and down or side to side, stripes have timeless appeal This playful study space pairs crisp Resene Black White with deep Resene Indian Ink stripes for maximum contrast This bold combo is an easy way to bring a confident contemporary edge to your home Add touches of bright colour for extra energy and balance the look with the washed tone of Resene Colorwood Breathe Easy on the floor

RENAISSANCE MAN

Will Sharpe plays the enigmatic love interest in Lena Dunham’s new show, Too Much

But he also has the kind of career as a writer and director that Jesse Eisenberg wants, writes Eleanor Stanford

When Will Sharpe arrived at Cambridge in the mid-2000s he was one of many undergraduates wanting to join Footlights the sketch comedy troupe that had launched the careers of Stephen Fry Hugh Laurie and Emma Thompson His friends thought it best to spend a few months figuring out what kind of comedy Footlights might favour but Sharpe wanted to jump right in

At a first-term showcase open to non-members Sharpe and his friends performed a wacky sketch that involved pretending to eat a tub of Vaseline by the handful He was made a member and later elected president of the troupe

Sharpes bi-weekly Footlights performances which also included playing a white crayon that was sad it was never taken out of the box

“definitely encouraged a risktaking attitude because you could fail and try again and fail and try again ” he recalls in an interview at a cafe near his North London home

In the two decades since college Sharpe now 38 has tried and often succeeded at a variety of creative projects including writing directing acting playing music and performing comedy Claire Foy whom Sharpe directed in the 2021 biopic The Electrical Life of Louis Wain describes him as a Renaissance man a kind one

Some know Sharpe best from his chameleonic run of recent acting gigs: stoic tech hunk in Season 2 of HBOs The White Lotus; earnest tour guide in Jesse Eisenbergs Oscar-winning movie A Real Pain; and now, Felix, the enigmatic indie musician in Too Much, Lena Dunhams new rom-com, which landed on Netflix this month

Sharpe wryly funny reflective and as generous about his collaborators’ work says he was drawn to the role of Felix because he has “ a bit of a front and on one level, maybe he thinks hes cool But hes also very obviously quite vulnerable” Spiritually somewhere between Girls and a Richard Curtis film Too Much is based on Dunham’s own experience of moving to London and living out a British love story quite unlike those she had loved

Sharpe was born in London but his fathers work as a stockbroker prompted a move to Tokyo before his first birthday When Sharpe was 8, the family he has two younger siblings moved back to England and settled in Surrey

When Sharpe wrote his first TV show dark comedy Flowers, starring Olivia Colman, which aired for two seasons on the BBC he created a fish-out-of-water role for himself: Shun, a naive, troubled Japanese man who moves in with a creative but dysfunctional family

Sharpe says he had wanted to find a way to bring the Japanese comedy he loved to an English countryside setting Now he understands Shun was also about working through his feeling of “being a visitor everywhere” after his move to England

“A lot of what I write seems in the end to contain some of that ”

Over the years Sharpe worked very hard I dont feel shy about saying that he says He won a Bafta for his role as a self-destructive escort in the BBCs Giri/Haji and directed Colman again in the truecrime miniseries Landscapers

Along the way onscreen diversity increased as other braver smarter cooler people than me managed to get projects made He points to creators like Michaela Coel and Donald Glover as inspirations

watching in TV period dramas

Dunham says as soon as she met Sharpe she knew shed found the right actor to play Felix based on her husband British Peruvian musician Luis Felber But it was only when Sharpe gave Dunham notes on the first round of scripts that she realised how intense a value-add his voice and vision would be Felix is the bewitching, brittle frontman of a band of 30-somethings still playing nondescript London pubs Hes a few years sober, figuring it out and sleeping on a friend’s couch “We used to do ecstasy in the morning, cocaine at night maybe a little foursome and order a pizza afterwards,” Felix’s frustrated host tells him “Now you ’ re monogamous and gluten-free ” Throughout production Sharpe’s conversations with Dunham influenced the shape of the character “Will was so generous with his own stories his own history ” Felix was always written as mixed

