Latest wave of Covid-19 driven by low vaccination rates, expert warns

Source: Radio New Zealand Covid-19 booster vaccination rates are dropping. (File photo) AFP The latest wave of Covid-19 is being driven by low vaccination rates, a health expert says. Latest number show 50 hospitalisation and 19 deaths with the virus within the span of a week. University of Otago professor of public health Michael Baker … Read more

Rugby: Crusaders teammates in heated scuffle as tensions spill over at training

Source: Radio New Zealand Crusaders’ forward Kershawl Sykes-Martin is one of the players reported to have been involved in the dust-up in training. Joe Allison Clarification: An earlier version of this story reported punches were thrown. This was incorrect. Days after a significant loss to the Blues, tensions rose at Crusaders training on Tuesday with … Read more

Queenstown-based tech entrepreneur Brian Cartmell donating hundreds of thousands to political parties

Source: Radio New Zealand Political donations made in an election year must be declared within 20 days if they are more than $20,000. RNZ Technology entrepreneur Brian Cartmell appears to have donated at least half a million dollars to the coalition parties – and to the Opportunity party. Cartmell moved to New Zealand in 2010 … Read more

Education sector Guidance will help frontline workers

Source: Privacy Commissioner 11 Mar 2026, 10:00 New privacy guidance, launched today, will give people working in the education sector a better understand about how to use and protect personal information, the Privacy Commissioner says.    “Privacy, especially when it relates to children and young people, can be a complex area.   “Our new guidance … Read more

Another Housing Development Approved

Source: New Zealand Government One of Auckland’s largest new housing developments, the Sunfield Masterplanned Community has been approved through Fast-track says Regional Development Minister Shane Jones.   Winton Land Limited submitted its application on 3 April 2025 to develop the ‘Masterplanned’ community to provide around 3,854 new homes, a 7.5‑hectare town centre, retail and healthcare services, … Read more

No Stupid Questions: What could the Iran war really mean for your bank balance?

Source: Radio New Zealand ATTA KENARE / AFP What will the war in the Middle East mean for the average Kiwi’s finances? How far are fuel prices going to rise? What will happen to interest rates? And what does it all mean for the price of food – haven’t we had enough increases there, already? … Read more

What is wabi‑sabi? Will this Japanese philosophy make me happy?

Source: Radio New Zealand The ceramic bowl with an uneven glaze. The teacup mended with gold lacquer. The images are calming and attractive. They are said to reflect wabi-sabi – a Japanese aesthetic often summarised in the West as valuing imperfection, impermanence and incompleteness. Wabi-sabi: things are flawed, things change, and things are never fully … Read more

Auckland Mayor says inner-city suburbs are ripe for housing intensification

Source: Radio New Zealand Wayne Brown and councillors met on Tuesday after the government u-turned on 2 million homes for the city. File picture. RNZ/Marika Khabazi Auckland’s mayor says the city’s oldest suburb can expect intensification after a “long and painful” meeting to mull over how to grow the city. Councillors met on Tuesday after … Read more

Kurt Cobain’s Smells Like Teen Spirit guitar goes up for sale

Source: Radio New Zealand The electric guitar Kurt Cobain played in Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ video is expected to sell for more than US$7 million at auction in New York later this month. The left-handed 1969 Fender Competition Mustang, which Cobain bought just before the release of the genre-defining album Nevermind, is among hundreds … Read more

Northland rough sleepers face more than 800 day wait for home through Housing First

Source: Radio New Zealand Rough sleepers in New Plymouth, in Northland rough sleepers are typically waiting for more than 800 days for a home through Housing First. RNZ / Robin Martin In Northland, rough sleepers typically wait more than 800 days for a home through the Housing First. The nationwide programme helps chronically homeless people … Read more

Weather: Strong winds, heavy rain loom as tropical low nears New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand Rain forecast for 4pm Wednesday. MetService A weather alert has been issued as a tropical storm nears the north of the country. A tropical low is expected to lie north of New Zealand on Wednesday afternoon, bringing southeast gales and heavy rain to the north. MetService has issued a strong wind … Read more

Athletics comes out of hibernation in New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand Sam Tanner and Sam Ruthe, 800m, Potts Classic, Mitre 10 Park, Hastings. Kerry Marshall/Photosport Sam Ruthe has set the world alight with his speed but he’s far from the only Kiwi track and field athlete making waves right now When RNZ sports reporter Grant Chapman was a budding athlete in the … Read more

Government seeks information from police on rescue helicopter deployment after complaints

Source: Radio New Zealand The government is seeking advice about how rescue helicopters are being deployed. Samuel Rillstone The government is seeking advice from police about how rescue helicopters are being deployed. RNZ has reported on Fire and Emergency lines rescue teams who do cliff rescues, who are upset they must go through police to … Read more

Air Chathams announces $20 fuel surcharge on fares

Source: Radio New Zealand An Air Chathams plane. RNZ / Robin Martin Regional airline Air Chathams has announced it is introducing a $20 fuel surcharge on all flights due to increased aviation fuel prices. The announcement came a few hours after Air New Zealand raised its fare prices on Tuesday, adding it could be forced … Read more

