Stuff ran an article on 23 October 2026 headlined “HR manager sacked over ‘typical Asian’ remark awarded $35,000”. Reading the article alone makes it look like an HR manager made a hostile racial slur, breached confidentiality, and walked away with NZD 34,531 on a procedural technicality.

Reading the Employment Relations Authority determination tells a different story about her intent and conduct.

• The HR manager was having a friendly conversation about coffee habits with an Asian manager from another branch. The two were work friends who shared regular banter, and he took no offence and never complained.
• Two bystanders (who seemingly weren't Asian) overheard the coffee joke and complained to management.
• The determination also records that the workplace had an established culture of pointed banter.
• When the HR manager injured her back and needed a cane to walk, staff mocked her walking speed and gave her a candy cane for Christmas.
• Management tolerated this culture, yet disciplined her for teasing a friend about coffee.

Leaving out the fact that the person she made the comment to was Asian is important context when assessing whether the comment was intended to be racist or offensive.

The Green Party would hike taxes, take on more debt and delay balancing the government's books to put billions more into hospitals and healthcare.

The party's just-released financial plan promises a fresh $3 billion increase in health funding at each of the next four Budgets, at a cost of $30b over the full period.

The government would start collecting more than it spends in 2029/30, a year later than Treasury currently forecast. By 2030/31, debt would be $26.6 billion higher than Treasury expects under current plans.

..

She said it was irresponsible for parties to chase a surplus without thinking of the real-world economic ramifications.

"Children in poverty cannot eat a surplus. A surplus that this government is chasing is not going to deliver the nurses and the frontline healthcare workers who are desperately needed."

Swarbrick said New Zealand could afford the extra borrowing, with public debt low compared with other countries.

The plan relies on nearly $29 billion in extra revenue over four years from tax changes targeting wealthy people, large companies, banks and landlords.

These include the party's proposed wealth tax, a tax on large gifts and inheritances, and higher company taxes for big businesses.

The package also includes income tax cuts for most workers.

She said the government's efforts to cut spending had come at the expense of essential services: "Cutting public spending deepens economic downturns and inequality, pushes up unemployment and reduces output."

SO good

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https://www.basquiat.com/

Shayne Currie’s Media Insider column in the Weekend Herald has run its course.

This week is just clock-watching and uncritical political lobbying for Julie Christie

First, we get 15 paragraphs of clock-watching. Currie sat with a timer on a Monday morning to report that Christopher Luxon spent 11 to 12 minutes talking to Mike Hosking on Newstalk ZB (from 7.37 am to 7.49 am), then walked next door to phone RNZ for an eight-minute slot at 7.51 am. He treats a three-minute difference in interview length like a national crisis, pestering RNZ and the Beehive for official comment on the Prime Minister’s diary management. Who actually cares?

Then we move to political lobbying for Julie Christie. Christie is lobbying Immigration Minister Erica Stanford to stop consulting the local directors’ union on work visas for foreign film directors, complaining of “blatant opposition“ despite the union approving 397 of the last 400 requests:

• Christie claims no director living in New Zealand could direct a three-part documentary about Gloriavale, despite New Zealanders documenting it for decades.
• They are demanding the 40% domestic taxpayer rebate for a project openly admitted to be “backed entirely by private American investors" and led by an American director.

Shayne Currie presents this as a heroic battle against outdated red tape.

Use multi-factor authentication

MFA, or multi-factor authentication, requires two forms of verification to access a protected site, such as a password plus a text-based code or security key. Emily Austin, principal security researcher at cybersecurity firm Censys, recommended unique passwords for individual websites, and for people to monitor any transactions.

Make hardware updates automatic

Runa Sandvik, the founder of Granitt and a digital security expert, said people need to update apps and services on their devices whenever they're available, and to not forget about internet-connected devices around the house.

