Family ‘devastated with worry’ over French man Antoine Richard who’s missing in central Otago

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Source: Radio New Zealand Antoine Richard hasn’t been seen since 21 March. Supplied / NZ Police The family of French national Antoine Richard is appealing for more help in the search for the 21-year-old who was reported missing in Cromwell on the weekend of 21-22 March. Richard was last seen on 21 March, around 11.45pm … Read more

‘No actual change’: Chris Bishop downplays scaling down of Auckland housing plans

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Source: Radio New Zealand Housing Minister Chris Bishop. RNZ / Marika Khabazi The housing minister says nothing has fundamentally changed as the government scales back Auckland’s minimum housing target even further. Auckland Council had been progressing a plan to accommodate up to 2 million homes in the next 30 years. But in February that was … Read more

Update: Common Room bar fight, Hastings

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Source: New Zealand Police Attributable to Detective Sergeant Heath Jones: Police have arrested a second person in relation to a fight at the Common Room bar earlier this month. Police responded to the fight that occurred between 1.30 and 2am on Sunday 8 March, where several people were injured – some seriously, with one requiring … Read more

Universities – Significant rise in sepsis cases, research finds – Otago

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Source: University of Otago, Wellington – Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka, Pōneke Hospital admissions for sepsis rose significantly between 2000 and 2019, with infants, people over 70, Māori and Pacific peoples and those living in areas of deprivation at much higher risk of developing the condition, researchers at the University of Otago, Wellington – Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka, … Read more

‘Needed more than ever’: Living wage rises to $29.90 per hour

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Source: Radio New Zealand The living wage was set by Living Wage Aotearoa NZ. (File photo) RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King The living wage will rise to $29.90 per hour from 1 April, a 95c increase from the previous $28.95. The living wage is independently calculated by the Family Centre Social Policy Unit and released by … Read more

What’s going wrong for New Zealand small businesses?

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Source: Radio New Zealand 123RF New Zealand small businesses have ranked last out of 11 Asia-Pacific countries in terms of their growth, for the second year in a row. CPA Australia has released the results of its 18th small business survey. It found only 38 percent of New Zealand small businesses reported growth in 2025, … Read more

Nuts about food science: Torere Macadamias partners with Riddet Institute

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Source: Radio New Zealand Riddet Institute acting director Paul Moughan and Torere Macadamias general manager Vanessa Hayes discuss macadamias at the Riddet Institute Agrifood Summit in Wellington in February. Supplied / Riddet Institute A partnership between Torere Macadamias Ltd and the Riddet Institute is aiming to grow the presence of Māori in agribusiness. Torere Macadamias … Read more

New Zealand relies increasingly on migrants to pay our tax: Is that a problem?

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Source: Radio New Zealand A paper written by a Treasury principal adviser has found that people born elsewhere are becoming increasingly important for the country’s tax base. RNZ People who were born overseas and migrated to New Zealand are paying an increasing share of the country’s tax, a new paper shows. The paper, published by … Read more

Start-up asked for regulation changes to allow controversial marine carbon storage

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Source: Radio New Zealand RNZ An international start-up has been pushing for regulation changes to allow it to carry out controversial marine carbon storage in New Zealand waters. The company, Gigablue, says its technology could be game-changing for the climate, with the potential to store ‘gigatons’ of carbon in the deep ocean and create local … Read more

Update: Search for Antoine Richard

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Source: New Zealand Police Please attribute to Detective Phill Hamlin: The search for missing 21-year-old French national Antoine Richard is continuing, after he was reported missing in Cromwell last weekend. Antoine was last seen around 11:45pm on Saturday 21 March at the Victoria Arms Hotel. Further appeal for sightings or information Police are appealing to … Read more

Christchurch council staff back away from mayor’s proposal to pump sewage into sea

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Source: Radio New Zealand Pegasus Bay. Supplied / Todd Group Christchurch City Council staff are backing away from a controversial plan to pump millions of litres of sewage out to sea as councillors prepare to vote on proposals it is hoped will take pressure off the city’s struggling treatment plant. A plan put forward by … Read more

‘Shouldn’t come as a surprise’: No extensions to incorporated societies deadline, minister says

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Source: Radio New Zealand Consumer Affairs Minister Scott Simpson. RNZ / Mark Papalii Consumer Affairs Minister Scott Simpson says there will be no extension for the more than 3000 clubs, charities and other groups to re-register as Incorporated Societies by Easter Sunday. Incorporated societies – including clubs, charities, unions and political parties – will be … Read more

Kaitaia residents say town will be devastated if big employer Juken timber mills shuts gates

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Source: Radio New Zealand Juken New Zealand’s Northland Mill, on Whangatane Drive on the northern fringe of Kaitāia. Peter de Graaf Long-time Kaitaia residents say the Far North town would be devastated if its big employer timber mills shut their gates. Two mills belonging to Japanese-owned Juken New Zealand are facing uncertain futures, with the … Read more

The resurrection of the Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme

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Source: Radio New Zealand The Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme is back on the table, after industry players formed a private planning group. Flickr / Shellie Evans The same government that scrapped the Lake Onslow pumped hydro project has put it on the fast-track list. But whether this country can pull off a project of … Read more

David Tamihere’s double-murder convictions quashed: What happens now and could he get compensation?

