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

Many tenants of social housing agency Te Toi Mahana unable to access rent subsidy

Source: Radio New Zealand A Wellington social housing agency has a cap of 380 Income Related Rent Subsidy places. (File photo) RNZ / Samuel Rillstone More than three-quarters of tenants at Wellington’s biggest social housing agency will not be able to access the cheap rent it was set up to provide. Te Toi Mahana, a … Read more

‘Very strange’: Auckland councillors’ mixed reaction to government’s housing backdown

Source: Radio New Zealand Housing Minister Chris Bishop at the announcement about the government’s revised plans yesterday. RNZ/Marika Khabazi Auckland councillors are split on what to make of the government’s sudden change of heart on intensification. Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced on Thursday the number of homes Auckland Council must plan for would be reduced … Read more

Update: Further appeal for information following water related death, Napier

Source: New Zealand Police Attribute to Detective Sergeant Kate Hyde: Napier Police investigating the water-related death of a five-year-old boy in Westshore, Napier, are asking for anyone who saw the boy on Thursday 5 February. The boy went missing sometime between the hours of 6 and 8.30pm on the night of Thursday 5 February. He … Read more

Hicks Bay businesses fear for survival after being cut off for weeks of peak tourist season

Source: Radio New Zealand Hicks Bay locals are worried how their businesses will survive after being cut off for weeks. Supplied Hicks Bay locals are worried how their businesses will survive after being cut off for weeks of the peak tourism season and still facing a major clean up. On Thursday, three weeks since heavy … Read more

Landlords, tenants grapple with new pet rules

Source: Radio New Zealand A new law means tenants can have a pet unless the landlord does not consent on reasonable grounds. Unsplash / Sarah Adatte A Christchurch woman whose landlord tried to end her tenancy because of the state of her property has been allowed to continue to live in it – and discovered … Read more

More than half of police force considering quitting – union survey

Source: Radio New Zealand A Police Association survey of almost 6000 officers put the quit figure at 57 percent. Police bosses say a survey showing almost 60 percent of officers have considered quitting in the last year is not a pressure point that can be used in pay negotiations. A Police Association survey of almost … Read more

18-year-old Kishan Patel fatally crushed by car while changing oil, coroner finds

Source: Radio New Zealand A friend found 18-year-old Kishan Patel with his car on top of him. 123rf A coroner says the accidental death of a teenager while repairing his car highlights the risks associated with undertaking vehicle maintenance beneath a raised vehicle without appropriate safety precautions. Eighteen-year-old Kishan Atit Patel went to his neighbour’s … Read more

MSD claw backs will ‘financially cripple’ state abuse survivors, advocate says

Source: Radio New Zealand Minister for Social Development Louise Upston. RNZ / Mark Papalii A state abuse survivor is sickened she may have to repay welfare supports that kept her afloat while she was waiting for ACC compensation. It comes as a lawyer and researcher flags his concerns the government is not meeting its own … Read more

Wairarapa residents assess damage after this week’s storm

Source: Radio New Zealand The unprecedented flooding at Whāngaimoana Beach has laid-waste Mellisa Tipene’s veggie garden. The small settlement on Wairarapa’s south coast became a lake when a trickle of a creek burst its banks on Monday, infiltrating low-lying homes and leaving behind a layer of smelly sludge. What was Mellisa Tipene’s garden. Mellisa Tipene … Read more

Banks Peninsula locals frustrated by flood clean-up response from authorities

Source: Radio New Zealand Community-led cleanups are continuing in flood-damaged Banks Peninsula, but nagging frustration remains over the response from local authorities. The peninsula was still under a state of emergency as efforts to restore access to isolated properties continued, almost 72 hours after the region was hammered by a merciless storm. Although State Highway … Read more

Lower Hutt man ‘left with nothing’ after large slip hits family home

Source: Radio New Zealand A Lower Hutt man whose family was forced to flee their home when a large slip fell away from beneath the building says they will be “left with nothing”. Aaron Pahl said time appeared to go into slow motion when a 10 by 30 square metre expanse of his back yard … Read more

Emergency services at scene of reported chemical leak at Alliance Group’s Levin plant

Source: Radio New Zealand Firefighters are at the scene. (File photo) RNZ / Nate McKinnon The number of patients being treated at an industrial site in Levin has risen to 22. Hato Hone St John ambulance, police and Fire and Emergency were called to Hamaria Road at around 6:30pm, after a chemical incident. Firefighters set … Read more

Health – The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) recognises that a 4.4% increase in private health insurance premiums will place additional pressure on Australian families

Source: Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) Australians are paying more for cover. But the funding flowing to patient care is not keeping pace with the real cost of delivering surgery. Over the past three years, more than 400,000 Australians have downgraded from top-tier (“gold”) hospital cover to lower levels of insurance. Many policies now … Read more

