Independent Analysis and Reportage
Source: Radio New Zealand Flightradar24 shows a Philip Rescue Helicopter left Palmerston North shortly before 7pm, circling the area before landing in Wellington at 8.30pm. Screenshot / Flightradar24 A man on a yacht near Baring Head is having difficulties returning to Wellington, according to the harbourmaster. Grant Nalder told RNZ that there were two people…
Source: Radio New Zealand Census data between 2018 and 2023 period showed a 37 percent increase of people living without shelter in Aotearoa New Zealand. RNZ / Nick Monro The move-on orders legislation has passed its first reading, following a heated debate at Parliament. Around 80 people were sat in the public gallery to watch…
Source: Radio New Zealand Unsplash/ Taylor Flowe The principal of a West Coast secondary school says there are too many barriers to hiring teachers who were trained or born overseas. Sam Mortimer from Greymouth High said newly-qualified teachers weren’t paid enough to meet minimum pay rates for a “Green List” work visa, and the paper…
Source: Radio New Zealand RNZ / REECE BAKER Queens Drive in central Lower Hutt has reopened after an earlier incident. That incident had been resolved, police said. The road had earlier been blocked while police were at the scene. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight…
Source: Radio New Zealand RNZ / REECE BAKER Queens Drive in central Lower Hutt has been closed while police respond to an incident. Police aren’t providing details, but say there there is no threat to the public. Cordons are in place and motorists are advised to avoid the area. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero,…
Source: Radio New Zealand 123RF Police are warning of scams from overseas visitors after a tourist from the UK swindled tens of thousands of dollars from a couple. It is the 14th prosecution in the past three years by the Auckland City Financial Crime Unit of a foreign national for a scam. Andrew Yeshua Glauberman,…
Source: Radio New Zealand Police saw vehicles that had been broken into, alongside equipment used to siphon fuel. AFP or licensors Two men are due to appear in Tauranga District Court following a fuel theft from a construction site. Police saw vehicles that had been broken into, alongside equipment used to siphon fuel, on Takitimu…
Source: Radio New Zealand Rose-Maree, 23, and Sapphire-Hope, 3, died after a fire tore through their home. Supplied A heartbroken Christchurch family is mourning the loss of a 3-year-old with an infectious smile that lit up a room, and her mother with a heart of gold. Sapphire-Hope Couch, 3, died after a fire tore a…
Source: Radio New Zealand RNZ / Alexander Robertson Roadside drug tests are rolling out nationwide, as the government aims to crack down on impaired drivers. The new tests could detect THC, methamphetamine, MDMA and cocaine. Transport Minister Chris Bishop said around 30 percent of road deaths involved an impairing drug. “If you take drugs and…
Source: Radio New Zealand RNZ / Richard Tindiller Two Christchurch police officers followed two stolen cars at speed in dark and wet conditions against policy, the Independent Police Conduct Authority has found. It ended in one of the cars, driven by an unlicensed 15-year-old, crashing into a train. The teenager was not injured but the…
Source: Radio New Zealand RNZ/Calvin Samuel Twenty people have been arrested following a major investigation that has spanned nearly a year into alleged corruption within several prisons. Detective Inspector Colin Parmenter, of the National Organised Crime Group, said on Thursday Police began investigating criminal activity at the Mt Eden Corrections Facility (MECF) in July 2025.…
Source: Radio New Zealand Police were called to Ponsonby’s Williamson Ave on Wednesday evening. (File photo) RNZ A man has been charged for allegedly stealing a car outside an Auckland supermarket and forcing a child out of the front seat. Police were called to Williamson Ave in Ponsonby after 6.15pm on Wednesday. Senior Sergeant Dave…