1+ hour, 1+ min ago (1219+ words) RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop described the changes as "the most significant changes to local government since 1989". The current crop of regional councillors, only elected in October, might not serve their full three-year term before abolition. Resource Management Act Reform Minister Chris Bishop described the changes as "the most significant changes to local government since 1989. The reforms are designed to fit into Bishop's Resource Management Act reforms, which will be announced in a few weeks. The Government is putting forward two proposals. The first is to abolish elected regional councillors and replace them with Combined Territories Boards or CTBs. These boards would fulfil all the functions of the former councillors. The board would be made up of the mayors of the councils that currently sit underneath a regional council. Under this proposal, the regional council as an organisation would remain,…...

1+ hour, 17+ min ago (1109+ words) The Prime Minister's Office is clarifying remarks by Christopher Luxon that suggested he held no concern for National MPs who would lose their place in Parliament based on current polling. In a statement to the Herald, a spokesman said: "The PM was answering a hypothetical question." "He is confident all National MPs will be returned at the next election. Our plan to fix the basics and build the future is working and we're confident of getting a strong result in 2026." Earlier on Tuesday, Luxon was questioned by a reporter at a press conference whether he held any concerns for MPs who, based on current polling, would lose their jobs if an election was held today. It was put to him at the stand-up: "You don't hold any concerns for those MPs who, on the current polling numbers if an election…...

4+ hour, 1+ min ago (728+ words) A Mongrel Mob member was involved in a "frenzied" pack attack on a fellow inmate while waiting to stand trial on murder and assault charges. Jamie Robin Manakitia Te Aroha Thomas was charged over the death of Mitchell Te Kani at his Tauranga home on the night of May 14, 2022. Thomas was in Rimutaka prison on remand awaiting trial when he became involved in what police said was a "frenzied mob attack" on a fellow inmate that lasted about 30 seconds. Now he has appeared for sentence in the Hamilton District Court on a charge of injuring with intent to injure after kicking and stomping on the victim's head five times. His murder and assault charges in relation to Te Kani were dismissed because of a lack of evidence early in the nine-week-long trial in the High Court at Hamilton last September....

6+ hour, 12+ min ago (401+ words) Police have revealed the name of a man killed in Waikanae last week. He was 45-year-old Michael Kenneth Tofts. It is believed Tofts" killing, which is being investigated as a homicide, is related to another serious incident in the town later that day. Emergency services were called to K'k'riki Grove in the K'piti Coast town, 64km north of Wellington, about 3.15pm last Wednesday. Detective Inspector Jamie Woods said three men " aged 20, 25 and 26 " have been charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm in relation to the incident. Woods said police were also investigating an incident in Hadleigh Court, Waikanae, about 4.25pm the day before, where a man was found with serious injuries. "We believe the incidents in Kakariki Grove and Hadleigh Court are related," he said. Police said it had been an "incredibly difficult time for Mr Tofts" family and we…...

6+ hour, 13+ min ago (623+ words) Elon Musk's X erupted in uproar after the rollout of a feature revealing an account's location, exposing what users describe as global troll farms and influence operations on the platform " including in support of President Donald Trump. X's head of product Nikita Bier launched the feature over the weekend, allowing users "to see the country or region where an account is based, in a bid to boost transparency on a platform that tech experts say is rife with disinformation. "This is an important first step to securing the integrity of the global town square, Bier wrote on X. The launch triggered a wave of online sleuthing. Almost immediately, the platform flooded with posts flagging dozens of right-wing internet personalities " promoters of Trump's "Make America Great Again (Maga) or "America first political slogans " whose location data showed they were in Nigeria, Bangladesh,…...

10+ hour, 57+ min ago (821+ words) Fiji's Yasawa Islands offer untouched beaches, deep coral reefs and a chance to embrace a slower pace of life in our own Pacific backyard. Hopping on and off boats between the resorts dotted on the Yasawa Islands is fun and the best way to travel, writes Eva de Jong. Anyone who has lugged a suitcase around the crowded streets of Europe in 40C heat on their way to a different hotel, city and surroundings for a night knows how exhausting travel can be. Time spent in an airport, waiting lounge or at a crowded train station is usually the worst part of a trip. That's not the case with the Yasawa Islands. This collection of 20 small volcanic islands marooned in the Pacific Ocean may be thrillingly remote, but travel between them takes just 20-30 minutes by boat. Even better, hopping between destinations…...

12+ hour, 1+ min ago (824+ words) Finance Minister Nicola Willis has reinforced the contempt that this government has shown not just for the Treaty of Waitangi but for M'ori generally. In trying to justify the stripping of the requirement for school boards to give effect to the Treaty of Waitangi, Willis referred disdainfully on RNZ National to the principles of the treaty as "nebulous concepts. She added school boards should be able to leave such matters to those in Wellington. Presumably, she means people in Wellington like herself. Willis has shown utter arrogance by describing principles derived from the treaty as "nebulous. As former attorney-general Chris Finlayson has pointed out, the definition of the principles has been developed by the courts over time. Maybe Willis might like to familiarise herself with the law for a start. And history, which this government seems to want to scrub…...

13+ hour, 1+ min ago (389+ words) Friends and family members of three children killed in a Sanson house fire are gathering to farewell them at a funeral in Palmerston North today. August, Hugo and Goldie, aged 7, 5 and 1, were killed in a fire on Saturday, November 15, at the family's home in the Manawat" town. Their father, Dean Field, was also found dead at the scene. Police are investigating the incident as a homicide. The ceremony is scheduled to take place at the Crossroads Church in Palmerston North from 11am and will be livestreamed online. "Three beautiful angels taken too soon," it said. "Will be sadly missed by their mum Chelsey, grandparents, Lindy, Ron (deceased), Florence, and Michael and Mary; and all those who knew them. "United with big sister Iris in heaven. Loved beyond measure." The children's mother, Chelsey Field, spoke for the first time last Friday about…...

13+ hour, 1+ min ago (519+ words) Eight Hawke's Bay women have shared their stories of sexual abuse with Hawke's Bay Today, representing thousands of others in the region who carry similar experiences in silence. Graphic design / Aaron Bryan It's been eight years since the #MeToo movement created a worldwide reckoning about the stain of sexual abuse in society. In New Zealand, the fallout was a timely reminder of just how prevalent it is, in all industries and in all walks of life. What #MeToo couldn't do is make all of the hurt stop. As Hawke's Bay Today reporter Rafaella Melo shows in her You Are Not To Blame series, all pockets of our country remain afflicted by sexual abuse. In Hawke's Bay, police recorded 2086 sexual offences in five-and-a-half years " between January 1, 2020 and June 30, 2025. The problem with that number is not just how high it is for…...

13+ hour, 1+ min ago (1100+ words) The court heard homicide victim Finauga Faatoia was into body building and had trained in martial arts. Graphic content warning: This story discusses extreme violence Graphic CCTV footage and audio recordings of a man dying after being stabbed in the jugular during a violent home invasion have been played to a High Court jury. The chilling footage shows a shirtless man, now on trial for murder, smeared with the blood of the victim, who had invaded the defendant's home. The defendant can be seen repeatedly kicking and stomping the victim, Finauga Faatoia, who is lying prone and face down on the ground just out of shot moments after suffering the fatal neck wound. The defendant is then seen "jerking" his arm back and forth, which Crown prosecutor Claire Paterson says was the moment he wrenched a large, orange-handled hunting knife…...