The New Zealand Herald

Heartbreak after pita shop burns

Ibrahim Hatem has described the harrowing effort to put out flames of what was initially a small fire at his family business in East Auckland — before realising it was too late. The 60-year-old, one of the owners of the popular Pakūranga spot, The...

Kiwi fighters targeted by Russian intelligence

Kiwis considering joining the Ukraine International Legion have been told to stay off social media — and insist family and friends don’t post anything suggesting they’re going — amid widespread online targeting of foreign fighters. That includes...

Armed police aid hunt for soldier

Details around the tense search for a soldier who police feared was armed with knives and petrol bombs have been suppressed through an injunction granted to the New Zealand Defence Force. The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) sought the injunction to...

Crash victim: ‘i felt like i died’

With a 73-year-old grandmother critically injured and growing frustration over what they believed was police inaction, a traumatised Auckland family turned to a controversial Facebook page — setting off a viral hunt for a “drunk driver” police now say...

Divers find 120kg of cocaine in hull

There was something a little strange about these customers. The two men had walked into the dive store in Tauranga and picked out some expensive gear. But the pair clearly knew nothing about diving at all, in the eyes of the bemused staff trying to...

Drug harm findings ‘will surprise some’

Almost two-thirds of respondents to a nationwide survey say they don’t experience any negative effects from using alcohol or drugs. It’s generally understood a lot of recreational alcohol or drug use isn’t harmful, but this is the first time in New...

‘The world’s unfairest law’

An Auckland man whose pension has been cut under a controversial deduction policy says he hasn’t been able to afford to travel more than 30km from his home in the past six years. Jim Wolfson said he was barely getting by each week and “even McDonald’s...

‘Mass fatality risk’

‘We must be very careful of this taoka, this treasure, lest we love it to death.” So said the founding director of the Department of Conservation, the late Ken Pittington, to Nga¯i Tahu’s Ta¯ Tipene O’Regan about one of our most treasured spots:...

Passion, patience, persistence

Meet the New Year Honours recipients of 2026

Driving down the road toll

New Zealand’s annual road toll is trending lower, with 2025 on track to be among the lowest totals in decades. As of last night — with two days left of the year — the provisional toll sat at 268; if it remains below 272, it would be the second-lowest...

Fury over fishing policies

nternationally renowned recreational angler Matt Watson has accused New Zealand First’s Shane Jones of pursuing fisheries policy to benefit his “mates” in the commercial fishing world at the expense of ocean health. The claim comes as game fishers...

‘Brutal and cruel’

APukekohe man found in possession of extremist Islamic State content, including beheadings and terror attacks in Europe, has failed in his bid to secure a discharge without conviction. However, his application for permanent anonymity was...

The Avatar effect

The third Avatar instalment has dominated global box offices despite James Cameron’s warnings the franchise might be cut short if the newest film is not a commercial success. Avatar: Fire and Ash opened to US$345 million ($599.85m), US$257m of which...

‘She was barely able to speak’

Hato Hone St John has made changes to its medical alarm service after the harrowing ordeal of a woman in her 90s who waited almost two hours for an ambulance to be dispatched to her. As well as making changes to the system, St John has also apologised...

‘A very significant fall from grace’

Former Deputy Police Commissioner Jevon McSkimming has been sentenced to home detention, with his lawyer saying his client had a pornography addiction that “simply overwhelmed him”. A report into McSkimming’s offending said he showed an “entitled...

We say: Anti-Semitism is a sign of a sick society.

To all those who have made repellent remarks to friends or at work. Stop. To those who have shared vile posts and conspiracies about Jewish people on social media. Stop. To those, including in the political class, who have emboldened, appeased and...

The big chase

The man himself might not admit it, but Kane Williamson becoming the first New Zealander to the fabled mark of 10,000 test runs would mean plenty to the game in Aotearoa, Black Caps batting coach Luke Ronchi says. At age 35 and having now played 107...

School’s out on NCEA decision

The Government has delayed making final decisions on its proposal to abolish NCEA and replace it with new educational qualifications. Public consultation on the changes opened in August and ran to midSeptember, with officials then analysing the...

