A temporary holiday booze ban has been put in place for two popular Wairarapa coastal hotspots after residents complained of drunk and “menacing” holiday makers.By Sue Teodoro of Local Democracy ReportingMasterton District Council approved the short-term ban at its meeting on Wednesday.The ban, passed under the council’s alcohol control bylaws,…

An ambitious plan to build a predator proof fence across the base of Farewell Spit is underway after it was initially dismissed years ago as being impossible. Healthpost Nature Trust has begun construction of the fence which will eventually be 4km long, protecting wildlife at the country’s largest spit from…

By Susan Edmonds of RNZ People shopping from IKEA are having to wait for their orders – but one marketing expert says it probably won’t stop them going back for more. The home furnishings giant opened its first New Zealand shop in Auckland last week, with online deliveries around the…

Former finance minister Ruth Richardson has agreed to a challenge from the current Finance Minister to debate her.On Tuesday morning, Nicola Willis challenged Richardson, who was finance minister from 1990 to 1993, to a debate.The challenge, Willis said, was because the Taxpayers’ Union was preparing to launch a pressure campaign…

It’s social media D-Day for more than a million young Australians, who, in theory, shouldn’t be able to access their online accounts from today.Major social media companies, including Meta and Snapchat, have spent recent weeks removing under 16s, to comply with the Federal Government’s world first ban.Its aim, according to…

Wholesale rates are getting the blame for the fact that two weeks after the official cash rate was cut, one major bank has increased some of its fixed-term home loan rates.Westpac said on Tuesday it was increasing its home loans over two- to five-year terms by 30 basis points.That takes…

A Nelson teenager was fleeing police at about 183km/h when she lost control of the vehicle and smashed into a tree.Tieylr Saige Ayrton, 17, died from a head injury sustained in the crash on Rutherford Street in March 2022.The girl was under the influence of alcohol and driving on a…

The country’s cyber agency is alerting tens of thousands of New Zealanders that their device has been infected with malicious software.The National Cyber Security Centre was sending emails to around 26,000 email addresses on Wednesday warning about the malware Lumma Stealer, which was designed to steal sensitive information like email…

A homicide investigation has been launched following the death of a Mt Eden Corrections Facility prisoner.Detective Senior Sergeant Martin Friend said officers were notified by Corrections about a serious assault at the prison on November 29. He said the male victim was taken to hospital with critical injuries.”He has remained…

The morning’s headlines in 90 seconds, including a man arrested after a murder on an Auckland bus, new material about Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein to be released, and malware warning for thousands of New ZealandersA man’s arrested after two stabbing attacks on an Auckland bus.Tracks in Tongariro National Park…