New Zealander killed by shark in Australia was not wearing shark deterrent device he owned
A New Zealander who was killed by a shark while surfing in Australia owned a shark deterrent device but decided not to use it on the day he was killed, a coroner has heard.
Steven Payne, 37, died after being attacked by a great white at Wharton Beach in Western Australia in March. His body has not been recovered.
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1News
3 days ago
- 1News
Greens want passenger trains between Auckland and Tauranga
The Green Party is calling on the Government to extend the Auckland-Hamilton passenger rail network to Tauranga. However, Bay of Plenty Regional Council's chairman said now was not the time for regional passenger rail. Green Party transport spokeswoman Julie Anne Genter was in Tauranga on Thursday launching a petition urging Minister of Rail Winston Peters to "Restore Regional Rail". Te Huia, the Hamilton to Auckland passenger rail link, had proven the demand for the service, she said. "It's time to extend that service to the people of Tauranga and some of the smaller towns in between." Extending the service could be done "relatively quickly and at an affordable cost," with operating costs of $10 million over the first four years, Genter said. Last week, Peters threw his support behind a Sunday service for Te Huia, so it made sense for him to look at extending the service to Tauranga, she said. "Aotearoa was once linked up by rail services and bus services that were affordable and frequent, and they linked our major centres, and they enabled people to get to even rural parts of our beautiful country. "It's time to get our rail network back on track." The party's plan would require new stations in Tauranga, Morrinsville and Waharoa but could be run with existing trains. It would also need passing loops and full double-tracking, including through the Whangamarino Swamp in Waikato, to speed up the service. The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including Hulk Hogan dies, sentencing for a New Zealander who assaulted two airline stewards, and a big accolade for Te Papa. (Source: 1News) The plan stated the initial proposal could be up and running in the next two years. The Greens' full plan was costed at $3.3 billion, with stage two including additional trains for extra services in peak conditions, station refurbishments, a depot in Waikato and duplication of the single track near Meremere rolled out over the next five to 10 years. These improvements would make a trip between Tauranga and Auckland take two-and-a-half hours, the plan stated. Asked if passenger rail would clash with the freight trains, Genter said the initial proposal would be a couple of services a day and there was capacity on the line for that. Stage two would increase network capacity and extend electrification, which would benefit passengers and freight, she said. "It makes sense to make use of our existing rail lines for those passenger services." Passenger rail between Tauranga, Hamilton and Auckland was discontinued in 2001 because of low patronage and high operating costs. Asked if it would be different this time, Genter said everywhere that rail was invested in, patronage was growing. "The privatisation of the rail network in the [1990s] led to underinvestment and a decline, but now rail patronage is growing across the world – it's what people want. "Now is the perfect time to use the track we already have and revitalise our passenger rail network." Stage two would increase network capacity and extend electrification, which would benefit passengers and freight, she said. "It makes sense to make use of our existing rail lines for those passenger services." Passenger rail between Tauranga, Hamilton and Auckland was discontinued in 2001 because of low patronage and high operating costs. Asked if it would be different this time, Genter said everywhere that rail was invested in, patronage was growing. "The privatisation of the rail network in the [1990s] led to underinvestment and a decline, but now rail patronage is growing across the world – it's what people want. "Now is the perfect time to use the track we already have and revitalise our passenger rail network." Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale was "conditionally supportive" of a Tauranga to Auckland passenger rail service. A transit time of two-and-a-half hours from Tauranga to Auckland needed to be resolved to make it an "attractive option", he said. The service would also need to deliver value for money, Drysdale said. He also had "questions" about the Kaimai Tunnel and freight impacts. "From a Tauranga perspective, I would like to see some options of utilising our local rail network and finding a way to connect passengers from the Mount, Te Puke/Pāpāmoa and Ōmokoroa/Te Puna. 'Considering we have trains running through our city centre, the availability of passenger services could make a huge difference to our public transport system.' Genter said they would be open to looking at passenger rail within Tauranga. "Tauranga absolutely needs more passenger transport options." Traffic was "so bad" in Tauranga and it was not from a lack of roads, she said. "You can build as many highways as you want, the traffic is only going to get worse over time and transport costs will escalate." The petition also called for the overnight rail service between Auckland and Wellington to be reinstated, and for the return of the Southerner connection between Christchurch and Dunedin. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