Call for social media regulator

Aparliamentary select committee tasked with researching how New Zealand could reduce social media harm among kids says the Government should consider installing a social media regulator. The committee’s interim report, released yesterday, also urges...

Community in shock after bus stabbing

The Glen Innes community is reeling after two people were stabbed on an Auckland bus and one later died. A 59-year-old man died after an alleged “unprovoked attack” on the No 76 bus as it travelled from Glen Innes towards O¯rākei on Monday...

Govt to unveil RMA overhaul

Today, shortly after 1pm, New Zealanders will get their first look at the Government’s radical overhaul of the resource management laws, cutting the number of consents required by 40-50%. The reforms, led by RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and...

Govt rates cap ‘will squeeze finances’

A leading credit ratings agency says the Government’s rates cap will squeeze council finances and make it harder to balance the books. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, speaking alongside Local Government Minister Simon Watts last Monday, implored...

‘Forever our hero’: Dad dies saving his sons

Adream holiday turned to tragedy when Tongan-born New Zealand heavyweight boxer Semisi Kalu died saving the lives of his sons while swimming in Tonga. Kalu, who represented Tonga at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and owned a drainlaying company in...

‘CRL with no trains’: Mayor

Auckland’s $5.5 billion City Rail Link and North Shore ferries are being cited as the type of services that could fall victim to a Governmentimposed rates cap. On Monday, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Local Government Minister Simon Watts...

Ms Z: I’ve been bullied into silence

Her allegations of grooming against disgraced former police boss Jevon McSkimming sent shockwaves through the force and triggered a major shake-up at the highest levels. She tells Jared Savage why the Govt must now undertake a deeper dive into culture...

‘Unfair’ say critics of housing rules

Opponents of Auckland’s planning rule changes for greater intensification argue that Christchurch has been given a softer target. Character Coalition chairwoman Sally Hughes said RMA Minister Chris Bishop had allowed Christchurch 30 years of zoned...

Belter swelter

Auckland has hit its hottest day in November on record, and the scorching and sticky weather could be here to stay until early next week. MetService said humidity climbed to 67% in the city yesterday, with Auckland Airport hitting a high of...

‘We need to get people to Eden Park’

Eden Park is forecasting a tiny profit next year with a “soft” concert schedule and says the stadium would be “extinct” if it hadn’t broadened its events programme. Park boss Nick Sautner addressed Auckland councillors on Tuesday, six days after...

Regional council roles under axe in sweeping overhaul

Down in the valleys

Grasping their final flourish in Cardiff, the All Blacks are projecting positivity, believing they are on an upward trajectory despite a failed Grand Slam bid casting a shadow over their season. The All Blacks finished their year with a...

McSkimming accuser facing prosecution

The young woman charged under digital harassment laws for making sex allegations against former Deputy Police Commissioner Jevon McSkimming is still facing prosecution over alleged abusive emails sent to the detective who investigated her, the Herald...

McSkimming bombshell

The highest-ranking police officers in New Zealand ignored anonymous allegations that former deputy commissioner Jevon McSkimming was a sexual predator, a Herald investigation can reveal. Instead of investigating whether the sex claims could be...

School staffer charged over alleged sexual conduct with student

WAR ON meth trade

Our Navy, spies and police will be sent out to hunt drug-smuggling routes from Central America and South America as part of a bold new Government strike against the syndicates flooding the country with methamphetamine. Missions deep into the Pacific...

‘A bit rich’: Rift over rates redo

All 120 properties in an exclusive O¯ netangi “hotspot” on Waiheke Island will now be revalued by Auckland Council, after some home owners — including Prime Minister Christopher Luxon — objected to their soaring valuations. The move has divided the...

Deadline day for Gloriavale

West Coast schools are investigating how they will upscale and absorb the children of Gloriavale if the Government decides to close the religious commune’s school. Commune leaders have a hard deadline of tomorrow to convince the Ministry of Education...

Govt chasing concert dollars

RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has written to Auckland Council asking for feedback on a proposal to allow up to 20 medium-sized concerts of 10,000-30,000 people a year at Eden Park on top of the 12 concerts it currently hosts. It is also recommended...

School boards to lose Treaty ‘obligation’

The Government will remove a requirement for school boards to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, but will still make clear they should seek to achieve equitable outcomes for Māori students. Education Minister Erica Stanford said the current...

