20 h. ago New Zealand foreign minister Winston Peters’ home vandalised ‘during a protest’

Man charged as police allege a window was smashed in a rare act of violence targeted at a New Zealand politician’s homeA man who allegedly used a crowbar to smash in a window at the home of New Zealand’s foreign minister “during a protest” has been charged, police confirmed on Tuesday.Winston Peters posted to social media on Monday evening saying “a disgusting coward” had smashed a window in his Auckland home and left a sign on the door. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Bledisloe Cup live: Australia Wallabies v New Zealand All Blacks – Rugby Championship

Updates from the Wallabies v All Blacks in PerthSign up for The Breakdown | Get in touch via emailConditions in Perth are damp. It’s been raining on and off throughout the day so it will be slick under lights. Temperatures are mild and there’s little wind to speak of.“As a South African following while doing a short stint in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, I am salivating ahead of this pivotal match,” emails Craig Sayers. “Indeed, my medulla oblongata has worked overtime this entire Rugby Championship, considering the effect on my heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure. Continue reading...

Sport

3 d. ago Bledisloe Cup: Australia v New Zealand – Rugby Championship live

Updates from Wallabies v All Blacks in PerthKick-off at Optus Stadium is 5.45pm local/7.45pm AESTAny thoughts? Get in touch with an email Five changes to the starting XV for the Wallabies – six for the All Blacks, four of them injury enforced. Among the half-dozen, Scott Barrett returns to skipper the side, Damien McKenzie replaces the injured Beauden Barrett at five-eighth, and Leicester Fainga’anuku comes in for Caleb Clarke.It’s an inexperienced line-up with five starters with under ten caps to their name, and a further four that have yet to pass 30 international appearances. Continue reading...

Sport

3 d. ago New Zealand v Australia: men’s third T20 international cricket – live

Updates from the third match at Bay Oval in TaurangaAny thoughts? Get in touch with an emailNew Zealand captain Michael Bracewell says he is happy to bat first and confirms his side is unchanged too:TEAMS: Continue reading...

Society

4 d. ago New Zealand v Australia: men’s second T20 international cricket – live

Updates from the second match in Tauranga Play at Bay Oval starts 7.15pm local/4.15pm AEST Any thoughts? Get in touch with an emailTim Robinson’s first T20I century in Game One was a ripper in a losing cause. The Black Caps were 6-3 in the second over, with Josh Hazlewood removing Tim Seifert in the opening over and Ben Dwarshuis striking twice in two balls to send Devon Conway and Mark Chapman back to the sheds before Robinson swaggered out. Playing his 13th T20I, the tousle-haired 23-year-old scored an unbeaten 106 off 66 balls.Robinson smashed six fours and five sixes along the way and ended his blitzkrief in style, with a four and a six from the last two balls! Continue reading...

Society

6 d. ago Women’s Cricket World Cup: Australia v New Zealand – as it happened

Australia begin their 50-over title defence in IndorePlay at Holkar Stadium starts 3pm local/7.30pm AESTAny thoughts? Get in touch with an emailIlling fights back with some tighter bowling and Healy gets frustrated. She hits a mis-timed drive straight to Bates at cover.4th over: Australia 38-0 (Healy 18, Litchfield 20) Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Ruthless Australia crush New Zealand by six wickets in first T20I

Mitchell Marsh smashes 85 to clinch victory in series openerAustralia lead 1-0 in three-match T20I series v New ZealandAny thoughts? Get in touch with an emailJosh Hazlewood has the new ball and Tim Seifert will face the first. Here we go, folks!Back at Bay Oval, the wind is whipping the young flag bearers off their feet. Umpires Chris Brown and Shaun Haig are taking the ground first, followed by the players. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago New Zealand v Australia: men’s first T20 international cricket – live

Three-match trans-Tasman series opens in TaurangaAny thoughts? Get in touch with an emailJosh Hazlewood has the new ball and Tim Seifert will face the first. Here we go, folks!Back at Bay Oval, the wind is whipping the young flag bearers off their feet. Umpires Chris Brown and Shaun Haig are taking the ground first, followed by the players. Continue reading...

