Aid organisations fighting to stay in Gaza, unable to get much-needed supplies into city

Source: Radio New Zealand Medecins Sans Frontieres is determined to stay in Gaza despite requirements from Israel to supply extensive details of staff and funding. Medecins Sans Frontieres Aid organisations in Gaza, say they have been unable to get supplies or staff into the city since January. A court temporarily blocked a decision by Israel … Read more

Documents reveal why staff didn’t tell minister about Jevon McSkimming allegations

Source: Radio New Zealand Disgraced former deputy police commissioner Jevon McSkimming was sentenced to nine months home detention in December after pleading guilty to charges relating to possessing objectionable publications. RNZ / Mark Papalii A police staffer who was asked to not circulate emails containing allegations about disgraced former Deputy Commissioner Jevon McSkimming “assumed” then … Read more

Choice, control and certainty through flexible funding

Source: New Zealand Government Disabled people will have more choice over how they use their flexible funding from April, while keeping the same level of support they receive today, Minister for Disability Issues Louise Upston says.  “Our Government committed to restoring flexibility, choice and control in a way that was sustainable,” Louise Upston says.  “The steps we have taken since 2024 to stabilise the disability support system have been … Read more

Politics live: Christopher Luxon faces colleagues as National’s caucus meets

Source: Radio New Zealand Follow all the latest news with RNZ’s live blog above. MPs are back at Parliament today for caucus meetings and the House back in session, after a weekend of speculation about Christopher Luxon’s leadership and economic uncertainty over the Iran war. Follow all the latest news with RNZ’s live blog at … Read more

‘It’s quite deceptive’: Complaint laid about the rise of property flippers

Source: Radio New Zealand RNZ / Dom Thomas One of the country’s most prominent buyers’ agencies has complained to the Real Estate Authority about a rise in “property flippers” making six-figures from unwitting vendors. Earlier, Cotality told RNZ that the number of contemporaneous sales had lifted significantly last year after a sharp fall in 2023. … Read more

Robin Beets was killed in a dementia unit attack but his family don’t want the other patient charged

Source: Radio New Zealand Robin Walter Beets, 84, died in November 2023. Supplied The death of an elderly man at a dementia unit following an altercation with another patient was a “tragic outcome that was preceded by a sudden eruption of anger without a known cause or warning”, a coroner says. Police decided not to … Read more

Fatal Auckland fire not suspicious

Source: Radio New Zealand The scene of the fatal fire. RNZ / FELIX WALTON A fatal blaze in Auckland last week is not suspicious, police say. Emergency services were called to a garage on fire on Tamaki Avenue in Ōtāhuhu last Wednesday night. A person was found dead inside. “Our thoughts are with the deceased’s … Read more

How to talk to your children about conflict and war

Source: Radio New Zealand It can be hard to avoid news about the conflict and war around the world, especially with images and updates regularly topping the news and circulating online. Brad Morgan is the director of Emerging Minds, an Australian organisation which develops mental health policy, interventions and programmes, and leads the National Workforce Centre for … Read more

Air NZ suspends earning guidance amid global jet fuel markets volatilty

Source: Radio New Zealand Generic plane. Air New Zealand at Wellington airport. RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King Air New Zealand has suspended its earning guidance amid what it calls unprecedented volatility in global jet fuel markets. The airline expects a meaningful impact on its second half earnings. After implementing initial fare changes, it says it may … Read more

‘Grey washing’: SuperGold Card discounts skip entire regions

Source: Radio New Zealand The SuperGold card was designed to help offset the high cost of living, which statistically hit NZ’s seniors harder than other groups. RNZ / Kim Baker-Wilson SuperGold Card holders are finding it difficult to cash-in on weekly supermarket discounts with a mish-mash of locations, leaving some regions missing out entirely with … Read more

Kiwis in Tehran warned of toxic hazards following US-Israel strikes

Source: Radio New Zealand A plume of smoke rises after a strike on the Iranian capital of Tehran on March 5, 2026. AFP / Atta Kenare New Zealanders in Iran’s capital are being warned of toxic hazards. SafeTravel is advising there is oil, smoke and soot across Tehran which is making conditions significantly more dangerous. … Read more

‘It is a ticking time bomb’: Drive to evict PNG settlement communities runs into problems

Source: Radio New Zealand Shattered homes: community leaders at Paga Hill settlement discuss their response to police attempts to evict them. RNZ / Johnny Blades A Papua New Guinean anthropologist has warned that a campaign by authorities to remove communities from informal settlements in Port Moresby will not solve growing social problems in PNG’s capital. … Read more

How much fuel does NZ have – and what happens if we run out?

