Nor'West News: February 12, 2026
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alana@alliedmedia.co.nz<br />
FOR LOCAL ADVERTISING<br />
Alana Powell<br />
Ph: 027 535 6583<br />
alana@alliedmedia.co.nz<br />
Consent granted<br />
for long-awaited<br />
estuary flood<br />
protection project<br />
FOR LOCAL ADVERTISING<br />
Annabel Judd<br />
Ph: 021 457 469<br />
annabel.judd@alliedmedia.co.nz<br />
FOR LOCAL ADVERTISING<br />
Jenny Wright<br />
Ph: 021 220 3484<br />
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The long-awaited project<br />
to build erosion and flood<br />
protection structures along Te<br />
Ihutai/Avon-Heathcote Estuary<br />
edge in Southshore and South<br />
New Brighton is set to begin,<br />
following the approval of<br />
resource consent last week.<br />
“We The aim Star, January to start 23, construction<br />
in October <strong>2026</strong>, following<br />
2025<br />
the bird roosting season, and<br />
expect a roughly 16-month<br />
build time,” said city council<br />
red zone manager Dave Little.<br />
“Key design changes agreed<br />
during the consenting process<br />
The include Star, January a ‘soft 23, beach’ 2025 trial<br />
at South New Brighton Park,<br />
full removal of old retaining<br />
structures rather than partial<br />
encapsulation, and refined estuary<br />
access points,” Little said.<br />
“Looking ahead to the construction<br />
phase, we expect<br />
landward The Star, works January like 23, 2025 the bund<br />
and paths to move quickly,<br />
while the coastal edge work<br />
will proceed more slowly to<br />
minimise impacts on the estuary’s<br />
internationally significant<br />
bird populations and delicate<br />
ecology.<br />
“We look forward to continuing<br />
our close collaboration with<br />
the community via the SSRA<br />
throughout the detailed design<br />
phase this year,” he said.<br />
The resource consent, granted<br />
jointly by Environment Canterbury<br />
and the city council, will<br />
last 20 years, providing immediate<br />
protection while long-term<br />
climate adaptation strategies<br />
are developed.<br />
This milestone follows years<br />
of preparatory work, including<br />
the city council’s 2019 resolution<br />
to assume leadership of the<br />
project and the 2020 handover<br />
of the Southshore red-zoned<br />
land from the Crown (LINZ) to<br />
the city council.<br />
starnews.co.nz<br />
Resource consent has been granted to build erosion and flood protection structures Te Ihutai/Avon-Heathcote starnews.co.nz<br />
Estuary edge<br />
in Southshore and South New Brighton.<br />
PHOTO: CCC<br />
The city council had previously<br />
approved a $<strong>12</strong>.5 million<br />
programme of work to mitigate<br />
erosion and flooding in the area.<br />
The approved consent<br />
relates to the construction of<br />
coastal erosion and inundation<br />
protections such as gabion<br />
baskets, cobble beaches, rock<br />
revetments and inundation<br />
bunds. These measures are<br />
designed to restore flood<br />
protection to pre-earthquake<br />
levels.<br />
With the resource consent<br />
now granted, the first half of<br />
this year will focus on detailed<br />
design, meeting all consent<br />
certification requirements,<br />
and tendering the construction<br />
starnews.co.nz<br />
works.<br />
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The Star, <strong>February</strong> <strong>12</strong>, <strong>2026</strong><br />
starnews.co.nz<br />
What does it take to become<br />
Ever wondered what a day in<br />
the life of a Customs officer<br />
at Christchurch Airport or<br />
Lyttelton Port is like? Reporter<br />
Al Williams finds out<br />
Customs officers surround<br />
a luggage carousel as the<br />
first morning flight into<br />
Christchurch arrives from<br />
Singapore.<br />
Some officers are on the move<br />
while others stand and observe<br />
the passengers in a scene<br />
similar to the television show<br />
Border Patrol.<br />
We’ve been led through a<br />
series of security doors to get a<br />
bird’s-eye view of the 100 or so<br />
staff who protect the borders at<br />
Christchurch Airport.<br />
And while the staff are on a<br />
first-name basis with partnering<br />
agencies at the airport, such<br />