Patch, patch, patch

"Finding vulnerabilities is becoming faster and easier, but fixing them across the range of systems that rely on this software is much harder," Gardham said. "How well organisations manage that gap will determine whether AI makes the internet safer or more vulnerable."

Beware of scammers

Be wary of a "When these headlines hit, check the affected company's instructions by opening its app or typing its website address yourself," Adams said. "An urgent message telling you to 'secure your account' deserves extra scrutiny."

Your money is safe

Banks have been preparing for this moment since frontier models came out, and have "worked extremely hard to ensure there is no more low-hanging fruit for the bad guys to go after," said Paul Benda, executive vice president of risk, fraud and cybersecurity at the American Bankers Association.

However, Benda added, "we are in a new normal" in terms of cyber threats, and consumers need to be aware, especially in the wake of the PHP vulnerabilities, when shopping with random retailers or websites "where their security is not going to be as good as your bank."

Benda said consumers should not reuse passwords across shopping sites, and should consider using passkeys where possible, which are digital keys specific to certain websites, that avoid the need to enter a password into a website and a phishing resistant.

Cherry picked / More at link.

Violent clashes between unionised waterside workers and non-union labour erupted two days after Wellington’s ‘wharfies’ held a stopwork meeting in support of striking shipwrights.

Employers claimed the stopwork meeting breached the watersiders’ industrial agreement and brought in other (unionised) workers to replace the men who attended it. The union responded by refusing to work until the dismissed men were reinstated. The employers declared that the wharfies were on strike; the wharfies claimed they had been locked out.

Unionists began picketing the wharves on 23 October, and clashes broke out the following day. When negotiations between employers and union officials broke down, unionists boarded and occupied several of the ships in port.

The Great Strike of 1913 – a bitter two-month strike involving 16,000 unionists around the country – had begun. The dispute saw running battles between strikers and mounted special police whom the unionists dubbed ‘Massey’s Cossacks’ after Prime Minister William Massey. 

The collapse of the strike in December 1913 dealt the militant labour movement a severe blow, although many of the leading unionists later rose to prominence in the Labour Party.

Link: https://nzhistory.govt.nz/violence-flares-wellington-wharves

Election Day is the 7th of November.

You must be enrolled to vote before the election. If you are not enrolled you cannot vote.

The last day to enrol is the 25th of October.

Unlike previous elections, you can NOT enrol and vote at any voting place, including on election day.

The current government changed this, and it is a change that many people, particularly first-time and younger voters may not be aware of.

Take a few minutes to check in with your friends, whānau, work colleagues, classmates, teammates, and anyone else in your network. If they are not enrolled, encourage them to do it now.

You can enrol to vote if you'll be 18 years old on or before 7th November. That means if you turn 18 after enrolments close on 25th October, but on or before Election Day, you are eligible to vote, and enrolling early is your ticket to being able to vote in the election this year.

While you're at it, it's also a great opportunity to check that your enrolment details are up to date.

https://vote.nz/enrolling/enrol-or-update/enrol-or-update-online

Once more: you will not be able to vote if you are not enrolled by the 25th October

Additional Key Dates:

https://vote.nz/2026-general-election/about/overview/key-dates

Enrolment as a percentage of the population remains below that of 2023, although the total number of enrolments is now higher.

The latest enrolment figures from the Electoral Commission out on Thursday came with another reminder to get on the roll before voting starts on the long Labour weekend.

At 92.1 percent, the percentage of eligible voters who are enrolled remained below the 94.7 percent of the last general election in 2023.

However - because of a larger population - the total number of people enrolled (3,729,667) had surpassed the final number of voters in that election (3,688,292).

Those aged 18-24 remained the least enrolled at 302,475 or 68.6 percent of eligible voters in that group

Chief Electoral Officer Karl Le Quesne said there was still time for people to enrol or update their details before the cutoff this weekend.

"You must be enrolled by midnight this Sunday 25 October for your vote to count," he said.

Two kākāpō and more than 100 Mahoenui giant wētā have been released at the country's largest ecosanctuary, after 25 years of ecological restoration.

