7 h. ago Elegance, grandeur and charm: winners of the 2025 New Zealand architecture awards – in pictures

Spread across 11 categories, winners include church conversions, bridges and homes set against New Zealand’s wild landscapes Continue reading...

Events

32 h. ago New Zealand bans puberty blockers for young transgender people

Critics warn move could have devastating impact on lives and wellbeing of those affectedNew Zealand has announced it is banning new prescriptions of puberty-blocking drugs for young transgender people, in a move that critics warned could worsen the mental health of those affected.The step comes amid growing global debate about the number of adolescents seeking to change gender, dividing those concerned about hastiness in prescribing such medications and those worried about access to remedies they deem lifesaving. Continue reading...

Politics

52 h. ago ‘Exceptionally rare’ pink grasshopper spotted in New Zealand

The native species is typically grey or brown and the pink hue is thought to be caused by a genetic mutationAn “exceptionally rare” pink grasshopper has been spotted basking in the sun alongside a river in New Zealand’s South Island.A group of department of conservation researchers were conducting their annual grasshopper survey near Lake Tekapo in the MacKenzie basin when they came across the dark pink female critter. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago England keep sights on rugby’s Everest in relentless climb to game’s summit | Robert Kitson

Beating the All Blacks shows how far Steve Borthwick’s men have come – but there remains yet more room for improvementAfter finally scaling Mount Everest with Tenzing Norgay on 29 May 1953 the first person Edmund Hillary encountered on his descent was his longtime climbing friend, George Lowe. “Well, George,” Hillary said, “we knocked the bastard off.” Which is basically how England’s captain, Maro Itoje, and his team felt on Saturday having lifted the Hillary Shield, named in honour of the indomitable New Zealander who conquered the world’s most famous summit.English rugby’s ultimate Everest is still up ahead of them, of course, in the form of the 2027 World Cup, but this was their South Col moment. And while a first home win against the All Blacks since 2012 and their second‑highest margin of victory in this 120-year-old fixture will both be sources of satisfaction there was also a powerful sense that their upwardly mobile trek is far from complete. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Schools close in New Zealand after play sand recalled over asbestos fears

Six coloured sand products recalled in New Zealand after testing in Australia found asbestos in similar itemsMultiple schools have temporarily closed in New Zealand and hundreds of education facilities are seeking advice from officials after asbestos was detected in several brands of widely used coloured play sand.Last week, the ministry for business, innovation and employment confirmed a voluntary recall was under way for two brands of coloured sand sold in New Zealand, after testing in Australia found asbestos in similar products. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Ford urges England to ensure win over New Zealand is no ‘flash in the pan’

Team claimed 10th straight win against All Blacks‘There’s a huge amount of growth,’ says BorthwickGeorge Ford has called on England to make sure their statement victory against the All Blacks is not a false dawn after Steve Borthwick’s side extended their winning run to 10 matches.England have moved up to third in the world rankings after their impressive 33-19 win against New Zealand on Saturday and could go second next weekend should they defeat Argentina and Wales spring a surprise against the All Blacks. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago England have become something ugly, brutish and formidable to play against | Andy Bull

Steve Borthwick has engineered his team to get stronger in the last quarter and the All Blacks could not cope with this monstrous lotThere’s the England they sell you in the glossy magazines and then there’s the England you find on days like this one at Twickenham. Cold, grey, hostile, the days when anyone lucky enough to have the choice takes one look out the window and realises time is going to be best spent indoors.The All Blacks did not have that luxury. Their head coach, Scott Robertson, spoke in the week about the work he had done to prepare his players. “We’re looking forward to it,” he said. Perhaps he really believed it. But so long as England are playing like this, it will be a long time till any team takes any pleasure in the prospect of a day out here. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Borthwick hails ‘outstanding leader’ Ford after England topple All Blacks