Otago Peninsula officially declared possum free

Source: Radio New Zealand Otago Peninsula Biodiversity Group chairperson Hoani Langsbury is congratulating the community for reaching possum free, saying it would not have been possible without them. Supplied Otago Peninsula has been officially declared possum-free after years of hard mahi. The milestone was officially marked on Tuesday with more than 24,000 possums removed from … Read more

Immigration NZ investigated 146 allegations against staff in five years

Source: Radio New Zealand RNZ Immigration New Zealand says 47 staff members have faced disciplinary action in the last five years for breaching its integrity standards. It has investigated 146 allegations over the same period. INZ would not go into details, but said integrity matters could range from dishonesty and not declaring conflicts of interest, … Read more

Indian drag artist on embracing her past, fighting for her future

Source: Radio New Zealand Sunita Torrance (right), who goes by the stage name Coco Flash, and Daniel Lockett, also known as Erika Flash, hosted roughly 250 Rainbow Storytime events in New Zealand. Supplied Sunita Torrance grew up in the rural Taranaki town of Stratford feeling largely distant from her Indian heritage. The 46-year-old was born … Read more

Farmers fear double whammy of rising fuel and fertiliser costs from Middle East conflict

Source: Radio New Zealand Federated Farmers arable chair David Birkett. RNZ / Conan Young Farmers are getting nervous about the rising cost of fuel and fertiliser with the impact already being felt on farm. The conflict in the Middle East has pushed up the price of oil which has been reflected in the price at … Read more

KiwiSaver balances wobble: Is this time different?

Source: Radio New Zealand Markets have been volatile this week as they digest the impact of the war in the Middle East. RNZ Worried KiwiSaver members are asking: is this time different? Markets have been volatile this week as they digest the impact of the war in the Middle East. But some investors have been … Read more

Cyclists frustrated by drivers illegally parking on Auckland’s cycle lanes

Source: Radio New Zealand Two vehicles parked on the cycle lane on Orly Avenue near Māngere town centre. RNZ / Luka Forman A South Auckland man who was hit by a car while cycling believes drivers illegally parking on cycle lanes is a safety issue in the area. He said during busy periods some cycle … Read more

Christchurch Hospital staffing ‘like moving the deck chairs around on the Titanic’, worker says

Source: Radio New Zealand RNZ / Nate McKinnon Christchurch Hospital is working on ways to manage an expected influx of patients sick with winter illnesses like Covid-19 and the flu, as the nurses’ union warns the emergency department is already bursting at the seams and understaffed. The Nurses Organisation said the hospital hit 108 percent … Read more

‘I’ve had some dark moments’: Former Black Cap Luke Woodcock opens up on cancer diagnosis

Source: Radio New Zealand Former Black Cap Luke Woodcock knew something was seriously wrong late last year when he had trouble catching a cricket ball. The cricketer-turned-coach started experiencing symptoms in October. It started with chronic fatigue, then came the random vomiting and loss of appetite. By December his balance and co-ordination went awry, his … Read more

Urgent Waitangi Tribunal inquiry into government’s removal of schools’ Treaty obligations

Source: Radio New Zealand The tino rangatiratanga haki (flag) outside Parliament on the day of the Treaty Principles Bill introduction. RNZ / Emma Andrews The Waitangi Tribunal has granted urgency to an inquiry into the government’s decision to scrap school boards’ legal duty to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and reset Te Mātaiaho, … Read more

Black Caps World Cup octet in, eight more out for South Africa series

Source: Radio New Zealand South Africa’s captain Aiden Markram (L) and David Miller (R) with New Zealand’s Lockie Ferguson at the T20 World Cup. AFP After nearly three months in the subcontinent, the Black Caps are finally headed home, albeit without the trophy they wanted, and staring down one last challenge before they part ways. … Read more

Court ruling ‘brought justice to Te Tai Tokerau voters’, Te Pāti Māori MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi says

Source: Radio New Zealand Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. Anneke Smith / RNZ MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi says Justice Radich “brought justice to Te Tai Tokerau voters” when he ruled her expulsion from Te Pāti Māori “unlawful”. It comes as a political commentator says the party might be looking to distance itself from the drama of last year, and … Read more

The world is eating our lunch: How our apples, seafood and avocados make millions

Source: Radio New Zealand RNZ Five years after Who’s Eating NZ, this series revisits where our food goes – but this time through the lens of Kiwi breakfast, lunch and dinner staples. We track how much of what we produce is eaten here, and who has a seat at our global table during meal times. … Read more

Strong winds, heavy rain loom as tropical low nears New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand Rain forecast for 4pm Wednesday. MetService A weather alert has been issued as a tropical storm nears the north of the country. A tropical low is expected to lie north of New Zealand on Wednesday afternoon, bringing southeast gales and heavy rain to the north. MetService has issued a strong wind … Read more