Tauranga School went in lockdown after reports of an armed person

Source: Radio New Zealand Police say they’re continuing to make enquiries. RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly A Tauranga school was put into lockdown this morning after reports of someone with a weapon. Police were called to Cameron Road at about 8.50am. “A nearby school was advised to be placed into a lockdown, however this has since … Read more

COVID-19 and long COVID 2024/25: New Zealand Health Survey

Source: New Zealand Ministry of Health Publication date: 17 March 2026 This page presents a summary of data from questions about COVID-19 and long COVID added to the New Zealand Health Survey (NZHS) in 2024/25. These questions asked adults aged 15 years and over if they had ever had a COVID-19 infection, and if they … Read more

What one changing suburb tells us

Source: Radio New Zealand Residents of Blockhouse Bay in southwestern Auckland were dismayed to learn early last year that their local Woolworths supermarket was earmarked to close. While the Donovan Street store wasn’t the largest supermarket in the area, many living nearby treated it as an extension of their household refrigerators, popping down to the … Read more

Why Oscar-winning actor Sean Penn skipped the ceremony

Source: Radio New Zealand Film star Sean Penn stepped out of a train carriage in central Kyiv on Monday, thousands of miles away from the glitz of Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre where he had failed to turn up to receive his third acting Oscar hours earlier. Penn, 65, won the Oscar for best supporting actor for … Read more

Two people hospitalised after four-vehicle crash in Palmerston North

Source: Radio New Zealand Two people are being taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Supplied / St John Emergency services are at the scene of a four-vehicle crash in Palmerston North this morning. The crash was reported at about 8.25am at the intersection of Rangitikei Line and Flygers Line in Cloverlea, police said. Two … Read more

Moving health decisions closer to home

Source: New Zealand Government From 1 July, decision-making within Health New Zealand will shift closer to patients, communities, and hospitals, ensuring decisions are made in the right place at the right time so Kiwis get better access to care, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. Local authority: Health New Zealand regions and districts will receive delegated … Read more

More staff, extra beds as hospitals prepare for winter

Source: New Zealand Government Health New Zealand will invest an additional $25 million to boost hospital capacity, increase staffing, and prepare the health system for higher demand over the busy winter months, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment will deliver: Up to an additional 378 full-time equivalent staff across the country to support meeting … Read more

Settlement welcomed for PSA members

Source: New Zealand Government Health Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the ratification of a new collective agreement for Policy, Advisory, Knowledge and Specialist (PAKS) members represented by the Public Service Association (PSA). “I am pleased for the approximately 4,400 Health New Zealand staff across the country who will benefit from this agreement. It recognises the … Read more

Are specialist police needed to patrol the CRL underground?

Source: Radio New Zealand Karangahape Road will be one of three new underground stations on the City Rail Link. Supplied: CRL A specialist police force will be needed to patrol deep below Auckland’s streets on the new City Rail Link, says a city councillor. Transport officers and Māori wardens currently patrol public transport, but do … Read more

Support cut as boarder income changes take effect

Source: Radio New Zealand RNZ Families with disabled children are facing reductions in support under new rules that include income from boarders in assessments for accommodation supplements or income-related rent in public housing. Before 2 March, only income from three or more boarders was included. Minister for Social Development Louise Upston said, when the change … Read more

Abdulhassan Nabizadah: Police reappeal for information one year after homicide

Source: Radio New Zealand Abdulhassan Nabizadah. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone Police are again appealing for anyone who knows anything about the death of Abdulhassan Nabizadah to come forward. It’s been a year since the 63-year-old was assaulted, robbed and left critically injured on Camperdown Road in the Wellington suburb of Miramar. The offenders, who stole … Read more

A camera to tell if drivers are drunk

Source: Radio New Zealand New facial recognition technology is being worked on that could detect if someone is driving drunk with just a three second video (file image). 123RF New facial recognition technology is being worked on that could detect if someone is driving drunk with just a three second video. Researchers in Australia have … Read more

Papers show ‘extreme risk’ around Health NZ decentralisation

Source: Radio New Zealand Health NZ faces the “extreme risk” of not having enough of the workers it needs to push through the government’s order to decentralise rapidly. Unsplash / RNZ Papers show that Health New Zealand faces the “extreme risk” of not having enough of the workers it needs to push through the government’s … Read more

Government announces extra $25 million funding to boost hospital capacity and staff

Source: Radio New Zealand Health Minister Simeon Brown. RNZ / Marika Khabazi The government has announced that hospitals will get hundreds more staff and extra beds as the health system prepares for winter pressure. Health Minister Simeon Brown said Health New Zealand would invest an extra $25 million to boost hospital capacity and staffing across … Read more

