Raglan surfers clinch titles at national championships

Source: Radio New Zealand Maya Mateja (L) and Billy Stairmand celebrate their national championship surfing titles. photosport Raglan surfers Billy Stairmand and Maya Mateja have picked up the premier prizes at the national surfing championships north of Gisborne. It was ninth national title for Stairmand, while 17-year-old Mateja bagged her second crown, with both handling … Read more

What exactly will New Zealand’s free trade deal with India mean?

Source: Radio New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Trade Minister Todd McLay announce the conclusion of free trade negotiations with India in December. RNZ / Mark Papalii Explainer – Trade Minister Todd McClay and his Indian counterpart, Piyush Goyal, announced the recommencement of free trade negotiations as part of Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s trip … Read more

Dominant Ally Wollaston in box seat to win Tour Down Under

Source: Radio New Zealand Ally Wollaston (R) after winning stage one of the Tour Down Under. photosport Ally Wollaston will take a 14-second lead into the third and final stage of the Tour Down Under after dominating the first two days of the World Tour race in Adelaide. Wollaston powered to victory in each of … Read more

People still isolated in Northland campsite, more heavy rain on the way

Source: Radio New Zealand Flooding in Mimiwhangata near Whangārei, on Sunday morning. RNZ Some people are still isolated in Northland after heavy rain caused havoc in the region, the Whangārei mayor says. Up to 200 millimetres of rain lashed Northland on Sunday, causing flooding and landslides. Whangārei mayor Ken Couper told Morning Report a number … Read more

Abuse in Care: Police prosecuted fewer than 1 in 10 referred cases

Source: Radio New Zealand Cooper Legal principal partner Sonja Cooper, whose firm had acted for hundreds of abuse survivors and victims, says she is not surprised by the statistic. RNZ WARNING: This story contains content that may be disturbing to some readers. Police have prosecuted fewer than one in ten of the cases referred from … Read more

Fire crews respond to blaze at egg carton factory overnight in Auckland

Source: Radio New Zealand RNZ/Marika Khabazi Half a dozen fire trucks were called to a South Auckland egg carton factory overnight. A Fire and Emergency spokesperson said seven fire trucks were called to a commercial building on Bairds Road in Ōtara just after midnight Monday. He said the fire was contained to just machinery, but … Read more

An inter-island ferry route from Picton to Clifford Bay has been an idea for almost a century

Source: Radio New Zealand 2000: The proposed route showing shortened travel times by car to Christchurch Dominion Post It’s an idea that’s endured almost a century. Since at least 1931 moving the South Island inter-island ferry port from Picton to Clifford Bay has been periodically floated and rejected. The latest bid – dubbed the North … Read more

Family’s harrowing night escaping raging flood-waters in Northland

Source: Radio New Zealand Pattinson Wetere outside one of the cabins shunted by the raging water. Kim Baker Wilson/RNZ It was supposed to be a coming together, a celebration at a marae for a first birthday. But the water, and lots of it, came by stealth in the dead of night. Pattinson Wetere was in … Read more

Property Market – Does property double in a decade? Not in the last cycle, new data from realestate.co.nz shows

Source: RealEstate.co.nz National average asking price increased by 55.1% in past 10 years Auckland’s average asking price increases only 23.5% The regions take the cake for delivering the biggest returns with seven doubling in price since 2015 Gisborne reports 145% increase from $284,134 in 2015 to $697,527 in 2025. Lore tells us that property prices … Read more

Stats NZ updates material hardship measure for child poverty statistics – Stats NZ news story

Source: Statistics New Zealand Stats NZ updates material hardship measure for child poverty statistics – news story 16 January 2026 Stats NZ has changed how we measure material hardship to ensure continuity between the new Household Income and Living Survey (HILS) and the Household Economic Survey (HES) it replaced in 2024. HILS was introduced to streamline … Read more

Price index methods – updates for the December 2025 quarter – Stats NZ methods paper

Source: Statistics New Zealand Price index methods – updates for the December 2025 quarter – methods paper 16 January 2026 This page summarises methodological updates for Stats NZ’s price indexes for the December 2025 quarter. Visit our website to read the full methods paper: MIL OSI

Annual food prices increase 4.0 percent – Selected price indexes: December 2025 – Stats NZ news story and information release

Source: Statistics New Zealand Annual food prices increase 4.0 percent – news story 16 January 2026 Food prices increased 4.0 percent in the 12 months to December 2025, following a 4.4 percent increase in the 12 months to November 2025, according to figures released by Stats NZ today. Higher prices for the grocery food group, up … Read more

Tatauranga umanga Māori – Statistics on Māori businesses: September 2025 quarter – Stats NZ information release

Source: Statistics New Zealand Tatauranga umanga Māori – Statistics on Māori businesses: September 2025 quarter – information release 15 January 2026 Tatauranga umanga Māori – Statistics on Māori businesses: September 2025 quarter presents information on one subset of Māori businesses that contribute to our country’s economy. This release includes data on Māori authorities and related businesses. It … Read more