as police and the Ministry for<br />
Primary Industries, most don’t<br />
want to share their full names<br />
with us.<br />
It’s understandable. They take<br />
their jobs seriously and have<br />
genuine concerns for their privacy,<br />
given the nature of their<br />
work.<br />
We observe officers not only<br />
stopping, questioning and talking<br />
to travellers, but also being<br />
stopped by travellers with a<br />
multitude of questions.<br />
Supervising officer Karyn is<br />
the first to greet us.<br />
She is wary of us at first but<br />
soon opens up, saying she has<br />
Customs officer and dog handler Hannah on duty as a Singapore flight arrives.<br />
PHOTOS: JOSEPH JOHNSON<br />
had two stints in the service.<br />
She says the risk posed by<br />
passengers selected for further<br />
assessment is again narrowed<br />
down by officers who ask the<br />
passengers a series of questions,<br />
resulting in a smaller<br />
number being referred for a<br />
luggage search.<br />
The physical risk assessment<br />
of a passenger on arrival can<br />
involve being questioned by a<br />
Customs officer, detector dogs,<br />
an X-ray and searches.<br />
In the 2024/25 year, 6.8 million<br />
international travellers arrived<br />
in New Zealand.<br />
Of this, 132,943 (about 2%)<br />
were selected for further risk<br />
assessment.<br />
Following a further risk<br />
assessment process, 10,662 travellers<br />
were actually subjected to<br />
baggage searches.<br />
Karyn joined Customs straight<br />
out of school in Christchurch<br />
in 1978, before taking a break<br />
to have children in 1987 and<br />
returning in 2003.<br />
She jokes that she was too<br />
short to join the police.<br />
She put aside the perception<br />
people have of Customs from<br />
reality television shows.<br />
“There is a whole lot of work<br />
aside from inspections.<br />
“There are other areas, investigations,<br />
intelligence, trade,<br />
service and delivery, all these<br />
things have to be cleared.”<br />
Karyn said there is also a<br />
stack of administration work as<br />
everything has to be accounted<br />
for. The administrative aspect<br />
is reflected in the service’s<br />
recently released 2024/25<br />
New Zealand Customs Service<br />
Annual Report.<br />
It is a massive operation with<br />
$285 million in funding from<br />
the Crown, border-processing<br />
levies and goods fees.<br />
There is also a stack of revenue,<br />
with $17.8 billion collected<br />
on behalf of the Crown.<br />
Most of the operating expenditure<br />
is for risk assessment,<br />
clearing and processing passengers<br />
and goods as they cross<br />
the border, and the collection of<br />
Crown tax revenue.<br />
In 2024/25, it was quantified<br />
by the 9.3 tonnes of illicit drugs<br />
which were prevented from<br />
reaching communities through<br />
seizures at our border and by<br />
overseas partners.<br />
There were also 31.8 million<br />
import transactions and<br />
four million export transactions,<br />
with 98.1% of goods risk<br />
assessed and cleared within five<br />
minutes.<br />
More than 8% of the riskbased<br />
baggage searches of<br />
passengers and crew resulted<br />
in the identification of prohibited<br />
or restricted items, or items<br />
requiring duty payments.<br />
Customs processed 13.4<br />
million arriving and departing<br />
passengers. It also intercepted<br />
nine tonnes of illicit tobacco,<br />
representing $17.7m in foregone<br />
revenue.<br />
And its response to 973<br />
reports of cross-border online<br />
child exploitation offending<br />
resulted in 18 arrests.<br />
Several thousand other people<br />
work for Christchurch<br />
Airport alongside Karyn.<br />
The airport operation has<br />
60 staff with a total of <strong>12</strong>0<br />
employed across the city, she<br />
said.<br />
Customs is an enforcement<br />
agency, and with that comes<br />
rank.<br />
Karyn said it takes years<br />
to move through the ranks<br />
and people shift between<br />
departments.<br />
Staff are mindful discretion is<br />
a key part of the job, she says.<br />
A lot of the intelligence work<br />
is led by overseas liaison officers<br />
in cities, including London,<br />
Bangkok and Beijing.<br />
“Quite often, a lot of it is<br />
