KiwiRail must pay $432,500 after its Kaitaki Interislander ferry lost power with over 880 people on board in January 2023. This incident happened on January 28 when the ferry was entering Wellington Harbour and lost propulsion, leading to a mayday call. The crew dropped anchors and gave out life vests, but later restored some power […]

The Gulf Harbour ferry service has returned to a full schedule starting on Monday after years of cancellations and fewer sailings. In the past, there were crew shortages that forced many commuters to use long replacement buses or taxis to travel 50km from Auckland’s central area to the Whangaparāoa peninsula. Last year, Auckland Transport even […]

SkyCity casino has closed for five days after not helping a problem gambler who lost over $1 million. The closure began at midnight Sunday and ends Friday night. The gambler played for as long as 9 hours at one time and for five hours or more on 23 occasions between 2017 and 2021, without any […]

Inland Revenue (IRD) in New Zealand has been giving details of many taxpayers to social media companies like Facebook and Instagram for advertising. This has raised concerns about safety and privacy. IRD claims it protects these details through a process called “hashing,” which changes names and personal information into numbers. However, some experts, like Associate […]

Customers returning items bought online might face new charges. Retailer ASOS will now charge UK shoppers £3.95 for returns unless they keep at least £40 worth of their order. In New Zealand, the return fee is $8.99. Carolyn Young, the chief executive of Retail New Zealand, explained that many people now order lots of items […]

New Zealand has confirmed its fifth case of mpox this year. Health NZ reports that this latest case is likely linked to the recent Winter Pride Festival in Queenstown. Since June 2022, there have been 54 cases of mpox in New Zealand, with five confirmed in 2024. Dr. Susan Jack, the national clinical director, said […]

The government is considering a new highway project that could cost a lot, but the exact amount is still unknown. The “Accelerating Northland Expressway” will be a four-lane road connecting Auckland to Whangārei. The government wants to speed up this project as part of its Roads of National Significance program. The Infrastructure Commission told Infrastructure […]

First-home buyers often wonder why paying $750 a week in rent isn’t enough to show banks they can afford a mortgage. The answer isn’t simple. A $750 weekly payment would cover a loan of $540,000 at a 6% interest rate. To qualify, a household with two income earners and two kids would need to earn […]

The Miss Universe Fiji beauty pageant is facing controversy over its recent results. In early September, 24-year-old Manshika Prasad was crowned Miss Fiji. But just days later, her title was taken away and given to runner-up Nadine Roberts, a property developer from Sydney. Miss Universe Fiji (MUF) announced there was a “serious breach of principles” […]

A man made a bad choice by having two beers for breakfast after a night of celebrating, leading to one of 21 drink-driving arrests in Dunedin over a weekend. On Saturday around 10:35 am, a 33-year-old motorcyclist approached a checkpoint. He did not have a motorcycle licence and admitted to police he celebrated a friend’s […]