Kelmarna Community Farm celebrates 40 years with new book

Source: Radio New Zealand Adrian Roche with a barro load of ‘black gold’ Kelmarna’s organic compost. RNZ Ross McNaughton Along the short path to Kelmarna community farm visitors are transported from suburbia to a rural oasis. The 4 and a half acre block of land is nestled between the affluent Auckland suburbs of Ponsonby and … Read more

Waikato pig farm faces record $437k fine for discharging effluent to land, water

Source: Radio New Zealand [embedded content] A Waikato pig farm has been fined $437,000 for persistent discharges of raw piggery effluent into the environment, including sewage tanks overflowing into waterways. Rawhiti Environmental Park was convicted on eight charges in the Hamilton District Court on Thursday under the Resource Management Act. The 810-hectare piggery near Te … Read more

Two rescued after plane’s water landing

Source: Radio New Zealand RNZ / REECE BAKER Two people have been rescued after their plane landed in the water at the Bay of Islands this morning. Police said they received a mayday call at around 10.10am that a light plane had landed in the bay. A private boat picked up the two people on … Read more

Milford Great Walk reopens after track damaged by avalanches

Source: Radio New Zealand Milford Great Walk. Supplied / Department of Conservation The Milford Track is open to the public again, with Department of Conservation staff finally able to get in and restore damaged tracks. Wild weather triggered multiple opening date changes in the last month, with large avalanches damaging the track and covering some … Read more

Body found in search for missing woman Te Anihana Pomana

Source: Radio New Zealand Te Anihana Pomana. Supplied / Police Police say a body has been found in the search for Te Anihana Pomana, who has been missing since August. Te Anihana Pomana, also known as Ani Anderson, went missing on 21 August after leaving Sky City hotel in the early hours of the morning. … Read more

No charges to be laid following burn pile that sparked large Kaikōura fires

Source: Radio New Zealand The fires spread over an area of almost 200 hectares. RNZ / Nate McKinnon No charges will be laid against the owner of a burn pile that sparked large fires and destroyed four homes in Kaikōura last month. Fire and Emergency says the fires were caused by embers from the burn … Read more

Rise in temperatures and unsettled showers expected for most of the country this week

Source: Radio New Zealand Airmass and wind forecast for Friday 28 November in the North Island. MetService Warm and muggy conditions are making a comeback this week as maximum temperatures swing back to the 20s for most and approaching 30°C in some areas. MetService has forecasted a series of weather systems to move through, two … Read more

Another coloured sand product recalled over asbestos concerns

Source: Radio New Zealand The latest coloured sand products to be recalled over asbestos fears. Supplied A rainbow sand art toy sold at various discount stores nation-wide is the latest coloured sand product to be recalled over concerns about asbestos. MBIE confirmed this afternoon that the product was being recalled because some samples had tested … Read more

Update in search for missing woman Te Anihana Pomana

Source: New Zealand Police Please attribute to Detective Senior Sergeant Martin Friend, Auckland Central Area Investigations Manager: Police are making enquiries after a body was found in the search for Te Anihana Pomana on Saturday. At around 7.43pm Police were notified a body was located in dense bush in the Pukekohe area. Formal identification is … Read more

Body found in search for man missing at Christchurch lake

Source: Radio New Zealand Search and rescue teams have found the body of a man believed to be missing. Google Maps Police have found a body they believe to be a man who went missing in the water at a Christchurch lake. Search and rescue teams had been searching the area at Lake Rua in … Read more

Mt Eden Prison under significant pressure at time of pepper spray death, staffer says

Source: Radio New Zealand Caleb Moefa’auo. RNZ/Felix Walton Mt Eden prison was under significant pressure at the time Caleb Moefa’auo died in custody, a court has heard. Caleb Moefa’auo, 26, died in 2022 after suffering a cardiac arrest shortly after being pepper-sprayed by an officer. Phase two of the inquest into his death began in … Read more

Body located, Lake Rua

Source: New Zealand Police Police have located a body in Lake Rua this afternoon, believed to be the man that went missing in the water last night. The surrounding area remains closed to the public. A formal identification process will take place, and the death will be referred to the Coroner. ENDS Issued by Police … Read more

Joseph Parker’s first trainer, Grant Arkell, dies

Source: Radio New Zealand Grant Arkell, pictured in 2020. RNZ / Dan Cook The man who first trained former world heavyweight champion Joseph Parker among other boxing greats, Grant Arkell, has passed away aged 77. Arkell was one of the most respected boxing trainers in New Zealand and opened the Papatoetoe Boxing Gym in 1990, … Read more

Roadside drug testing ‘nearly worthless’, expert says

Source: Radio New Zealand Wellington will be the first location to implement the new roadside drug testing with the rest of the country to follow by mid-2026 NZ Police / Supplied As New Zealand gets set to rollout roadside drug testing, an Australian expert says it’s a scattergun approach that doesn’t reliably pick up impairment. … Read more

