Weather set to worsen ahead of New Year’s Eve

Source: Radio New Zealand Revellers at last year’s Rhythm and Vines event. Kaelin Wade A bout of bad weather is about to sweep across the east of the North Island, ahead of New Year celebrations. Rhythm and Vines in Gisborne could get off to a damp start, with an orange heavy rain warning issued by … Read more

Where do MPs go, when they go bush?

Source: Radio New Zealand Labour MP Duncan Webb and his son Albert Webb on top of Avalanche Peak. Supplied There’s simply nothing better than ditching the workwear for an outdoor get-up and heading into the bush. Thousands will head into the great outdoors this summer, including MPs from across the political spectrum. RNZ interviewed a … Read more

UFC year in review: The good, the bad and the ugly

Source: Radio New Zealand From eye pokes to Donald Trump, the UFC in 2025 was not the most stellar of years for the promotion. photosport The year 2025 will not go down as a golden period for the UFC. A dearth of star power, GOATS turned to ducks, a dis-interested president, a plethora of eye … Read more

Staycation activities in New Zealand’s main cities

Source: Radio New Zealand A staycation doesn’t require flashy gear or carefully planned excursions to make it memorable. What matters is finding something that fits your family’s interests and offers a little challenge and a lot of joy, especially if you’re trying to pry kids away from their screens, says Susannah Smith, president of Physical … Read more

Fishery officers target illegal pāua gathering

Source: New Zealand Government Fishery Officer patrols will be stepped up over summer to help reduce the illegal gathering and illicit trade of pāua, Oceans and Fishers Minister Shane Jones says. “While our pāua stocks are in good shape overall, poaching is a growing problem. Summer is always the worst time of year for it. Poaching … Read more

Four arrested, one in hospital after ‘mass disorder’ on Auckland’s Karangahape Road

Source: Radio New Zealand Karangahape Road on a quieter day. The Detail/Tom Kitchin Four people were arrested and one hospitalised after a mass brawl on central Auckland’s Karangahape Road early on Sunday morning. Police said they received “multiple reports of a mass disorder and people fighting” just after 3.30am. On arrival, they found and dispersed … Read more

Weather: Sunday expected to live up to its name, though still ‘showers about’

Source: Radio New Zealand MetService meteorologist Devlin Lynden says the thunderstorms will ease (file image). 123RF A calmer day is in store for parts of the South Island battered on Saturday by hail, and lashed by torrential downpours and lightning. One of the storms was a rare, powerful and long-lasting ‘supercell’ in the Canterbury Plains. … Read more

Nelson mayor welcomes police boost a year after officer was killed

Source: Radio New Zealand RNZ / Samantha Gee The police commissioner being on the beat in Nelson this New Year a year on from the death of one of its local officers will be a reassurance and comfort, the mayor says. Richard Chambers says it’s only right he is in the city where Senior Sergeant … Read more

Chris Wood set for extended time out after surgery

Source: Radio New Zealand Chris Wood of New Zealand. PHOTOSPORT All Whites captain Chris Wood’s spell on the sideline will continue for an indefinite period after undergoing surgery. The Nottingham Forest striker hasn’t played since mid-October and the recuperation from a knee injury has been unsuccessful, forcing the 34-year-old to have an operation in a … Read more

Charities turning away high numbers of volunteer applications

Source: Radio New Zealand Volunteering NZ spokesperson Margaret McLachlan SUPPLIED Charities are turning away people wanting to volunteer amidst a flood of interest they say is linked to the high rate of unemployment. It comes as some businesses receive thousands of applications for paid roles and people look for experience anywhere they can. The advocacy … Read more

The best board games to play (and gift) this summer

Source: Radio New Zealand In a world that can seem increasingly digitised and isolating, board games offer a unique chance to connect with others. And over the holiday period, the right game can make all the difference while spending time with friends and family. But board games are part of a multi-billion dollar industry, so … Read more

Essential New Zealand Albums: Bressa Creeting Cake

Source: Radio New Zealand To a listener who was tuned to Auckland’s bFM in the mid-1990s, the self-titled debut of Bressa Creeting Cake might not have come as quite the surprise it did to everyone else.  But even if you knew it was coming, the album was full of surprises. And it still sounds surprising … Read more

What makes Shona Laing’s South an essential album

Source: Radio New Zealand Shona Laing was just 17 when she had her first national hit with ‘1905’ in 1972. Fifteen years later, she was reintroducing herself as a different kind of artist with the 1987 album South. In a career spanning more than five decades, Shona Laing has made albums that mark each stage … Read more

Thunderstorm watch lifted as South Island hit with intense storms

Source: Radio New Zealand An active supercell south from Rakaia. MetService/Screenshot The thunderstorm that lashed the South Island and brought widespread and large hail is one of the year’s most intense storms, MetService says. Large parts of the mainland have been under brief severe thunderstorm warnings through Saturday afternoon. The severe thunderstorm watch that had … Read more

