The New Zealand Herald

SILENT TREATMENT

Stanford denies harbouring leadership dreams

In the end, they didn’t have the numbers Putsch comes to shove — for Penk

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon stripped newlypromoted minister Chris Penk of all of his portfolios yesterday afternoon, outing him as the person who launched a challenge for the National leadership. Luxon has confirmed Penk’s challenge prompted...

Luxon faces down unrest

National MPs will make their way to Parliament this morning to discuss the leadership of Christopher Luxon for the second time in four months. The “urgent” meeting, set for 9.30am, was scheduled by Luxon after a Herald story published late on Monday...

Threatening and disturbing: Mayor

Awar of words has broken out between Auckland’s Mayor and developers behind a high-profile and controversial housing project north of Auckland. Vineway Partners has been given the green light by the Government’s fast-track panel for the 1217-home...

Not unusual

To be still wowing crowds at 86

FULL SPEED AHEAD

Gold-medal success at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow has become a significant stepping stone in Zoe Hobbs’ pursuit of Olympic glory at LA28. Hobbs broke her own Oceania record with a personal-best time of 10.93s to claim the biggest victory of her...

Govt unveils new subjects

Nine new industry-led secondary school subjects have been unveiled by the Government before their rollout alongside the new qualification system in 2029. The subjects were designed with industry bodies to ensure students’ knowledge and skills align...

New school to fill ‘big black spot’

Education Minister Erica Stanford says a new specialist school in Gisborne for children with the highest learning needs will shed light on one of many “black spots around the country”. It is the third such school announced this year, alongside ones in...

Luxon ‘sorry’ for ‘adults’ remark

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has apologised after dismissing a business leader’s bleak economic outlook as “negative” and telling businesses to act like “adults”. The National Party leader made the remarks at a Rotorua business event last week,...

Golden Games

Jessie Hodges says she and Emma Foy have “massively exceeded expectations” by winning a second cycling gold at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. The para cycling pair yesterday joined swimmer Lewis Clareburt as Kiwi double champions after adding the...

Behind enemy lines

when the press release came out at midday on Monday unveiling the 44-man All Blacks squad heading to South Africa, there was a passing — “by the way” — reference that Ardie Savea would not be travelling with the team this week but will instead join the...

Teachers fear AI harming students

Artificial intelligence has become a fixture in New Zealand classrooms, but more than half of teachers believe it is already harming students’ ability to think critically and creatively, a major Education Review Office report has found. The nationwide...

Officers brave bullets to save Kiwi comrade

AKiwi cop serving in Queensland was rescued from a hail of bullets as he lay shot and bleeding heavily near his patrol car. Constable Jordan May — who is in his first year of service with Queensland Police — was among several officers called to a...

‘We are gonna blow all our dogs away’

Security guards defused a tense stand-off at Auckland’s greyhound racing track with an industry supporter telling animal rights protesters, “we are gonna blow all our dogs away”. Video from Sunday showed a small group of animal welfare protesters...

Support act

Kiwi woman dies on dream holiday

Ayoung New Zealand woman holidaying with her mother on the French Riviera has died from cardiac arrest. Former St Margaret’s College pupil Bella Beirne, 21, died on July 14. She was in her fourth year of a five-year law and psychology degree at the...

Rich flee wealth tax — Treasury

The Green Party is standing by the modelling of its Super-Rich Tax after being shown old Treasury advice that cast doubt on some of the modelling assumptions behind the figures. The party’s Super-Rich Tax, a form of wealth tax, was modelled with help...

‘Standing up for kids’ against tech

National’s Erica Stanford says she’s “standing up for our kids” against “insidious” tech interests, before finally proposing her social media regulations. But she admitted she doesn’t know what will happen in the Cabinet room when she puts her...

Fantastic Mr Fox!

Ryan Fox’s road to one of the most prestigious prizes in golf has been unconventional. A rookie on the DP World Tour at 30, then on the PGA Tour at 37. Now, at 39, he has cemented his status as a major winner, claiming the Open Championship at Royal...

Stuck between hole and limbo

Matt and Sian du Plessis own a house they cannot live in as it sits on the edge of a yawning, growing hole they cannot afford to repair, while still paying their mortgage. On January 22, the day tragic landslides hit the Bay of Plenty, the couple went...

Chocs away on Swiss trade talks

Switzerland looks set to be the next cab off the rank in free trade negotiations with New Zealand. The landlocked country, known for its luxury goods, financial services and dramatic alpine views, is taking part in this week’s Future of Investment and...

Derek Cheng ‘She should know better by now’

Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee was set to reappoint three members of her firearms advisory group before she delegated the process, for a second time, to Paul Goldsmith because of a potential conflict of interest. The second occasion appears...

Will Paul Henry get past the first Act?

Paul Henry was at ease when he stepped into the limelight on the rooftop terrace of Auckland’s QT hotel yesterday as Act leader David Seymour announced him as the party’s newest candidate. Perhaps his ease was due to the fact that despite retiring...