Strategic hiring, rising pay pressures and a borderless workforce

Source: Robert Walters Robert Walters identifies New Zealand’s key labour and salary trends for 2026 Auckland, New Zealand, 19th Feb 2026 - 2026 will be a year of strategic hiring, increased pressure on salaries, and rising workforce mobility across New Zealand, according to new research from global talent solutions partner Robert Walters.  The findings come from its latest Salary Guide, which … Read more

University Research – Penguins prefer white plastic, new study shows – UoA

Source: University of Auckland – UoA White plastic appears to pose a particular hazard for penguins, new research from the University of Auckland has found. University of Auckland research fellow Dr Ariel-Micaiah Heswall tested plastic colour preferences of king and gentoo penguins at Kelly Tarlton’s Sealife Aquarium in Auckland. She found the 46 gentoo and 23 … Read more

Imperans Q4 Report, State of Workplace Drug Use from TDDA

Source: Botica Butler Raudon Partners Overall drug detections rise nationally, cocaine detections up 148% AUCKLAND, New Zealand, 19 February 2026 – The Drug Detection Agency (TDDA), New Zealand’s largest workplace drug testing provider has launched its Q4 Imperans Report, a quarterly workplace drug trends report. The report empowers New Zealand employers to engage in proactive … Read more

Backyard invention turns into hot property

Source: Radio New Zealand A jerry-rigged backyard invention has turned into sizzling hot property for a retired farmer turned entrepreneur. Alan Dyer has worked out a way to brown sausages evenly, ensuring they don’t roll around on the barbecue. Alan Dyer spoke to Checkpoint’s Lisa Owen. Sausage entrepreneur’s homemade invention Checkpoint Using piece of wire, … Read more

UKRAINE: Children anxious, fearful after 4000 hours of air raid alarms in four years of war

Source: Save the Children Children in Ukraine have endured an average of about 4,000 hours of air raid alarms – equivalent to over 5.5 months of constant alerts – since the start of full-scale war in February 2022, with constant fear of attacks taking a severe toll on their mental health, Save the Children said. [1] … Read more

Greenpeace – Govt announces critical mineral ‘slush fund’ as TTR flees the fast track

Source: Greenpeace Today, as seabed miners Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) withdrew from their failing Fast Track bid, the NZ government has announced a $80 million dollar ‘critical minerals slush fund.’ Greenpeace is questioning if this signals an invitation for TTR to have another bite at the cherry. It comes just weeks after it was revealed the NZ government has … Read more

Defence News – NZDF air and maritime assets combine for successful search and rescue operation south of Tonga

Source: New Zealand Defence Force The New Zealand Defence Force has combined its maritime and air assets to conduct a search and rescue operation for two men drifting in a wooden boat 105 nautical miles south of Tonga. The two men were located by a Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) P-8A Poseidon yesterday morning … Read more

Environment – Seabed mining company TTR gives up on the Fast Track process – Greenpeace

Source: Greenpeace Trans-Tasman Resources (TTR) have today issued their formal response to the Fast Track Expert Panel’s draft decision, in it, they say they will not propose any changes to conditions. There is now nothing stopping the panel from making a final decision to decline consent. TTR go on to say they reject the “assumptions and conclusions” … Read more

Law and Health – Momentum for change on HIV criminalisation

Source: Burnett Foundation Aotearoa A study of people living with HIV has revealed that despite advances in HIV treatment, criminalisation continues to create uncertainty and distress, with 60% of people living with HIV fearing legal consequences and many avoiding relationships altogether. The full study and its findings will be released at a public event on 27 February … Read more

Appointments – eG Innovations Launches New Zealand Operations, Appoints Joanne Bowey as Country Manager

Source: eG Innovations Auckland, New Zealand – 19th Feb, 2026 eG Innovations, a global provider of digital experience monitoring and full-stack observability solutions, today announced the launch of its operations in New Zealand and the appointment of Joanne Bowey as Country Manager, reinforcing the company’s commitment to supporting New Zealand enterprises with reliable, high-performance digital services. With a … Read more

Local News – Have your say on the future of Spicer Landfill – Porirua

Source: Porirua City Council Consents to operate Spicer Landfill are set to expire in 2030 so the way we dispose of rubbish in Porirua has to change. Consultation on four options for the future of Spicer Landfill begins on Tuesday 24 February. Previous plans to extend the landfill are on hold as a range environmental challenges … Read more

Fonterra farmers approve divestment capital return scheme

Source: Fonterra Following today’s virtual Special Meeting, Fonterra can confirm that its farmer shareholders have approved the scheme of arrangement for the capital return that’s expected from the sale of its global Consumer and associated businesses. 98.85% of the total shareholder votes cast were in support of the capital return proposal, which was set out in the … Read more

Government ‘listened to Aucklanders’ by weakening housing intensification rules, Character Coalition says

Source: Radio New Zealand The government agreeing to lower the maximum number of houses in Auckland shows they have been listening to Aucklanders, a heritage group says. Cabinet agreed to lower the maximum number of houses in Auckland from 2 million to at least 1.6 million, it was announced on Thursday. Auckland Council had been … Read more