Auckland Business Chamber optimistic govt’s surcharge ban efforts have stalled

Source: Radio New Zealand Auckland Business Chamber chief executive Simon Bridges, who campaigned for an end to the policy, said he was hopeful this was a win for small and medium businesses. The Auckland Business Chamber is cautiously optimistic that government promises to ban paywave and credit surcharges from card payments appear to have stalled. … Read more

What dog control laws say about fatal attacks – and what people want to change

Source: Radio New Zealand Explainer – A Northland woman was killed by a dog this week, the latest in a series of fatalities. What exactly are the laws around animal control? Here’s where dangerous dog regulations stand in New Zealand, and what people are saying needs changing. Mihiata Te Rore, 62, was killed by dogs … Read more

Owner of half-finished Auckland apartment project faces removal from Companies Register

Source: Radio New Zealand An unfinished apartment block on Manukau Rd in Auckland’s Epsom. MELANIE EARLEY / RNZ The company behind a half-finished apartment block in Auckland’s Epsom is in the process of being removed from the Companies Register – while a neighbour is still waiting to be paid $30,000. Work on the Epsom Central … Read more

Roadside drug testing continues to boost road safety efforts

Source: New Zealand Police Two months on after roadside drug driving testing was introduced in Wellington, Police continue to gain valuable operational knowledge and are evaluating processes on this new and important road safety tool. Since implementing testing in mid-December 2025 to further bolster road safety efforts, more than 300 screening tests have been completed. … Read more

Winter Olympics: Kiwi Mischa Thomas qualifies for halfpipe final as rival stretchered off

Source: Radio New Zealand Canada’s Cassie Sharpe receives medical assistance after crashing during the women’s freestyle skiing halfpipe at the Winter Olympics. 2026. KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP Auckland freeskier Mischa Thomas has qualified for the final of the halfpipe at the Winter Olympics. The 17 year old landed a score of 77.00 in her first … Read more

Armed police at scene after assault puts Porirua schools in lockdown

Source: Radio New Zealand Armed police remain at the scene (file image). RNZ/ Calvin Samuel An assault in Porirua, which placed nearby schools in lockdown, has left one person with moderate injuries. Police remain in the area – some armed. In a statement, Kāpiti-Mana Area Commander, Inspector Renée Perkins, said officers were called to Dido … Read more

Major delays as crash blocks lane on SH2 in Wellington

Source: Radio New Zealand X/NZTA A crash on State Highway 2 between Wellington city and Petone is causing delays for motorists. The Transport Agency said the northbound lane is blocked just before the Petone off-ramp. There are reports of long queues. A police spokesperson said a truck hit the median barrier just before 8am on … Read more

Fire Safety – Central Otago moving to a Prohibited Fire Season

Source: Fire and Emergency New Zealand Fire and Emergency New Zealand has declared a Prohibited Fire Season in Central Otago beginning at 8am this Saturday, 21 February, banning all outdoor fires until further notice. District Manager Craig Gold says the ban may come as a surprise to many because of a slow start to summer and … Read more

Fonterra provides Farmgate Milk Price and earnings update

 Source: Fonterra Fonterra expecting to distribute Mainland Group earnings as special Mainland dividend Fonterra confirms FY26 forecast earnings guidance from continuing operations Fonterra lifts 2025/26 season forecast Farmgate Milk Price midpoint from $9.00 per kgMS to $9.50 per kgMS Fonterra Co-operative Group Ltd has today lifted its forecast Farmgate Milk Price for the 2025/26 season … Read more

Largest ever reduction in District Court criminal backlog

Source: New Zealand Government Courts Minister Nicole McKee is welcoming the largest ever reduction in the District Court’s criminal backlog, with a 22 percent drop over the past year – the equivalent of 1,562 fewer cases waiting to be heard. “The Government’s focus on fixing what matters is working for victims,” says Mrs McKee. In … Read more

Charter schools strengthen Crown-Tūhoe relationship

Source: New Zealand Government Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced Te Kura Awhitu, sponsored by the Tūhoe Charitable Trust, will open by Term 2 2026 as a charter school.  “Every child deserves the opportunity to learn and grow in ways which are more specific to their needs. Today’s announcement demonstrates the innovation enabled by … Read more

South Korea: Life sentence for Ex-President Yoon a significant step towards accountability

Source: Amnesty Internatonal Responding to today’s guilty verdict and life sentence for former South Korean President Yoon for the imposition of martial law in December 2024, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director Sarah Brooks said: “Today’s verdict and sentence is an important step towards accountability which demonstrates that no one is above the law in South … Read more

Wellington residents clean poo spray off houses after severe weather, failed Moa Point sewage spill

Source: Radio New Zealand Faecal spray on a home on the Esplanade in Wellington. RNZ/Charlotte Cook A film of toxic poo spray has coated homes around Wellington’s south coast after nearly a billion litres of raw sewerage have been dumped in the marine reserve. Strong winds and severe weather have made an already feral problem … Read more