stopped before it comes here.”<br />
The annual report stated<br />
transnational organised crime<br />
groups pose a significant threat<br />
through escalating attempts to<br />
smuggle drugs, weapons, and<br />
other prohibited goods into the<br />
country.<br />
From Europe alone, $204.8m<br />
in potential harm to New Zealand<br />
was stopped by overseas<br />
illicit drug interceptions.<br />
New Zealand’s high prices<br />
and demand for drugs,<br />
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starnews.co.nz The Star, <strong>February</strong> <strong>12</strong>, <strong>2026</strong><br />
a border Customs officer?<br />
particularly methamphetamine<br />
and cocaine, make it an attractive<br />
target.<br />
Notable seizures during the<br />
year included 150kg of cocaine<br />
in duffel bags in a container on<br />
a ship from Jamaica and 130kg<br />
of cocaine packed in duffel bags<br />
in a shipping container from<br />
Italy. The largest seizure of the<br />
year was 450kg of methamphetamine<br />
hidden inside steel<br />
beams from the United States in<br />
September 2024.<br />
The report says New Zealand<br />
has seen a sustained escalation<br />
in the volume of illicit drugs<br />
being seized at the border.<br />
Wastewater testing by<br />
PHF Science and reporting<br />
by the National Drug Intelligence<br />
Bureau indicate there<br />
was considerable growth in<br />
methamphetamine use in the<br />
community between July and<br />
October 2024. This growth was<br />
largely sustained throughout<br />
2025.<br />
It also shows there has been<br />
a rise in the use of cocaine.<br />
Increased production in South<br />
America has led to a surplus<br />
supply.<br />
The report shows organised<br />
crime groups are targeting<br />
New Zealand’s supply chains to<br />
transport their products.<br />
“They insert people in key<br />
roles at ports and airports, or<br />
compromise people already<br />
in those roles, who can bypass<br />
security measures and divert<br />
goods before they reach Customs<br />
screening areas,” the<br />
Customs officers check passengers luggage at Christchurch Airport.<br />
report found.<br />
In late November, police laid<br />
nearly 200 criminal charges<br />
against gang associates who<br />
allegedly helped a criminal<br />
syndicate smuggle illicit drugs<br />
aboard international flights.<br />
Twenty search warrants were<br />
carried out by police’s national<br />
organised crime group and Customs,<br />
with eight Brotherhood<br />
28 MC gang associates arrested.<br />
Among them was the gang’s<br />
president.<br />
Additional data shows Customs<br />
seized about two tonnes of<br />
methamphetamine and 700kg<br />
of cocaine between January and<br />
October last year.<br />
Offshore partners also<br />
seized about a tonne of<br />
methamphetamine and 300kg<br />
of cocaine destined for our<br />
shores in the same period.<br />
“We are trying to identify the<br />
high risk,” Karyn said.<br />
The pressure is on during the<br />
summer months, Karyn says.<br />
“Summer is going to be<br />
busier. People need to be aware<br />
that they are not the only ones<br />
travelling.”<br />
For Christchurch Airport,<br />
that means increased flights to<br />
and from Asia and Australia.<br />
These can be charter flights,<br />
delegations and even bands<br />
arriving with tonnes of gear.<br />
“All that stuff has to be<br />
cleared. You might get charters<br />
with seasonal workers – it takes<br />
time to process them.”<br />
Rob is a technical specialist<br />
in detector dog training. He<br />
said the dogs, all labradors,<br />
work and live alongside the<br />
officers. There are five dog<br />
handlers in the South Island<br />
who are deployed on a riskbased<br />
system. “We look at<br />
the latest seizures, how it is<br />
being found, we are looking<br />
at the opportunities. We move<br />
around. The airport is just the<br />
tip of the iceberg.”<br />
Rob said the job involves shift<br />
work and officers have to prove<br />
themselves to rise up the ranks.<br />
“You have to pass<br />
requirements to get your<br />
stripes.<br />
Long-serving officer Neville<br />
Brown joined in 1975 when<br />
Customs was based at the Old<br />
Government<br />
Building in<br />