Society

8 d. ago Dismay in New Zealand after government fails to recognise Palestinian statehood

PM Christopher Luxon had suggested recognition was only a matter of time, prompting disappointment from opposition parties and activistsOpposition parties, Palestinian groups and a former prime minister have expressed dismay over New Zealand’s decision not to recognise Palestinian statehood, saying it places the country on the wrong side of history and puts it at odds with its traditional allies.Last week, the UK, Canada, Australia and others formally declared their recognition of statehood ahead of a special UN conference in New York. As of this month, 157 of the 193 UN member countries have recognised a Palestinian state. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Threatened kārearea falcon wins New Zealand’s 2025 bird of the year

The country’s fastest bird has taken out the top prize in a scandal-free year for the annual pollNew Zealand’s fastest bird, capable of flying 200km/h in its pursuit of prey, has been crowned bird of the year – a long-running annual competition that has previously been a lightning rod for scandal and hijinks.The threatened kārearea is New Zealand’s only falcon. It is small and tawny, with impressive talons and large dark eyes. Kārearea are powerful aerial hunters and watch other birds, lizards or small mammals – sometimes larger than themselves – from a high vantage point before diving at high speed to snatch their prey. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Bledisloe Cup: New Zealand beat Australia in the Rugby Championship – reaction

All Blacks win 33-24 to preserve Eden Park recordAny thoughts? Get in touch with an email The Wallabies are being led onto the Eden Park turf by No 1 James Slipper. Today he becomes only the third international to register 150 caps.Australia are wearing their traditional golden jerseys, green shorts, green socks. Continue reading...

Sport

1 week ago Wallabies fall short in Bledisloe Cup as All Blacks’ Eden Park hoodoo strikes again

New Zealand beat Australia 33-24 in Rugby ChampionshipKiwi Fortress still not breached after 51 Tests over 31 yearsAustralia’s Eden Park hoodoo will enter a fourth decade after New Zealand saw off another exciting Wallabies comeback to clinch a 33-24 win at their fortress and ensure the Bledisloe Cup remains in the All Blacks’ hands for a 24th consecutive year.Despite two decades of one-way traffic, this Bledisloe Test was the most tantalising in years. New Zealand were the Rugby Championship’s fastest starters and Australia the slowest. So for the Wallabies to be 13-3 down after 15 minutes surprised few. The men in black were red hot from the get-go, moving with cohesion and precision, each pass and kick a dagger. Australia were back-pedalling, making mistakes, losing collisions. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Bledisloe Cup live updates: New Zealand All Blacks v Australia Wallabies – Rugby Championship

Updates as the All Blacks host the Wallabies in AucklandKick-off time at Eden Park is 5.05pm NZST/3.05pm AESTAny thoughts? Get in touch with an emailAngus Fontaine sets the scene from an Australian perspective.To beat New Zealand at home, all the stars must align. You’ve got to pick a smart side, play the right style, win over the referee and catch a little luck along the way. Silencing the crowd early, with fast points or fierce attack and defence, helps too. Even then, there are no guarantees against the All Blacks. And they are never more dangerous than when wounded, as Scott Robertson’s side certainly is after their worst ever Test defeat last week, a 43-10 spifflication by South Africa in Wellington.Yet instead of smelling blood and making plans to dismantle an enemy in disarray, the Wallabies inexplicably sent two of their most important players on magical mystery tours to the far side of the planet. James O’Connor and Will Skelton were allowed to return to their clubs Leicest...