race like Felber; when Sharpe was cast, the character got a Japanese mother (played by Kaori Momoi) and a white father (Stephen Fry), like Sharpe’s parents After reading the script Sharpe also suggested that “Remen ” his character’s Jewish last name would instinctively be read as “Ramen” when he goes to sign up for unemployment benefits and “Felix Ramen” should also have been Felix’s racist nickname at the snobby private school he attended Its wild how many things about Felix felt like they were just lying stagnant until Will came along to breathe life into them Dunham says From Felix Sharpe learned he really liked wearing nail polish and for special occasions he now wears the same bottle they used on set Sharpe and Megan Stalter an American comedian who plays a character based on Dunham improvised a lot in their scenes

Hes very silly and funny and more weird like me than you think, Stalter says It was unusual for her to feel so comfortable with a straight man ” as she did with Sharpe she says She put this down to his sensitivity, and commitment to his character

Sharpe says while he brought a lot of himself to Felix “I have never been directly autobiographical ” Recently though he has come to realise his work especially his writing is a way of figuring out his own experiences in ways he wasnt necessarily aware of at the time

By early 2023, when Eisenberg wanted to cast Sharpe in A Real Pain, he looked at Sharpes writing and directing credits and thought, “Hes doing what I want to do,” “He became, for me an aspirational figure,” Eisenberg adds On the movie’s set, “I would call him a mentor but really more what he was was just this complete rock ” Eisenberg says Sharpe offered ideas as well as assurance For Sharpe being able to watch how other directors work on set was a “ a weird privilege” he says and he has learned something from every production he has worked on Eisenberg was precise and so mindful of everyones feelings ; Mike White creator of The White Lotus modelled how to keep a shows voice while also giving audiences what they want ; and Dunham was so interested in everyone and in all corners of the story

This summer he will be back in the directors chair to shoot Prodigies, an Apple TV+ rom-com series he will create and star in, opposite Ayo Edebiri The pair will play former child prodigies in a long-term relationship, who are questioning where they’ve found themselves in their 30s

When he made Flowers, Sharpe’s mindset was, “Of course, I shall remain on the periphery,” he says Now he wont just be leading Prodigies T he show’s exploration of the pressures of fulfilling your potential he says has “inched slightly closer to some things from my own life”

THE STARS COME OUT

Our artists, our All Blacks and our beer: The Hawaiian-born actor’s love for everything Aotearoa is evident as he talks to Jenni Mortimer about his latest project, Chief of War

Jason Momoa has an insatiable appetite for New Zealand

And his latest project Chief of War is a smorgasbord of Aotearoa its landscapes its culture its actors and even the All Blacks

The series filmed in New Zealand and Hawaii follows the journey of a Hawaiian chief on a mission to unite his people and end feuding between the islands to save them from the threat of colonisation

Predominantly spoken in Hawaiian and written by Hawaiians the series

showcases the lava fields of Kalapana Hawaii as well as landscapes from the Bay of Islands Auckland and the Coromandel peninsula the Whangamata Tennis and Squash Club serving as dressing room to the cast

The series, Momoa 45, tells the Herald is nothing without New Zealand

Heres the big thing I want New Zealand to know they should take a deep, deep amount of pride in this because we would not be able to make this show had it not been for the help of Aotearoa they need to know that I’m very thankful

“They bled for us and we united Polynesia ” says the Hawaiian-born actor Momoa extends his gratitude to some unexpected legendary New Zealanders who

flexed their acting chops for the first time, just for their “brother” Momoa

Eagle-eyed fans may have already spotted rugby players including Piri Weepu Rene Ranger Frank Bunce Troy Flavell Kees Meeuws and Pita Alatini featuring as Koa Polynesian warriors in the trailer for the series

Hesitant to spoil the plot of episode one I tread carefully with questioning before Momoa excitedly cuts in

