CoveragePost
January 22, 2026
Source: Radio New Zealand Brandon Smith says is sobriety is the “best investment in my life I have ever made”. Will Palmer / www.photosport.nz Kiwi rugby league player Brandon Smith says he has spent a month in rehab addressing his addictions to alcohol and gambling. Speaking on The Bye Round podcast on Thursday, Smith said ... <a title="My ‘party boy’ days are over, says Kiwi league star Brandon Smith" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/01/22/my-party-boy-days-are-over-says-kiwi-league-star-brandon-smith/" aria-label="Read more about My ‘party boy’ days are over, says Kiwi league star Brandon Smith">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
January 22, 2026
Source: Radio New Zealand New Zealand First leader Winston Peters. RNZ / Mark Papalii New Zealand First has soared to nearly 12 percent in the latest Taxpayers’ Union-Curia Poll, its highest result since the survey launched in early 2021. The coalition parties have extended their lead over the left bloc, but Labour remains the highest ... <a title="Coalition parties extend lead over left bloc in latest Taxpayers’ Union-Curia Poll" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/01/22/coalition-parties-extend-lead-over-left-bloc-in-latest-taxpayers-union-curia-poll/" aria-label="Read more about Coalition parties extend lead over left bloc in latest Taxpayers’ Union-Curia Poll">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
January 22, 2026
Source: Radio New Zealand Cystic Fibrosis NZ Cystic fibrosis drugs Trikafta and Alyftrek could become available for all children, regardless of age, with drug-buying agency Pharmac opening consultation on funding the two drugs. Currently only funded for children aged six and over, Pharmac is consulting on making Trikafta available for all children with an eligible ... <a title="Pharmac opens consultation over funding of cystic fibrosis drugs Trikafta and Alyftrek" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/01/22/pharmac-opens-consultation-over-funding-of-cystic-fibrosis-drugs-trikafta-and-alyftrek/" aria-label="Read more about Pharmac opens consultation over funding of cystic fibrosis drugs Trikafta and Alyftrek">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
January 22, 2026
Source: Radio New Zealand Ōakura Bay Reserves Board member Malcolm Devereux, left, and chairman Glenn Ferguson start the cleanup of the devastated Ōakura Hall. RNZ / Peter de Graaf Residents of Northland’s Ōakura Bay say they could be cut off for days after major slips obliterated the road to Whangārei. Glenn Ferguson, who heads the ... <a title="Ōakura Bay could be cut off for days after major Northland slips" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/01/22/oakura-bay-could-be-cut-off-for-days-after-major-northland-slips/" aria-label="Read more about Ōakura Bay could be cut off for days after major Northland slips">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
January 22, 2026
Source: Radio New Zealand Supplied / Taranaki Regional Council Repeat vandalism and theft from flood and weather monitoring stations in Taranaki is putting lives at risk, according to the Taranaki Regional Council. The monitoring site on the Waiwhakaiho River near The Valley in New Plymouth has been vandalised three times since its installation in 2020, ... <a title="Vandalism of monitoring stations putting lives at risk" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/01/22/vandalism-of-monitoring-stations-putting-lives-at-risk/" aria-label="Read more about Vandalism of monitoring stations putting lives at risk">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
January 22, 2026
Source: Radio New Zealand Several people are unaccounted for following a slip near a campsite in Mount Maunganui. Shirley Thomas Several people are missing after a landslide came down on several structures at campground at the base of Mauao, Mount Maunganui. Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell has confirmed a young girl was among the missing, ... <a title="Mauao campground landslide: Children missing after slip in Mount Maunganui" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/01/22/mauao-campground-landslide-children-missing-after-slip-in-mount-maunganui/" aria-label="Read more about Mauao campground landslide: Children missing after slip in Mount Maunganui">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
January 22, 2026
Source: Radio New Zealand PSA National Secretary Fleur Fitzsimons. RNZ Two unions are challenging the proposed restructure of Fire and Emergency at the Employment Relations Authority in Wellington. FENZ is proposing to cut scores of non-firefighting jobs and make changes to hundreds of other roles while saving millions of dollars. The Professional Firefighters’ Union and ... <a title="Unions to challenge FENZ restructure proposal at Employment Relations Authority" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/01/22/unions-to-challenge-fenz-restructure-proposal-at-employment-relations-authority/" aria-label="Read more about Unions to challenge FENZ restructure proposal at Employment Relations Authority">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
January 22, 2026
Source: Radio New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon – with Nicola Willis – announces the general election will be held on 7 November. RNZ / Nathan Mckinnon Analysis – In 2011, when John Key surprised voters with his early announcement of a November election, a Waikato Times cartoon captured the public mood with a reeling ... <a title="The long road to November: Luxon puts time on his side" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/01/22/the-long-road-to-november-luxon-puts-time-on-his-side/" aria-label="Read more about The long road to November: Luxon puts time on his side">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
January 22, 2026
Source: Radio New Zealand Labour leader Chris Hipkins says the odds are against his party this year given the rarity of one-term governments – but he’s determined to buck the trend. “Christopher Luxon has exactly 290 days left as prime minister,” Hipkins said on Thursday. “The clock is ticking.” Speaking at a campaign event near ... <a title="‘The clock is ticking’ on Luxon as PM, says Hipkins as Labour prepares for election" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/01/22/the-clock-is-ticking-on-luxon-as-pm-says-hipkins-as-labour-prepares-for-election/" aria-label="Read more about ‘The clock is ticking’ on Luxon as PM, says Hipkins as Labour prepares for election">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
January 22, 2026
Source: Radio New Zealand Robert and Margaret Smallridge sold their Avondale home to Paljeet Singh at the peak of the property market, in November 2021, for $1.925 million. RNZ A property reseller caught out by the falling housing market has been told to pay an Auckland couple more than $750,000 in damages, plus more than ... <a title="Big bill for failed property flip" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/01/22/big-bill-for-failed-property-flip/" aria-label="Read more about Big bill for failed property flip">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
January 22, 2026
Source: Radio New Zealand Dame Prue Leith is set to leave The Great British Bake Off after nearly a decade as a judge on the show. The 86-year-old, who replaced Dame Mary Berry in 2017, said in a social media post that “now feels like the right time to step back”, describing the show as ... <a title="Dame Prue Leith is leaving The Great British Bake Off" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/01/22/dame-prue-leith-is-leaving-the-great-british-bake-off/" aria-label="Read more about Dame Prue Leith is leaving The Great British Bake Off">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
January 22, 2026
Source: Radio New Zealand Te Araroa on the East Coast. Supplied Pictures have emerged of damage in Te Araroa on the East Coast. The Emergency Minister Mark Mitchell told RNZ the area was “like a warzone”, and a group of seven were rescued from a roof in Hick’s Bay. It remained cut off by road, ... <a title="‘Warzone’:East Coast flooding damage comes to light" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/01/22/warzoneeast-coast-flooding-damage-comes-to-light/" aria-label="Read more about ‘Warzone’:East Coast flooding damage comes to light">Read more</a>
