Police round up shoplifting trio

Source: New Zealand Police Three offenders find themselves charged after a botched getaway with thousands of dollars’ worth of power tools. Police were advised of a shoplifting at a Grey Lynn hardware store at 4.30pm on Thursday. “Two offenders had entered the store and allegedly stole around $8,000 in power tools, before fleeing in a … Read more

Two before the courts, drugs and cash located, Cromwell

Source: New Zealand Police Two people are before the courts, following the execution of a search warrant at a Cromwell address. After receiving information through a Crime Stoppers report, Cromwell Police conducted an investigation into the supply of cannabis within the community. As a result, Police executed a search warrant at a local residential address … Read more

‘Who’s quick and who’s not’: Lawson says Australian GP crucial

Source: Radio New Zealand Liam Lawson. photosport New Zealand driver Liam Lawson says practice and qualifying sessions for the Australian Grand Prix will answer a host of questions about the 2026 Formula 1 pecking order. Wheels will spin for the first time this season on Friday afternoon (2.30pm NZT) at the first of three practice … Read more

Nine to Noon live: Why ‘digital price tags’ at the supermarket are causing concerns

Source: Radio New Zealand RNZ / Nate McKinnon The increasing use of digital price tags could allow supermarkets to use AI algorithms and ‘dynamic pricing’ where prices change in real time, a competition researcher says. The Government’s amendment to the Commerce Act, included increasing the Commerce Commission’s powers in combating predatory pricing , clarifying merger … Read more

New Zealand should look overseas to address social media harm, committee lead says

Source: Radio New Zealand Parliament’s Education and Workforce Committee has release its final report into the harm social media causes for young people online. RNZ A leading member of the government’s inquiry into social media harm says New Zealand wants to be a ‘fast follower,’ not a leader. Parliament’s Education and Workforce Committee has released … Read more

New Zealand prices of ‘anything attached to fuel’ will rise, logistics boss warns

Source: Radio New Zealand The increased price of fuel will see prices increase at the pump, Don Braid says. RNZ / Dan Cook Oil costs are contributing to “off the charts” freight prices and it is only a matter of time before it flows on to consumers, a logistics boss says. The war in Iran … Read more

New overseas investment rules inject billions into local economy

Source: New Zealand Government The Government’s work to boost overseas investment and remove barriers to doing business with New Zealand is delivering billions for the local economy and Kiwi businesses, Associate Finance Minister David Seymour and Immigration Minister Erica Stanford says. Starting today, many decisions under the Overseas Investment Act will be made in under … Read more

International students securing rentals without seeing them

Source: Radio New Zealand International students are increasingly renting private apartments in central Auckland as demand for university accommodation soars. RNZ / Yiting Lin University student Piki Wang has inspected 20 apartments in central Auckland since January, carefully checking living spaces for signs of dampness, pouring through recent utility bills to get a rough idea … Read more

Donald Trump replaces Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem

Source: Radio New Zealand By Ted Hesson, Reuters Kristi Noem is being moved to a new role. TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP One of the top officials overseeing President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, will leave her role, US President Donald Trump said on Thursday (US time). It’s a major … Read more

Review: Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride! falls apart

Source: Radio New Zealand From the punctuation in the title of The Bride! you might think you’re about to see something exhilarating. Director Maggie Gyllenhaal’s Frankenstein-inspired romance has all the parts for what should be a monster of a film: big-name lead actors who deliver, a retro creature-feature setup, a Bonnie and Clyde plot, gorgeous costumes … Read more

Former MP Jackie Blue quits National to join Opportunity party

Source: Radio New Zealand Jackie Blue has also been the Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner. Supplied Former MP Jackie Blue has resigned her National Party membership and joined The Opportunity Party. Blue was a member of the cross-party People’s Select Committee on Pay Equity. She says the government’s handling of the Equal Pay Amendment Act 2025 … Read more

A rival to the cheese roll? The story of the Hawke’s Bay meatball

Source: Radio New Zealand This story was first published ahead of the 2025 Meatball Festival. From Friday to Sunday Hastings will host the second annual Meatball Festival. First Up spoke to the town’s chief meatball officer. Those unfamiliar with Hawke’s Bay’s humble meatball imagine Italian mince with red sauce. The actual description isn’t that mouth-watering, … Read more

Britney Spears arrested in California

Source: Radio New Zealand Britney Spears was arrested Wednesday night (local time), according to information from Ventura County, California authorities. Booking information obtained by CNN shows that the pop superstar was stopped by the California Highway Patrol (CHP) around 9.30pm, was booked shortly after 3am, Thursday and later released. CHP public information officer Ryan Ayers … Read more