1News
3 days ago
- 1News
Big, awkward, neglected: Auckland scores poorly on international report
The recent report comparing Auckland to nine international peer cities delivered an uncomfortable truth: our largest city is falling behind, hampered by car dependency, low-density housing and 'weak economic performance'. Timothy Welch reports. The Deloitte State of the City analysis was no surprise to anyone who has watched successive governments treat the city as a problem to manage, rather than an engine to fuel. The report's findings were stark: Auckland rates 82nd out of 84 cities globally for pedestrian friendliness, and its car-dependent transport system is more carbon-intensive and slower to decarbonise than peer cities. (Source: This is the direct result of decades of planning failures, including what urban researchers call the 1970s 'great down-zoning' which halved central Auckland's housing capacity. ADVERTISEMENT This isn't just Auckland's problem. When we mismanage what geographers call a 'primate city,' it reveals our fundamental misunderstanding of how modern economies work. The concept of the primate city was formalised by geographer Mark Jefferson in 1939. Such cities are defined as being 'at least twice as large as the next largest city and more than twice as significant'. Auckland fits this definition perfectly. With more than 1.7 million people, it is over four times larger than Christchurch or the greater Wellington region. The city accounts for 34% of New Zealand's population and is projected to hit 40% of the working-age population by 2048. The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including Hulk Hogan dies, sentencing for a New Zealander who assaulted two airline stewards, and a big accolade for Te Papa. (Source: 1News) Auckland contributes 38% of New Zealand's gross domestic product and its per-capita GDP is 15% higher than the rest of the country's. Its most productive area, the central business district, enjoys a 40% productivity premium over the national average. To economists, these numbers represent the 'agglomeration benefits' research shows primate cities generate. It is the economic effect of combining businesses, talent and infrastructure. Yet New Zealand systematically underinvests in the very place generating this outsized economic contribution. ADVERTISEMENT A pattern of infrastructure failure Auckland's infrastructure deficit follows a predictable pattern. The City Rail Link, while progressing, has grown from an initial budget of NZ$2-3 billion to $5.5 billion, with opening delayed until 2026. The first train to be tested in Auckland's City Rail Link travels through Maungawhau in February. (Source: City Rail Link) Light rail was cancelled entirely after years of planning. A second harbour crossing has been studied for decades without a shovel hitting dirt. Each represents billions in opportunity costs while congestion worsens. This goes well beyond project mismanagement. It is a deep structural problem. The Infrastructure Commission-Te Waihanga identifies a $210 billion national infrastructure shortfall, with Auckland bearing a disproportionate burden despite generating a disproportionately high level of revenue. International research by the OECD shows successful countries treat metropolitan regions as engines of national growth, not a burden. ADVERTISEMENT The 'Wellington problem' Public policy expert Ian Shirley called it the 'Wellington Problem': the way Auckland's governance became an obsession for politicians and bureaucrats based in Wellington. The tension dates to 1865 when the capital was moved from Auckland to Wellington, establishing a pattern where political power was deliberately separated from economic power. Parliament (file image). (Source: 1News) Auckland loses an estimated $415.35 million annually in GST collected on rates. This goes to Wellington and into government revenue rather than being reinvested locally. Central government properties in Auckland, worth $36.3 million in rates, are exempt from payment while still using Auckland's infrastructure. When Auckland speaks with 'one voice' through its unified council, Wellington responds with legislative overrides. The recent National Land Transport Programme, for example, cut Auckland's transport funding by $564 million. Mayor Wayne Brown said the government's