No lets say it lets just say it Im a huge All Blacks fan

I love them I tried to get Tana Umaga in there but Kees Meeuws is one of my favourites of all time

So I got Kees and a bunch of them came to help Momoa adds

All Black prop Ofa Tuungafasi who Momoa calls one of my closet friends and my younger brother , has a starring role in episode one, battling with Momoas character Kaiana, a legendary Hawaiian warrior

He was so good He was so scared to do it He would not want me to tell you that, but that he was, ” Momoa says with a laugh, adding, “I was so proud of him ” Momoa recalls a particularly funny moment on set between Tu’ungafasi and his stunt double, Kim Fardy, who is Australian and the brother of exWallabies player Scott Fardy

“Kimmy would always talk s*** about the All Blacks

And so I let Ofa know I was like Just give a little sting because he’s an Aussie ’” “And sure enough Ofa gave a little

TO PLAY FOR MOMOA

f****** extra dude, Momoa laughs, recalling a hearty onscreen tackle between the two Hes a f****** wall, its crazy Hes so strong ”

The nine-part series also reunited two Hollywood heavyweights and Aotearoa acting royalty

Temuera Morrison and Cliff Curtis who starred in the 1994 film Once Were Warriors play kings Kahekili and Keoua in Chief of War Momoa says learning from Curtis was one of the big blessings from his time on set

“It was nice to actually sit down and learn from Cliff ” Momoa says crediting the duos performances as award-worthy

Cliff Curtis and Temuera Morrison can come and play the biggest kings and pull that s*** off and learn our language and play it better than Ive ever played before those guys should be up for Emmys

Momoa praised the pairs commitment to learning the language and cultural immersion revealing that he teased the role to Morrison during the 2017 filming of Aquaman which they starred in together

I told Tem on Aquaman, I wrote you the greatest role Youre gonna play the greatest game an amazing king Its unbelievable, and he replies, Yeah, yeah, yeah boy Yeah yeah yeah true boy says Momoa, giving an impeccable Morrison impression

“You gotta get the facial expressions down when doing it,” he adds with a laugh

His love for New Zealand actors people and rugby players is no secret but what keeps him coming back to Aotearoa?

“I came here when I was about 20 years old ” Momoa explains “and when I landed there Hawaii is home but theres never been anywhere in the world where

Ive ever felt more connected

I cant really explain it, if it was my destiny, my ancestors I dont know what it was, but the moment I stepped off that plane I felt it, and I’ve always been drawn to it ”

Momoa says that on a month-anda-half trip he took as a 20-year-old, he scaled the country from “top to bottom” and ultimately decided it was where he wanted to end up

“I just loved it just being in the outdoors man Being down in Queenstown and experiencing that snowboarding mountain biking rock climbing ”

I just was like Im gonna live here

I was going to spend the rest of my life here one day and now having the opportunity to come down and film he explains the passion for our country clear as he circles back to the greatest f****** rugby team of all time and goes off script

I mean listen Im in Hawaii right now

and Ill just Momoa pauses, turning his camera on during the Zoom call to show me the Steinlager Pure beer hes drinking on the couch, raising it for New Zealand before turning his camera off again “Thats Steinlager P right there ”

Momoa admits he still feels a call to relocate, saying eventually that’s the plan

“I will eventually move one day that’s where I’ll live and work I don’t want to leave Im gonna keep coming down I just love it ”

But with his passion project about to be seen by the world in two short weeks Momoa who also worked as a director writer and producer on the series says right now his focus is on the series and Hawaii

I dont have anything that I will ever do in this life thatll be bigger than this this is my heart and soul

You live with it for a decade and then you finally get it up and you get to make all the choices direct act learn the language that youve always wanted to

learn, that youve never learned

But it hasnt been easy: No one will ever understand the battles I went through for my culture

“This is as big as it gets, you know This is the tip of the spear of everything After this is just an actor paid to go do some s*** This is my heart and soul in here ”

