Who big winners and snubs at the Screen Actors Guild awards

Source: Radio New Zealand Despite what your group text may believe, the return of Connor Storrie’s mustache is not the biggest storyline of the Actor Award nominations. The Heated Rivalry breakout star and Abbott Elementary’s Janelle James announced the nominees for the Actor Awards presented by SAG-AFTRA, which were formerly known as the SAG Awards … Read more

Call to action to recognise search and rescue heroes

Source: New Zealand Government Associate Transport Minister James Meager is calling on Kiwis to do their part to celebrate those who risk their lives to bring people home safely, by nominating them for the 2025 New Zealand Search and Rescue (NZSAR) Awards.  “Search and rescue is more than dramatic rescues. It’s about the tireless work … Read more

2025 climate summary: Hottest places around NZ revealed

Source: Radio New Zealand Supplied / Earth Sciences NZ 2025 was the country’s fourth-hottest year on record, according to Earth Sciences New Zealand’s (ESNZ) annual climate report. The report found that most regions were hotter than average by between 0.51 and 1.20 degrees, but parts of Northland and Bay of Plenty were significantly hotter, by … Read more

Water supplies coming to Marton amid ‘smell and taste issues’

Source: Radio New Zealand The council will bring a tanker of water from Hunterville to the Marton RSA and Citizens Memorial Hall each Tuesday and Thursday between 3pm and 6pm, starting 13 January. Supplied / Rangitīkei District Council A lower North Island town with smelly, muddy-tasting tap water will have supplies trucked in from a … Read more

Specialist canyon teams join search for missing tramper

Source: Radio New Zealand A Defence Force NH90 helicopter is being used in the search. Supplied/police Specialist canyon teams are joining the search for a missing tramper in the Kahurangi National Park. Graham Garnett, 66, failed to return from a hike on December 30. Police Search and Rescue sergeant Jonny Evans said four specialist canyon … Read more

Inquiry being considered into jetboat crash near Queenstown

Source: Radio New Zealand RNZ / Kim Baker Wilson Maritime New Zealand is considering a formal investigation after two people were injured in a jetboat crash in Otago. Emergency services were called to Makarora, in the Queenstown-Lakes district, shortly before 3.30pm on Wednesday. The injured pair were flown to Dunedin Hospital in a moderate condition. … Read more

Police wrap up Christmas crack-down on drink-driving

Source: New Zealand Police Police are hopeful 2026 will see a reduction of harm on the roads, if a pre-Christmas road policing operation is anything to go by. Christchurch Police wrapped up ‘Operation Hoho, Oh No’, with 14,169 breath tests, 32 excess breath alcohol readings, three impounds, and a fleeing driver. Over a two-week period … Read more

Warning to prepare as weekend heatwave sends temperatures skyrocketing

Source: Radio New Zealand MetService says the temperatures won’t drop much at night. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone Hastings could hit a whopping 37C over the weekend as hot air from a heatwave in Australia blankets the east coast of New Zealand. MetService is predicting that many areas will be warm on Thursday, with the weekend … Read more

Patient data still being uploaded to Manage My Health two years after contract ended

Source: Radio New Zealand RNZ / Finn Blackwell A patient is shocked to find that more than two years after her GP ended its contract with Manage My Health, it has continued to receive her new medical records. The patient health information portal will today begin contacting thousands of patients whose private medical information has … Read more

How bank staff convinced their bosses to let them wear shorts

Source: Radio New Zealand Mount Roskill BNZ branch in January 1969. Supplied / BNZ Men wearing shorts to work may be a common site these days but there was a time when permission to do so was necessary. With high temperatures expected in the coming days, BNZ has dug into its archives from 1966 when … Read more

Person seriously injured in explosion at industrial business near Motueka

Source: Radio New Zealand Generic fire truck. RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King A person has been seriously injured following an explosion at an industrial property near Motueka. Emergency services were called to the property shortly after 8am on Thursday. St John sent one ambulance and one rapid response vehicle to the Little Sydney Street address. A … Read more

Search continues for missing tramper; Kahurangi National Park

Source: New Zealand Police Attributable to Sergeant Jonny Evans, Police Search and Rescue: The search for missing tramper Graham Garnett, 66, is continuing today, with additional resources being used. A New Zealand Defence Force NH90 helicopter is again being utilised, and four specialist canyon teams are being flown into Motueka to assist. Search efforts today … Read more

Name release – fatal incident, Wanaka

Source: New Zealand Police Police can now release the name of the man who died in Wanaka on 5 January.  He was 85-year-old David Simmers of Wanaka. Emergency services were called to a report of a man trapped under his vehicle. Sadly, despite efforts from emergency responders, he was unable to be revived. Police offer … Read more

Person injured in explosion at industrial business near Motueka

Source: Radio New Zealand Generic fire truck. RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King A person has been injured in an explosion at an industrial property near Motueka. Emergency services were called to the property shortly after 8am on Thursday. Fire and Emergency says there is no fire but they are looking after a patient until an ambulance … Read more