Source: Radio New Zealand there were 49 days’ worth of petrol, 54 of diesel and 50 of jet fuel in New Zealand at the start of this month. File photo. RNZ / Kim Baker Wilson New Zealand could make its fuel supplies last about three to four weeks if supply was completely cut off. Ministry … Read more

Government may offer asylum to Iranian female football players, Seymour says

Source: Radio New Zealand Iranian players saluting for the national anthem after being reprimanded for not singing in an earlier match. AFP The New Zealand government may offer asylum to Iranian female football players in Australia who are likely to face persecution if they return to their home country. The ABC reported that five players … Read more

The real price of Buy Now Pay Later

Source: Radio New Zealand Buy Now Pay Later schemes including Afterpay are popular with consumers, with one million Kiwis using them. Screenshot Financial watchdogs want the rules about Buy Now Pay Later schemes strengthened, saying the last tweak didn’t work. It’s been described as both a lifeline, and a trap. Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) … Read more

Suzie Bates, Sophie Devine return for White Ferns series against South Africa

Source: Radio New Zealand Suzie Bates (R) and Sophie Devine (L) of New Zealand celebrate their win over Pakistan at the 2024 T20 World Cup in UAE. PHOTOSPORT Former captain Sophie Devine along with veteran batter Suzie Bates return to the White Ferns squad for this month’s T20 series against South Africa. Devine, Bates, Georgia … Read more

Ministry of Social Development apologises for broken data system

Source: Radio New Zealand RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King Months’ worth of social housing and benefit data haven’t been published because of a broken system, and there’s no fix in sight. The Ministry of Social Development (MSD) usually provides monthly updates, including information like the number of people in emergency and social housing, and how big … Read more

NZTA picks cheaper but less effective option to fix SH2 through Waioweka Gorge

Source: Radio New Zealand A slip on State Highway 2 through the Waioweka Gorge in January. Supplied/NZTA The Transport Agency (NZTA) has picked a cheaper but less effective option to fix the highway through Waioweka Gorge north of Gisborne that leaves a greater likelihood of closures than a costlier “full” fix. A newly released business … Read more

Our Changing World: Iwi-led conservation in the Kaimai Mamuku ranges

Source: Radio New Zealand Mohi Korohina at Killarney Lakes. RNZ Follow Our Changing World on Apple, Spotify, iHeartRadio or wherever you listen to your podcasts. It was during the Covid-19 pandemic and Mohi Korohina was working in Australia when he got the call. It was his grandfather – ‘no good staying in Aussie’, he said, … Read more

Advocacy group calls for National Fuel Security Plan to be activated in face of global shortages

Source: Radio New Zealand An advocacy group wants more action from the government in the face of global fuel shortages. RNZ A broad coalition dedicated to assessing and responding to risks arising from climate change and economic insecurity wants more action from the government in the face of what could be “massive economic disruption” caused … Read more

Human trials about to take place on universal flu vaccine

Source: Radio New Zealand File photo. CDC If you get a regular flu vaccine, you may be well aware that it protects against the most prevalent strains. But because influenza viruses evolve rapidly, the flu vaccine is updated annually to provide protection against new strains. A universal flu vaccine looks to change that, providing protection … Read more

Shoes on or off inside? What are the rules?

Source: Radio New Zealand Across Aotearoa, our indoor shoe etiquette is shaped by culture, faith, upbringing and our own ideas about cleanliness. Guna Magesan, president of the Hindu Council, says that even if a host tells his whānau shoes are fine inside, they’ll usually remove them anyway. For him, it’s about respect, cultural values, discipline … Read more

Corey Peters sixth in Super-G at Winter Games

Source: Radio New Zealand Corey Peters at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympics. © Photosport 2026 Jeff Crowe / Photosport New Zealand paralympian Corey Peters has finished sixth in the men’s Super-G sitting at the Paralympic Winter Games in Italy. Competing in soft snow conditions, Peters produced a solid run to record 1:15.42, but ultimately … Read more

The price of instant gratification

Source: Radio New Zealand Buy Now Pay Later schemes including Afterpay are popular with consumers, with one million Kiwis using them. Screenshot Financial watchdogs want the rules about Buy Now Pay Later schemes strengthened, saying the last tweak didn’t work. It’s been described as both a lifeline, and a trap. Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) … Read more

War on the wallet: Iran conflict a ‘worst of worlds’ scenario

Source: Radio New Zealand Motorists drive past a plume of smoke rising from a reported Iranian strike in the industrial district of Doha, 1 March 2026. MAHMUD HAMS / AFP A worst of worlds scenario for consumers is how one economist is describing the dual effects of the Middle East conflict on both inflation and … Read more

Local government minister Simon Watts can’t guarantee rates cap won’t increase social housing rents

Source: Radio New Zealand Local government minister Simon Watts. RNZ / Mark Papalii The local government minister cannot guarantee a rates cap will not cause higher costs for tens of thousands of social housing tenants. Simon Watts said the final rates cap policy was still being designed, but did not anticipate it would cause higher … Read more

Robin Beets was killed at a dementia unit but his family don’t want the other patient charged

Source: Radio New Zealand Robin Walter Beets, 84, died in November 2023. Supplied The death of an elderly man at a dementia unit following an altercation with another patient was a “tragic outcome that was preceded by a sudden eruption of anger without a known cause or warning”, a coroner says. Police decided not to … Read more