Ford scores 13 points including two drop goals in victory‘He made brilliant decisions and executed perfectly’Steve Borthwick has paid tribute to the perseverance and character of George Ford after England’s impressive 33-18 victory over the All Blacks. Twelve months ago, Ford narrowly failed to clinch a home victory in this same fixture, but he was a pivotal figure on Saturday as his side gained their revenge with a first win over New Zealand in south-west London since 2012.“George is a brilliant player, an outstanding leader and an even better person,” the head coach said after the fly-half contributed 13 points to seal his team’s 10th successive Test win this year. “I know you like to talk about 12 months ago and the ball hitting a post. But when he pulls on the England shirt he is just such a consistent performer. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Fantastic Ford steers battling England past All Blacks in Twickenham thriller

England 33-19 New ZealandBorthwick’s side clinch a perfect 10 of successive winsA perfect 10 wins in a row is a reliable indicator of a team on the rise. What England really craved, though, was a statement victory to underline just how far they have come in the past 18 months or so. And on a dull grey November afternoon they finally secured it, beating a disappointed New Zealand for the first time in south-west London for 13 long years.They deserved it, too, storming back from 12-0 down to claim the kind of result that rewards all the painstaking hard work of both the players and the management. There were four English tries in all, including two in the final half hour from Fraser Dingwall and Tom Roebuck, as Steve Borthwick’s team become only the ninth England side to cut the All Blacks down to size. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago England v New Zealand: Autumn Nations Series rugby union – live

Updates as All Blacks visit Twickenham (3.10pm GMT)England seek end to 13-year wait | Email Lee hereEngland Freddie Steward; Tom Roebuck, Ollie Lawrence, Fraser Dingwall, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso; George Ford, Alex Mitchell; Fin Baxter, Jamie George, Joe Heyes, Maro Itoje, Alex Coles, Guy Pepper, Sam Underhill, Ben Earl.Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie, Ellis Genge, Will Stuart, Chandler Cunningham-South, Tom Curry, Henry Pollock, Ben Spencer, Marcus Smith. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Stand aside Australia, New Zealand are now England’s No 1 sporting rival | Emma John

Harmonious Kiwi teamwork across various sports should fill us with frustrated envy – if only to annoy some AussiesDo we talk about England and Australia’s sporting rivalry too much? In the past couple of weeks, we haven’t had much choice. The rugby league Kangaroos have been hopping about between London, Liverpool and Leeds, while the Wallabies grazed on the Twickenham turf. In F1, Bristol-born Lando Norris has been getting booed on track during his relentless comeback against his Melburnian McLaren teammate, Oscar Piastri. And that personal battle has reached its climax just in time for the much-hyped men’s Ashes – with England kicking off their tour in Perth to already hysterical headlines.This weekend brings a pause in hostilities. One Ashes series has ended, another is yet to begin. A gap in the calendar before back-to-back grands prix leaves Lando quietly teetering at the top of the drivers’ table. And into that small air pocket – if the Pom-bashing and Aussie-baiting has left ...

Politics

7 d. ago ‘Reframes history’: fears Māori knowledge diluted in plan to revise New Zealand curriculum

Minister rejects claims Māori history is being sidelined in rewrite which includes cutting some references to the Treaty of WaitangiAs cows grazed sleepily in a nearby paddock, then-14-year-old Leah Bell watched as a local Māori elder cried.She was standing at the site of the massacre at Rangiaowhia, where Māori were deliberately burnt to death by the British crown in 1864. The site was just down the road from her Waikato high school. But she had never heard about it; in history, they’d been learning about the American civil war. Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago Rugby World Cup ‘heartbreak’ but then ‘a cool feeling’: New Zealand duo Liana Mikaele

The Black Ferns pair arrive at Harlequins eager to put semi-final defeat behind them and ‘to see how this side of the world plays’There’s a certain aura that surrounds New Zealand rugby players. Liana Mikaele-Tu’u and Layla Sae have all the athleticism, talent and professionalism that come with being a Black Fern but during a joint interview at Harlequins’ training ground in Surrey, what stands out most is their humility, refreshing honesty and wicked sense of humour.The duo have signed for the Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) club until March. Sae, fresh off the plane from New Zealand, could make her debut against Exeter Chiefs on Sunday, while Mikaele-Tu’u already has a few appearances under her belt after joining a few weeks earlier. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Stunning aurora australis lights up sky above New Zealand and Australia after ‘cannibal’ solar storm

The geomagnetic storm, caused by powerful bursts of energy from the sun, also postponed the launch of two Mars-bound Nasa spacecraft in the USFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSkywatchers enjoyed a stunning treat on Wednesday night, with the southern lights visible across large parts of Australia and New Zealand.The aurora australis that lit up the sky resulted from what has been dubbed a “cannibal” solar storm. Continue reading...