Cathedral<br />
Square.<br />
“There was<br />
no team at the<br />
airport, there<br />
weren’t as many<br />
Neville Brown<br />
flights. The guys<br />
would jump in a<br />
van and go to the airport when<br />
a plane was arriving.”<br />
Brown started out looking at<br />
shipping documents. He moved<br />
into investigations, looking at<br />
fraud and tax evasion. Brown<br />
has also been based in Lyttelton<br />
where he searched ships. From<br />
there, he moved to the airport,<br />
where he recalls catching one of<br />
the Mr Asia operatives.<br />
Brown says the man had a<br />
bank deposit slip made out<br />
to a person of interest in the<br />
Martin Johnstone, known as Mr Asia,<br />
was at the centre of a large heroin<br />
syndicate in the 1970s.<br />
syndicate. A body search<br />
revealed a hidden package of<br />
heroin.<br />
“There’s no heroin anymore,<br />
it’s now meth and cocaine by<br />
the kilos.”<br />
At 70, Brown is not planning<br />
to retire yet.<br />
Emma, the chief officer of<br />
the Lyttelton team, showed us<br />
around the port operations.<br />
The Christchurch port team<br />
also looks after Timaru. She says<br />
a lot of reporting is now done<br />
via cellphones.<br />
“The world has changed so<br />
much, the cost of living and<br />
drugs – crime is huge.”<br />
The Lyttelton operation is<br />
staffed by 11 officers. She says<br />
it is important for her staff<br />
to be visible in the seaside<br />
community. There was also a<br />
common theme – all Customs<br />
staffers spoken to say they are<br />
proud of protecting the border.<br />
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The Star, <strong>February</strong> <strong>12</strong>, <strong>2026</strong><br />
starnews.co.nz<br />
Work starts on<br />
next section<br />
of cycleway<br />
Motorists are being warned to<br />
expect delays as work gets under<br />
way on the next section of the<br />
Puari ki Niho-toto South Express<br />
Cycleway, extending west along<br />
Waterloo Rd from Barters Rd to<br />
Jones Rd in Rolleston.<br />
City council planning and delivery<br />
transport manager Jacob<br />
Bradbury said a temporary road<br />
closure will be in effect on Railway<br />
Tce from <strong>February</strong> 16 to<br />
March 13, with clearly signposted<br />
detours in place.<br />
Local businesses will remain<br />
open for the duration of the work.<br />
Two-thirds of the South Express<br />
Cycleway is already open, stretching<br />
from the city to Kyle Park and<br />
creating an uninterrupted 10km<br />
route from the CBD through Riccarton<br />
to Hornby.<br />
The cycleway passes nine<br />
schools, providing safer cycling<br />
facilities for students, and<br />
connects into the Nor’west Arc<br />
and Northern Line.<br />
“Once the full cycleway is<br />
completed, it will join up with the<br />
Selwyn District Council’s cycleway<br />
on Jones Rd to provide a safe link<br />
through to Rolleston,” Bradbury<br />
said.<br />
The city council is co-ordinating<br />
the cycleway construction<br />
work with several other infrastructure<br />
projects in the area,<br />
including:<br />
• Line marking and<br />
wayfinding signage within the<br />
Waterloo Business Park<br />
• Line marking and<br />
wayfinding signage within<br />
Templeton<br />
• Replacing a water supply<br />
pipe on Railway Tce<br />
• Replacing the current deepdish<br />
channel on Railway Tce<br />
• Resurfacing the Railway Tce<br />
carriageway and northwest<br />
footpath.<br />
“We’re combining these<br />
projects together to ensure a<br />
co-ordinated approach to work<br />
in the area and minimise the<br />
overall disruption to residents,<br />
businesses and commuters,”<br />
Bradbury said.<br />
The total package of work is<br />
expected to take five months to<br />
complete.<br />
“Christchurch is a great city<br />
to get around by bike, and our<br />
growing network of cycleways<br />
helps make it easier and<br />
safer. It also helps to ease the<br />
Puari ki Niho-toto South Express<br />
Cycleway will be extended west down<br />
Waterloo Rd from Barters Rd to Jones<br />
Rd in Rolleston.<br />
PHOTO: CCC<br />
pressure on our roads,”<br />
South Express is one of nine<br />
major cycleways that lead into<br />
the city centre.<br />