Walking into Happiness! Embracing nature one step at a time

Source: NZ Department of Conservation Date:  19 January 2026 The Hauraki DOC team’s new ‘Walking into Happiness!’ initiative encourages people to take up the challenge to walk a selection of tracks in the picturesque Kauaeranga Valley, which together add up to 23 km – further than a half-marathon. Community Ranger Maree Limpus says summer is a … Read more

Workforce survey shows workers struggle to afford basics

Source: NZCTU Rising costs, deteriorating public services, and a belief the government doesn’t care about ordinary New Zealanders are the key findings of the NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi’s annual Mood of the Workforce survey. Read the 2026 Mood of the Workforce Report 2026 saw the largest response since the Mood of the Workforce Survey was … Read more

Three in custody, one outstanding offender in Churton Park assaults

Source: New Zealand Police Attributable to Detective Senior Sergeant Tim Leitch: Police investigating serious assaults in Churton Park can confirm a further two offenders have been taken into custody. A 21-year-old man will appear in the Wellington District Court on 22 January and a 17-year-old man will appear in the Wellington Youth Court on 27 … Read more

Death following water-related incident, Rotorua

Source: New Zealand Police A man has died after a water-related incident in Rotorua late last night. Emergency services were called to a geothermal area on Tukiterangi Street, Whakarewarewa, about 9.40pm, where a man had been pulled from the water unconscious. Sadly he was unable to be revived. His death will be referred to the … Read more

Mitchell stars again as Black Caps win decider to take ODI series over India

Source: Radio New Zealand New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell celebrates after scoring a century. INDRANIL MUKHERJEE Black Caps batters Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips have scored centuries in a devastating partnership to lay the platform for a 41-run win over India in their third one-day international (ODI), which sealed a comeback 2-1 series victory. A target … Read more

Saveloys out, spinach in: Here’s how our spending habits have changed

Source: Radio New Zealand If you think about what you – or your parents – were spending your money on 30 years ago, it might be quite different to how you spend it now. You’re not going down to the local Blockbuster at the weekend to pick up a VHS of a film, and you’re … Read more

Education Ministry error almost cut 2027 school year short

Source: Radio New Zealand The Education Ministry had forgotten to allow for the Matariki holiday in its 2027 term date calculations, almost cutting the year a day short. RNZ / Richard Tindiller An Education Ministry error nearly cut the 2027 school year short by a single day. An Education Ministry document supplied to RNZ under … Read more

Teen’s epic solo 3000km cycling trip from Cape Reinga to Bluff

Source: Radio New Zealand Fourteen-year-old Mahe Braaksma’s idea of fun over the summer school holidays looks a little different than your typical teen. He was pedalling the length of New Zealand — 3000km — on his own. The Fiordland College student completed the month-long solo ride from Cape Reinga to Bluff, raising thousands of dollars … Read more

Mercury’s Tararua wind farm was offline for hours after a turbine catches fire

Source: Radio New Zealand Emergency services responded around 5pm on Sunday. RNZ / Rob Dixon Half of Mercury’s Tararua wind farm in Palmerston North was taken offline for hours on Sunday evening after a wind turbine caught fire. A Mercury spokesperson said half of the wind farm was taken offline while the affected turbine was … Read more

Live: Black Caps v India – third, final ODI

Source: Radio New Zealand Follow all the action, as the Black Caps take on India in their one-day series decider at Rajkot. First ball at Niranjan Shah Stadium is scheduled for 9pm NZT. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday. Henry … Read more

Significant damage means SH2 Waioweka Gorge will remain closed for weeks

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency State Highway 2 through the Waioweka Gorge will likely remain closed for several weeks, following extensive damage from severe rainfall and multiple large slips. A huge 322mm rain in 48 hours (double the area’s January average) turned gullies into waterfalls, overwhelmed and blocked culverts and triggered widespread debris flows across … Read more

Shaken Black Foils skipper Peter Burling raises concerns about SailGP fleet safety

Source: Radio New Zealand New Zealand driver Peter Burling says he did all he could to avoid a catastrophic collision at SailGP Perth. Samo Vidic for SailGP “Pretty shaken” Black Foils skipper Peter Burling is taking stock, while overseeing crucial repairs to the team boat, after a disastrous Perth SailGP outing at Freemantle. Damage sustained … Read more

Kiwi world track cycling medallist Marshall Erwood takes early lead in Tour of Southland

Source: Radio New Zealand Marshall Erwood is presented with the Southland tour leader’s orange jersey. supplied World team pursuit medallist Marshall Erwood has an early lead in cycling’s Tour of Southland after the opening stages. The Cambridge-based Southlander capped a day of competitive racing on the first day of the rescheduled 2025 tour, featuring a … Read more

Inside Northland floods: Through the eyes of Ōakura residents

Source: Radio New Zealand George Gee spends almost every weekend at his holiday home in on a low-lying part of Ōakura Road. That same settlement was among the hardest hit by the Northland floods, which have isolated communities, destroyed homes and left some with nothing. “It was about 4am this morning, and it was heavy, … Read more