Sport

1 week ago New Zealand man convicted of murder for boarding house fire that killed five tenants

The 2023 Loafers Lodge fire provoked outrage about the dilapidated and often unregulated state of boarding houses in New ZealandA New Zealand jury has convicted a man of murder and arson for setting fire to a Wellington boarding house where he lived that killed five fellow tenants, in a case which provoked outrage about the dilapidated and often unregulated state of boarding houses, which mostly accommodate low-income people with few options.The jury at the high court in Wellington reached the verdicts against Esarona David Lologa after less than three days of deliberations, rejecting the defence of insanity argued by Lologa’s lawyers. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Wealthy investors from US, China and Hong Kong top applications for New Zealand’s ‘golden visa’ scheme

Since new rules for the Active Investor Plus visa came into effect in April, applicant numbers have almost tripledWealthy investors from the US, China and Hong Kong are the leaders in applications for New Zealand’s “golden visas” after the government relaxed the scheme’s requirements in a bid to boost the flagging economy.The new rules for the Active Investor Plus visa came into effect in April and lowered investment thresholds, removed English-language requirements and cut the amount of time applicants must spend in the country to establish residency from three years to three weeks. Continue reading...

Economics

2 w. ago Mother in New Zealand’s ‘suitcase murders’ found guilty of killing her two children

The bodies of Hakyung Lee’s children were discovered inside suitcases bought at a storage unit auction in Auckland in August 2022A mother accused of murdering her children and hiding their bodies in suitcases, in a case that has become known as New Zealand’s “suitcase murders”, has been found guilty by an Auckland court.The bodies of Yuna Jo and Minu Jo, aged eight and six at the time of their deaths, were discovered inside suitcases bought at a storage unit auction in Auckland in August 2022. Authorities believed they had been dead for three to four years by the time their bodies were found. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago New Zealand loosens residency restrictions as record number of citizens leave

Minister for economic growth said visas for skilled and experienced migrants could help plug gaps in the workforceNew Zealand is making it easier for migrant workers to come and live in the country, in its latest attempt to bolster the workforce and economy.Announcing two new residency pathways, the minister for economic growth, Nicola Willis, on Tuesday said skilled and experienced migrants could help plug gaps in the workforce. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Clinical Canada end Black Ferns’ reign and book place in Rugby World Cup final

Semi-final: New Zealand 19-34 CanadaSix-times champions out after consecutive title winsCanada always had a good chance of beating New Zealand in their Rugby World Cup semi-final no one anticipated them dominating the defending champions and playing them off of the park at times. This was a masterclass by Kévin Rouet’s team who used pace, patience and instincts to knock the Blacks Ferns out and book their spot in the final for just the second time.The match had already been picked out as one that would go down in history but the result certified that. Sophie de Goede excelled once again for Canada. Whether through breakdown turnovers, conversions or splicing through defence she was the linchpin in a fluid game from 1-15. The trust the team have in each other when they have front-foot ball allowed them to play with pure freedom that downed New Zealand and set up a final against England or France next Saturday. This is the first time since 2014 New Zealand will not be in the final, th...

Sport

2 w. ago From small town New Zealand to Mont Blanc: how ultrarunner Ruth Croft made history

Croft’s recent win the 174km Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc made her the first woman to take out the triple series crown in the prestigious eventGrowing up in Stillwater, New Zealand, population 86, Ruth Croft learned hard work from a young age. Her father ran a transport company, managing dozens of drivers and semi-trailers across the 600km West Coast in the South Island.“On school holidays I worked for my dad full time, sometimes 14-hour days,” says Croft. “Shitty jobs like cleaning drains or the grease bay. I don’t know anyone who works as hard as he does.” Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Giants New Zealand must be wary of bogey team Canada in semi

Canucks have gone under the radar at Women’s Rugby World Cup but underdogs can upset world No 1 sideFor anyone who might be thinking champions New Zealand are a shoo-in to make the Rugby World Cup final, Canada have three key attributes to suggest they can knock out the Black Ferns in their semi-final on Friday evening: Belief, fast ruck speed and Sophie de Goede.Canada are the world No 2 side and came close to beating England at the 2024 WXV 1, yet have gone under the radar in the buildup to this tournament and during its early stages, with much of the attention focused on the potential for a rematch of the 2022 final between New Zealand and hosts England. Against the Black Ferns in the last four at Ashton Gate, Canada will still be viewed as underdogs in some circles, something the team have spoken about a lot, according to the wing Alysha Corrigan. Continue reading...

Events