Unlike cycle lanes, the<br />
cycleways are mainly separated<br />
from the road and are designed<br />
to provide a safer, more pleasant,<br />
comfortable and efficient<br />
way for people to get around<br />
the city by bike.<br />
The final section of the<br />
cycleway will pass through the<br />
Gilberthorpes Rd, Waterloo<br />
Rd, Parker St and Moffett St<br />
intersection, and include a<br />
A temporary road closure will be in place from <strong>February</strong> 16 to March 13.<br />
stretch of Waterloo Rd from<br />
the western end of Kyle Park to<br />
Finsbury St.<br />
The city council and KiwiRail<br />
are in discussions around the<br />
scope and phasing of this work.<br />
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starnews.co.nz The Star, <strong>February</strong> <strong>12</strong>, <strong>2026</strong><br />
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The Star, <strong>February</strong> <strong>12</strong>, <strong>2026</strong><br />
TRADE TOOLS &<br />
starnews.co.nz<br />
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ROUND 1<br />
FRIDAY 13 FEBRUARY<br />
19:05 Highlanders v Crusaders<br />
21:35 Waratahs v Reds<br />
ROUND 2<br />
FRIDAY 20 FEBRUARY<br />
19:05 Hurricanes v Moana Pasifika<br />
21:35 Waratahs v Fijian Drua<br />
ROUND 3<br />
FRIDAY 27 FEBRUARY<br />
19:05 Moana Pasifika v Force<br />
21:35 Reds v Highlanders<br />
SATURDAY 14 FEBRUARY<br />
16:35 Fijian Drua v Moana Pasifika<br />
19:05 Blues v Chiefs<br />
21:35 Force v Brumbies<br />
SATURDAY 21 FEBRUARY<br />
19:05 Highlanders v Chiefs<br />
21:35 Force v Blues<br />
SUNDAY 22 FEBRUARY<br />
15:35 Crusaders v Brumbies<br />
SATURDAY 28 MARCH<br />
16:35 Fijian Drua v Hurricanes<br />
19:05 Chiefs v Crusaders<br />
21:35 Brumbies v Blues<br />
Bye: Hurricanes<br />
Bye: Reds<br />
Bye: Waratahs<br />
ROUND 7<br />
ROUND 8<br />
ROUND 9<br />
FRIDAY 27 MARCH<br />
19:05 Moana Pasifika v Highlanders<br />
21:35 Brumbies v Waratahs<br />
SATURDAY 28 MARCH<br />
16:35 Hurricanes v Reds<br />
19:05 Blues v Fijian Drua<br />
21:35 Force v Chiefs<br />
FRIDAY 3 APRIL<br />
19:05 Crusaders v Fijian Drua<br />
SATURDAY 4 APRIL<br />
19:05 Chiefs v Waratahs<br />
21:35 Reds v Force<br />
FRIDAY 10 APRIL<br />
19:05 Highlanders v Brumbies<br />
SATURDAY 11 APRIL<br />
14:05 Moana Pasifika v Chiefs<br />
16:35 Fijian Drua v Force<br />
19:05 Hurricanes v Blues<br />
21:35 Reds v Crusaders<br />
Bye: Crusaders<br />
Bye: Brumbies, Blues, Highlanders,<br />
Hurricanes, Moana Pasifika<br />
Bye: Waratahs<br />
ROUND 13<br />
ROUND 14<br />
ROUND 15<br />
Buyers and<br />
sellers of<br />
recycled and<br />
new building<br />
materials<br />
FRIDAY 8 MAY<br />
19:05 Crusaders v Blues<br />
21:35 Reds v Chiefs<br />
SATURDAY 9 MAY<br />
16:35 Highlanders v Waratahs<br />
19:05 Moana Pasifika v Hurricanes<br />
21:35 Brumbies v Force<br />
FRIDAY 15 MAY<br />
19:05 Chiefs v Highlanders<br />
SATURDAY 16 MAY<br />
16:35 Fijian Drua v Waratahs<br />
19:05 Blues v Hurricanes<br />
21:35 Force v Reds<br />
FRIDAY 22 MAY<br />
19:05 Crusaders v Chiefs<br />
21:35 Waratahs v Brumbies<br />
SATURDAY 23 MAY<br />
16:35 Moana Pasifika v Reds<br />
19:05 Hurricanes v Highlanders<br />
21:35 Force v Fijian Drua<br />
3 Musgrove Close, Wigram<br />
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Bye: Blues<br />
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starnews.co.nz The Star, <strong>February</strong> <strong>12</strong>, <strong>2026</strong><br />
Templeton Barber<br />
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ROUND 4<br />
FRIDAY 6 MARCH<br />
19:05 Chiefs v Moana Pasifika<br />
21:35 Waratahs v Hurricanes<br />
SATURDAY 7 MARCH<br />
16:35 Highlanders v Force<br />
19:05 Blues v Crusaders<br />
21:35 Brumbies v Reds<br />
ROUND 5<br />
FRIDAY 13 MARCH<br />
19:05 Hurricanes v Force<br />
SATURDAY 14 MARCH<br />
16:35 Fijian Drua v Brumbies<br />
19:05 Crusaders v Highlanders<br />
21:35 Reds v Waratahs<br />
SUNDAY 15 MARCH<br />
15:35 Blues v Moana Pasifika<br />
Bye: Fijian Drua Bye: Chiefs Bye: Force<br />
ROUND 6<br />
FRIDAY 20 MARCH<br />
19:05 Highlanders v Hurricanes<br />
21:35 Brumbies v Chiefs<br />
SATURDAY 21 MARCH<br />
16:35 Fijian Drua v Reds<br />
19:05 Moana Pasifika v Crusaders<br />
21:35 Waratahs v Blues<br />
