Coronet Peak opens $2 million ‘snow factory’

Source: Radio New Zealand The $2 million SnowFactory freezes water and converts it into snow. Katie Todd Weeks before ski field lifts usually start spinning, Queenstown’s Coronet Peak has flipped the switch on a $2 million “snow factory” to lay down the first coat in Autumn. Crews have started producing snow from a high-tech fridge-like … Read more

Ministry of Education approves total $1.4 million to remove absestos-contaminated sand

Source: Radio New Zealand Schools had to spend thousands to replace carpet, curtains and other items contaminated by play sand containing asbestos. Supplied The Education Ministry says it will help 65 schools cover the bill for last year’s clean up of absestos-contaminated sand. The ministry said it approved one-off grants totalling $1.4 million for removal, … Read more

Mayors consider government’s amalgamation ultimatum

Source: Radio New Zealand Some mayors say council reforms will help communities gain their voice, while others fear they’ll lose their identity. Ministers on Tuesday gave councils an ultimatum: come up with plans within three months or the government will do it for you. Councils were to form voluntary groups and present their ideas to … Read more

New Zealand Transport Agency restores millions in funding for police breath testing

Source: Radio New Zealand RNZ revealed last year that about 130 police officers were under investigation throughout the country after 30,000 alcohol breath tests were “falsely or erroneously recorded”. RNZ The NZ Transport Agency has restored millions of dollars of funding for the police to carry out driver breath testing after revelations last year that … Read more

What the deal with Singapore means for New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon with Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. SUPPLIED Explainer – New Zealand has signed a deal with Singapore that will ensure exports of essential supplies like food and fuel keep flowing, even during a crisis. A bit like the one we’re facing now. While it was … Read more

Labour Party announces Te Pūoho Katene as final candidate for Māori seats

Source: Radio New Zealand Te Pūoho Katene. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone The Labour Party has announced its final candidate for the Māori seats in this year’s election, as the contest in various electorates heats up. Te Pūoho Katene, a Fulbright scholar from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, says it’s a privilege to be selected to … Read more

New Zealand Trnsport Agency restores millions in funding for police breath testing

Source: Radio New Zealand RNZ revealed last year that about 130 police officers were under investigation throughout the country after 30,000 alcohol breath tests were “falsely or erroneously recorded”. RNZ The NZ Transport Agency has restored millions of dollars of funding for the police to carry out driver breath testing after revelations last year that … Read more

Awakino Gorge reopening but limitations remain for businesses

Source: Radio New Zealand Vehicles stretch back along Ladies Mile at Awakino ahead of the 6.30pm convoy north. Robin Martin/RNZ The reopening of the Awakino Gorge on State Highway 3 is being described as a ‘Clayton’s’ opening as its limitations become clear. The gorge opened to one-lane escorted convoys over the weekend, but remains closed … Read more

Children’s screen use linked to long-term attention and self-control problems, study finds

Source: Radio New Zealand The studies showed higher screen time was negatively affecting children’s brain growth. Unsplash A study has found screen use for children is linked to long-term problems with attention, self-control and planning. The University of Auckland study – which pulled together research from around the world – found 81 percent of 58 … Read more

Education Minister Erica Stanford responds to criticism of curriculum rewrite

Source: Radio New Zealand Stanford said there would be changes as there were with the English and maths curriculums. RNZ / Mark Papalii The Education Minister Erica Stanford has responded to critics of her controversial curriculum rewrite with a mix of conciliation and defiance. Stanford told RNZ changes would be made to six draft curriculums … Read more

Ministry letters to Gloriavale Christian School reveal ‘multiple concerns’

Source: Radio New Zealand Gloriavale Christian School. RNZ / Jean Edwards Gloriavale Christian School exists to indoctrinate children, maintain a caste system and grow a workforce rather than for teaching and learning, according to documents released by the Ministry of Education. Ministry letters to Gloriavale obtained by RNZ under the Official Information Act detail concerns … Read more

Fate of reclusive gold panner David Hart remains a mystery after body found encased in concrete at Auckland home

Source: Radio New Zealand David Stanely Hart’s remains were found under a house on Marlborough St in Mt Eden during renovations in 2020. (File photo) RNZ / Dan Cook How a reclusive man who was encased in concrete under his own Auckland villa for more than a decade died may never be known, as a … Read more

Are you doing enough to protect local wildlife from your cat?

Source: Radio New Zealand Allowing pet cats to roam has long been the norm in New Zealand. But growing awareness of the devastating impact cats have on native wildlife is slowly shifting the dial on what responsible cat ownership looks like. For Jessi Morgan, chief executive of Predator Free New Zealand Trust, the minimum standard … Read more

How can foreign butter (and veges) be cheaper than New Zealand-made?

