Time to Slow Down on Shopping? I didn’t realize when I got my new TV cabinet that it would start a shopping problem. The Facebook Marketplace ad said “Classic 1970s,” and I went out of my way to get it. It was beautiful! Next, I bought a wooden table and a baby gate for my […]

The Hauraki Gulf is worth $5 billion a year, according to a report from the NZ Institute of Economic Research. This report was created for Auckland Council’s Hauraki Gulf Forum. Most of the $5 billion comes from recreation, which is valued at $2.49 billion, and shipping, valued at $1.34 billion. The gulf also adds $526 […]

Patients are experiencing long wait times for elective surgeries, sometimes lasting months. Many are choosing private treatment and paying thousands to avoid these delays. The health system is struggling with staff shortages and worker burnout. While the government aims to reduce wait times, it has also cut funding to healthcare. One man from Greymouth had […]

New documents show ongoing asbestos problems in schools. A school let children draw on damaged asbestos panels, exposing them to harmful dust. At another school, students pinned artwork onto a wallboard that contained asbestos, and later checks found asbestos debris underneath. These “high risk” cases reveal “significant deficiencies” in how the Education Ministry manages asbestos. […]

Gisborne District Council is warning people to stay away from a part of the Hangaroa River because of a large landslide. They said not to go to the river below Bushy Knoll Road. Murry Cave, the council’s main scientist, explained that the land is very unstable after the landslide in June. There is a lot […]

Prices for electricity have risen sharply this winter. The Electricity Authority (EA) is facing criticism for rising wholesale power prices. Associate Energy Minister Shane Jones called the EA ineffective in regulating power companies, known as gentailers. He compared the EA to a “chocolate teapot,” saying it can’t manage the gentailers’ high prices. Energy Minister Simeon […]

The jury in the murder trial of retired Auckland eye doctor Philip Polkinghorne has visited the house where his wife, Pauline Hanna, was found dead. This is the 10th day of the trial, where Polkinghorne is accused of murdering Hanna on Easter Monday 2021 and making it look like a suicide. The defense claims that […]

A former teacher from Gloriavale, Just Standfast, 73, has been sentenced to four years in prison for abusing at least 20 children over 40 years. He faced 18 charges, including sexual offenses against young girls, with the youngest victim only 5 years old. Standfast used a wheelchair in court and expressed regret when asked by […]

Fulton Hogan is working on sewerage construction on Tarawera Road, near Lake Rotokākahi. The Rotorua Lakes Council wanted a legal order to keep protesters at least one metre away from the site but was unsuccessful for now. A judge decided not to grant the request but warned that any destruction or disruption would prompt legal […]

The government will not give $60 million to help rebuild Christ Church Cathedral. This means the project may stop for now. The cathedral project needed this money to cover an $85 million shortfall. Last week, Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger said the central government needed to help to finish the rebuild. Earlier this year, the Anglican […]