Dave

Associate health minister Casey Costello has labelled New Zealand's recent plummet in global tobacco control as "ridiculous" and "ludicrous".

It comes after the country plummeted from second in the world in 2023 to 53rd in the 2025 Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index.

The main factors damaging New Zealand's standing are the repeal of the smokefree generation laws, the tax break benefiting tobacco giant Philip Morris and the movement of staff between politics and the lobbying industry.

SmokeFree 2025?

New Zealand's smoking rate has been dipping throughout the last decade, but has somewhat stagnated the last three years and is sitting at 6.8 percent, just above the 5 percent target.

In 2024, the government scrapped laws which would have slashed tobacco retailers from 6000 to 600, removed 95 percent of the nicotine from cigarettes and banned sales of cigarettes to anyone born after 2009.

The prevalence of daily vaping had increased slightly from 11.1 percent last year to 11.7 percent this year.

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Welcome to this week’s casual kōrero thread!

This post will be pinned in this community so you can always find it, and will stay for about a week until replaced by the next one.

It’s for talking about anything that might not justify a full post. For example:

• Something interesting that happened to you
• Something humourous that happened to you
• Something frustrating that happened to you
• A quick question
• A request for recommendations
• Pictures of your pet
• A picture of a cloud that kind of looks like an elephant
• Anything else, there are no rules (except the rule)

So how’s it going?

If I'm on a feed, say All, then I accidentally open the communities side bar, I cannot for the life of me work out how to close it without having to choose a feed or community, triggering a refresh.

This is worse when I'm on a post. I am here reading the comments in a post and accidentally open the communities side menu, how do I close it and stay on the post? I have almost no chance of finding that same post again 🙁

Government ministers have confirmed they are considering measures to move homeless people out of Auckland's city centre - but the exact details remain unclear.

Asked for more details, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith said he had been tasked with ensuring police had the tools they needed to tackle public disorder.

"It's blindingly obvious to everybody that the CBD, particularly of Auckland, but a lot of places, have been characterised by disorder and real concern around public safety," Goldsmith said. "We're open to some new suggestions in that area."

Asked specifically whether he would consider a ban on rough sleeping, Goldsmith said: "We're working our way through those issues... when we've got something to announce, we'll announce that."

Duelling opinion pieces have been published this morning about the standoff between police and Stuff, after the news website posted police audio from the night fugitive dad Tom Phillips was shot dead. In a rare move, Police Commissioner Richard Chambers has explained the fears police had over the radio communications being heard by the public; in response the website's editor in chief has shot back outlining his rationale. RNZ is publishing both pieces in full below.

I don't know that I can fairly summarise the statements so you'll have to read them for yourself. I'm interested to hear thoughts on if the concerns are valid and if Stuff's response is appropriate.

The father of a man who drowned in Wellington Harbour is appalled that new Wellington Mayor Andrew Little filmed a video announcing the removal of safety fences near where another man drowned more recently.

Temporary fences have been in place around Wellington's waterfront since the the death of Isaac Levings in 2023, but on Monday council announced it would remove the temporary fencing this week.

Levings was one of seven people who drowned in the capital's harbour since 2006.

In March, the Coroner also called for immediate action in "high-risk" areas of the waterfront following an inquest into the accidental drowning of Sandy Calkin in 2021.

But in August, the council voted against a $7 million proposal to urgently put fences up around Wellington's waterfront.

A new council has since been elected, helmed by Andrew Little.

On Monday, Little posted a video on social media announcing that the fencing was coming down, standing on the waterfront.

This prompted an email from Sandy Calkin's father Roger Calkin.

"I find it sickening that you have used the spot where the body of Isaac Levings was recovered from the water to choose to make a Facebook video celebrating the removal of the temporary fencing," Calkin emailed.

"Your choice to shoot this video in that place is a just a further kick in the teeth to victims and their families. Do you have no empathy or understanding of the situation at all?"

Calkin told RNZ the video showed a complete lack of judgement.

"He could have just gone online and made his announcement anywhere. He didn't have to do it in a place that is likely to offend people," he said.

In a statement, Little said what happened to Calkin's son was a tragedy and had his sympathy.

"Wellington City Council has made a number of significant improvements, including lighting, and will continue to invest in safety along the waterfront."

Last thread here

Welcome to this week’s casual kōrero thread!

This post will be pinned in this community so you can always find it, and will stay for about a week until replaced by the next one.

It’s for talking about anything that might not justify a full post. For example:

• Something interesting that happened to you
• Something humourous that happened to you
• Something frustrating that happened to you
• A quick question
• A request for recommendations
• Pictures of your pet
• A picture of a cloud that kind of looks like an elephant
• Anything else, there are no rules (except the rule)

So how’s it going?

More than 100 police officers are under investigation after 30,000 alcohol breath tests were "falsely or erroneously recorded", RNZ can reveal.

"From the audit which covered over 4.6 million breath tests performed between 1 July 2024 and 17 August 2025, the initial analysis suggested there were tests conducted that were simulated without the involvement of a driver.

The audit indicated that some staff had recorded breath screening tests that hadn't occurred.

Johnson said that despite this, Police's obligation to deliver 3.3 million tests for NZTA and Ministry of Transport had been met and was not compromised.

Fonterra's farmer shareholders have voted overwhelmingly in favour of the sale of the brands like Mainland and Anchor to a French company.

More than 88 percent of the votes cast at a special meeting backed the $4.2 billion sale to French dairy giant Lactalis.

ASB Bank estimated the sale proceeds would ultimately be worth about $4.5b to the economy, with farmer shareholders receiving an average tax-free payout of about $392,000 if the sale went ahead.

The sale to the world's biggest dairy group, French-based Lactalis, is the final step in Fonterra's transition to a slimmed-down New Zealand-based supplier of raw ingredients and high-value products to other manufacturers.

Immigration New Zealand says 1000 people each week submit photos that have been filtered or airbrushed.

The agency receives about 20,000 visa requests per week, so about one in 20 photos has been altered.

On Friday, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment deputy secretary Alison McDonald told the Association for Migration and Investment conference in Auckland that the number of touched-up pictures was increasing and was creating big problems.

"We've got more and more applicants applying, having kind of morphed their photos using AI or filters.

"If you see your client and they don't look like the picture, find yourself - if you can - a really nice way to point out that they're not that beautiful."

Last thread here

Welcome to this week’s casual kōrero thread!

This post will be pinned in this community so you can always find it, and will stay for about a week until replaced by the next one.

It’s for talking about anything that might not justify a full post. For example:

• Something interesting that happened to you
• Something humourous that happened to you
• Something frustrating that happened to you
• A quick question
• A request for recommendations
• Pictures of your pet
• A picture of a cloud that kind of looks like an elephant
• Anything else, there are no rules (except the rule)

So how’s it going?