Motorcyclist injured in crash on west Auckland road

Source: Radio New Zealand RNZ / Marika Khabazi A motorbike and car have collided on west Auckland’s Te Atatū Rd, near the motorway on-ramp heading into the city. The motorcyclist is reported to be in a serious condition. A police spokesperson said police were at the scene on Wednesday morning. One lane of Te Atatū … Read more

Concern commuters may shun buses after second fatal stabbing on Auckland service

Source: Radio New Zealand Police officers at the scene of an incident on Fenchurch Street in Glen Innes around 8pm on Monday. RNZ / Marika Khabazi Shaken commuters may reconsider their use of buses in the wake of a second fatal stabbing in just over a year, a councillor says. Police have charged a man … Read more

Update: Fatal house fire, New Lynn

Source: New Zealand Police Police are not treating a fatal house fire in New Lynn on 8 December as suspicious. Yesterday, a scene examination was completed at the Kohekohe Street property as well as a post-mortem examination. Police will continue to make enquiries into the man’s death on behalf of the Coroner. ENDS. Jarred Williamson/NZ … Read more

Minister to lead work on reducing social media harm for under-16s

Source: New Zealand Government Social media restrictions for under-16s will become part of the Government’s work programme, with Education Minister Erica Stanford assigned to lead this and bring options to Cabinet, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced. “The overwhelmingly positive response from mums and dads makes it clear we need to progress options to restrict … Read more

Police investigate prisoner’s death

Source: New Zealand Police Police will carry out a homicide investigation following the death of a prisoner at Mt Eden Corrections Facility. On 29 November 2025, Police were notified by Corrections about a serious assault at the facility. Detective Senior Sergeant Martin Friend says the male victim was taken to hospital with critical injuries. “He … Read more

Could Australia’s ‘No Jab, No Pay/No Play’ policies work in NZ?

Source: Radio New Zealand Could Australia’s ‘No Jab, No Pay/No Play’ policies work in NZ? PEAKSTOCK / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRAR Under Australia’s long-standing ‘No Jab, No Pay’ legislation, parents must have kids immunised to qualify for the Family Tax Benefit and subsidised childcare Heightened vaccine hesitancy post-Covid makes that ‘tough sell’ in NZ Low immunisation … Read more

DOC warns rat numbers could double by 2090 as it seeks $150m in extra revenue

Source: Radio New Zealand Rat numbers could double by 2090 if climate change gets really bad says the Department of Conservation (DOC), as it hunts urgently for $150 million in extra revenue. DOC has told MPs it needs this much more per year to “not go backwards”. Director-General Penny Nelson said the $360m currently spent … Read more

New government rules coming for micro-abattoirs; homekill for sale in pipeline

Source: Radio New Zealand Jordan Hamilton-Bicknell offers a homekill service. Supplied The government is looking to cut red tape for small meat processors and is also exploring how homekill meat could be made suitable for sale. From next year, small-scale meat processors will be subject to reduced meat sampling and testing requirements – compared to … Read more

‘It’s here, it’s finally here’: Highly anticipated Special Olympics returns

Source: Radio New Zealand Swimming is one of 10 sporting codes on show during the Special Olympics’ national summer games. SUPPLIED / SPECIAL OLYMPICS A special kind of sporting fever has arrived in Christchurch ahead of the start of the highly anticipated return of the Special Olympics. The official start of the 2025 National Summer … Read more

Stray dogs and berms: The biggest bugbears of suburbia, and why they make us so mad

Source: Radio New Zealand When residents have a gripe about rain, stray dogs, berm maintenance, or even a tree root, they call their councillor. Today The Detail is calling those councillors, too. Bryan Cadogan has 27 years of local politics stories up his sleeve, but the 2am phone call from a furious resident takes the … Read more

Avoiding the bloodsucking bugs: What works to repel them and stop the itch

Source: Radio New Zealand With the warm air comes a familiar whine in your ear and that inevitable itch on your ankle. Before you curse the bloodsuckers away, Julia Kasper, lead curator of invertebrates at Te Papa, reminds us seeing these critters is a good thing for the ecosystem. Mosquito and sandfly larvae help filter … Read more

A mysterious mayday call and the boat that was never found

Source: Radio New Zealand A mayday call in a notorious stretch of water triggers an urgent search and rescue operation in Wellington. Emergency services pull in Coastguard, even a Cook Strait ferry. But a day later, the search is called off. No one was ever reported missing, and no debris was ever found. Who was … Read more

New technique at Waikato Hospital leaves heart bypass patients with fewer scars

Source: Radio New Zealand Waikato Hospital cardiothoracic nurse and surgical assistants Kelsey Abercrombie, Jacque Roberts, and Georgia Miller. RNZ / Libby Kirkby-McLeod People needing heart bypass surgery in Waikato are leaving hospital with fewer scars, thanks to a specially trained nurse team. Waikato was the only region in the country where the new procedure was … Read more