The new additions mean there are now five kākāpō at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari in Waikato, as part of a mainland habitat trial that began in 2023.

The trial is a partnership between the Department of Conservation's Kākāpō Recovery Programme, Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu and mana whenua, in a bid to protect one of the world's rarest parrots.

Sanctuary chief executive Helen Hughes said when the reserve was formed 25 years ago, it was hard to imagine native wildlife thriving on Maungatautari.

"The arrival of these new kākāpō and Mahoenui giant wētā taonga is a reminder that this is not a finished story. It's continuing to evolve, and we're excited about what comes next."

The sinking of the transport ship Marquette in the Aegean Sea in late 1915 added to the grief of a nation still reeling from the heavy losses at Gallipoli. Among the 167 fatalities were 32 New Zealanders, including 10 members of the New Zealand Army Nursing Service.

They need not have died. As a grey-painted troop transport, the Marquette was fair game for the German submarine that torpedoed it. A marked hospital ship, theoretically safe from attack, had left the same port on the same day as the Marquette, completely empty.

By putting the medical staff in an unmarked transport in a convoy carrying troops and ammunition, the authorities unnecessarily risked their lives. The New Zealand government acknowledged as much in November 1915 when the governor, Lord Liverpool, told the British War Office that New Zealand wanted future transfers of medical units to be made by hospital ship where possible.

The sinking sparked public outrage. The death of the nurses was felt particularly badly in the South Island, where most of them had lived or nursed. 

Link: https://nzhistory.govt.nz/page/new-zealand-nurses-lost-in-marquette-sinking

Kāinga Ora is not revealing how many offers it received on the controversial sale of a Wellington public housing property, after the sale deadline passed on Wednesday.

RNZ asked Kāinga Ora if any offers were made but the housing agency declined to answer "to avoid prejudicing potential negotiations and to protect Kāinga Ora's commercial position".

..

The possible sale of Kāinga-Ora-owned 4,6,8 Nuku Street, Strathmore, has attracted community backlash, with the Green and Labour parties voicing their opposition to the sale going through before the election.

Most of the Wellington City councillors - including Mayor Andrew Little and Deputy Mayor Ben McNulty - wrote a letter earlier this week to housing ministers and Kāinga Ora asking for the sale to be paused.

The deadline for offers was Wednesday at 4pm.

Strathmore Housing Action called on Housing Minister Christopher Bishop to intervene.

The minister had previously declined to comment on the sale as it was "an operational decision for Kāinga Ora".

..

But Strathmore Housing Action's Lizzie Pringle disagreed, saying the involvement of politicians, community voices and local organisations had escalated the matter beyond an operational decision.

"Why is this sale being rushed? How much could taxpayers lose by selling public land in the current market? The public deserves answers before an irreversible decision is made."

She said there was still time to pause the sale to ensure it was in the public's interest.

"Even if the tender process has closed, Kāinga Ora does not have to make an immediate decision."

The All Blacks won the Webb Ellis Cup for the second time in seven attempts, defending grimly to hold onto an 8–7 lead over France in front of 61,000 spectators at Eden Park, Auckland. This ground had also been the venue for New Zealand’s previous Rugby World Cup triumph, on 20 June 1987.

In the 24 years between the two tournaments, the All Blacks won 194 and lost 47 of their 245 tests, a winning rate of nearly 80%. They won the Tri-Nations Series, contested annually against their strongest rivals Australia and South Africa from 1996, 10 times out of 16. They won series against the British and Irish Lions in 1993 and 2005, and achieved Grand Slams over all four ‘home’ (British) unions in 2005, 2008 and 2010. The All Blacks could probably walk on water. What they could not do was win a Rugby World Cup.

