Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy is a positive step, but people need to see real change

Source: Te Hiringa Mahara – Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission Te Hiringa Mahara welcomes today’s release of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy and its implementation plan. The Strategy is an important step toward a mental health and addiction system that is easier for people to access and better able to support them when they … Read more

Banking – ASB makes changes to home loan and term deposit rates

Source: ASB 6 August 2026 ASB has today increased its fixed home loan rates by between 10-26 bps on its 6-month to three-year terms and has increased term deposit rates by 10-20 bps on its 6-month to two-year terms. ASB’s Executive General Manager Personal Banking Adam Boyd says “We’re continuing to see volatility in wholesale … Read more

Consumer NZ – Power bills overtake housing as New Zealanders’ second-biggest financial concern

Source: Consumer NZ 6 August 2026 New Zealanders are now more likely to name power bills as a financial concern than mortgage or rent payments, putting power costs second only to food and groceries. “We have tracked consumer sentiment for more than five years, and this is the first time more people have told us … Read more

Ebola Response Update – August 5, 2026

Source: U.S. Department of State Media Note Office of the Spokesperson August 5, 2026 The Department of State, in close coordination with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and in partnership with the governments of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Uganda, and other countries in the region, is continuing to … Read more

Drug Foundation supports focus on early intervention in new govt strategy

Source: New Zealand Drug Foundation Te Puna Whakaiti Pāmamae Kai Whakapiri 6 August 2026 The NZ Drug Foundation is pleased to see a focus on early intervention to reduce drug harm in the Government’s new mental health and wellbeing strategy , released today. “It’s great to see drug harm and addiction feature prominently in this … Read more

Lifestyle – A First-of-its-kind White Paper Outlining Practical Reforms To Improve Health & Reduce Costs using Physical Activity

Source: Exercise New Zealand 5 August 2026 “We already know physical inactivity is costing our country billions of dollars every year and placing enormous pressure on our health system.” “The question is no longer whether we have a problem, it’s what we’re prepared to do about it.” “We need action, not awareness.” “These recommendations aren’t … Read more

James Miller appointed FMA chair

Source: New Zealand Government Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Cameron Brewer today announced the appointment of James Miller as chair of the Financial Markets Authority (FMA). “James Miller is one of this country’s most respected directors, and for the best part of 12 years he has been making the case…

Three prolific shoplifters arrested in the Hutt

Source: New Zealand Police Attribute to Inspector Shaun Lingard, Area Prevention Manager, Hutt Valley Police:  Wellington District Police have arrested three repeat offenders within the last two weeks for separate shoplifting incidents in popular retail spots in Upper and Lower Hutt. On 22 May, Police received a report a recidivist, high-risk shoplifter had taken over $750 of…

Community concerns result in serious charges

Source: New Zealand Police A Far North man is facing serious charges relating to child exploitation material after community concerns prompted a Police investigation. Northland Police expect more charges to be laid as the investigation continues, but the public is being asked to come forward should they have any information about any historical offending. “In…

$10m in assets restrained following meth importation investigation

Source: New Zealand Police Police have restrained a $10 million list of assets, including luxury performance vehicles and properties, off the back of an attempted importation of more than half a tonne of methamphetamine. Operation Girder, a joint investigation between Customs and Police, uncovered a sophisticated criminal operation allegedly importing 42 steel beams from the…

Minerals royalty regime transparent, broadly fair

Source: New Zealand Government An independent analysis of New Zealand’s minerals royalty regime and the Crown’s return from mineral development has found it is transparent and broadly comparable with similar overseas jurisdictions, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The review by Deloitte New Zealand, commissioned by the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment, found the overall…

Promised Mental Health Strategy launched

Source: New Zealand Government Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey today launched the Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy, setting a clear 10-year direction to improve mental health and addiction outcomes for all New Zealanders. “In opposition, I said it was a huge mistake for a mental health strategy not to be included in the Healthy Futures…

All Aboard: City Rail Link Opens on 13 September

Source: New Zealand Government Auckland’s City Rail Link (CRL) will open to passengers on 13 September, with Transport Minister Chris Bishop and Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown confirming the long-awaited opening date. “This is one of the most significant transport investments in New Zealand’s history, and in just a few weeks Aucklanders will finally be able to use it,” Mr Bishop says. “The CRL will fundamentally change…