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Source: Radio New Zealand David Tamihere pictured outside court in 2018. (File photo) RNZ David Tamihere’s convictions have been quashed, 36 years after he was found guilty of murdering two Swedish backpackers, but what happens next and could he get compensation from the government? In a decision released on Tuesday, the Supreme Court directed a … Read more

Parents do have a favourite child, according to research

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Source: Radio New Zealand No matter how many times parents protest that they don’t have a favourite child, research shows that preferential treatment does happen – even in adulthood. For 25 years, US‑based sociologist J. Jill Suitor and her team have examined responses from hundreds of mothers who have two or more adult children. She … Read more

Marine carbon dioxide removal is a big idea – with big hurdles

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Source: Radio New Zealand Using microalgae to ‘fix’ carbon is one type of marine carbon dioxide removal. RNZ Explainer – A start-up company wants to carry out marine carbon dioxide removal in New Zealand waters. What is mCDR and why is it controversial? Earlier this month, a boat chartered by the company Gigablue headed out … Read more

Auditors warn big companies may fail

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Source: Radio New Zealand Unsplash Auditors have issued business failure warnings for 15 percent of New Zealand’s listed companies, a new report says. Chartered Accountants Australia New Zealand (CA ANZ) released data that shows an increase in the number of companies where auditors have highlighted a material uncertainty related to a going concern. It was … Read more

Improved economy helped reduce household debt but Middle East war adds uncertainty

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Source: Radio New Zealand An improving economy has helped to reduce household debt levels. RNZ / Quin Tauetau Consumer debt arrears fall, but more in deeper distress Consumer credit demand softens a shade, but up on year ago Business credit demand subdued, but service and agriculture show strength Business liquidations in February highest in 17 … Read more

Who the winners and losers of Christopher Luxon’s election-year Cabinet reshuffle might be

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Source: Radio New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon will be juggling disappointment and elation when announcing his election-year Cabinet reshuffle on Thursday. RNZ / Nathan Mckinnon Analysis: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon will be juggling disappointment and elation when announcing his election-year Cabinet reshuffle on Thursday. With senior minister Judith Collins set to become president of … Read more

Rajinder, man who murdered Gurjit Singh, to be sentenced

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Source: Radio New Zealand Rajinder was found guilty of murder following a High Court jury trial last year. RNZ The man who murdered Gurjit Singh at his Dunedin home will be sentenced on Wednesday. Singh, 27, was found dead on the lawn of the property in January in 2024 after being stabbed more than 40 … Read more

Crown unlikely to have evidence to pursue David Tamihere retrial – Defence Lawyers’ Association

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Source: Radio New Zealand David Tamihere. RNZ The Defence Lawyers’ Association does not believe the Crown has the evidence to pursue a retrial of David Tamihere. Tamihere was convicted in 1990 of killing Swedish tourists Urban Höglin and Heidi Paakkonen on the Coromandel Peninsula. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court quashed the convictions and directed a … Read more

Steep rise in sepsis hospital admissions over last two decades, research reveals

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Source: Radio New Zealand Sharla McTavish, a Tangata Tiriti PhD student from the Department of Public Health at Otago University. Supplied Hospital admissions for sepsis have risen steeply in the past 20 years, with new research showing infants, people over 70, Māori and Pacific peoples and those living in areas of high deprivation more at … Read more

West Coast polytechnic Tai Poutini to become Open Polytechnic campus next year

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Source: Radio New Zealand Tai Poutini will become a campus of the Open Polytechnic next year. Google Maps The West Coast polytechnic Tai Poutini will become a campus of the Open Polytechnic next year. The institute is among the last four polytechnics remaining in super-institute Te Pūkenga. Vocational Education Minister Penny Simmonds said the other … Read more

KiwiSaver contribution rates rise

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Source: Radio New Zealand Employers are generally prepared for Wednesday’s KiwiSaver changes, business groups say. 123RF Employers are generally prepared for Wednesday’s KiwiSaver changes, business groups say. From 1 April, the default rate for KiwiSaver contributions for employers and employees will lift to 3.5 percent, from 3 percent. This would happen for all members who … Read more