But before he polishes off the rest of the “Steinlager P” Momoa says he wants Kiwi fans to know one more thing “Ill see you soon Next year Aotearoa Im coming home baby ”

• Chief of War premieres on Apple TV+ on August 1

Jetsetting to Europe to escape the cold may not be an option for all of us, but thats no reason to dress like the weather: dull and dreary Crochet lace and linen arent off-limits as soon as June rolls around and incorporating classically summery pieces into your winter rotation can help you make the most of your wardrobe So while youre dreaming of warmer days, try looking to summering celebrities for sartorial inspiration

Sienna Millers iconic bohemian style is a great reference point maxi skirts can be made seasonally appropriate with the right accoutrements and statement belts add a touch of fun to any outfit Try a sweeping maxi dress with thick tights and tall cowboy boots or experiment with artful layering think dreamy linen ruffles over a lightweight wool knit. Top everything off with a shaggy faux fur or Penny Lane coat if you ’ re feeling extra rock’nroll

HEALTHY PRACTICES

Professor of Genetics

Ispent my 20s studying as a medical student then working as a junior doctor My life was what I could fit in around incredibly tough hours, often barely sleeping or having any time to think about food or exercise

It was the 1980s and I was hopping around hospitals in London I would have loved for someone to tell me about the importance of diet and lifestyle, how to develop healthy habits and how much theyre needed later in life That would have been really helpful

Most people are certainly not leading balanced lives in their 20s and yet recover because they’re young and resilient Nonetheless it’s important to start being healthy as early as you can

1Sleep more consistently, when you can

For those intensive years as a junior doctor I was sleep-deprived most of the time I was regularly working 72-hour shifts on just a few hours of sleep and binge-sleeping on the days I wasnt on the ward

I knew how to crash out at 6pm after a long shift and wake at 8am the next morning

Researchers recently worked out functioning on such little sleep is equivalent to having drunk half a bottle of wine when youre seeing patients So we really werent at our best and shouldnt have been allowed near a car, but, after a few years, if you didn’t make too many blunders you had seen everything, so it did prepare us for the future

If you could cope well on little sleep and importantly fall back to sleep easily you would often do acute or emergency work

I didn’t cope with it well so I went for a specialty where I didn’t have to get up routinely at night which was rheumatology However it took a long time a lot of work and a few sleepless nights to get there

I do try to sleep much more evenly now that I realise how important it is for our health

Our research at ZOE (a health science company) has found that people who dont sleep for long enough or have poor sleep quality have much larger spikes in their blood sugar levels the next day, leaving them hungry and seeking carbs

Regularly changing your sleep schedule also has an impact

I now aim to be in bed before 11pm every night, to try and keep my sleep timings as consistent as possible I wear earplugs and an eye mask, and Ive changed my curtains to blackout I stop using my phone after 10 pm to get rid of anything that could disrupt my sleep and reduce its quality

Eat less toast and more nuts

Most of the stuff I was eating in my 20s was fairly revolting

My breakfast was cereal or toast and

Young doctors have notoriously busy schedules and are often s eep deprived Photo / 123rf

marmalade croissants and pastries werent a big thing in the 80s

Lots of my other meals were hospital food which was absolutely appalling and probably hasnt improved much I would often get an English breakfast or a plate of chips from the canteen and there wasnt a vegetable in sight Or I would pick up a tuna sandwich from the hospital cafe I wasnt strong enough to resist the lure of the meal deal

For snacks I had too much lowquality toast, as you could get it at any time of the day or night on the wards I would have been much better off munching on a large handful of nuts or even dark chocolate rather than bread which spiked my blood sugar

I might have had a yogurt once a week but it was a flavoured one and probably low-fat which is much less healthy Only women and kids had yogurt in those days I also used to love orange juice I wish someone had told me that it was not a health food and was actually bad for me