Writing an adoption memoir helped Sue Watson find Cynthia

Source: Radio New Zealand “I just want to smell you. You’re so beautiful,” were the first words Sue Watson heard when she met her birth mother ‘Lizzy’. Watson had always known she was adopted. She grew up as part of a happy family in West Auckland. It wasn’t until she was in her 20s, in … Read more

Three men arrested after several hurt in gang-related robbery in Christchurch

Source: Radio New Zealand RNZ / Keiller MacDuff Three men have been arrested after four people were injured during a gang-related robbery at a home in Christchurch. Emergency services were called to an address on Hoani Street in Northcote at about 9.30pm on Wednesday. Police cars, vans and mobile units crowded into the quiet Papanui … Read more

Higher KiwiSaver contributions may mean lower pay rises

Source: Radio New Zealand RNZ You might be going to get a bigger contribution to your KiwiSaver this year – but will it be at the expense of your pay rise? The first step in the increase in KiwiSaver contribution rates takes effect on April 1, for people who do not opt out. The default … Read more

Liam Lawson completes Formula 1 preparation with top 10 finish

Source: Radio New Zealand New Zealand F1 driver Liam Lawson. ERIC ALONSO / AFP New Zealand driver Liam Lawson has completed his official testing ahead of the new Formula 1 season. Lawson spent the first few hours of his final Bahrain pre-season test in the garage before his Racing Bulls team was able to get … Read more

Police seek help as 5-year-old boy found dead in water

Source: Radio New Zealand Police are continuing to appeal to the public for information as they investigate the “water-related” death of a five-year-old boy in Napier. The boy went missing around the Westshore area on Thursday, 5 February, between 6pm and 8.30pm. He was found dead in the water off the Esplanade at Westshore, at … Read more

Arrests made, Northcote incident

Source: New Zealand Police Attributable to Superintendent Tony Hill, Canterbury District Commander: Three men have been arrested in relation to the serious incident at a Hoani Street, Northcote property on Wednesday night that left four people injured. The men, aged 19, 31 and 40, have been charged with aggravated wounding and aggravated robbery. Two are … Read more

North Brave duo set to debut for White Ferns

Source: Radio New Zealand Nensi Patel of the Northern Brave. www.photosport.nz There are two new players in the White Ferns squad named to take on Zimbabwe later this month. Northern Brave duo Nensi Patel and Kayley Knight have been included for the series, which will be the first between the two nations and includes three … Read more

Injury woes for Phoenix women and men

Source: Radio New Zealand Lara Wall of Wellington Phoenix. www.photosport.nz There are major injury concerns for both the women’s and men’s Wellington Phoenix sides. They have lost two New Zealand internationals to serious injuries ahead of their respective round 18 A-League matches. Football Ferns fullback Lara Wall and All Whites attacking midfielder Sarpreet Singh will … Read more

Live: Former prince Andrew arrested by UK police over Epstein ties

Source: Radio New Zealand Follow updates with RNZ’s live blog above. Britain’s former prince Andrew has been arrested overnight over allegations he sent confidential government documents to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. King Charles’ younger brother – now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor after he wasstripped by his older brother of his titles and … Read more

Northland farmer has hundreds of sheep killed by roaming dogs

Source: Radio New Zealand Farmer Finn Cook is thinking of quitting sheep farming if the killing can’t be stopped. RNZ/Sally Round Warning: The following story contains an image that may disturb some viewers. A Northland farmer says more than 250 of his family’s sheep have been killed by roaming dogs, and he’s thinking of quitting … Read more

Neurology patient sees specialist faster as a tourist in France than back home

Source: Radio New Zealand It can take months to see a specialist in New Zealand. (File photo) PEAKSTOCK / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / AFP Neurology patients are facing long wait times to see a specialist, with one woman getting a same day appointment as a tourist in France, then facing a four-month wait back home. … Read more

Back off the tools – man arrested in Hamilton

Source: New Zealand Police Please attribute the following to Sergeant Mike Palmer, Waikato Police: A man’s been arrested in Hamilton in relation to a series of burglaries of tools worth more than $40,000. The 36-year-old is due in Hamilton District Court today on three charges of burglary. Additional charges are being considered. The burglaries, targeting … Read more

Bill to make English an official language of NZ introduced to Parliament

Source: Radio New Zealand NZ First’s Winston Peters fiercely defended a bill to make English an official language. RNZ / Mark Papalii Parliament’s last order of the week was to debate something the minister in charge of the bill has admitted is not really a priority. The government has introduced a bill to make English … Read more

A state of emergency, again and again and again

Source: Radio New Zealand A ute submerged at Robert Prescott’s home on Phillips Road in Ōtorohanga on February 14. RNZ/Marika Khabazi Once-in-a-hundred-year storms are coming thick and fast, and the number of states of emergency declared across the country has skyrocketed. New Zealand isn’t just bracing for emergencies – it’s declaring them at a pace … Read more