Police put the brakes on late-night car thieves

Source: New Zealand Police Thirty minutes of offending across an Auckland suburb overnight ended in arrest for three youths. At around 2.35am, three males entered a Great North Road, Waterview property and broke into a vehicle. Auckland City West Area Response Manager, Senior Sergeant Guy Baldwin says the group were disturbed as they attempted to … Read more

Sniffing out trouble

Source: New Zealand Police The scent of illegal activity was in the air for Waitematā Police this week after they sniffed out a vehicle carrying a significant quantity of cannabis plants.    At around 3.10pm on 12 May, officers from the West Area Prevention Unit were travelling through Glendene when they observed a vehicle towing … Read more

Slip closes State Highway 6, upper Buller Gorge Road

Source: Radio New Zealand The slip is blocking the road near the Eight Mile Creek Bridge and has closed State Highway 6 and upper Buller Road. NZTA State Highway 6 and the upper Buller Gorge Road which straddles the West Coast and Tasman regions is closed on Thursday morning because of a large slip. The … Read more

NZ-born composer Mark Smythe dies suddenly on hiking trip at 53

Source: Radio New Zealand Mark Smythe, a New Zealand-born composer based in Los Angeles, has died during a hiking trip over the weekend. His sister Kate Ward-Smythe said in a post on social media, that he collapsed and passed away suddenly whilst hiking with friends on Mount Wilson in LA, on Saturday. Sign up for … Read more

How can we catch the lost students?

Source: Radio New Zealand Some studies suggest that the retirement-age pay gap between vocational training and university graduates has closed, but New Zealand still holds the academic path in higher esteem. RNZ / Robin Martin University entrance has long been the gold standard result from our schools – but there’s hope that planned changes will … Read more

Six people facing drugs charges in Southland operation

Source: New Zealand Police Southland Police concluded Operation Mud Dog this week, focused on disrupting the supply and distribution of illicit drugs across the Southland District. On Tuesday, Police executed four drug-related search warrants at addresses across Southland, resulted in six people facing a range of drug supply-related charges. Police also recovered approximately $61,000 in … Read more

Person killed in Bay of Plenty crash

Source: Radio New Zealand The two-vehicle crash happened at about 7.15pm on Wednesday. RNZ / Kim Baker Wilson A person has died and two others have been seriously injured in a crash on the Te Puke Highway. The two-vehicle crash happened between Bell Road and Poplar Lane about 7.15pm on Wednesday. The road is open. … Read more

Are you a Ryan keen to meet other Ryans?

Source: Radio New Zealand Thanks to an international network formed by three Ryans in New York three years ago, groups now party at Rytoberfest, chat in WhatsApp groups, and will soon attempt a new world record at RyanCon. When New Zealander Ryan Mitchell discovered the Ryan Meet Up Instagram page a few weeks ago, attending … Read more

Family of Dylan Barford, whose body lay undiscovered near motorway for weeks, want to know how he wasn’t found sooner

Source: Radio New Zealand Dylan Barford died of accidental methamphetamine toxicity, a Coroner ruled. (File photo) Supplied / NZ Police Auckland man Dylan Barford’s body lay undiscovered near a motorway off-ramp for almost three weeks after he was reported missing and his family want to know why he wasn’t found sooner. The body of Dylan … Read more

Te Atiawa opens high-end development on former colonial parade ground

Source: Radio New Zealand The crowds went through each home to bless them for their new owners. RNZ / Robin Martin Te Atiawa has opened a high-end townhouse development on an inner-city site in New Plymouth where colonial troops once assembled for inspection. Pukekura / The Parade features 36 two-storied two and three-bedroom homes, located … Read more

I thought I was a bad investor, Sharesies didn’t agree

Source: Radio New Zealand Supplied/123rf First person – A little while ago, I wrote about my fairly dismal returns investing in Sharesies. I started on the platform in 2017 and to date, have a simple return of 28.14 percent. That’s well below what I could have achieved in a managed fund. Sharesies say it calculates … Read more

Trades or degrees for higher pay? Here’s the data that shows you

Source: Radio New Zealand The government wants to redirect some of the funding it has been using for the ‘fees-free’ university scheme into trades training. Supplied/ UCOL Does having a degree pay off? The government wants to redirect some of the funding it has been using for the ‘fees-free’ university scheme into trades training. Prime … Read more

High Dependency Unit at Wellington Hospital helps ease bottleneck

Source: Radio New Zealand Stephen James, nurse manager at Wellington’s high dependency unit. RNZ / Kate Green Staff at Wellington Hospital say they could do with a hundred more beds, but the year-old High Dependency Unit has gone some way to easing the bottleneck. The unit has 12 beds for people too sick for the … Read more

