Steinlager Ultra Low Carb beer recalled due to incorrect alcohol-free labelling

Source: NZ Ministry for Primary Industries New Zealand Food Safety is supporting Lion NZ (LION) Limited in recalling a specific batch of its Steinlager Ultra Low Carb beer due to individual bottles in some 24-packs being incorrectly labelled as alcohol-free.  “The concern with these beers is that although the box says the beers contain 4.2% … Read more

Response continues in Papatoetoe, with no further fruit flies found today

Source: NZ Ministry for Primary Industries Biosecurity New Zealand’s Oriental fruit fly response continues in Papatoetoe, Auckland, with no further fruit flies found today. Four male Oriental fruit flies have so far been found in traps within our surveillance zone.  “Our team hit the ground running over the past several days, installing signs, setting additional … Read more

Police acknowledge IPCA report into justified use of force, Tairāwhiti

Source: New Zealand Police Police acknowledge and accept an Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) report that found officers were justified in using force when taking a man into custody in Tairāwhiti. On 14 December 2024, Police received reports of a man (referred to in the IPCA report as Mr Z) in a stolen ute in … Read more

Innovative digital labelling trial to progress

Source: New Zealand Government The Government will move ahead with a digital labelling trial, another step towards removing barriers to consumer choice and competition. It follows consultation at the end of last year on the trial, a requirement under the Food Act. “Food retailers have told us labelling products can be a costly barrier to … Read more

‘We’re just meant to say thank you’: Goverment u-turns on disability funding

Source: Radio New Zealand Supplied Disabled people and their carers are welcoming a government back-track on funding for support services, but say the past two years have been deeply traumatic and won’t be forgotten. The Government has wound back controversial cuts to disability support services it made in 2024. Two years ago Whaikaha Ministry of … Read more

Arrests after attempted robbery

Source: New Zealand Police A group fleeing the scene of an attempted robbery at a central Auckland superette have also failed to give Police the slip. Just before 9pm, two males covering their faces with balaclavas entered the store on Karangahape Road. “These offenders entered the store, verbally abusing the shopkeeper,” Auckland Central Area Commander, … Read more

‘May be unusual, doesn’t make it wrong’: Public Service Commissioner responds to legal action filed by teachers union

Source: Radio New Zealand Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche. (File photo) VNP/Louis Collins The Public Service Commissioner says there’s nothing wrong in offering pay rises to non-unionised teachers, despite it drawing fire and court action from a union. NZEI, the primary teachers union, was filing urgent legal action after the government announced it was … Read more

Ministerial group to oversee fuel security

Source: New Zealand Government The Government’s newly established Ministerial Economic Security and Supply Chains Group met for the first time last night to discuss New Zealand’s situation and potential next steps on fuel security in response to the Middle East conflict. The group of senior ministers has been convened to provide strategic oversight and co-ordinated … Read more

First MRI scanner for Wairarapa Hospital

Source: New Zealand Government A new purpose-built facility at Wairarapa Hospital will house a new MRI scanner as part of a wider investment to strengthen diagnostic services, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. “Wairarapa is currently the only district in the lower North Island without its own MRI scanner. Once operational, this $3.7 million scanner will … Read more

The New Zealand Threat Classification Series hits 50

Source: NZ Department of Conservation A milestone worth celebrating for Aotearoa New Zealand’s biodiversity The New Zealand Threat Classification Series has officially reached its 50th issue! That’s 50 deep dives into the state of our unique species, 50 scientifically robust contributions to conservation knowledge, and 50 reasons to feel proud of the mahi behind this … Read more

44,000 passengers to be hit by Air NZ cancellations over fuel, CEO says

Source: Radio New Zealand File photo. AFP Air New Zealand is set to cancel around 1100 flights affecting thousands of passengers through until early May. Air NZ chief executive Nikhil Ravishankar told Morning Report between now and the end of April, early May the airline will cancel around 1100 flights. That would amount to about … Read more

Woman killed in Auckland cafe car crash mourned as member of Windsor Park Baptist Church

Source: Radio New Zealand Sarah Clark died on Wednesday. Windsor Park Baptist Church / supplied A woman who was killed after a car crashed into an Auckland cafe is being remembered for her faith, friendship and care she showed others. Shortly before 9am on Wednesday, Sarah Clark was killed and her daughter injured, after a … Read more

Man’s body pulled from Auckland’s Tāmaki River

Source: Radio New Zealand A police car seen behind a cordon as officers attend an incident. RNZ A man’s body has been pulled from the Tāmaki River in east Auckland. It’s after searches started this week for a man reported missing near Waipuna last Friday. A member of the public found the body just before … Read more

WOMAD music festival returns to New Plymouth after ‘purposeful rest’

Source: Radio New Zealand The WOMAD Aotearoa festival is to return to New Plymouth in 2027 after taking a “purposeful rest” this year. Event director Suzanne Porter believes the time is right for it to make a comeback. “I think we have lost a number of festivals worldwide in the last three years. It’s been … Read more