Questions over MP super scheme

The generosity of the superannuation scheme enjoyed by New Zealand MPs was questioned by authorities in 2020 — then Covid hit and nothing was done. When MP remuneration and perks come under scrutiny, MPs often say “the rules are set by the...

Nats seek help for social tech ban

National is looking to Labour to help pass a potential social media ban for under16s, as support from its two coalition partners appears unlikely. Education Minister Erica Stanford, who is leading the work, confirmed she and officials had met Labour...

‘Freak accident’

ANew Zealand Special Air Service soldier was seriously wounded in a “freak accident” during training when a bullet ricocheted off a thrown grenade and tore through his right shoulder. When the soldier slumped to the ground, others in the assault team...

Jet boss fears fatality unless Govt steps in Michael Morrah

The boss of a multimilliondollar private jet company has told the Government he believes a major fatal airline crash could occur if it doesn’t act over “reoccurring concerns” about leadership, culture and technical capability at the Civil Aviation...

China missile test ‘concerning’ to NZ

Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters says New Zealand is “deeply concerned” by China testing a “nuclearcapable” missile in the South Pacific, calling it inconsistent with peace in the region. Chinese state media Xinhua said last night the People’s...

‘It will save lives in future’

Decades-old median barriers deemed inadequate by a coroner are set to be replaced on Auckland’s highway network but in other parts of the country will be upgraded only once they can no longer be repaired. The median barriers on Auckland’s highway...

Kiwi coaches face homicide case

Filipino authorities have filed a homicide case against two Kiwi coaches linked to the deaths of two college basketball players during a pre-season bootcamp. The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) has recommended further criminal...

Cracks in the coalition

If there’s one word calculated to insult an elderly politician, it is “confused”. Which is why you’d think it might be used sparingly against Winston Peters. Not only has Finance Minister Nicola Willis previously used it to describe Peters, but Prime...

50% of school meals rated a fail

Only 50% of the meals delivered by the new school lunch programme in 2025 complied with the Ministry of Education’s nutrition standards, according to a scathing report by the Auditor-General. The parliamentary watchdog also criticised inaccurate...

World Cup captain in NZ sex assault claim

The captain of a Fifa World Cup team is being investigated by New Zealand police over an alleged rape in an Auckland hotel. The complainant was working as a Fifa-mandated team support worker, a role defined and overseen by the sport’s world governing...

HOUSING PERKS

Aseries of rule changes has meant that the number of MPs claiming full accommodation allowances has skyrocketed. In 2009 about 10% of eligible MPs claimed it, compared with 75% today. The rules are intended to help MPs from outside Wellington cover...

Top cop faces sex abuse claims

Two police officers from the Police National Integrity Unit have flown to Australia to interview a woman over historical sexual allegations against Police Commissioner Richard Chambers. The officers, both detectives with expertise in investigating...

‘Death by a thousand cuts’

Agroup of West Aucklanders and conservationists fear the Government’s landmark resource management laws will erode specific protections for Auckland’s Waitākere Ranges, with former mayor Sir Bob Harvey warning it could be “death by a thousand...

ALL-ACTION HERO

Having done the appropriate due diligence and applied his own critical analysis, head coach Dave Rennie concluded his All Blacks team needs a unifying and inspirational force as captain. Based on that remit, there was only ever one man who could...

Chris Finlayson: Why Luxon Govt has been ‘harmful’ to Māori-Crown relations

Jim Bolger, who was laid to rest in October 2025, was Prime Minister of New Zealand for seven years. In his book, Bolger, A View from the Top, Jim refers to his speech at the National Party’s annual conference in Rotorua on August 5, 1988. The speech...

Nats back compulsory KiwiSaver policy

National is promising to make KiwiSaver compulsory for all New Zealand workers, while supporting parents through a government contribution while they’re on parental leave. It also wants to one-up New Zealand First by proposing to automatically enrol...

Controversial fisheries reforms abandoned — for now

One of two bycatch incidents last month that revealed two dead orca occurred within a whale sanctuary. Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones revealed in a parliamentary select committee yesterday that two fishers had recorded the “accidental...

‘It felt like the ground fell away’

Charlotte Lockhart has a death sentence hanging over her: stage 4 breast cancer. In a generous move, her life partner, businessman and philanthropist Andrew Barnes, has donated $22.7 million to research in the hope of finding a cure.

Workplace ‘TOXIC’

An Auckland councillor has launched a stinging rebuke of some of her elected colleagues, unleashing over what she describes as a toxic culture involving bullying, intimidation, hostility and fear. Howick ward councillor Bo Burns said she has “packed...

‘Let the oil flow’

The United States and Iran agreed to a peace deal and an “immediate and permanent” end to military operations on all fronts including Lebanon, signalling the apparent end to more than three months of war in Middle East. The initial announcement from...