Marlborough residents keen to see port redevelopment get underway after years of disruption

Source: Radio New Zealand An Interislander ferry berthed in Picton. RNZ / Samantha Gee It is clear that many people in Marlborough just want to see work get underway on the port redevelopment ahead of the new ferries arriving, after years of disrupted services. The Marlborough District Council is seeking feedback on whether to lend … Read more

David Tamihere still waiting to find out if he will be retried

Source: Radio New Zealand David Tamihere in 2017. RNZ David Tamihere will likely have to wait until July to find out whether he will be retried for the 1989 murder of two Swedish tourists. The Supreme Court quashed his convictions six weeks ago for the murder of Urban Höglin and Heidi Paakkonen, saying Crown prosecutors … Read more

Immigration NZ could ‘demand identification papers from everyone’ says civil liberties group

Source: Radio New Zealand The Law Society says an immigration bill extending search powers and curtailing appeal rights should not proceed in its current form. RNZ Submissions on legislation highlight fears about compliance powers, appeal rights Law Society said its views were not properly represented in regulatory impact statements Lawyer questions how staff will identify … Read more

Can houseplants really purify the air in your home?

Source: Radio New Zealand The question sounds simple. The answer, once you examine the actual measurement science behind it, is more interesting than either “yes” or “no”. The houseplant-as-air-purifier idea can be traced to a 1989 US study, conducted for Nasa as part of research into closed-loop life support systems for space stations. In sealed, … Read more

Update: Further charges laid, fatal crash, Rotorua

Source: New Zealand Police Attributable to Inspector Phil Gillbanks: A woman is due to appear in Rotorua District Court today on charges relating to a fatal crash last year. The crash on Te Ngae Road on 6 November involved a car and a bus, killing a passenger in the accused’s vehicle and critically injuring two … Read more

White Ferns’ second ODI v England washed out

Source: Radio New Zealand Georgia Plimmer at the County Ground in Northampton where the ODI between the White Ferns and England was washed out, 14 May 2026. Photosport The White Ferns will attempt to level their ODI series against England on Saturday after the second match was washed out in Northampton. Showers arrived just as … Read more

Short story collection wins New Zealand’s biggest book prize

Source: Radio New Zealand Wellington essayist Ingrid Horrocks has won the major prize at the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards for her fiction debut, All Her Lives. The collection, which follows nine different women across nine different life stages, has won the $65,000 Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize, announced at a ceremony in Auckland on Wednesday … Read more

Hopes dashed after parasitic worm found to be ineffective at killing invasive millipedes

Source: Radio New Zealand A Portuguese millipede. RNZ/Mary Argue Hopes have been dashed that a parasitic worm will effectively kill hordes of invasive millipedes plaguing Wellingtonians. South coast residents sounded the alarm about infestations of the Portuguese millipede almost a year ago, with stories of finding hundreds of the scaly black creatures around their homes … Read more

Corrections staffer quit while being investigated for inappropriate relationship with inmate

Source: Radio New Zealand A Corrections staffer quit while being investigated over allegations they were in a relationship with an inmate they had assessed for parole. The Christchurch Women’s Prison inmate had been granted parole when the allegations came to light, but had not yet been released from prison. Her parole was then revoked and … Read more

PM promising solution to immigration problem that doesn’t exist, demographer says

Source: Radio New Zealand Sociologist Paul Spoonley RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly A demographer believes the prime minister is promising a solution to an immigration problem that does not exist. Christopher Luxon has told business leaders immigration was an emerging political issue and to expect “careful” immigration policy from National – and that the party would … Read more

Health Sector – Kiwis support stronger nicotine regulation, survey finds

Source: Health Coalition Aotearoa A majority of New Zealanders support reinstating the very low nicotine cigarette policy, and more than two-thirds believe the tobacco industry influences government policy, a new national survey has found. The Talbot Mills Research survey of 1,247 adults showed 68% believe the tobacco industry influences government policy, alongside 55% support for reintroducing … Read more

World’s First Lightweight High Resolution High Precision CO₂ and CH₄ Point Source Detector “MUSICO” Arrives at Tiangong Space Station via Tianzhou-10

Source: Media Outreach HKUST Led Project Marks Hong Kong’s First Scientific Payload on the National Space Station HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 13 May 2026 – The world’s first lightweight, high‑resolution, high‑precision synergistic observatory for carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane (CH₄) emission point sources – named “MUSICO”, Multi‑Spectral Imaging Carbon Observatory, led … Read more