Police have named the man killed in an Auckland bus stabbing on Monday night. A 36-year-old man accused of stabbing two people on the bus appeared in court earlier today, charged with murder and causing grievous bodily harm. A homicide investigation was launched after the separate stabbings on the vehicle…

Rotorua’s Night Market will return to the inner city after Rotorua Lakes Council voted to end a trial move to Kuirau Park, two months after it began.By Mathew Nash of Local Democracy ReportingElected members voted eight-to-three to return the market to its previous Tūtānekai St location “as soon as reasonably…

The Black Caps have ripped through the West Indies on the first day of the second test in Wellington, but it’s come at a cost.Late on day one the West Indies were dismissed for just 205, with a top score of just 48 from Shai Hope to put the Kiwis…

Fears have resurfaced over violence on public transport in the wake of a horrific fatal bus stabbing earlier this week – even as transit operators insist services are safe, with Auckland officials pointing to millions of incident-free journeys.A 59-year-old man died, and a 51-year-old man was seriously injured after being…

A shake-up of Hawke’s Bay’s bus network has frustrated some Hastings residents who don’t want bus stops installed outside their homes.By Linda Hall for Local Democracy Reporting Blair Kyle and his neighbour, directly across the road, received letters from the Hastings District Council advising them it “will be establishing a…

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…