The occasional banana was about the only fruit I remember eating I was probably fairly constipated and would have definitely benefited from more fibre

I dont really blame my old self because it was really tough And we didnt question things back then We had no real concept of health I thought rice was healthy, and fat of any kind might be bad so didnt cook with much olive oil, butter or lard but that was about it

Getting more variety would have been good Now, I always aim for 30 plants a week, carry around mixed nuts and seeds, and include fermented food at most meals

I also had no concept of giving my gut a rest so I was basically eating all the time as “little and often” was the dogma then Eating better would have stopped my weight from creeping up I was pretty skinny when I started medicine around

Tim Spector on the five health tips he would give his 20-year-old self

70kg and when I was really busy it stayed at that level until I was 30 but then it started to increase by about a kilogram per year

3

Drink less beer and have alcohol-free days

Obviously, like nearly everyone, I drank too much in my 20s but that was the culture When we werent working really hard, wed be out partying

When I was based at St Barts Hospital in central London, it was opposite Smithfield meat market, where you could always find somewhere for a drink at any hour of the day or night Our own cheap student bar was open until 3am I drank anything I could get hold of I wasnt very fussy I’d have beers wine gin or vodka though I didn’t smoke or take drugs My mum had put me off smoking as she was a chain smoker

These days I aim for a maximum of 14 units a week (equivalent to seven 175ml glasses of wine or seven pints of low-strength beer) I aim to have a couple of alcohol-free days a week but that goes to pot on holidays Now Im a big fan of alcohol free beers and kombucha which are tasty non-alcoholic options

4

Try different types of exercise and do more of it

I played cricket and rugby at school and university, but I didnt do much exercise in my 20s I wasnt aware of any of my colleagues having the time to do any either Im sure we were hitting around 20,000 steps a day on the days we were working, I was running up and down really long corridors for days on end I also would pick up running each time I had an exam which there are lots of in medicine I didn’t particularly enjoy it but it was effective at reducing stress and clearing my mind

It would have been great to have been introduced to yoga or pilates

as that would have helped me later in life with being more flexible because like most people I ended up having back pain in my early 30s Id never stretched in my life I got better at exercising in my 30s; Id go to the gym once a week

These days, I mix it up I do some yoga classes Ill do some weights, and cycle for real or on my Peloton bike In the summer, I swim most days and do mountain biking Just as with food a variety of exercise is good as it uses different muscles and different parts of the brain

5

Spend more time with your loved ones

I was dreadful at staying in touch with my family in my 20s I left home at 17 and aw my parents maybe two or three times a year which is completely different to how often I see my own kids now

But that was cultural I dont think I was very different from my friends and colleagues

Whats important is that you have a support group to link up with It doesnt have to be your parents it could be close friends or another form of community so you dont get isolated I wish someone had told me that when youre young you make a lot of your best friends who you keep with you all your life I still see many of my school friends regularly and realise how supportive it is to have regular contact and a good dose of sarcastic teasing

All in all, I feel immensely grateful to be fit and well, given the way I mistreated my body in my youth Its a testament to the resilience of life and our bodies We can’t turn back the clock but we can start afresh today Eating a diverse range of plants limiting alcohol keeping active and maintaining close relationships are all evidence-based ways to stay healthy as we age

● Tim Spector is professor of genetics at King’s College London

Plant your lilies now for a Christmas display, says Gareth Carter

Planting bulbs is a bit like planting buried treasure in the garden You plant them and some time later they emerge grow flower and later return to dormancy Then the following year the season repeats offering much delight and joy

July is the month for planting Christmas lilies

Christmas lilies are a delight in the garden showing off their beautiful blooms during summer and as the name suggests at Christmas

They are the common name of a few varieties of oriental-type lilies and part of a wider family including Asiatic lilies

So why am I talking about Christmas lilies in the middle of winter? Now is the time to be planting them, as they grow from a bulb/tuberous root system they are dormant during the winter months

