New homes delivered for Defence families

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Source: New Zealand Government Modern, high-quality new homes have been delivered for military families ahead of schedule and under budget, Defence Minister Chris Penk says.  The first homes built through the Homes for Families programme were officially opened with a ribbon-cutting at Linton Military Camp in Manawatū today.  “Just seven months after shovels hit the ground, I am delighted to join in celebrating the opening of 23 new homes for military families, including eight at Linton … Read more

Police investigating motorcycle crash in Strathern, Invercargill

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Source: New Zealand Police To be attributed to Acting Inspector Mel Robertson, Southland Area Prevention Manager: Police are investigating after a motorcycle crash in Strathern, Invercargill yesterday (17 May). At around 7.15am, officers observed a motorcyclist riding without a helmet on Pomona Street and signalled him to stop. The motorcyclist initially complied, coming to a … Read more

SIWW2026 Water Expo opens visitor registration, showcasing global innovations for a resilient water future

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Source: Media Outreach Featuring close to 450 exhibitors, SIWW Water Expo connects global technology providers with ASEAN project owners and buyers to advance scalable solutions for water, energy and urban infrastructure systems SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 18 May 2026 – Trade visitor registration is now open for the 11th edition of the Singapore … Read more

Dunedin Police urge vigilance following recent vehicle offending

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Source: New Zealand Police Police are urging the public to stay vigilant following recent vehicle offending across Dunedin. Around 1.30pm, Police saw a vehicle that had been reported stolen on South Road. When signalled to stop, the driver fled and due to the manner of driving, Police did not pursue the vehicle. Senior Sergeant Brian … Read more

Safer, more welcoming spaces planned for Glenfield town centre

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Source: Auckland Council Glenfield town centre is set to become safer, more connected and more welcoming thanks to a series of upgrades approved by the Kaipātiki Local Board. The improvements will focus on key public spaces around Kaipātiki Park, Downing Street Reserve and Bentley Avenue, helping create better walking connections and more inviting areas for … Read more

Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay Unveils Two New Disney-Themed Experiences For Families

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Source: Media Outreach From stunning character topiaries at Floral Fantasy to nostalgic outdoor fun inspired by Winnie the Pooh and friends, a whole day of Disney fun awaits families at the Gardens SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 18 May 2026 – This June, Singapore’s iconic horticultural attraction Gardens by the Bay invites families to … Read more

Live: Erica Stanford announces $131m Budget spend on reading, writing and maths initiatives

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Source: Radio New Zealand The government will spend $131 million on improving students’ reading, writing and maths in this year’s budget, the Education Minister Erica Stanford says. Stanford made the pre-Budget announcement alongside Prime Minister Christopher Luxon at Boulcott School in Lower Hutt on Monday. They revealed 12 initiatives as part of the government’s “generational … Read more

Jury ‘must be sure’ Hayden Tasker had murderous intent when killing police officer Lyn Fleming, trial told

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Source: Radio New Zealand Hayden Donald Jason Tasker. The Press / Iain McGregor High Court jurors have been told they need to be sure the man who killed a Nelson police officer had murderous intent when he drove at her to find him guilty of murder. Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming and Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay … Read more

Gentrack half year profit and revenue down as new deals delayed

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Source: Radio New Zealand Utilities and airport software firm Gentrack’s first half net profit is down 29 percent (file photo). www.123rf.com Utilities and airport software firm Gentrack’s first half net profit is down 29 percent, though growth in recurring revenue was expected to continue to grow. The net profit for the six months to March … Read more

State of Origin I teams: Briton Nikora to debut for Queensland, two Warriors selected

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Source: Radio New Zealand Briton Nikora AAP / Photosport Kiwi forward Briton Nikora will make his State of Origin debut next week after being named in the Queensland team. Nikora is the first Kiwi international to be allowed to play in rugby league’s biggest showpiece after a change in eligibility rules. The Australian Rugby League … Read more

Probe launched into fatal crash of chopper owned by Wallis family members

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Source: Radio New Zealand The crash happened in Mt Aspiring National Park. AFP The Transport Accident Investigation Commission has opened an inquiry into a fatal helicopter crash in Mt Aspiring National Park involving a company owned by members of the Wallis family. The two people who died in the crash on Sunday morning were the … Read more

Third Corrections deputy chief executive under scrutiny

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Source: Radio New Zealand Asian staff constitute the second-largest group of officers in the country’s penitentiaries. RNZ / Blessen Tom A third deputy chief executive at Corrections is under scrutiny with concerns raised about their leadership. RNZ earlier revealed deputy chief executive Leigh Marsh was under investigation over allegations of bullying. It was then revealed … Read more

‘Brazen’ fuel thieves hit vegetable stall, mechanic workshop in rural Southland

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Source: Radio New Zealand A thief allegedly drilled a hole into a large vegetable truck’s fuel tank at Wilson’s Vege farm shop in Winton on Thursday morning. SUPPLIED/WILSON’S VEGES Thieves after fuel targeted a vegetable stall and a mechanic’s workshop around the rural Southland township of Winton within a 12-hour period last week. New Zealand … Read more