1.2 million tonnes of food wasted in New Zealand every year – report

Source: Radio New Zealand The figures reported in this article have been corrected. More than 1.2 million tonnes of food is thrown away or wasted in New Zealand every year, a new report has found. The amount is equivalent to 237 kilograms of waste per person. Nearly a third of the waste comes from households, … Read more

Ōpōtiki Harbour completion unlocks opportunities

Source: New Zealand Government Work on a new harbour servicing the eastern Bay of Plenty is complete, unlocking opportunities for aquaculture and marine industry growth, new local jobs and regional prosperity, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. The extensive work on Ōpōtiki Harbour over a number of years includes the construction of two 350m long … Read more

Building reforms deliver consumer protections

Source: New Zealand Government The Government has unveiled safeguarding measures to ensure building owners are protected under a more productive and ambitious building consent system. “Earlier this year, I announced a major change to the building consent system to tackle risk-averse behaviour that slows productivity and delays the delivery of new homes, public buildings and … Read more

Football: Phoenix set to take off after positive start to A-League

Source: Radio New Zealand Sabitra Bhandari of the Phoenix Masanori Udagawa / PHOTOSPORT While expectations are always high, the Phoenix women would be delighted with the position they find themselves in the A-League. Bev Priestman’s side scored their first win of the season on Sunday, beating Melbourne Victory for the first time with a 1-0 … Read more

Veterans’ charity say transitional support for those leaving Defence Force is lacking

Source: Radio New Zealand No Duff Charitable Trust’s Aaron Wood. RNZ / Kate Pereyra Garcia A veterans’ charity says there is growing concern about the lack of mental health and transitional support within the Defence Force. This comes as a former infantry soldier is accusing the New Zealand Defence Force of failing to get him … Read more

Budget for Mt Messenger Bypass project nearly doubles to almost $600 million

Source: Radio New Zealand Te Ara o Te Ata – Mt Messenger Bypass project construction in February 2025. NZTA / Waka Kotahi The budget for a major Taranaki road has climbed up in costs from $365 million to nearly $600m. The Mt Messenger Bypass will be a new six-kilometre route that avoids the existing steep, … Read more

Police investigating 90 minute string of ramraids in Christchurch

Source: Radio New Zealand 123RF Police are investigating a series of ramraids across Christchurch after about a dozen businesses were targeted within the space of 90 minutes. Multiple burglaries were reported to police at a number of commercial properties across the city’s western suburbs between 4am and 5.30am on Sunday. Police said the alleged youth … Read more

Wellington Girls College to finally get new buildings

Source: Radio New Zealand Prefabs onsite of Wellington Girl’s College. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone A Wellington school is looking to put behind it years of disruption centred round its old and earthquake-prone buildings. The problems at Wellington Girls College culminated last year with students setting up a classroom on Parliament grounds in protest, where one … Read more

Police release descriptions of offenders in Edendale assault

Source: New Zealand Police To be attributed to Detective Sergeant Brian McKinney, Gore CIB: Police are continuing to investigate a serious assault that occurred near the corner of Melvin Street and Turner Street in Edendale last week. The assault occurred at around 10.55pm on Saturday 15 November, after a woman went to the victim’s house … Read more

Senior Auckland detective faces criminal investigation over objectionable material

Source: Radio New Zealand Criminal investigations have begun into three police staff in relation to “misuse and inappropriate content”. RNZ / Angus Dreaver An Auckland-based detective with decades of experience in police is facing a criminal investigation for allegedly possessing objectionable material. RNZ earlier revealed criminal investigations had begun into three police staff in relation … Read more

Wellington cleaner’s shock $20,000 discovery

Source: Radio New Zealand She opened the cushion and pulled out an old plastic bag full of $100 notes. Supplied A cleaner tidying up some dusty old chairs at a Wellington property has stumbled across the most “insane” thing she’s ever found – $20,000 cash. Loll, co-owner of Massive Property Services, said the retro chairs … Read more

Review: Pixies deliver polished walk down unconventional memory lane

Source: Radio New Zealand It’s hard enough to find time to listen to a whole album these days, given the constant demands of everyday life. So when influential US alternative rock outfit Pixies announced they were going to perform their 1990 album, Bossanova, followed by 1991’s Trompe le Monde at the same Auckland gig on … Read more

Second phase of inquest into pepper spray prison death of Caleb Moefa’auo begins

Source: Radio New Zealand An image of Caleb Moefa’auo positioned in the witness box. RNZ/Felix Walton Corrections officers are expected to face the Coroners Court as the second part of an inquest into the death of a man pepper sprayed at Mt Eden Corrections Facility gets underway this week. Caleb Moefa’auo, 26, died in 2022 … Read more