If you have some lilies in your garden they benefit from being divided every three to five years and you get new plants from the process

Planted now your lilies will sprout during the late winter then grow during spring and begin flowering around December

Lilies are easy to grow and can be left in the ground for a number of years Each year the clumps of bulbs will increase as will the subsequent number of blooms This is the time of the year that these and other dormant bulbs such as dahlias can be lifted and divided to create new plants

Most people know the Christmas lily though there are many other very worthy colours shapes and sizes in lilies that can be grown very easily

Both Asiatic and Oriental lilies make a wonderful cut flower to bring indoors during the summer They can last up to 2-3 weeks in a vase by changing the water regularly and re-sniping the base of the stem to keep the wound fresh

Asiatic lilies are generally earlier flowering and there is a larger colour range to choose from, most are not scented They tend to multiply much faster than Oriental types The growth habit as a rule are more compact which can make them better for pots and small spaces

BURIED TREASURE

larger and have the famously scented blooms that bring reminiscent of ”Grandma’s Garden”

The stems are usually taller with a stately presence

Planting both Asiatic and Oriental lilies is recommended as this will give you a longer flowering season of beautiful lilies

How to grow successfully

Lilies grow best in a sunny situation with rich well-drained soil The freedraining aspect is particularly important otherwise the tuberous root system can be prone to rotting and you can lose your plants during wet periods If necessary, you can raise a mound to achieve free draining For great results, lilies should be fed Ican Bulb Food, once at planting, once before flowering and again after flowering when the plants are storing energy for the following year Care should be taken to ensure the fertiliser does not come into direct contact with the bulbs

Planting groups of 3-5 bulbs in the garden usually gives the best visual effect Taller-growing varieties will need staking so wind during the summer doesnt snap off the stems

Oriental lilies are a bit later flowering the flower size tend to be

Adding a stake at planting time avoids possible root damage if they are added at a later date It’s also a good marker for knowing where your dormant lilies are

What about pots?

Using a quality potting mix is key to success along with a pot that is not too small I recommend Tui Bulb Mix or Ican Premium Potting Mix Both have good structure The addition of Tui Enrich for Pots & Containers every six months and using liquid fertiliser Ican Fast Food as a top-up during the summer months will offer success

Lilies can be used to great effect in large pots with a mixture of plants such a permanent shrubs and seasonal annuals, with the lilies coming through in the summer months

Get inspired to plant something now for summer call into a garden store and see the range of lily bulbs available now

❏ For more gardening information visit www springvalegardencentre co nz

❏ Gareth Carter is General Manager of Springvale

SPICED CARROT AND LENTIL SOUP

Split red lentils are the trick to adding body and protein to this Indianpired spiced carrot up It’s perfect for oler days, especially h a delicious tarka of ed spices to finish and e added crunch of mmus drops

Ingredients

4 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion chopped

3 cloves garlic minced

3cm piece ginger peeled and minced

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

1⁄2 tsp turmeric powder

1⁄2 tsp sweet smoked paprika

1⁄2 tsp garam masala

1⁄4 tsp chilli flakes

1 tsp salt

2 Tbsp tomato paste

1 kg carrots peeled and sliced

3⁄4 cup split red lentils

11⁄2 litres vegetable stock

125ml coconut milk, plus a little extra for drizzling

2 tsp black mustard seeds

2 tsp cumin seeds

A few curry leaves

1⁄2 cup crispy hummus drops to serve

Method

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan and add the chopped onion Cook until the onion begins to soften then add the garlic and ginger and fry for a few minutes Add the ground coriander cumin turmeric sweet smoked paprika garam masala chilli flakes and salt Cook until fragrant then add the tomato paste and cook for another minute

Add the carrots and stir to coat in the mix Add the lentils and vegetable stock and bring up to a simmer Cook for 25 minutes until the lentils and carrots are soft Puree the mix with a stick blender and add the coconut milk Season to taste

