User Articles

Mystery odour forces evacuation of sports venue

It is not clear what caused a full evacuation of a busy sports centre in Wellington early on Saturday afternoon. Fire and Emergency (FENZ) said five fire crews, a truck carrying breathing apparatus and a command unit, as well as an ambulance were called to a suspected gas leak at the Ākau Tangi Sports Centre in Kilbirnie after “a slight odour” was detected. All sports games were immediately cancelled and dozens of players, supporters and centre staff were asked to leave.

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Israel

Israel closes Wellington embassy

The Israeli embassy in New Zealand has shut as part of a worldwide closure of the country’s diplomatic missions,. The closures comes as tensions remain high in the region - Israel launched an attack on Iranian nuclear and military facilities on Friday, which Iran responded to with attacks of its own. The Embassy of Israel - on Brandon Street in Wellington - services Tonga, Samoa, Cook Islands and Niue, as well as New Zealand. It also operates a consulate office in Auckland. A message on the embassy’s website announced the decision:

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Employment

Jobs that NZers are no longer doing

Data compiled by Infometrics looked at the types of jobs that have disappeared over the past 25 years. Service station attendants are near the top of the list, with 77 per cent of their roles, or 5557 individuals, gone. Telephone betting clerks were also significantly reduced, down 86 per cent, although only 114 people.

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Emergency

Tsunami sirens face axe after failed test

The number of tsunami sirens along the Christchurch coast could be cut to as few as four, after an alert system review found they cause confusion and delays during emergencies. The city has 45 sirens between Brooklands and Taylors Mistake, but next...

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Fire

Large blaze forces evacuations in Christchurch township

Residents in Lyttelton near Christchurch are being evacuated after a large fire broke out in the township. Fire and Emergency were called to the blaze just after 5pm, finding it had fully engulfed two homes and was spreading to a third. Six fire engines, a ladder truck, a water tanker, and a command unit are at the scene working to bring the fire under control.

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Environment

Residents evacuate on landslide threat

Two homes in Lyttelton remain under threat after a landslide last night saw several people evacuated. Fire and Emergency (FENZ) was called to the slip at 9:05pm, where they found one home had been damaged. Two properties were identified as at risk...

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Maritime

12 Jun 2025

Ferry gets stranded overnight

Passengers on the beleaguered Aratere ferry were stuck on board for hours overnight after it broke down on its way to Wellington. KiwiRail said the ferry left Picton at about 8:50pm, but then “experienced an unexpected issue with its propulsion...

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12 Jun 2025

Human Interest

Missing student found safe and well

Private investigators looking for an American aviation student missing from Palmerston North for more than a week say he has been found. Massey University student William Henry Johnson, known as Will, was last seen in Palmerston North between 30 May and 1 June. The 24-year-old’s last communication with family was on 5 June and he had not responded to any attempts to contact him since.

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Pacific

Pacific nations urged to ‘stand together as a region’

Foreign Minister Winston Peters has urged Pacific nations to “stand together as a region” against “external forces” seeking to “coerce, cajole and constrain”. Peters is in France attending a range of meetings with world leaders, including the sixth...

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Weather

Floods loom as thunderstorms verge on North Island

Much of the upper North Island is forecast to be hit by severe thunderstorms and possible surface flooding. MetService predicts that the thunderstorms could bring downpours of between 25 and 40mm per hour on Thursday evening. It said surface...

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Weather

Heavy fog disrupts flights

Dozens of domestic flights at Auckland Airport have been delayed or cancelled due to a thick fog enveloping the city. About 23 flights were delayed and 9 flights were cancelled due to the fog. But the Airport says fog restrictions have since been...

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Technology

Probe into how Aussie ship was able to put NZ offline

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon remains unaware of how an Australian warship was allowed to accidentally to knock out mobile internet access across Taranaki and Marlborough last week. Navigation radar interference from HMAS Canberra, the Royal Australian Navy’s largest warship, disrupted 5 GHz wireless access points on Wednesday as it sailed through the Cook Strait. The interference triggered in-built switches in the devices that caused them to go offline, ABC News reported – a safety precaution to prevent wireless signals interfering with radar systems in New Zealand’s airspace.

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Education

Schools serve their own lunches

Schools that still serve up their own lunches they have made – despite slashed funding from the government’s free school lunch scheme – are determined to stick with it. After six months under the revised scheme, they say their meals are better...

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Food

Chef turns talents to feeding troubled teens

A set of keys jangling from her pocket to get through the thick, secure doors is a reminder of one Palmerston North chef’s job change. After 17 years in fine dining, hotel, and large catering jobs, three years ago, Ashlee Savea took the helm of the kitchen at the city’s Oranga Tamariki youth justice facility, Te Au rere a te Tonga. Savea swapped preparing gourmet creations for paying customers with feeding youth offenders on a $20-a-day per-head budget. Up to 30 young people, aged 12-17, are onsite.

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Odd Spot

What does it take to be the best skipper in the world?

When Thames-based competitive skipper Sacha Willetts told her family she had made it to the world championships – the first New Zealander to do so – there was initially a laugh in disbelief. In just two years, the 40-year-old went from skipping as a hobby to competing in top ranks, winning medals in Australia, and now qualifying for the world championships in Japan in July. Willetts, who can do 70 skips in 30 seconds and 355 jumps in 3 minutes, hopes to pull off some of her best tricks on stage, including ones where she lets go of the rope handle, twirls it and catches it again.

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Energy

What ‘running out’ of supply means for gas users

Reports that New Zealand’s natural gas reserves might be dwindling faster than expected may be unwelcome news to households using it to cook and heat. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment said previous forecasts showed annual gas...

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