Source: Radio New Zealand Customers are questioning why US butter is cheaper than New Zealand butter in some instances. Sorin Gheorghita for Unsplash How can food products that travel into New Zealand from other countries end up being cheaper than those produced locally? It’s a question some shoppers have been asking because US butter Burtfield’s … Read more

New figures show home support workers have lost $27,728 one year on from pay equity betrayal – PSA

Source: PSA Thousands of home support workers are today ruing the loss of nearly $28,000 in income they should have earned if the Government had not axed their pay equity claim. One year ago today the Government cancelled 33 pay equity claims, ripped up the rules and slammed the door shut on fair pay for more … Read more

Earthquake trio hits north of Bay of Plenty

Source: Radio New Zealand 1,958 people reported feeling the first quake across Auckland, Waikato, Coromandel and Bay of Plenty. GeoNet/Screenshot The eastern North Island has been jostled by a trio of earthquakes north of Bay of Plenty on Tuesday evening. GeoNet recorded the first quake at magnitude 5.6 at about 5km deep at 8pm, 135km … Read more

Government’s reckless forestry rollback a slap in the face to cyclone-hit communities

Source: Greenpeace Despite most submitters opposing the Coalition Government’s proposed changes to commercial forestry rules, the Coalition has confirmed yesterday that they will be stripping Gisborne Council – and all Councils – of their ability to set stronger local rules on where pine and other forestry can be planted. The Government will also be restricting Council’s … Read more

Advocacy – Time for NZ government to call-in Israeli ambassador after bashing of NZ citizens

Source: Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA) PSNA has demanded the government follow through its demands that Israel complies with international law, after New Zealanders were captured in international waters in the Mediterranean and beaten by the Israeli military. Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa Spokesperson Rinad Tamimi says the New Zealand government was very explicit in its … Read more

SEMICON Southeast Asia 2026 Officially Launches in Kuala Lumpur, Highlighting Shifts in Global Semiconductor Supply Chains

Source: Media Outreach The official ceremony underscores Southeast Asia’s growing role in the global semiconductor value chain through collaboration, innovation and ecosystem-wide partnerships KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach Newswire – 5 May 2026 – SEMICON Southeast Asia (SEMICON SEA) 2026 was officially launched today at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC), bringing … Read more

Events – The world’s best nature images revealed as Wildlife Photographer of the Year comes to Auckland Museum this June

Source: Auckland Museum The world-renowned Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition, now in its sixty-first year, will open at Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum on Sunday 28 June. On loan from the Natural History Museum in London, the exhibition features exceptional nature photography from across the globe. Wildlife Photographer of the Year is … Read more

Federated Farmers message to provinces: seize your destiny

Source: Federated Farmers Federated Farmers is welcoming the much-needed reform of local government announced today, and says councils should get cracking. The Government has given councils a three-month window to put forward proposals to simplify and strengthen local government in their regions. Sandra Faulkner, Federated Farmers local government spokesperson, says that’ll be music to farmers’ ears. … Read more

Defence News – Samoa’s banana-funded Spitfire fuels emotional Anzac service for NZ officer

Source: New Zealand Defence Force The New Zealand Army’s Brigadier Esther Harrop has attended 31 Anzac Day services in uniform around the world but this year’s ceremony in Samoa, and the story of sixpence per crate of bananas and her grandfather’s Spitfire, brought her to tears. Following the service, Brigadier Harrop presented a Second World … Read more

Police officer killed by car worried about traffic management that night, court told

Source: Radio New Zealand Hayden Tasker has pleaded not guilty to murdering Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming in Nelson early on 1 January and intentionally causing grievous bodily harm to Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay. The Press / Iain McGregor The police officer critically injured by the car that hit and killed his colleague Lyn Fleming, says … Read more

Clean-up of polluted Horowhenua lake will make it ‘perfect spot for a wetland’

Source: Radio New Zealand A digger removes peat from the wetland area. RNZ / Jimmy Ellingham One of New Zealand’s most polluted waterways could be on the way to losing that title thanks to a milestone reached in a years-long clean-up. The first phase of a new wetland to help turnaround Punahau Lake Horowhenua’s water … Read more

Prime Minister wraps visit to Singapore

Source: New Zealand Government Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has concluded a two-day visit to Singapore, where he met Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and shored up critical fuel supply with the signing of the Agreement on Trade in Essential Supplies (AOTES).  “The visit was an opportunity to bolster New Zealand’s resilience to global shocks and … Read more