To serve heat the remaining oil in a frying pan Add the mustard seeds cumin seeds, and curry leaves and fry until the seeds pop and the leaves become crisp Ladle the soup into bowls drizzle with some coconut milk, and add a spoonful of the spiced oil mix Scatter over some hummus drops to serve farro co nz

Ginger garlic and spices warm up this tasty soup

QUICK CHICKEN & PISTACHIO GNOCCHI

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 Tbsp oil

500g chicken breast, diced

400g cauliflower, cut into florets

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1⁄2 tsp salt

120g baby spinach leaves

1⁄4 cup grated cheese

4 Tbsp sour cream

1 lemon juiced

Black pepper to taste

For the gnocchi

70g pistachios, roughly chopped

500g gnocchi

50g butter

2 Tbsp water

To serve

1⁄4 cup grated cheese

1-2 handfuls of rocket leaves

Method

Heat the oil in a deep frying pan to a high heat and add the chicken, cauliflower, garlic and salt Cook for about 8 minutes, tossing frequently, until the chicken is cooked through Remove from the heat and add the baby spinach

1⁄4 cup Parmesan sour cream and lemon juice Stir gently and season to taste with black pepper and extra salt if required At the same time the chicken is cooking heat a second frying pan on

Creamy and delicious, this chicken gnocchi dish is studded with crunchy pieces of pistachio When you need dinner in a hurry because life’s packed with work, school, and kids, grab a couple of pans and it’s ready in under 30 minutes

Dinners only 20 minutes away with this easy meal

Photo / Fresh Media

medium and add the gnocchi Cook for about 4 minutes without stirring until browned on one side then mix in the butter and chopped pistachios and cook for another 3 minutes until the pistachios are lightly browned

Tip the gnocchi and pistachios into the pan with the chicken Add 2 tablespoons of water to loosen it and mix gently

Serve with extra grated Parmesan and rocket on top

fresh co nz

GIANT CROSSWORD

channel (5)

Against (6)

Wanderer (5)

Certain (4)

Late (7)

Nullify (6)

Tiny particle (4)

Purplish gemstone (8)

Full of spirit (6)

Emphasise (10)

Rich soil (4)

Gave way (7)

Young dog (5)

Timepiece (10)

Meat sauce (5)

Recommend publicly (8)

Without weapons (7)

Frozen mass (7) 28 Pick (6) 29 Sheep meat (6) 30 Extent (6)

Coarse (5) 35 Established practice (5) 36 Potter’s oven (4) 37 Food fish (4) 42 Paid out (5) 43 Violent disturbance (8)

Reliable (6)

CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

ACROSS

1. Hand-warmer the French use to deaden the sound (6)

4 Bit of hosiery one is keeping in store (8)

9 Money makes the King (6)

10 The engine is stopping while one’s playing for time (8)

12. Being unbiased, Lima has a trip organised (9)

13. In Essex, to laugh is to praise one (5)

l4 Changed shape of mood in cat, if I adapt to it (12)

18 Where to protect invention of tent if cape is made of it (6,6)

21 To be precise, it’s the way to enforce payment (5)

22 Sickness can be hell: halt one variety of it (3,6)

24 It’s obvious that a mother or father will go around quietly (8)

25. Determined way in which one followed somebody (6)

26. Birds of the sleek sort, nothing less (8)

27. Sort of measure me with no end of artifice (6)

45 Notes (5,5)

46 Pledge (4)

47 Sea creature (7)

48 Tell (6)

49 Squeeze sharply (5)

51 Castle ditch (4)

52 Young baby (7)

53 Lacking breadth (6)

58 Ritual (10)

59 Acute, unspecific sense of anxiety (5)

63 Was Constantinople (8)

64 Fashion (5)

65 Alterations (7)

68 Say why (7)

69 Grossly overpriced article (3-3)

70 Comment (6)

71 Girdle (6)

75 Flooded (5)

76 Impulse (4)

77 Formal dance (4)

78 Makes a mistake (4)

DOWN

1. Cult of male pride, comma – his mistake! (8)

2 Horseless highwaymen of past do have to adapt (8)

3 Inner material furnishes ocean-goer (5)

5 Little battle rhymes with gossip (6,6)

6 Named the driver’s right to have cancelled it (6,3)

7 Fools do, it is put about (6)

8. Single engagement with broken leg

it’s a bit of a laugh! (6)