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ROUND 10<br />
FRIDAY 17 APRIL<br />
19:05 Blues v Highlanders<br />
21:35 Waratahs v Moana Pasifika<br />
SATURDAY 18 APRIL<br />
19:05 Chiefs v Hurricanes<br />
21:35 Brumbies v Fijian Drua<br />
23:55 Force v Crusaders<br />
ROUND 16<br />
FRIDAY 29 MAY<br />
19:05 Crusaders v Hurricanes<br />
21:35 Reds v Fijian Drua<br />
SATURDAY 30 MAY<br />
16:35 Brumbies v Moana Pasifika<br />
19:05 Chiefs v Blues<br />
21:35 Force v Waratahs<br />
ROUND 11<br />
FRIDAY 24 APRIL<br />
19:35 Crusaders v Waratahs<br />
SATURDAY 25 APRIL<br />
17:05 Hurricanes v Brumbies<br />
19:35 Blues v Reds<br />
SUNDAY 26 APRIL<br />
14:00 Highlanders v Moana Pasifika<br />
16:30 Chiefs v Fijian Drua<br />
Bye: Reds Bye: Force Bye: Chiefs<br />
Bye: Highlanders<br />
______ _____________ v _____________ 2nd ______ vs 5th _____________ v _____________<br />
1st vs 6th<br />
______ _____________ v _____________ ______ _____________ v _____________<br />
3rd vs 4th<br />
______ _____________ v _____________ 2nd ______ vs 3rd _____________ v _____________<br />
1st vs 4th<br />
______<br />
1st vs 2nd<br />
QUALIFYING FINALS<br />
SEMI FINALS<br />
Grand FINAL<br />
_____________ v _____________<br />
ROUND <strong>12</strong><br />
FRIDAY 1 MAY<br />
19:05 Hurricanes v Crusaders<br />
21:35 Waratahs v Force<br />
SATURDAY 2 MAY<br />
16:35 Fijian Drua v Highlanders<br />
19:05 Moana Pasifika v Blues<br />
21:35 Reds v Brumbies<br />
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The Star, <strong>February</strong> <strong>12</strong>, <strong>2026</strong><br />
starnews.co.nz<br />
Seasonal treats both savoury and sweet<br />
Nigel Slater keeps it firmly<br />
summery with these two easy,<br />
but delicious, dishes<br />
COUSCOUS WITH APRICOTS<br />
AND MINT<br />
I use instant couscous here,<br />
with no apology. This quickcooking<br />
version needs just a few<br />
minutes in a bowl, covered with<br />
boiled water or vegetable stock<br />
rather than a long steam over<br />
hot water. You can use water,<br />
but I prefer vegetable stock,<br />
which makes the grains more<br />
interesting.<br />
It is best to separate the grains<br />
of couscous by tenderly running<br />
a fork through them once they<br />
have soaked up the stock.<br />
Ingredients<br />
Serves 4<br />
150g fine couscous<br />
250ml vegetable stock<br />
2 Tbsp pine kernels<br />
8 spring onions<br />
2 Tbsp olive oil<br />
350g ripe apricots<br />
For the herb dressing:<br />
2 Tbsp lemon juice<br />
2 Tbsp olive oil<br />
15g mint sprigs<br />
15g parsley sprigs<br />
Method<br />
• Put the couscous into a<br />
mixing bowl and pour over the<br />
hot stock. Set aside for a good 10<br />
minutes until the stock has been<br />
fully absorbed.<br />
• In a shallow pan, toast the<br />
pine kernels, watching carefully<br />
and shaking the pan from time<br />
to time, until they are golden.<br />
• Roughly chop the spring<br />
onions, discarding the dark<br />
green tips.<br />
• Return the empty pan to a<br />
moderate heat, warm the olive<br />
oil, add the spring onions and<br />
let them cook for 5 minutes<br />
until soft.<br />
• Halve and stone the<br />
apricots, then cut each half in<br />
two.<br />
• Make the dressing: In a<br />
medium-sized bowl, whisk<br />
together the lemon juice and<br />
olive oil. Remove the leaves<br />
from the mint and parsley and<br />
finely chop two-thirds of them,<br />
leaving the remainder whole.<br />
Add the chopped and whole<br />
leaves to the dressing with a<br />
little salt and black pepper.<br />
• Run the tines of a fork<br />
through the couscous to<br />
separate the grains then add<br />
the herb dressing.<br />
• Add the apricots, pine<br />
kernels and onions and toss<br />
everything together. Serve at<br />
room temperature.<br />
MOZZARELLA WITH TOMATOES<br />
AND PARMESAN<br />
A deeply summery dish of<br />
marinated mozzarella with a<br />
crisp layer of crumbs, tomatoes<br />
and parmesan – I think of this<br />
as a pizza without the crust.<br />
The crispness of the topping<br />
is an essential contrast to the<br />
soft, herb-scented mozzarella<br />
beneath.<br />
I use a metal baking tray to<br />
bake the crumbs and tomatoes<br />
– it helps the crumbs to crisp<br />
more successfully than if<br />