Bank nationalisation threat a ‘bad signal’ for investors – analyst

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Source: Radio New Zealand Winston Peters. RNZ / Mark Papalii Winston Peters’ threat to nationalise a major Australian-owned bank would send a “bad signal” to potential foreign investors, a veteran economic analyst says. Peters’ party NZ First said if re-elected in November it would merge BNZ and Kiwibank under state ownership. BNZ was sold by … Read more

Widespread mobile outages hit One NZ network

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Source: Radio New Zealand The outage map for One NZ. ONE NZ / SCREENSHOT One NZ is investigating a partial outage of its mobile networks across the country. On its website, One NZ said the incident began shortly after 12.30pm on Monday. Customers reported having issues with making or receiving calls. A third party website, … Read more

Australian Federal Police: 17 tonnes of drugs seized in Pacific so far in 2026

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Source: Radio New Zealand A Pacific Detector Dog programme dog in Tonga. Giles Dexter / RNZ The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has given figures for drugs seized in the Pacific so far this year – more than three times the total amount seized in 2025. A statement from Commissioner Krissy Barrett said 17 tonnes of … Read more

Loaded weapons and a Nazi uniform found at Christchurch home of man who died in police stand-off

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Source: Radio New Zealand A notice on the door of Troy Dubovskiy’s Christchurch home, pictured the day after his death. (File photo) Photo / Karen Brown This story discusses suicide. Loaded weapons and a Nazi uniform were found by police at the home of a man who died following a police stand-off in Christchurch, an … Read more

17 tonnes of drugs seized in Pacific so far in 2026 – Australian Federal Police

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Source: Radio New Zealand A Pacific Detector Dog programme dog in Tonga. Giles Dexter / RNZ The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has given figures for drugs seized in the Pacific so far this year – more than three times the total amount seized in 2025. A statement from Commissioner Krissy Barrett said 17 tonnes of … Read more

Services sector contracts again in April

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Source: Radio New Zealand NZ’s dervices sector is contracting at a slower pace Results across sub-indexes were mixed The employment outlook stayed negative BNZ says the economy is still struggling New Zealand’s services sector remained in contraction in April. 123RF New Zealand’s services sector remained in contraction in April, despite a modest improvement in activity, … Read more

Rates caps could raise risk of credit downgrade for councils, Fitch warns

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Source: Radio New Zealand Local Government Minister Simon Watts. SAMUEL RILLSTONE / RNZ The Fitch credit ratings agency is warning the introduction of local government rate caps could increase the risk of credit downgrades across the sector. The government is planning to introduce legislation this year that will eventually limit council rate increases to 4 … Read more

Pay packet secrecy a thing of the past?

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Source: Radio New Zealand Unsplash / Curated Lifestyle Pay transparency has moved from a nice-to-have to a business priority, even though the topic leaves people feeling uncomfortable about sharing. A recent change to legislation makes it unlawful for employers to require employees to keep their pay and benefits confidential, which gave workers an opportunity to … Read more

CoolThink@JC – The 10th Hong Kong Primary School Computational Thinking Competition Grand Final & Awards Presentation Ceremony

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Source: Media Outreach A Decade of Milestones | Live Hackathon Showdown | Comprehensively Promoting Computational Thinking Education HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 18 May 2026 – Jointly organised by CoolThink@JC and the Association of Computational Thinking InnoCommunity Teachers (ACTiCT), the Grand Final and Awards Presentation Ceremony of the 10th Hong Kong Primary … Read more

Smile, you’re on camera

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Source: New Zealand Police Northland Police are reminding retail and small business owners about the importance of having CCTV installed at their premises. Motion detection and live imagery is often alerting victims to offending taking place. Late last month it meant a prompt response to a building site in Morningside. Sergeant Craig Curnow, Whangārei Police, … Read more

Lights off lands driver in court

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Source: New Zealand Police A driver who allegedly turned his lights off before attempting to flee from Police will now appear in court. At about 8.20pm, officers signalled for a vehicle traveling on State Highway 20, Māngere to stop. Auckland Motorways Manager, Senior Sergeant Bill Russell says instead of pulling over, the driver allegedly turned … Read more

After a full year of schooling, less than half of 5 year olds pass new phonics test

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Source: Radio New Zealand RNZ/ Dan Cook Less than half of five-year-olds passed new phonics tests after their first full year of schooling last year. Results published by the Education Ministry show 47 percent of the 4209 children who did the 40-week phonics check in term four last year were “at or above expectations”. But … Read more

Sexual violence prevention organisation facing closure

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Source: Radio New Zealand RespectED cahir Jan Logie says it is irresponsible to not support sexual violence prevention education. © VNP / Phil Smith One of the country’s few specialist sexual violence prevention organisations says it will be forced to close in August, unless the government steps in. RespectEd has worked with local schools, workplaces, … Read more

Drone strike starts fire outside United Arab Emirates nuclear plant

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Source: Radio New Zealand is investigating the source of the attack near a nuclear power station. The drone struck “an electrical generator outside the inner perimeter of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant, the UAE’s ministry of defence said. Barakah Nuclear Power Plant / AFP A drone strike triggered a fire near a nuclear power station … Read more