11. Left to one’s judgment, credit is loan arrangement (12)

15 Toady may say nice things about King Edward (9)

16 One in country community is ill, grave as can be (8)

17 Systematic way the MO is worked out when CID turn up (8)

19 An observation one may notice (6)

20. Ornamental sort of grass Pa’s making map of (6)

23. Run off to a union meeting (5)

SIMON SHUKER’S CODE-CRACKER

SUNDAY KIDS

Fill in the blank squares of the grid, using 1 to 9, without repeating any number in any run line The lines must be filled in with numbers which add up to the total in the shaded box at the top or beginning of each line

A number in the bottom half of the shaded box gives a vertical total; in the top half, it’s a horizontal total Its useful to learn number combinations: for instance, a clue of 16 over two squares can only be 7 and 9

A clue of 7 over 3 squares can only be 1 + 2 + 4

For a printable list of the number combinations go to: www kakuro com/singlecombos.php

ARIES (Mar 21-Apr 19): You’ll find the right words to motivate and inspire Today positively glows with honesty, humour softness and self-awareness. It’s such a “you” cocktail – clear and sparkling, with a wry twist of existential citrus.

TAURUS (Apr 20-May 20): The first few interactions may cast a longer shadow than they deserve. Take control of your experience by curating the influences around you. One small refusal could preserve your whole day. One surprising “yes” might redefine it.

GEMINI (May 21-Jun 21): Someone you love brings their chaos to your doorstep. Your calm presence will help more than anything. It’s funny how much strength lying back requires for helpers and doers like you. Today you will fix things best by not fixing them.

CANCER (Jun 22-Jul 22): Your curiosity is a catalyst. Don’t walk it back Ask the bold question. Maybe the room goes silent just as you say something unexpected, and that’s okay, too. You’ll spark the most interesting exchange of the week.

LEO (Jul 23-Aug 22): One small financial decision will echo further than expected. The money matters, but the feeling behind it matters more. A quick impulse reveals your values – how you love, how you long, what you’re still hoping for VIRGO (Aug 23-Sep 22): A compliment lingers – not because you needed validation but because it affirms something you’ve been working toward. Let it sink in You’re growing in ways the mirror hasn’t caught up to yet.

LIBRA (Sep 23-Oct 23): A familiar tension revisits. This time, you don’t flinch. You stay in the room. You listen differently. Your perception is keen. You have social radar, emotional intelligence and the ability to read subtext like a pro.

SCORPIO (Oct 24-Nov 21): A professional setting brings surprising warmth. You’ll bond with someone who was all surface before. A shared laugh or quick confidence changes the whole dynamic. Mutual respect turns into something a little more electric

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22-Dec 21): Being right isn’t the goal anymore – progress is. You’ll tune into what others are doing, how they move, what drives them. This awareness helps you adjust just enough to align, collaborate and finally make something work.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22-Jan 19): A friend’s odd reaction isn’t your cue to retreat. Something else is going on. Extend a neutral grace and watch how quickly things reset Later, they’ll thank you for reading the room –and for leaving room for them.

AQUARIUS (Jan 20-Feb 18): Hold off on naming your strengths – and your weaknesses. Today brings a nudge to expand beyond old definitions and push into territory that surprises even you.

PISCES (Feb 19-Mar 20): You’re not just hoping things will work out, you’re doing something to make them work Your positive outlook comes from actual effort, strategy or follow-through. Because of that, people trust you. They feel safe relying on you.

BLACK OUT