Napier Road/SH3 closed, Ashhurst, Manawatū

Source: New Zealand Police Napier Road/State Highway 3 is closed between Ashhurst and Woodville in Manawatū due to ice.  Police were made aware of a single-vehicle crash on Napier Road around 7.15am, after a vehicle has slid on ice and hit a barrier.   Thankfully, there were no injuries.  The road will remain closed while…

Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy: Implementation Plan 2026/27–2028/29

Source: New Zealand Ministry of Health Publication date: 6 August 2026 img]:border [&>img]:border-brand-2-light field__item”> The Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy: Implementation Plan (2026/27–2028/29) (the implementation plan) sets out the key activities that will be implemented to support delivery of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2026–2036.   The implementation plan outlines three types of activities.…

Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2026–2036

Source: New Zealand Ministry of Health Publication date: 6 August 2026 img]:border [&>img]:border-brand-2-light field__item”> The Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2026–2036 sets a clear 10-year direction for improving mental health, addiction and wellbeing outcomes for all New Zealanders. It provides a long-term framework for how the health system will support mental wellbeing alongside physical health. …

New subjects bring industry and the classroom closer together

Source: New Zealand Government An exciting range of future-focused, industry-led secondary school subjects was launched by Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis and Education Minister Erica Stanford today, giving young New Zealanders more opportunities to connect what they learn at school with the jobs, training, and careers of the future. “These subjects are being developed with…

Changes expand recognition for Kiwi authors

Source: New Zealand Government Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden has announced changes to the Public Lending Right for New Zealand Authors scheme that will see more New Zealand authors recognised for their books held in libraries.  “Cabinet has agreed to lower the eligibility threshold for the scheme. Currently, 50 copies of an author’s book must be available across New Zealand libraries. These changes would lower the threshold to 30…

VinFast’s Expansion Mirrors the Global Shift in EV Growth

Source: Media Outreach Emerging economies are becoming the EV industry’s fastest-growing markets, creating new opportunities for automakers with an international footprint. VinFast’s latest expansion reflects that shift. DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – Media OutReach Newswire – 5 August 2026 – For much of the past decade, the global electric vehicle conversation has revolved around three … Read more

Kaitorete Must Not Become a Launchpad for War

Source: Dr Alvina Edwards and Wiki Martin Kaitorete Spit is ancestral whenua. It carries the whakapapa of Wairewa and Taumutu, the footprints of our tūpuna, and a responsibility we hold today on their behalf. That responsibility does not end at the boundary of a runway or a launch pad. It extends to what is actually … Read more

China: Activist arrested over photo of Dalai Lama in Tibet must be immediately released – Amnesty International

Source: Amnesty International 5 August 2026 Responding to the arrest of a Han Chinese man in Lhasa, Tibet – the human rights activist Zhang Yi – Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director Sarah Brooks said: “The arrest of Zhang Yi after he showed a photograph of the Dalai Lama while visiting a monastery is a chilling … Read more

Every day lost allows the virus to stay one step ahead and more lives to be needlessly lost

Source: Médecins Sans Frontières MSF Statement on the occasion of the high-level visit to DRC of Dr Tedros Abhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. Geneva – 6 August 2026 “Two and a half months after the Ebola disease outbreak was declared, the situation in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is more critical than ever. The … Read more

KOF Business Tendency Surveys for July: business situation improving across the board

Source: KOF Swiss Economic Institute Zurich, 08/05/2026, 9 AM The KOF Business Situation Indicator for the Swiss private sector, which is calculated from the KOF Business Tendency Surveys, rose in July. It had previously fallen for two consecutive months. Business activity is now more buoyant than it was at the start of 2026. Companies’ business … Read more

Public Invited to Tour New Phnom Penh Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Source: Media Outreach PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA – Media OutReach Newswire – 4 August 2026 – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is inviting the public to celebrate the completion of the Phnom Penh Cambodia Temple, and to tour the new temple. This sacred house of worship is the first Latter-day Saint temple in … Read more

Every property counts: fight nassella tussock this spring

Source: Environment Canterbury Regional Council Date: 05 Aug 2026 Spring might still be around the corner, but now is the time for Canterbury landowners to start planning their annual nassella tussock control work to help protect productive farmland and prevent spread. Why annual control matters Nassella tussock is a highly invasive pest grass that can…