DOWNZONED

High-density housing will be prohibited in parts of Henderson, Milford and Māngere from today, as new rules take effect to reduce flood risk in these vulnerable areas. After being unable to prevent about 4000 new builds in hazard zones since the...

The making of a mateship?

‘No, it’s just about me doing my job,” Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said on Wednesday night in South Korea when asked whether securing a meeting with United States President Donald Trump counted as a win for himself. The Prime Minister may not...

‘Feels like censorship’

Two student editors of Auckland University’s Craccum magazine have been locked out of its website after publishing a story revealing their student union chief executive was in line for annual payments of more than $150,000. The Craccum Administration...

‘NZ’s time’ for capital gains tax

Labour will campaign on a targeted capital gains tax (CGT) at the next election where profits made from commercial and residential property sales will fund free GP visits for all New Zealanders. The party was seemingly forced to bring forward the...

Close watch on Gloriavale

Asenior Government minister has not ruled out closing Gloriavale, saying revelations in the Herald about a child disciplinary technique — likened to suffocation — are “horrendous”. It comes as the Herald has discovered authorities are currently...

‘GAME-CHANGER’

Anew Northland Expressway will cut 38 minutes off the drive between Auckland’s Te Hana and Whangārei, according to a recently approved investment case. The new road is als expected to reduce deaths and serious injuries on State Highway 1 by 66%. The...

‘Defining moment in our history’

Doctors, nurses, teachers, prison staff, firefighters and other healthcare personnel took to the streets yesterday, in what is believed to be NZ’s biggest protest action in 45 years. An estimated 100,000 workers rallied to demand better pay and...

Historic mega strike rolls out

Ahistoric mega strike involving more than 100,000 essential workers is set to march on despite several rallies being cancelled because of lifethreatening weather. Teachers, nurses and thousands of other workers are all expected to strike today, which...

Wild weather back

Yet another intense weather system is threatening parts of the country, after a day of chaos that battered Wellington and the South Island. Gusts of up to 130km/h tore through the capital, grounding planes, hurling a woman into traffic and leaving...

‘Thuggery’ and beatings rife Lane Nichols

Former students from an embattled Auckland school facing allegations of bullying and violence say “thuggery” and beatings have been rife at the college since the 1970s and 80s, with attacks allegedly sanctioned by prefects and staff. Max*, a...

KING HIT

Why Americans are protesting against Trump’s reign

‘He preferred the RIGHT DECISION over the popular one’

Emotions ranging from joy to sorrow came forth as politicians from across the House paid tribute and recalled anecdotes of former Prime Minister Jim Bolger, who died peacefully on Wednesday. Bolger, 90, was remembered as a man of rural New Zealand, a...

Lawyer: ‘This is suffocation’

Police have issued two formal warnings to members of Gloriavale after a “mass allegation investigation” into the practice of silencing crying children and babies by covering their mouths and noses, the Herald can reveal. The practice has been likened...

‘I’ll knock you out’

Documents released by Te Pāti Māori accuse a highprofile activist and son of one its MPs of making “threats of physical violence” and “inappropriate and vulgar” remarks to parliamentary staffers. Some of the comments Eru KapaKingi is alleged to have...

See why a Metlifecare retirement village just feels right

There’s a moment during every village visit when something clicks. Maybe it’s the warm welcome from residents, the quality of the homes, or simply the atmosphere. Whatever it is, you’ll know it when you feel it. Join us at our National Open Day, where...

Wayne’s world

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has a list he wants to tick off before Christmas, including getting back on the tennis court after hurting an ankle. “That’s really important to me,” said the mayor, who was back sweeping up the crumbs yesterday at the West...

Health NZ releases AI therapy chatbot

Atherapy chatbot funded by Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora is being launched today, as clinicians grapple with the ethics of using artificial intelligence advice in mental healthcare. Wellbeing company Groov, cofounded by All Blacks great Sir John...

‘I’m not the art police’

Taylor Swift says she welcomes the “chaos” of the huge range of reactions to her latest album. The 35-year-old singer’s 12th studio record The Life of a Showgirl has provoked a wave of backlash from critics, but love from fans, and she has now said she...

