Nigel Bickle
Midday Report Essentials for Friday 13 February 2026
Donald Trump is erasing the scientific finding that climate change endangers the planet, effectively saying he is right and scientists are wrong. The move ends the US government's authority to control… Audio
Hawke’s Bay campground evacuated due to landslide risk
Part of a beloved Hawke's Bay campground is being evacuated due to the risk of a landslide, with permanent residents given 24 hours to pack up and leave.Hastings District Council chief executive Nigel… Audio
New strategy in Hastings reduces number in emergency accommodation
Every day, thousands of people across the motu are struggling to secure a stable home.
But in Hastings, a new housing strategy has made a massive dent in the number of households living in emergency… Audio
Hastings wants to reinvent itself as art and culture centre
Hastings is getting a makeover. The city known as the birthplace of the Mongrel Mob is repositioning itself as a hip arts and culture mecca.
There's millions of dollars of investment throughout the… Audio
Twelve houses built out of promised 200 in Hastings project
Just 12 houses of a promised 200 that are meant to get homeless people in Hastings out of motels have so far been finished.
Last year the Government announced a special project for the city to help… Audio
Cape Kidnappers walk reopens, despite warnings
A popular Hawke's Bay beach walk has reopened despite warnings of death or injury for those who use it.
The walk to the Cape Kidnappers gannet colony was closed in January after a massive slip… Audio
Bleak winter looms for Hawkes Bay homeless
Local leaders in Hawkes Bay say solutions to the region's acute housing problems can be found but they must be region specific and they need help from central government. Some 440 children and their… Audio
Govt failed to do due diligence on waste energy contract
Government officials failed to do any background checks on the directors of a company they were going to give $350,000 to. The head of the Provincial Development Unit Nigel Bickle tells RNZ political… Audio
The "visa for cash scandal"
Immigration New Zealand's handling of visas at the border is under scrutiny with claims of bribery by one official in what the New Zealand Herald is calling the "visa for cash scandal". Audio
First Fiji RSE workers arrive in NZ
The first Fijian seasonal workers allowed into New Zealand since the military coup in 2006 have arrived in Hawke's Bay for the apple harvest. Audio
Immigration denies ministerial involvement in Dotcom case
The internet tycoon, Kim Dotcom is adamant there has been Government interference in his immigration case, and he claims to have proof. He argues the government wanted his residency granted in order… Audio
Immigration NZ responds
The Government's facing mounting questions over exactly what political pressure was applied in the decision to grant the internet millionaire, Kim Dotcom, residency. Audio
Insight, Sunday 24 October: Skilled Immigration
Sue Ingram asks if New Zealand is getting a reputation for being a difficult place for skilled immigrants to find a job. Audio