Watch: NZ woman’s brazen meth-smuggling attempt discovered at Sydney border

Source: Radio New Zealand A New Zealander is one of two women facing an Australian court after an alleged attempt to import 38 kilograms of methamphetamine by hiding it under some towels in suitcases. In December, an Australian and the New Zealander, both aged 35, were stopped for a targeted bag exam by Sydney border … Read more

Second Oranga Tamariki boot camp will see youth stay four months instead of three

Source: Radio New Zealand Oranga Tamariki’s second boot camp will have 10 teenagers volunteering to live at Palmerston North’s youth justice facility. 123RF Oranga Tamariki’s second boot camp that begins on Monday next week will be longer in the lock-up phase and have more staff but still have only pilot status. The second military-style academy … Read more

Kurahaupō waka goes on display at Masterton’s Aratoi Museum

Source: Radio New Zealand [brightcove] https://players.brightcove.net/6093072280001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6390401519112 For the first time in several years the modern Kurahaupō waka has gone on public display after being moved overland from Levin to Aratoi Museum in Masterton. The waka was built and launched to celebrate 150 years of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1990 and while it was not … Read more

NZ travel agents helping clients escape Middle East conflict

Source: Radio New Zealand RNZ Travel agents are helping their New Zealand clients get out of the Middle East. It has been almost a week since the US and Israel began bombing Iran, which is carrying out retaliatory strikes on US bases and embassies. Most commercial flights are not operating, with much of the region’s … Read more

How do you know if your beach is okay to swim at?

Source: Radio New Zealand After a couple of days of rough weather and some heavy rain, beaches all around Wellington’s south coast and in the inner harbour have been slapped with an unsuitable for swimming status. The problem isn’t confined to the capital. Many Auckland’s beaches are often unswimmable after rain, and Christchurch is looking … Read more

House seriously damaged in overnight fire in Southland

Source: Radio New Zealand RNZ / Samuel Rillstone A home is seriously damaged after a fire in Southland overnight. Fire and Emergency says the property in Mataura, near Gore, was well alight by the time crews arrived at about 9.15pm on Thursday. A spokesperson says nobody was home, but the house suffered extensive damage and … Read more

Why do some of us remember dreams and others say they ‘don’t dream’?

Source: Radio New Zealand Some mornings, you wake up and the dream is right there. Clear and vivid. You might still feel the emotion in your chest, and it can take a few minutes to remember where you are and what was real. Other mornings, you open your eyes and there is nothing. Just a … Read more

What to know about the war in Iran

Source: Radio New Zealand A man makes his way through debris littering a street following airstrikes in central Tehran, on March 4, 2026. AFP A look at the history, the players, and the early stages of global fallout from the war in Iran Acclaimed New Zealand foreign correspondent Anna Fifield was on the ground in … Read more

Why travel insurance might not help right now

Source: Radio New Zealand Travellers are being warned to check what they are actually covered for by insurance. RNZ Travellers are being warned to check what they are actually covered for by insurance if they cancel travel plans due to the conflict in the Middle East. Insurance and Financial Services Ombudsman Karen Stevens said people … Read more

Huawei Highlights Digital Inclusion and Conservation Tech as AI Use Accelerates

Source: Media Outreach BARCELONA, SPAIN – Media OutReach Newswire – 5 March 2026 – Huawei gathered partners, policymakers and international media in Barcelona on March 1 and 2, ahead of Mobile World Congress, to discuss narrowing connectivity and digital skills gaps as artificial intelligence spreads through sectors including healthcare, finance and public services. About 80 … Read more

How has Country Calendar lasted 60 years on NZ TV?

Source: Radio New Zealand Taking the gravel road less travelled is one of the great joys of New Zealand’s longest running TV show, Country Calendar. The iconic show, which has arguably the country’s most recognisable theme tune, celebrates its 60th birthday this weekend. Host and director Dan Henry says Country Calendar has covered just about … Read more

Reverse mortgage or retirement village: Which will give you the retirement you want?

Source: Radio New Zealand Jo Murphy says she very much regrets moving into a retirement village as early as she did. She said she sold her freehold home at least 15 years too soon. “It was a neat little brick home on a nice quiet side road in Waikanae… the garden and the drive took … Read more

Several top Kiwi netballers undecided on Silver Ferns future

Source: Radio New Zealand From top-left clockwise, Te Paea Selby-Rickit, Jane Watson, Whitney Souness, Gina Crampton. Photosport Several top Kiwi netballers preparing to play in Australia’s Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) league are still undecided about whether they will make themselves available for the Silver Ferns ahead of the sport’s biggest events. Nine current and former … Read more

‘Record speaks for itself’: Blues battle mental block against Crusaders

Source: Radio New Zealand Blues coach Vern Cotter said despite the Crusaders’ domination, the rivalry is still very much alive. Brett Phibbs / www.photosport.nz The Blues need no reminding that the Crusaders have had their number in recent times. The side has lost 10 of their last 12 encounters with the Cantabs, with the rivalry … Read more