Officials shelved judge’s trans-Tasman family violence probe

Source: Radio New Zealand RNZ / Dan Cook One of the country’s top judges commissioned work to see how families in custody battles could be screened for domestic violence, but officials shelved it. Documents released under the Official Information Act (OIA) show principal Family Court Judge Jackie Moran travelled to Sydney to scope out two … Read more

Inland Revenue accused of ‘behind closed doors’ push for tax on groups

Source: Radio New Zealand [xh ]Inland Revenue accused of ‘behind closed doors’ push for tax Accountants expressed concerns in May about IR plans to make some societies’ and associations’ membership fees subject to tax. RNZ Inland Revenue is pushing ahead with consultation on a plan that would see organisations that charge membership fees having to … Read more

Dream fishing charter trip ends in nightmare after two injured crossing infamous Pātea bar

Source: Radio New Zealand A bloodied Selah Weingott at Whanganui Hospital following the fishing charter on which she broke her nose and fractured her shoulder. Supplied Two Whanganui women say what should’ve been a dream fishing trip ended up being a nightmare – one they don’t want anyone else to have to go through. Patsy … Read more

What spurred Don McGlashan to tell off Chris Bishop at the AMAs?

Source: Radio New Zealand Earlier this year Don McGlashan made headlines when he had a spat with National Party MP and Cabinet minister Chris Bishop at the Aotearoa Music Awards. “I didn’t know who he was… I heard all this fury and somebody complaining and then Stan Walker did his big piece, with a lot … Read more

Government revokes sports school contract with non-existent trust

Source: Radio New Zealand Associate Education Minister David Seymour. RNZ / Mark Papalii The government has formally revoked the official notice of its charter school contract with a trust that never existed. But the sports-focused school in Trentham will still go ahead. In October, Associate Education Minister David Seymour published a notice in the New … Read more

Wellington has NZ’s cheapest homes, Herne Bay still the most expensive suburb

Source: Radio New Zealand Central Wellington has the cheapest homes in the country, property data firm Cotality says. RNZ / REECE BAKER Central Wellington has the cheapest homes in the country, property data firm Cotality says, but Newmarket has had the biggest fall in values over the past five years. It has released its end-of-year … Read more

26,000 New Zealanders’ devices infected with malicious software, cyber security agency warns

Source: Radio New Zealand By Penny Smith The cyber security agency is emailing about 26,000 people warning about malware which could steal sensitive information, like email addresses and passwords. 123RF The country’s cyber agency is alerting tens of thousands of New Zealanders that their device has been infected with malicious software. The National Cyber Security … Read more

Three double-bunk deaths at Mt Eden prison in a year

Source: Radio New Zealand Mt Eden prison staff found a prisoner had been injured at 10.40am on 29 November. File photo. RNZ/Calvin Samuel A homicide investigation is under way after an inmate died 10 days after allegedly being assaulted by his cellmate at Mt Eden prison. The man’s death is the third homicide investigation involving … Read more

Drunk Nelson teen died in crash while fleeing police out on another job

Source: Radio New Zealand A Nelson teenager was fleeing police at about 183 kilometres per hour, but the officer was on his way to another job. RNZ/ Marika Khabazi A Nelson teenager was fleeing police at about 183 kilometres per hour when she lost control of the vehicle and smashed into a tree. Tieylr Saige … Read more

Tongariro National Park huts and tracks reopen after fire

Source: Radio New Zealand A major blaze burned through 296 hectares of vegetation at Tongariro National Park. Supplied / Alister McDermid and Joanna Finlayson Tongariro National Park’s huts and tracks will reopen on Wednesday, following a major fire. The blaze that broke out on Monday burned through 296 hectares of vegetation. Fire and Emergency has … Read more

ACC backs down on less flexible remote working policy

Source: Radio New Zealand Workers strike outside an ACC building in Wellington in July. Samuel Rillstone ACC has backed down on plans to require staff to work in the office three days a week, rather than two. The agency said following consultation with workers and careful consideration of their feedback, it decided to maintain current … Read more

NZDF wants to build ground terminals for military satellite system

Source: Radio New Zealand File photo. 123rf The NZ Defence Force wants to put in ground terminals next year for its main military satellite system. It has put out a tender to advise suppliers about 19 projects it is considering over the next year to 18 months. These range from ground terminals for America’s Wideband … Read more

Judge deciding whether Papatoetoe will face rare by-election

Source: Radio New Zealand RNZ / Liu Chen A district court judge has reserved his decision on whether a by-election is needed in an Auckland local body election. The hearing followed a petition by former Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board member Lehopoaome Vi Hausia, who claimed to have received reports of voting papers being stolen from residents … Read more

Property Values – Auckland affordability improves as nationwide residential property values remain stable – QV

Source: Quality Valuations – QV The latest QV House Price Index shows that average home values across Aotearoa New Zealand remained unchanged in the three months to the end of November and were virtually the same year on year at just 0.1% lower. The national average is now $907,274, which is 13.4% below the market … Read more