Record number of New Zealanders leave country, visits from Australia surge

Source: Radio New Zealand RNZ New figures show Australian visitor arrivals surged over the past year – while migration data shows a record number of New Zealanders leaving. Stats NZ said visitor arrivals from across the Tasman reached 1.48 million in the year ended September, up from 1.33m the year before. Stats NZ said it … Read more

Schools, early learning centres urged to stop using asbestos-contaminated sand

Source: Radio New Zealand Educational Colours Rainbow Sand has been recalled. Supplied / Product Safety NZ The Ministry of Education has alerted schools and early learning centres to stop using coloured play sand contaminated with asbestos. It comes after tremolite, a naturally occurring asbestos, was found in rainbow sand sold by two brands, Education Colours … Read more

Paid firefighters call off latest strike

Source: Radio New Zealand The union said members will not strike for an hour on Friday as planned. RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly Paid firefighters have called off their latest strike, saying new information has surfaced that will be key to pay talks. The Professional Firefighters Union and Fire and Emergency (FENZ) have been in a … Read more

Government accepts banking recommendations

Source: New Zealand Government The Government has accepted or partially accepted all the recommendations made by the Finance and Expenditure Committee’s inquiry into banking competition.   The inquiry examined the state of banking competition with a focus on business and rural banking, as well as lending to Māori entities.  Nicola Willis says the select committee’s findings … Read more

Fifty-five new police for the frontline

Source: New Zealand Police Police Commissioner Richard Chambers, members of the police executive and wing patron Cameron Leslie MNZM congratulated the 55 graduating constables from Wing 389 this morning.  Families and friends watched as the newly attested police officers marched out at Te Rauparaha Arena, Porirua. They are a diverse group of people who have … Read more

Former financial advisor David McEwen pleads guilty to criminal charges

Source: Radio New Zealand David McEwen is due to be sentenced on 14 January. Screenshot / YouTube Former Auckland financial advisor David McEwen has pleaded guilty to all charges for breaching a banning order imposed by the financial markets regulator. The Financial Markets Authority (FMA) previously issued warnings about financial products and related advice provided … Read more

Ombudsman warns customers not to falsify flood insurance claims

Source: Radio New Zealand The ombudsman said it’s important to know the consequences of making a false statement on an insurance claim. 123rf The insurance ombudsman is urging customers not to embellish claims for flood damage. The Insurance & Financial Services Ombudsman Scheme (IFSO Scheme), which reviews insurance complaints, said with more frequent flooding events, … Read more

Liam Lawson to give Kiwi fans a thrill ride

Source: Radio New Zealand New Zealand F1 driver Liam Lawson. Javier Jimenez / PHOTOSPORT New Zealand motorsport fans have a chance to sit alongside Formula 1 star Liam Lawson on a race circuit. The Racing Bulls driver will return to Highlands Motorsport Park in Cromwell in December to provide hot laps for charity. Three hot … Read more

David Seymour blames teacher strikes for drop in school attendance in last week of term

Source: Radio New Zealand David Seymour says strikes in the final week of Term 3 prompted many to begin their holidays early. RNZ / Mark Papalii Associate Education Minister David Seymour is blaming teacher strikes for a drop in school attendance in the final week of Term 3. In a statement, he said the term … Read more

Teenager charged, more arrests likely after fire at old Palmerston North pub The Fitz

Source: Radio New Zealand The scene on the night of 30 October. Supplied/ Mike Dixon An 18-year-old Palmerston North man has been arrested and charged with arson, following a large fire in the old Fitzherbert bar in central Palmerston North. Police were called to the blaze on the evening of 30 October. Huge flames and … Read more

Name release: Fatal crash, Rotorua

Source: New Zealand Police Police can now release the name of the person who died in the two-vehicle crash on Te Ngae Road, Rotorua, on Thursday 6 November. She was Teleia Thompson, a 23-year-old from Rotorua. Police extend their sympathies to her family and friends at this difficult time. The circumstances of the crash remain … Read more

Tide turns in battle against Lake Wānaka weeds

Source: New Zealand Government A more than two-decade-long campaign to reclaim Lake Wānaka from an invasive aquatic weed has reached a major victory, with 40 kilometres of shoreline now successfully cleared.   “This milestone marks a real triumph for the beautiful Lake Wānaka ecosystem and for everyone who treasures this iconic place,” Land Information Minister Chris … Read more

First sod turned on Hawke’s Bay Expressway

Source: New Zealand Government Construction has begun on the State Highway 2 Hawke’s Bay Expressway – one of the first new Roads of National Significance to reach the main works stage, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says.  “This project is a major milestone for Hawke’s Bay and for our Government’s transport investment programme. It will improve … Read more

Tunnel Beach walk reopened for summer

Source: NZ Department of Conservation Date:  13 November 2025 The iconic Tunnel Beach walk reopens on Friday 14 November, having been closed since October 2024, after a heavy weather event caused multiple large slips which covered the track and made several sections unstable. Department of Conservation Coastal Otago Operations Manager Gabe Davies says the first phase … Read more