Have you seen Jane? Concerns for missing Auckland woman

Source: Radio New Zealand Supplied / NZ Police Police are seeking help from the public after a woman went missing in Auckland. In a statement, police said 65-year-old Jane was last seen in Saint Johns on Monday afternoon. She had brown hair and was wearing a white patterned T-shirt and black leggings. “Police, and her … Read more

Our Changing World: How to grow a kiwi

Source: Radio New Zealand North Island brown kiwi are hatched and reared at the facility. National Kiwi Hatchery Aotearoa Follow Our Changing World on Apple, Spotify, iHeartRadio or wherever you listen to your podcasts A little bit of eggshell still clings to the slick feathers of the newly hatched brown kiwi chick. Only a few … Read more

A new Southland datacentre would be the country’s second-largest drain on power

Source: Radio New Zealand Artist’s impression of how the data centre is to look. Datagrid It’s being billed as the data centre that changes everything – but hopefully that doesn’t include the price of your power. It will be the country’s second biggest user of electricity after the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter. A $3 billion … Read more

Emergency doctors estimate AI scribe ‘Heidi’ saving up to 10 minutes per patient

Source: Radio New Zealand Doctors say the new AI scribe rolling out in EDs around the country is saving them up to 10 minutes per patient. Supplied Doctors say the new AI scribe rolling out in EDs around the country is saving them up to 10 minutes per patient, and is particularly helpful for slow … Read more

Operation Celtic: Police continue to investigate death of Abdulhassan Nabizadah

Source: New Zealand Police Attributable to Detective Senior Sergeant Tim Leitch, Wellington Area Investigations Manager: Police continue to investigate the death of Abdulhassan Nabizadah, a year on from when he was critically injured on Camperdown Road, Miramar. Mr Nabizadah was assaulted and robbed around 12.30am on 17 March 2025, in what Police believe was part … Read more

Christchurch community leaders uneasy about plan to pump partially-treated sewage into sea

Source: Radio New Zealand Diggers at the burnt-out Bromley wastewater plant. Supplied Image – Christchurch City Council A controversial plan to pump millions of litres of partially-treated sewage into the Christchurch coastline is leaving community leaders feeling uneasy and sceptical. Earlier this month, Mayor Phil Mauger floated the idea of pumping around a third of … Read more

How to remove mould from clothing and stop it growing in wardrobes and drawers

Source: Radio New Zealand Ever plan to wear your favourite jacket, only to pull it out of the wardrobe to discover it’s got a weird smell and is covered in mould? “People living in warm, humid climates or coastal regions are often impacted heavily [by mouldy clothing] because their indoor humidity remains elevated for long … Read more

Southland – New Zealand’s power centre

Source: Radio New Zealand Artist’s impression of how the data centre is to look. Datagrid It’s being billed as the data centre that changes everything – but hopefully that doesn’t include the price of your power. It will be the country’s second biggest user of electricity after the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter. A $3 billion … Read more

‘Emergency package’ could help low income families amid financial crisis, economist says

Source: Radio New Zealand Unsplash / Emil Kalibradov The war in the Middle East could see inflation in New Zealand hit 3.7 percent in a worst case scenario, Finance Minister Nicola Willis revealed on Tuesday. Willis said the government was focused on mitigating the impact of the war on critical supply chains and the New … Read more

One man, two brutal killings two decades apart: How the mental health system ‘failed everybody’

Source: Radio New Zealand Leslie Parr killed his partner Fiona Maulolo in 1997, then his mother in 2024. Supplied Leslie Parr was spiralling. It had been 27 years since he’d killed his ex-partner Fiona Maulolo, stabbing her repeatedly with a chisel before beheading her. Following his first killing he was made a special patient under … Read more

Petrol price could hit $4, economists warn

Source: Radio New Zealand RNZ / Dan Cook It’s feasible that petrol prices could reach $4 a litre, economists say. Ongoing conflict in the Middle East has pushed up oil prices, taking petrol prices with them. Over March, the average price of 91 has risen about 50c a litre, according to price monitoring app Gaspy. … Read more

Leaked papers show ‘extreme risk’ around Health NZ decentralisation

Source: Radio New Zealand Health NZ faces the “extreme risk” of not having enough of the workers it needs to push through the government’s order to decentralise rapidly. Unsplash / RNZ Papers show that Health New Zealand faces the “extreme risk” of not having enough of the workers it needs to push through the government’s … Read more

2500 Te Whatu Ora PAKS staff ratify new collective agreement, PSA says

Source: Radio New Zealand The PSA said its members working in policy, advisory, knowledge and services voted overhelmingly in favour of ratifying a new collective agreement. RNZ The Public Service Association (PSA) says a group of 2500 Te Whatu Ora staff it represents have ratified a new collective agreement. The PSA said its members working … Read more