Events

9 d. ago ‘Atrocious on every level’: sex case findings shame New Zealand’s senior police culture

Inspector general will be inaugurated to oversee service after report on how top officers steered investigation of Jevon McSkimming, who went on to become deputy commissionerNew Zealand’s government will take the unprecedented move of appointing an inspector general of police after a damning report found “significant failings” in the way senior police officers handled serious sexual complaints against a former high-ranking officer.The Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) released a 135-page report on Tuesday detailing allegations made against the former deputy police commissioner Jevon McSkimming and the police’s response to them. Continue reading...

Events

9 d. ago Advantage England? Emma Raducanu gives tips to squad for All Blacks clash

Tennis star visits training camp to share experiencesSteve Borthwick’s side take on New Zealand on SaturdayEngland’s preparations for their crunch clash with the All Blacks on Saturday have been boosted by some words of wisdom from the former US Open tennis champion Emma Raducanu, who visited their Bagshot training base on Tuesday.Raducanu took to the training field with Steve Borthwick’s squad, taking part in lineout practice and kicking drills with Marcus Smith before sharing insights with the captain, Maro Itoje. Borthwick also invited the Brighton manager, Fabian Hürzeler, to address the squad this week. Continue reading...

Politics

9 d. ago England play Generation Game against All Blacks with overhaul of traditional order of selection

Steve Borthwick has picked six British & Irish Lions on his bench with a further nod to the growing importance of the endgame Selecting your best XV to start a big rugby match feels increasingly quaint these days, as redolent of a different era as the Generation Game or Starsky & Hutch. To the point where you half expect to find the home team sheet to face New Zealand this weekend has D-N-A-L-G-N-E printed at the top of it. Even with the All Blacks in town, the traditional order of selection no longer applies.Instead it is all about the endgame. On this occasion Steve Borthwick has picked six British & Irish Lions on his bench compared with only four in his starting lineup. At some point around the 50th minute on Saturday there will be a mass discarding of XXL tracksuits and a whole fresh set of white orcs will rumble on. As South Africa’s “Bomb Squad” have long since shown, it can be mighty hard to combat. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Tell us: are you a New Zealander planning to leave the country?

We want to hear from people in New Zealand who have or are thinking of leaving Over the past few years, tens of thousands of New Zealanders have left the country, surpassing the last spike in 2012 and raising fears of a “hollowing out” of mid-career workers.Provisional data showed nearly 74,000 New Zealand citizens departed in the year to August 2025, up from the previous record of 73,300. It followed record numbers leaving through 2023 and into 2024. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Julia Robinson flies again as Jillaroos dominate New Zealand to win Pacific Cup

Australia defend crown with 40-8 win against Kiwi Ferns at CommBank StadiumHigh-flying Robinson scores spectacular try as Jillaroos showcase classThe Jillaroos have sent another reminder of the gap between them and the rest of the world, defending their Pacific Cup crown with a 40-8 win over New Zealand.One year out from a home World Cup and after a season that began with a 90-4 drubbing of England in Las Vegas, Australia again showed their class on Sunday afternoon. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Damian McKenzie edges All Blacks home after scare to crush Scotland comeback

Scotland 17-25 New ZealandAll Blacks squander 17-point lead before late tryA 33rd attempt, a 31st defeat and crucially still no win for Scotland against the All Blacks. And so the search will go on. Let us not resort to that familiar lament, if Scotland could not win it here, will they ever? It is true, they had as gilt-edged a chance as they may ever have, New Zealand forced to play a total of half an hour a man down, having been shown three yellow cards. It is true, Scotland showed remarkable spirit to recover from 17-0 down at the break to level on the hour. But the All Blacks remain deadly, deadlier than Scotland.This Scotland team is deadly too, but it is a question of deadliness when it matters. That is where they continue to come up short. New Zealand wrote the manual – and did that a long time ago. Continue reading...

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