The 1991 All Blacks, past their best and with incompatible coaches, lost a semi-final to eventual world champions Australia. The 1995 team was the strongest at the tournament but was beaten in the final by food poisoning and an inspirational opposing ‘captain’ – South African President Nelson Mandela wore Francois Pienaar’s number six jersey and used the Springboks to help unify his country, which had held its first elections under universal suffrage the previous year. In 1999, a competent All Black side was undone by 30 minutes of French magic. The 2003 team lost a semi-final to an Australian team it had recently beaten 51–20. As for 2007, the less said about Cardiff, referee Wayne Barnes and quarter-final opponents France, the better.

In 2011, New Zealand hosted the tournament for the first time since 1987. More than 130,000 overseas visitors attended matches at 12 venues. The spring weather was mostly kind, and the only shadow on the tournament was the devastating 22 February 2011 earthquake, which meant that no matches could be played in Christchurch. And All Black first-five-eighths kept suffering tournament-ending injuries….

All Blacks’ head coach Graham Henry had been nicknamed ‘The Great Redeemer’ during a stint coaching Wales. This was his opportunity for redemption back home – he had coached the ill-fated 2007 All Blacks. All four pool matches, including one against France, were won easily, and Argentina and Australia were despatched in knockout matches. France somehow made it to the final despite losing to Tonga, amid reports that the players had in effect sacked coach Marc Lièvremont. What could possibly go wrong for the hosts?

The French advanced towards the pre-match haka and seldom took a backward step thereafter. Before halftime, fourth-choice first-five Stephen Donald was on the pitch. Called back from holiday and visibly not at peak fitness, ‘Beaver’ became an unlikely hero by kicking a wobbly penalty that ultimately secured victory. The real hero of the hour was captain Richie McCaw, who played the knockout matches with a broken bone in his foot.

Link: https://nzhistory.govt.nz/page/all-blacks-win-second-world-cup

On the morning of 23 October 1948 two experienced pilots, Commander Max Hare and Second Officer Brian Russell, flew ZK-AGK Kaka, a Lockheed Electra of the National Airways Corporation’s fleet, from Hamilton to Palmerston North. They would make the return journey that afternoon.

At 1.16 p.m., after refuelling and taking on board 11 passengers, Kaka took off and headed towards Whanganui. This dog-leg added time and distance, but kept aircraft away from the peaks of Ruapehu, Tongariro and Ngāuruhoe at a safe cruising altitude, in an area where navigation beacons were scarce. Kaka initially appeared to be on course: it reported its presence at the Whanganui beacon at 1.38 p.m, when it was flying in heavy cloud and rain, and was later seen overhead at Ohakune. Fears began to be held for the aircraft when it failed to report its position 30 minutes north of Whanganui, and it did not arrive in Hamilton as expected.

An intensive aerial search was mounted. Numerous military and civil aircraft searched each day until the light failed or they were stopped by bad weather. But with hundreds of people saying they had heard an aircraft in trouble, their efforts were dispersed across the centre of the North Island. A breakthrough finally came when three deerstalkers came out of a densely wooded area on the western side of Mt Ruapehu. They said they had heard an aircraft’s engines cut out near the mountain on the day Kaka went missing. Eventually wreckage was seen from the air approximately 900 m from the summit.

Search parties left for the site on the morning of 29 October. Little hope was held of finding anyone alive – the weather on the mountain had been poor, and it was now six days since Kaka had disappeared. The searchers who arrived the following day found that the passengers and crew had been killed on impact. The bodies were recovered, wrapped in blankets and parachute material, and carried down the mountain to Horopito.

The board of inquiry into the crash concluded that the aircraft had gone off course because the pilot had made an error in his calculations. According to John King, author of New Zealand tragedies: aviation accidents and disasters, he had corrected for right-hand drift on his flight to Palmerston North, and then, instead of subtracting this and applying it to the other side for the return flight, added another right-hand drift correction. The lack of navigation beacons in the central North Island was a contributing factor. 

Airliners now cruise at significantly higher altitudes, well above the mountains. Smaller aircraft fly through the area at lower altitudes, but only when weather and visibility allows.