Youth crime falls in most districts

Only three parts of New Zealand are lagging in the Government’s drive to curb serious youth crime, with priority now focusing on the Eastern, Canterbury and Waitematā districts. The “delivery plan refresh” is revealed in a briefing from Oranga...

LET THE BEAUTIFUL GAME BEGIN

An amazing facility. Enthusiastic and knowledgeable support. And overbearing — if at times irrational — security protocols. If you want to understand the scale of this Fifa World Cup, you had to be at the All Whites’ first official training session at...

‘No family should go through this’

An Auckland mother feared her son might die after he was admitted to intensive care with severe breathing complications — a condition she attributes to living in a damp rental where black mould covered walls in multiple rooms. Montoya Fitimase, a...

COLD HARD FACTS

this, but this is what we see on a daily basis. We try to help, but sometimes it’s not enough,” she said. Issac said her visits were particularly important given Keshni was acting 24/7 as Kiaansh’s caregiver — which includes feeding him overnight via...

‘I’m too cold. I’ve had it’

with the boat’s propeller and, while the pair were cutting it away, the sea swell was increasing. Waves started coming into the stern, eventually filling it with water and flipping the boat over. Both men held on to the upturned boat. They managed to...

TAIWAN TENSION

In a likely first, a group of New Zealand MPs have been sanctioned by the People’s Republic of China for visiting Taiwan, the self-governing island China claims as its own. Act’s Laura McClure, NZ First’s David Wilson, Labour’s Duncan Webb and...

‘We did take pay cut coming here’

Australian paramedics are bucking the wellestablished transtasman migrant flow and choosing New Zealand jobs for opportunity over higher pay at home. And it is confounding the locals they are treating. “All the Kiwi patients we go to, they’re like,...

Sacked school staffer had ‘sexual item’

A junior staff member whose contract was terminated at St Cuthbert’s College is being investigated over concerns involving a sex toy at the school, the Herald understands. When asked by the Herald if the staff member had given a sex toy to a boarder,...

LIVES OF HONOUR

Some of New Zealand’s most respected doctors, educators, entrepreneurs and community leaders have been recognised in this year’s King’s Birthday Honours list, writes Vaimoana Mase. Ninety-five men and 83 women make up the list, honouring 178 people...

BOUNCE BACK BUDGET?

Nicola Willis warned Kiwis not to expect a lolly scramble and anyone holding out hope for an election-year surprise would be disappointed. Instead, the Government’s Budget, unveiled yesterday, focused on attempting to untangle the New Zealand economy...

Budget 26’s uphill battles

The big question hanging over Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ Budget, to be revealed at 2pm today, isn’t so much what’s in it, but how it fits together. The Government’s fiscal strategy is boxed in by two goals: returning to surplus and maintaining...

Govt forecast to win second term

The coalition government would return to office at the election based on the latest numbers and predictions from the NZ Herald — Motu Research Poll of Polls. According to the model, current polling has the probability of the coalition of winning a...

‘I’M NOT A CORRUPT COP’

Former Deputy Police Commissioner Tania Kura says she and other former members of the police executive were “thrown under the bus” after the Jevon McSkimming controversy, in a manner that was unprecedented and “unforgiving”. In her first in-depth...

Rail Link cost 50% too much — ex CEO Katie Bradford

Collar up, motorcycle helmet under his arm, Sean Sweeney admits he might lose some friends over his brutally honest comments about the cost of Auckland’s City Rail Link project. But he’s not losing sleep over any mistakes he may have made. “I do...

Mystery of the concrete tomb

The truth of what really happened to a man found entombed in concrete beneath his home for 16 years with a skull fracture may never be known as the only person who may have known has since died. A coroner has determined David Stanley Hart disappeared...

Stobo quits over string of failings

Craig Stobo has resigned as Financial Markets Authority chairman, having voiced too many political views for someone in an apolitical public sector role. King’s Counsel Wendy Aldred led an investigation into Stobo after Financial Markets Authority...

Record spend on locum doctors

Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora spent just over $216 million on locum doctors last year. It is the most it has spent since the organisation was formed. Figures released to Newstalk ZB under the Official Information Act show that is up from the nearly...

Peters game-playing on Iran emails: Willis

National deputy leader Nicola Willis is claiming Winston Peters’ failure to notify Prime Minister Christopher Luxon that his office was releasing to the Herald emails showing Luxon wanted to show “explicit public support” for the US-led war in Iran is...

PM chides Peters over Iran emails

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held crisis talks with Foreign Minister Winston Peters in the Beehive last night after Peters’ office released emails to the Herald showing Luxon wanted to shift the Government’s position to show “explicit public...

The All Black and the promised millions

A global internet start-up billed as safe social media for children, and fronted locally by a former All Black, has been accused of overstating its reach and endorsements and leaving a string of unpaid bills. The Herald has spoken to a number of...