The Ashes: England beats Australia – fourth test, day two

Source: Radio New Zealand Follow all the cricket action, as the fourth in the five-test series between archrivals Australia and England continues at the MCG in Melbourne. Australia swept to an 82-run win in the third Ashes test at Adelaide Oval to retain the urn with two matches to spare. After eight-wicket defeats in Perth … Read more

South Island hit with one of the year’s most intense storms

Source: Radio New Zealand An active supercell south from Rakaia. MetService/Screenshot The thunderstorm that has lashed the South Island and brought widespread and large hail is one of the year’s most intense storms, MetService says. Large parts of the mainland have been under brief severe thunderstorm warnings through Saturday afternoon. Selwyn and Ashburton are currently … Read more

Housing First Ōtautahi launches rapid response to homelessness, finding an increase in elderly with no home

Source: Radio New Zealand Housing First Ōtautahi manager Nicola Fleming. Rachel Graham A new outreach service for homeless people in Christchurch encountered an 87-year-old woman living on the streets in its first week of operation. Housing First Ōtautahi has started a new rapid response, trying to ensure people who have just started living on the … Read more

Crisis Management Centre Announces Global Release Of Founder’s Maiden Book on Reputational Security

Source: Media Outreach NEW YORK, US / KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach Newswire – 27 December 2025 – The Crisis Management Centre today announced the global release of Reputational Security, the landmark new book by internationally respected crisis strategist, Nordin Abdullah, now available on Amazon and Kindle. Positioned at the intersection of crisis leadership, … Read more

Can Gio Awakens as Ho Chi Minh City’s Next Growth Frontier

Source: Media Outreach After decades of quiet, Can Gio is awakening on Vietnam’s southern coast, as fresh investment and grand designs breathe new life into the once-remote district of Saigon. HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM – Media OutReach Newswire – 27 December 2025 – Six months after the groundbreaking of a 2,870-hectare coastal urban project … Read more

Fishermen whose boat sank were well-prepared – police

Source: Radio New Zealand Māngere Bridge. RNZ / Dan Cook Three fishermen rescued on Friday night after their boat started taking on water did “everything right”, police say. The trio embarked into Manukau Harbour from the Māngere Bridge boat ramp, and made it two kilometres off Puketutu Island when their vessel sank. Unsure where they … Read more

SH 2 open near Petone

Source: New Zealand Police State Highway 2 near Petone is open for traffic both ways after a single-vehicle crash around 5.17am. Police continues to investigate the crash and urges safe driving during the holiday season.  Police also thank the public for their patience this morning.  ENDS Issued by Police Media Centre MIL OSI

The Ashes live: Australia v England – fourth test, day two

Source: Radio New Zealand Follow all the cricket action, as the fourth in the five-test series between archrivals Australia and England continues at the MCG in Melbourne. Australia swept to an 82-run win in the third Ashes test at Adelaide Oval to retain the urn with two matches to spare. After eight-wicket defeats in Perth … Read more

NZ’s best public events to celebrate the New Year

Source: Radio New Zealand Christchurch will welcome 2025 with live music and fireworks. AFP / MATIAS DELACROIX A rundown on some of the biggest public events to ring in 2026 – and where to catch the best fireworks displays. Northland A fireworks display launched at the stroke of midnight from a barge moored in the … Read more

Three rescued fishermen ‘did everything right’

Source: New Zealand Police Police successfully coordinated a water rescue of three people in the Manukau Harbour last night after their boat started taking on water. Three fishermen set off from the Mangere Bridge Boat ramp and were approximately two kilometres away from Puketutu Island when their boat sunk. They managed to call Police just … Read more

How a father saved his kids and friend after boat capsize on notorious sandbar

Source: Radio New Zealand Darren Teague and his boat that capsized on the Raglan Bar on 1 November. Supplied A father, his two kids, and a friend were flung into treacherous waters when their boat capsized on a notorious west coast sandbar last month. Maritime safety experts say it shows that even when boaties do … Read more

‘It’s a wonderful life’: Inside NZ’s only Trappist monastery

Source: Radio New Zealand Nestled in farmland near Takapau in Central Hawke’s Bay, you’ll find New Zealand’s only Trappist monastery. A mossy tree lined driveway leads through fields of grazing dairy cows and up to Kopua Monastery, which sits among 900 acres of paddocks and native bush that was donated to the Church by Tom … Read more

Body found in search for person missing after Port Waikato jet ski incident

Source: Radio New Zealand Port Waikato (file image). Google Maps A search on Saturday morning for a person missing in the sea after a jet ski incident near Port Waikato has found a body. Police said they believed the body, spotted by the Eagle helicopter, belonged to the missing man. Three people were reported to … Read more