you use a china baking dish.<br />
You can get the mozzarella<br />
marinating then finish the dish<br />
just before you eat.<br />
<br />
Ingredients<br />
Serves 4 as a light supper<br />
2 balls mozzarella<br />
15g basil<br />
10g parsley<br />
75ml olive oil<br />
50g assorted salami and<br />
prosciutto, thinly sliced<br />
For the tomato dressing:<br />
3 tomatoes, medium to large<br />
8 medium basil leaves (taken<br />
from above)<br />
60g parmesan<br />
1 Tbsp olive oil<br />
40g breadcrumbs, fresh and<br />
white<br />
Method<br />
• Tear the balls of mozzarella<br />
into rough pieces and place,<br />
snugly, in a serving dish.<br />
• Finely chop the basil leaves<br />
(reserving eight for later) and<br />
the parsley, then add the olive<br />
oil and a few twists of black<br />
pepper. Pour the herb mix<br />
over the mozzarella, cover and<br />
refrigerate for an hour (up to 4<br />
hours is fine, but no longer).<br />
• Preheat the oven to<br />
200degC.<br />
• Make the dressing: Cut the<br />
tomatoes in half, scoop out and<br />
discard the seeds, dice the flesh<br />
into small pieces, then set aside<br />
in a mixing bowl.<br />
• Tear or shred the basil<br />
leaves and finely grate the<br />
parmesan then add to the<br />
tomatoes.<br />
• Stir in the olive oil and<br />
breadcrumbs, then spoon on<br />
to a metal baking sheet in a<br />
shallow layer (it will crisp more<br />
effectively that way) then bake<br />
in the preheated oven for 20-25<br />
minutes until the crumbs have<br />
started to crisp and the cheese<br />
has turned golden.<br />
• Divide the slices of salami<br />
and prosciutto between four<br />
plates. Remove the mozzarella<br />
from the fridge and divide<br />
between the plates. Take the<br />
tomato and parmesan from<br />
the oven and scatter over the<br />
cheese and serve.<br />
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starnews.co.nz The Star, <strong>February</strong> <strong>12</strong>, <strong>2026</strong><br />
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The Star, <strong>February</strong> <strong>12</strong>, <strong>2026</strong><br />
starnews.co.nz<br />
The Way<br />
We Were<br />
FEMALE APPRENTICESHIPS<br />
Securing an apprenticeship<br />
could be difficult if you were<br />
female.<br />
In 1930, the Arbitration<br />
Court refused to grant an<br />
application for an apprenticeship<br />
contract for 14-year-old<br />
Cicely Holmes, who had been<br />
employed as an apprentice<br />
printer by the Waikuku <strong>News</strong>.<br />
It was not a question of law<br />
but of general principles, the<br />
judge said, with the Master<br />
Printers Association and various<br />
unions having “set their<br />
faces against the employment<br />
of female workers”.<br />
The Apprenticeship Act was<br />
overhauled in 1983, with the<br />
Government introducing a<br />
subsidy to encourage employers<br />
to take on women. For all<br />
trades other than hairdressing,<br />
employers of female<br />
apprentices would receive<br />
$20 a week throughout the<br />
first year of training.<br />
Apprentice mechanic Sian<br />
Luckie topped her class in<br />
automotive engineering in<br />
1986 for the second year in<br />
a row. Her employer told<br />
the Press Association he did<br />
not know he had taken on a<br />
woman until he came back to<br />
work after a bout of the flu<br />
and his wife informed him.<br />
Luckie said she was “grateful”<br />
for the break after rejections<br />
from other firms.<br />
Over the years, female<br />
apprentices took out national<br />
awards in many trades, in<br />
spite of disproportionate<br />
representation. Apprentice<br />
bookbinder Jane Horrick was<br />
the first woman to win an<br />
outstanding printing apprenticeship<br />
award in 1977, while<br />
Louise Stella (below), NZ’s<br />
first “craftsman” plumber,<br />
achieved highest equal marks<br />
in her trade certificate examinations<br />
in 1991.<br />
Stella told The Press: “I<br />
wanted a job with variety and<br />
one that would use body and<br />
brains. Also I saw plumbing<br />
as having slightly more job<br />
security than some.”<br />
Apprentice spray painter Brenda Leaf applying enamel to a tractor at Sockburn<br />
Motors and apprentice fitter and turner Lyn Boddington at Herbert Drill, both in<br />