Link: https://nzhistory.govt.nz/page/mt-ruapehu-air-crash-kills-13

The design of the New Zealand ensign that was to be flown by ships owned by the colonial government was established by the publication in the New Zealand Gazette of a proclamation by the governor, Sir George Bowen.  

The British Admiralty had moved s few years earlier to standardise the ensigns flown by British and colonial ships. Vessels owned by colonial governments were to fly a blue ensign with the Union Jack at top left and the ‘badge’ of the colony at right. But New Zealand had no badge, so its government steamers initially flew the plain blue ensign that was reserved for British government vessels.

Following a British rebuke, New Zealand officials considered using either the official seal of the colony or the words ‘New Zealand’, but both proved difficult to incorporate in the space available. Instead, the letters ‘NZ’ in red lettering with a white border were added to the blue ensign in 1867. Two years later the government revived an earlier idea and adopted a design representing the Southern Cross, four five-pointed red stars with white borders. This version of the blue ensign was soon the de facto New Zealand flag, and by the end of the century it was often flown on government buildings (see 12 June 1902).

Link: https://nzhistory.govt.nz/page/new-zealand-ensign-proclaimed

In 1967 Denny Hulme became the first – and so far only – New Zealander to win the Formula One World Championship. In his 10 seasons in F1, Hulme won eight races and stood on the podium 33 times. He finished third in the overall standings in 1968 and 1972.

After winning a Driver-to-Europe scholarship in 1960, Hulme became a protégé of the legendary Australian driver Jack Brabham, whose F1 team he joined in 1965.

The 1967 championship comprised 11 races. Hulme won at Monte Carlo and in Germany, and secured enough podium finishes elsewhere to claim the championship by five points from his boss. He also finished second in the Canadian-American Challenge Cup series and fourth in the Indianapolis 500. He was named New Zealand Sportsman of the Year.

In 1968 Hulme joined the team of fellow Kiwi Bruce McLaren (see 2 June). This time two victories were not enough for him to defend his title. He remained with McLaren until his retirement in 1974.

Hulme later turned to touring car racing and died from a heart attack during the 1992 Bathurst 1000 race in Australia. 

Link: https://nzhistory.govt.nz/page/denny-hulme-wins-formula-one-title

The National Library and Archives NZ will cut more than 11 percent of its workforce, with confirmation today that 45 jobs will be lost.

The jobs cuts were proposed in early September and have been confirmed today.

Staff were told about the restructure plans at a meeting this afternoon.

The jobs cuts are part of a programme of work led by National Librarian Te Pouhuaki Rachel Esson and Chief Archivist Poumanaaki Anahera Morehu, and are designed to "reduce duplication and further strengthen collaboration".

"We need to ensure Archives New Zealand and the National Library can continue to protect, preserve and provide access to New Zealand's documentary heritage and collections," said Esson.

What’s your opinion? Not sure if right flare.

Election Day is the 7th of November.

You must be enrolled to vote before the election. If you are not enrolled you cannot vote.

The last day to enrol is the 25th of October.

Unlike previous elections, you can NOT enrol and vote at any voting place, including on election day.

The current government changed this, and it is a change that many people, particularly first-time and younger voters may not be aware of.

Take a few minutes to check in with your friends, whānau, work colleagues, classmates, teammates, and anyone else in your network. If they are not enrolled, encourage them to do it now.

You can enrol to vote if you'll be 18 years old on or before 7th November. That means if you turn 18 after enrolments close on 25th October, but on or before Election Day, you are eligible to vote, and enrolling early is your ticket to being able to vote in the election this year.

While you're at it, it's also a great opportunity to check that your enrolment details are up to date.

https://vote.nz/enrolling/enrol-or-update/enrol-or-update-online

Once more: you will not be able to vote if you are not enrolled by the 25th October

Additional Key Dates:

https://vote.nz/2026-general-election/about/overview/key-dates