transport policy 'makes zero sense for Auckland'. ADVERTISEMENT Learning from others The contrast with international approaches reveals just how counterproductive New Zealand's approach has been. London has an integrated Transport for London authority with congestion charging powers, generating £136 million annually for reinvestment. Paris is investing more than €35 billion in the Grand Paris Express transit project. Paris: city of trains (Source: Japan's 'Quality Infrastructure Investment' principles include ¥13.2 trillion in regional infrastructure investment. Australia's A$120 billion infrastructure programme explicitly recognises its largest cities contribute over 50% of GDP and require proportional investment. Research has shown excessive urban concentration in one country can create problems. But denying the primate city resources only leads to a 'deterioration in the quality of life' that drags down the entire national economy. The solution lies in making strategic investments that maximise the benefits of agglomeration while managing any negative costs to the national economy. ADVERTISEMENT Growing pains Auckland isn't a problem to be managed, it is an asset to be leveraged. Every successful developed economy has learned this lesson. Paris generates 31% of France's GDP and gets treated accordingly. Seoul produces 23% of South Korea's output and receives massive infrastructure investment. Tokyo drives Japan's economy. The international evidence is unambiguous: countries that strategically invest in their primate cities achieve higher productivity growth and maintain competitive advantages. Auckland doesn't need sympathy or special treatment. It needs what every primate city in every successful economy gets: infrastructure investment proportional to its economic contribution, governance structures that reflect its scale, and political leadership that understands agglomeration economics. The question isn't whether Auckland is too big. The question is whether New Zealand is big enough to nurture its primate city. Timothy Welch Senior Lecturer in Urban Planning, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence.
RNZ News
3 days ago
- RNZ News
Fiji's top prosecutor remains in self-imposed exile in NZ while earning six-figure salary
Christopher Pryde Photo: Christopher Pryde A senior Fijian public official remains in self-imposed exile in Christchurch, despite continuing to receive a six-figure government salary since his reinstatement. Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has called out New Zealander Christopher Pryde, the country's director of public prosecutions, for failing to turn up to work for almost seven months since his [ reinstatement in January. Rabuka said that since Pryde's reinstatment, he has been nowhere to be found, all the while earning FJ$250,000 (approximately NZ$184,000) per year. Pryde was reinstated following a suspension in April 2023 , pending an investigation into "allegations of misbehaviour" by the country's head of state, President Ratu Wiliame Katonivere, under direction of Prime Minister Rabuka. The Otago-educated lawyer has held the Offfice of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) since 2011, during which time he laid charges against former Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama and the then-Police Commissioner at the time, Sitiveni Qiliho. After his reinstatement, Pryde suspended the then-acting DPP Laisani Tabuakuro on 29 January over "insolent, grossly discourteous" comments. "I have reviewed, in particular, a number of public statements you have made at various times without authorisation and which have caused reputational damage to the [ODPP] and brought the office into disrepute," Pryde wrote in a letter dated 30 January. "I also note public statements you have made against me personally and the manner in which you have addressed me in email correspondence, all of which I regard as inappropriate and insolent, The last of which led to your suspension." In a statement on 10 April, Pryde said that the removal was undone by now acting DPP Nancy Tikoisuva, who shortly after his resinstatement, filed her own complaints against him. Pryde is now refusing to return to Fiji until the Judicial Services Commission (JSC) - the body that appoints and removes judges - issues a decision on Tikoisuva's complaints. "I am ready to return to work, but I have insisted that the JSC give me a clear undertaking that I will not be immediately suspended and my salary cut upon my return to Fiji. "I spent nearly two years under suspension and seven months without a salary (before his reinstatement) in breach of natural justice." Pryde said that he wrote to Rabuka about his concerns. This week, Rabuka posted on Facebook saying that he had "expressed serious concern" over Pryde's absence. "I will have to find out why he has not been called and whether it is a matter for the Constitutional Offices Commission to consider again."