Events – 4,500+ Individuals to Race at Biggest Waka Ama Nationals To Date

Source: Waka Ama Karāpiro is set to host the largest event it’s ever seen, the 2026 Waka Ama Sprint Nationals, with 800 more paddlers than last year, being a first in the sport’s history and one of the biggest national sporting events in Aotearoa New Zealand. From 11–17 January 2026 upwards of 4,500 participants will … Read more

Appeal following boat theft in Whangārei

Source: New Zealand Police Police are appealing for information following the brazen theft of a boat from a commercial yard in Whangārei on Tuesday 6 January. Thanks to quick action by a member of the public, the 7.5-metre White Pointer named Jasmine was recovered, located without its trailer dumped near Wairua Falls in Titoki. Police … Read more

Person dies after two-vehicle crash in Auckland’s Dairy Flat

Source: Radio New Zealand Pine Valley Road, Dairy Flat. Google Maps / supplied One person has died after a two-vehicle crash in Auckland’s Dairy Flat. Emergency services were called to the scene on the rural Pine Valley Road on Wednesday. St John said it was notified of the crash just before 1pm. The person was … Read more

Hawke’s Bay Māori housing project wants to see the model rolled out nationwide

Source: Radio New Zealand Zack Makaore is the driving force of Puke Aute papakāinga. RNZ / Alexa Cook A Māori housing project in Hawke’s Bay wants to see the same model rolled out nationwide to help people afford their own homes and benefit from a community environment. Puke Aute papakāinga is in Te Hauke, about … Read more

Phoenix hit by third season-ending ACL injury

Source: Radio New Zealand Sabitra Bhandari of the Phoenix AAP / Photosport The Wellington Phoenix women have been hit with a third season-ending ACL injury for a player. Nepalese striker Sabitra Bhandari has been ruled out for the remainder of the A-League season because of a serious knee injury. Bhandari, popularly known as Samba, joins … Read more

‘Yeah boy’: Meet Pleakley, Ōtorohanga Kiwi House’s talking tūī

Source: Radio New Zealand A cheeky tūī named after the Lilo and Stitch character Pleakley is literally turning heads at the Ōtorohanga Kiwi House. If you wander past his innocuous-looking enclosure on your way to the exit, he’s likely to call out “hey buddy” or perhaps just guffaw at you. While it is not unheard … Read more

I don’t like my kid’s friends – what should I do?

Source: Radio New Zealand So you’ve got that ick feeling when it comes to one of your kid’s friends. Maybe that friend is ever so slightly a bully during playdates. Maybe that person brings out the worst in your child. Or perhaps there is a clash of values between that family and yours. And then … Read more

$5.9 million fence to protect Wellington forest from pests

Source: Radio New Zealand Greater Wellington Regional Council is spending a decade building a fence to protect thousands of hectares of native forest from pests. RNZ was given a look at the area of Wainuiomata Regional Park which was normally roped off to the public due to its proximity to the capital’s water source. Driving … Read more

Fatal crash: Dairy Flat

Source: New Zealand Police One person has died following the serious crash on Pine Valley Road, Dairy Flat yesterday. At around 12:50pm emergency services were alerted to the two-vehicle crash. The road was closed but reopened at around 5pm. The Serious Crash Unit attended and enquiries into the circumstances of the crash are ongoing. ENDS … Read more

Get your finances sorted in 2026: Manage your mortgage

Source: Radio New Zealand Want to pay off your home loan? Here are some changes you can make to get you closer to that goal. Unsplash/ Artful Homes Is organising your money life on your New Year’s resolution list in 2026? In this five-part series, money correspondent Susan Edmunds guides you through the basics. If … Read more

Why 2026 is going to be a great year for star-gazers

Source: Radio New Zealand There’s “something really wonderful going on” in the night skies above Aotearoa this summer, says astronomer Dr Ian Griffin, with more dazzling cosmic events to come this year. Griffin, who is head of Dunedin’s Tūhura Otago Museum, has been spending his summer holiday in Middlemarch, an hour from Dunedin, enjoying New Zealand’s crystal-clear … Read more

Lawyers say privacy rules need more teeth, following Manage My Health hack

Source: Radio New Zealand RNZ / Finn Blackwell Privacy lawyers are calling for a review into what punishments companies can face for breaching privacy in the wake of the massive Manage My Health cyber hack. The country’s largest online patient portal faces a new Friday deadline for a US$60,000 ransom after hundreds of thousands of … Read more

Record number of New Zealanders face visa troubles in United States

Source: Radio New Zealand MFAT warns travellers may encounter greater scrutiny at the US border. Photo: RNZ The number of New Zealanders held in US detention or having immigration difficulties in America rose to a new high of 39 last year, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT). Latest available White House … Read more