1977. Above right – Rebecca Downes at the end of her 8000 hours as an apprentice<br />
woodturner in 1987.<br />
PHOTOS: CHRISTCHURCH STAR, CANTERBURYSTORIES.NZ<br />
Left – Apprentice<br />
mechanic Heather<br />
McMillan at Lane<br />
Walker Rudkin Hosiery<br />
Ltd in 1978. Right –<br />
Cabinet maker Denise<br />
King at Howard<br />
Smith Ltd in 1980<br />
after completing her<br />
apprenticeship.<br />
Painting apprentices Sonja Tippin<br />
and Donna Haupapa in 1976.<br />
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The Star, <strong>February</strong> <strong>12</strong>, <strong>2026</strong><br />
starnews.co.nz<br />
CROSSWORD<br />
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8<br />
9<br />
10 11<br />
<strong>12</strong> 13<br />
14 15 16 17 18<br />
19 20 21<br />
437<br />
SUDOKU<br />
Every row, column and box should<br />
contain the digits 1 to 9.<br />
WordBuilder<br />
WORDBUILDER<br />
T<br />
W R<br />
Y D A<br />
6<br />
337 337<br />
Y D A<br />
many words of three or more letters,<br />
How<br />
including<br />
many<br />
plurals,<br />
words<br />
can you<br />
of<br />
make<br />
three<br />
from<br />
or<br />
the<br />
more<br />
six<br />
letters, using each letter only once? No foreign<br />
How words or beginning with a capital are<br />
from many<br />
allowed.<br />
the words<br />
There's<br />
six letters, of three<br />
at least one<br />
using or more<br />
six-letter<br />
each letters,<br />
word.<br />
only<br />
including once? plurals, can you make from the six<br />
TODAY<br />
letters, Good using 18 each Very letter Good only 24 once? Excellent No 30 foreign<br />
No words beginning with a capital are<br />
words or words beginning with a capital are<br />
allowed. Solution 336: There’s enter, ere, at erne, least neep, one net, pee, six-letter peen,<br />
allowed. peer, pen, There's pent, per, at pert, least pet, one pre, six-letter preen, rent, word. rep,<br />
word. REPENT, ret, rete, tee, TODAY teen, ten, tern, tree.<br />
Good 18 Very Good 24 Excellent 30<br />
letters, including plurals, can you make<br />
Solution 336: enter, ere, erne, neep, net, pee, peen,<br />
peer, pen, pent, per, pert, pet, pre, preen, rent, rep,<br />
REPENT, ret, rete, tee, teen, ten, tern, tree.<br />
22 23 24 25 26<br />
27 28<br />
29<br />
Across<br />
1. Trait (14)<br />
10. Legal defence (5)<br />
11. First course of an Italian meal (9)<br />
<strong>12</strong>. Marital (7)<br />
13. Minor illness (7)<br />
14. Decipher (5)<br />
16. Bargain, haggle (9)<br />
19. A special right or honour (9)<br />
20. Preside over a meeting (5)<br />
22. Shut out (7)<br />
25. Prove superior (7)<br />
27. Uncomfortable (3,2,4)<br />
28. Stadium (5)<br />
29. Enthusiastically (14)<br />
Decoder<br />
Down<br />
2. The common people (3,6)<br />
3. Traces (5)<br />
4. Question or dispute something (9)<br />
5. Minor actor in crowd scenes (5)<br />
6. Unwise (9)<br />
7. Flavour (5)<br />
8. Laugh (7)<br />
9. Syrup made from blackcurrants<br />
(6)<br />
15. Code of behaviour (9)<br />
17. Ursa Major (5,4)<br />
18. Warning sound (5,4)<br />
19. Forewarning (7)<br />
21. Warm again (6)<br />
23. String instrument (5)<br />
24. Dodge (5)<br />
26. Picture (5)<br />
Crossword<br />
Across: 1. Characteristic, 10. Alibi, 11. Antipasto, <strong>12</strong>. Spousal, 13. Ailment,<br />
14. Solve, 16. Negotiate, 19. Privilege, 20. Chair, 22. Exclude, 25. Triumph,<br />
27. Ill at ease, 28. Arena, 29. Wholeheartedly.<br />
Down: 2. Hoi polloi, 3. Reins, 4. Challenge, 5. Extra, 6. Impolitic, 7. Taste,<br />
8. Chortle, 9. Cassis, 15. Etiquette, 17. Great Bear, 18. Alarm bell, 19.<br />
Preview, 21. Reheat, 23. Cello, 24. Evade, 26. Image.<br />
WordBuilder<br />
Art, arty, awry, dart, daw, day, drat, draw, dray, dry, rad, rat, raw, ray, rya,<br />
tad, tar, tardy, taw, TAWDRY, trad, tray, try, wad, war, ward, wart, warty,<br />
wary, way, wry, yard, yaw.<br />
DECODER<br />
Each number represents a different letter of the alphabet. Write the<br />
given letters into all squares with matching numbers. Now work out<br />
which letters are represented by the other numbers.<br />
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T H E P U Z Z L E C O M P A N Y<br />
www.thepuzzlecompany.co.nz<br />
Sudoku