Sudden death, Tāmaki River

Source: New Zealand Police Police have recovered a man’s body from the Tāmaki River in east Auckland. Search efforts have been underway through the week after the man was reported missing near Waipuna on 6 March. Police responded to the area just before 6pm last night, 11 March, after a member of the public had … Read more

NZ will release six days of fuel amid global concerns over supply

Source: Radio New Zealand RNZ / Mark Papalii New Zealand will have to release about six days worth of fuel as part of a decision by the International Energy Agency. The IEA has agreed unanimously to release 400 million barrels of oil from its reserves. Senior ministers met last night to pore over the country’s … Read more

AI in warfare being tested in Iran, needs ‘much more’ careful thinking by NZ – Defence

Source: Radio New Zealand Defence says new AI-supercharged weapon systems will need to be “very, very carefully designed”. NZDF / Supplied New AI-supercharged weapon systems will need to be “very, very carefully designed” to comply with international and domestic laws, MPs have been told. And it would be the software behind the systems that would … Read more

Cricket: Fomer White Ferns captain Sophie Devine goes for top-dollar in The Hundred auction

Source: Radio New Zealand White Fern Sophie Devine. PHOTOSPORT White Fern Sophie Devine has picked up a $476,000 deal to play for the Welsh Fire in this year’s The Hundred in the UK. It is the highest price for a women’s player in the history of the competition. Devine, 36, who recently relinquished the New … Read more

Prisoners struggle with reintegration after being released from jail

Source: Radio New Zealand Convicted murderer Gail Maney. Fairfax Media A woman who spent 15 years in prison says being released into the outside world was like being pushed out the gate. The coroner is calling for urgent psychological support for long term prisoners before and after release, after a former prisoner who served nearly … Read more

Cornwall Park’s farm week gives Aucklanders a taste of farm life in the central city

Source: Radio New Zealand Cornwall Park is home to 300 ewes. Cornwall Park Aucklanders can get a taste of the country in their own back yard this weekend as Cornwall Park opens up its working farm. Established in 1844 the farm currently has 300 perindale ewes and 60 head of cattle. Farm manager Peter Maxwell … Read more

Heinz Watties restructure will have ripple effect, Employers and Manufacturers Association says

Source: Radio New Zealand Heinz Watties has proposed a major job shake-up. Supplied / Heinz Watties The Employers and Manufacturers Association believes there will be a ripple effect right across the country if Heinz Watties goes ahead with its major shake-up. The company wants to shut its plants in Auckland, Christchurch and Dunedin and stop … Read more

New pay deal for primary teachers welcomed

Source: New Zealand Government Education Minister Erica Stanford welcomes the decision by Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche to enable school boards to offer primary teachers new pay agreements. The move benefits around 10,000 primary teachers who are not bound by the NZEI Primary Teachers’ Collective Agreement. “From today, school boards will be able to … Read more

Snow, Ice, and Performance: 2026 Changan Global Testing Season Arrives in Europe with Back-to-Back Winter Events

Source: Media Outreach European dealers and journalists experienced the CHANGAN DEEPAL S05 AWD at 2026 Changan Global Testing Season this February. With intelligent AWD and advanced ADAS, the CHANGAN DEEPAL S05 AWD offered uncompromising safety and control on winter roads. Saalfelden, Austria – Media OutReach Newswire – 12 March 2026 – Following extreme cold tests … Read more

One in three households struggled for food in past year, Hunger Monitor report finds

Source: Radio New Zealand New Zealand Food Network CEO Gavin Findlay points out the imperfection on a donated apple that would have led to it being graded out of supermarket supply. Bonnie Harrison A new report showing one in three households have struggled to access affordable, nutritious food in the past year has come as … Read more

As Covid hits again, New Zealand confronts its pandemic past

Source: Radio New Zealand As the final report on how New Zealand handled the Covid-19 pandemic is released, a ninth wave of the virus is hitting communities. RNZ / Marika Khabazi A deadly Covid wave returns, just as New Zealand gets its final pandemic report card Another wave of Covid-19 is circulating again through New … Read more

Can you really turn into a tree when you die?

Source: Radio New Zealand Would you like to be a tree when you die? ​Or would you like to be an AI chatbot hologram? ​There is a widening spectrum for how to dispose of our bodies after we die and how we will be grieved and remembered. Dr Hannah Gould, a death expert and Australian … Read more

Outgoing MP Peeni Henare on being Māori, a politician, and why he’s walking away from the Labour Party

Source: Radio New Zealand Peeni Henare stands in Matangireia at Parliament. RNZ / Lillian Hanly Outgoing Labour MP Peeni Henare says he is ready to “see the back of this place”, as he prepares to leave both Parliament and the party who gave him an “opportunity” after 12 years. “You can only try your best, … Read more