New Zealand news
Check out what's currently happening in New Zealand politics and current affairs with the following interesting headlines and newsfeeds from Radio New Zealand and NZ Herald - our leading radio station and newspaper!
'Incredibly disheartening': Airborne asbestos found in children's play sand
The Health Ministry of Health has reconvened its advisory group to rapidly assess the findings.
New standards for building on whenua Māori come into force
The government hopes the changes will "unlock" papakāinga across Aotearoa - but one housing provider says it removes just one of the many barriers affecting Māori land.
Wellington community tired of brazen tyre thieves
Residents in the seaside suburb of Eastbourne say they're considering community patrols as the area is being repeatedly targeted.
El Niño officially declared in New Zealand
Earth Sciences NZ has followed counterparts in Australia, Japan and the US in declaring an El Niño event.
Plan Change 120 targets the wrong suburbs to create affordable housing - Helen Clark
OPINION: Plan Change 120 could strip protection from 4,735 Auckland heritage homes.
How porn on social media has shaped young Kiwis’ sex lives – Under the Influence, episode 4
Therapists say the trend is driven by online porn, now easily accessible on social media.
Armed police training bungle: Go Media Stadium caterer caught up in exercise
Police have apologised for the incident at Go Media Stadium and promised a review.
Requiring meth pipes to be out of sight in stores would send signal but is not solution – Editorial
OPINION: Supporters of a ban say removing pipes would signal meth use is unacceptable.
Poisonous mid-19th century dress on 3D display for last time at Whanganui Regional Museum
The 175-year-old gown was coloured with an arsenic-based green dye.
Letters: Fines for the homeless and housing allowances for property-owning MPs
OPINION: Fines for homeless, UN Security Council failures, cricket triumph.
At 250, America’s crisis is not power, but purpose – Jonathan Ayling
OPINION: The world's most powerful nation has forgotten the truths that made it great
QSM Davinder Rahal in debt: Two buildings, bankrupt buyer - and ties to former jailed Masala boss
Davinder Rahal owes a young couple almost $1m for deceiving them into buying a leaky home.
Herald morning quiz: July 2
Test your brain with the Herald's morning quiz.
Unapproved peptides seized at border as Medsafe crackdown intensifies
Medsafe seized more than 370 peptide parcels last year, up from 15 in 2022.
Health NZ says repairs being made to leak-stricken Hutt Hospital
Earlier this week a nurse told RNZ this week staff were confronted by sodden and collapsed roofing panels, failing lights, and electrical sockets crackling with electricity.
Crash blocks State Highway One southbound lane near Tawa
A police spokesperson says one person is in a critical condition.
RNZ investigation finds uranium, lead in black-market tobacco
Lab testing has revealed the extent of the danger the illicit tobacco presents.
Man asked Hutt Valley child to get into his van, police investigating
Police say they are investigating after a parent reported a man asked their child to get into a van outside a school in the Hutt Valley.
Health NZ shelves major hospital restructure
The Public Service Association said it, alongside other unions, exposed fundamental flaws in the proposal.
Taranaki couple want Crown to back off after land acquisition withdrawn
The farming couple want the government to stop chasing them for court costs after the Crown dropped plans to seize part of their land for the Mt Messengers Bypass.