Peters blasts attack on home as ‘disgrace’

foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters says the violent targeting of politicians’ homes by protesters is a “disgrace”, saying both sides of public debate over Palestine had “fallen into a black hole of senselessness”. Peters delivered a ministerial...

Hedge v heritage

Should a hedge outside a restored multimillion-dollar Auckland apartment complex be low to allow people to see the beautiful buildings behind it, or should it be tall enough to offer screening and privacy — and who decides? That question was at the...

‘It wasn’t pretty’ But it was enough

Book-ending their turbulent Rugby Championship with successive victories over the Wallabies suggests the All Blacks are slowly learning — but after again conceding the Southern Hemisphere crown to South Africa, and suffering significant scars along the...

‘F**k off’

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has told a prominent lobby group supporter to “f**k off” after a request for him to sign its “Ratepayer Protection Pledge”. The pledge is an initiative of the Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance (ARA), a group set up by the...

AUSSIE’S GOLDEN COUPLE SPLITS

Oscar-winning star Nicole Kidman and Grammywinning country musician Keith Urban have separated after 19 years of marriage, according to US media reports. The couple has been living apart “since the beginning of summer”, with Kidman not wanting the...

‘Sending New Zealand bankrupt’

Former Finance Minister Roger Douglas is calling for Finance Minister Nicola Willis to resign. He and University of Auckland Matthew Abel chair of macroeconomics Robert MacCulloch said the contraction in GDP revealed by Stats NZ yesterday was because...

‘DEEPLY CONCERNING’

Key stakeholders expected the near three fold increase in the foreign tourist levy last year to feed into cash-starved tourism and conservation efforts, but the vast majority is beefing up the Government’s own books. Budget documents reveal the...

Restaurateur accused of assaulting police walks free

Govt vs city battle looms

Auckland Council’s “plan first” approach has scored an early win against the Government’s “build fast” infrastructure agenda after an expert panel said it planned to reject a new 1250-home development. The Delmore project had sought speedy approval...

ON THE RISE

As debate swirls around the impact of mid-rise and high-rise living on Auckland suburbs, new research shows demand for apartments is growing fast. The research was carried out by Tamba Carleton and Zoltan Moricz of the commercial real estate company...

25 homes linked to MP not on register

Trusts linked to Whanganui first-term National MP Carl Bates and his family own 25 properties, which are not disclosed on Parliament’s list of MPs’ property and financial interests. Many of the properties are rentals in Whanganui, making Bates’...

Son armed as police approached hideout

One of Tom Phillips’ children was armed when specialist police officers approached their hideout in the bush, the Herald understands. Sources have told the Herald that Phillips’ son, Maverick, was holding a rifle when members of the police special...

POWER PLAY

Senior NZ First minister Shane Jones wants his party to consider re-nationalising the gentailers as part of a massive energy market shake-up. Jones has drafted a memo to his party leader Winston Peters on the state of the energy market in New Zealand...

Audrey Young: Can Luxon hang on for a second term?

‘Potentially LETHAL’

Apotentially deadly and unapproved restraint tactic was taught “under the radar” to police cadets for years in what top cops now admit was a lack of oversight of training. Police leadership say they only became aware of the issue after “dangerous and...

Defend our EDEN

For more than three decades the All Blacks have been unbeatable at Eden Park. The last time we tasted defeat in Kingsland was when Jim Bolger was Prime Minister, the internet and email were barely a thing and AI was a work of fiction in a James Cameron...

Seymour: Parts ‘not necessary’

Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour said he will try to prevail upon the Auckland Council and Housing Minister Chris Bishop to make changes to the city’s new draft plan, which will reshape the city’s skyline, enabling two million new homes. He...

Urban jungle? Skyline in Auckland rising

Auckland’s skyline is rising and its backyard lawns are vanishing, new figures released to the Herald show. Standalone houses are set to tumble from 62% of the city’s housing stock to just 27%, while higher- intensity homes like townhouses and...

Foreign buyers let in

Wealthy foreigners with an investor residence visa will be able to purchase a home in New Zealand, the Government has announced in a major change to the country’s overseas investment regime. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says the general ban on...