Universities – Rethinking happiness in the hybrid workplace – UoA

Source: University of Auckland Have you ever misinterpreted a colleague’s tone on a Teams chat? Or wondered what Mike meant by his face-without-a-mouth emoji in response to your carefully worded idea? A new book by University of Auckland Business School Associate Professor Barbara Plester explores how communication, fun, humour and happiness are evolving in the … Read more

World Kindness Day and Palestine – NZPF

Source: Palestine Forum of New Zealand (NZPF) World Kindness Day, observed every year on 13 November, is a global reminder that kindness is a universal language, one that transcends borders, politics, and differences. It calls on individuals and nations to act with compassion, empathy, and humanity. In a world often divided by conflict and injustice, … Read more

Black Caps eye T20 series win against big-hitting Windies

Source: Radio New Zealand © Copyright Andrew Cornaga 2020 / www.photosport.nz / Photosport Ltd Black Caps v West Indies – fifth T20 First ball: 1.15pm University Oval, Dunedin Live blog updates on RNZ Sport Black Caps seamer Jacob Duffy expects the T20 series against the West Indies to end on a fitting note in Dunedin … Read more

Erin Routliffe-Gaby Dabrowski split a business decision, but ‘I’ll have a friend for life’

Source: Radio New Zealand Erin Routliffe of New Zealand celebrates with partner Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada after winning the 2025 US Open doubles title. MATTHEW STOCKMAN / AFP Their partnership may have come to an end but Erin Routliffe said she has a friend for life in Gaby Dabrowski. The pair announced their split earlier … Read more

How a violent, possessive stalker became a killer: The story of Nathan Boulter

Source: Radio New Zealand Nathan Boulter appearing in court in 2011. NZPA / David Rowland Thirteen years after being sentenced to kidnapping his ex-partner, holding her hostage for 38 hours on Great Barrier Island Nathan Boulter stood in front of a judge in the High Court. This time he was pleading guilty to murdering a … Read more

One-tonne Peace Bell stolen from Henderson’s Japanese Garden

Source: Radio New Zealand A group of Japanese junior high school students from Kakogawa City ringing the Peace Bell in 2023. Auckland Council / supplied An Auckland local board chair is astonished a one-tonne bronze bell was stolen from the Japanese Garden in Henderson, Auckland. The Peace Bell was gifted to former Mayor Sir Bob … Read more

Banking – The Co-operative Bank is the only bank to pass on full OCR cuts to floating mortgages

Source: The Co-operative Bank The Co-operative Bank has demonstrated market leading action by passing on the full Official Cash Rate (OCR) reductions to its floating home loan customers during this cycle of rate reductions, reinforcing its commitment to a fair deal. Since the Reserve Bank began reductions to the Official Cash Rate 15 months ago, it … Read more

Exercise NZ – Game-Changer: New Meta-Analysis Shows Intense Exercise Far More Beneficial Than Previously Thought

Source: Exercise New Zealand Exercise New Zealand says new international research is a game-changer that could reshape global exercise advice, revealing that intense exercise delivers up to nine times the health benefits of moderate activity, and in some cases up to 156 times better than low intensity. “This new research shows that intense exercise isn’t … Read more

She’s won Lotto, so where is her money?

Source: Radio New Zealand A spokesperson for Lotto said it aimed to pay most prizes claimed within seven working days. RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly Helen Button had never won anything significant from Lotto in the past. So when she took her Lotto ticket to her local New World and discovered she had won $1469 on … Read more

Significant changes proposed to ease congestion near Auckland Hospital

Source: Radio New Zealand Auckland Transport has proposed significant changes to one of the city’s most important roads. Park Road runs alongside Auckland Hospital and the Domain and is a main thoroughfare connecting Auckland’s CBD to Newmarket, the city’s busiest retail centres. The city’s transport agency is now proposing a dynamic lane layout between Grafton … Read more

Union movement stands with public sector workers

Source: NZCTU Affiliate unions of the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kamahi have passed a motion of solidarity with public sector workers who are who are fighting for fair pay, safe staffing, and effective services. The motion, passed unanimously as the CTU Biennial Conference last month, sends a strong message to Government … Read more

Long-time host Jenny-May Clarkson leaving TVNZ’s Breakfast

Source: Radio New Zealand Breakfast co-host Jenny-May Clarkson will leave her role at the morning show later this month, amidst TVNZ’s to “refresh” the programme in 2026. The former Silver Fern began working a netball commentator for TVNZ nearly 20 years ago, and became Breakfast co-host in 2020. Her final day on air will be 21 … Read more

ComCom denies banks’ request for collective negotiation over cash-in-transit

Source: Radio New Zealand Armourguard (owned by US-based Evergreen International) is the only supplier of specialised cash transport services. Armourguard / supplied Commerce Commission rejects interim bid for banks and some retailers to negotiate with Armourguard Interim bid was over cash transit services Commission intends to make a final decision at a later date The … Read more