Photo: Getty ImagesTimoci Tavatavanawai and Hugh Renton have been locked in as the Highlanders co-captains for 2026. The pair are familiar with each other and bring experience to the leadership group, having served as co-captains last season. Hugh Renton is back for another season as Highlanders co-captain. Photo: Getty ImagesRenton, the bruising No 8, spent much of last season sidelined, hampered by a horror run of injuries. The Highlanders open their Super Rugby Pacific season on Friday against the Crusaders at Forsyth Barr Stadium.

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Firefighters tackle the blaze near Blackhead this afternoon. Photo: Stephen JaquieryA hedge cutter fire near Blackhead, south of Dunedin, sent large plumes of thick black smoke across the area this afternoon. "But en route, they could see a lot of black smoke, so they then requested another appliance." A tanker was sent from the central Dunedin station and another appliance from Roslyn attended the fire. He said it was fortunate the hedge cutter was not in a shed, because there was no danger to other property.

The man kept a cockatiel for a number of years, causing medical experts to speculate if it had caused his lung disease. Instead, some medical experts speculated Jeffrie Radford has a condition called "bird fancier’s lung" due to his pet parrot. Radford’s lawyer, Benjamin Hinchcliffe, made submissions to the court that toxins in his work environment likely caused his lung problems. The work exposures materially contributed to the cause of the lung disease," Hinchcliffe said in his submissions. Judge Spiller found that the medical evidence didn’t show that Radford had developed his lung disease from his work.

File photoPolice are asking people to look after their older family members after a "tired" grandmother drove the wrong way along the Dunedin Motorway. Officers stopped the woman, who told officers she was tired after spending the entire day with her family, and had gotten "confused by the Dunedin roads". She was given a ride home to her grandson’s house by police, Snr Sgt Dinnissen said. "It’s very concerning that she was [so] confused that she was driving the wrong way on the motorway — look after your elderly mother if she's a bit tired and confused. While driving along Matanaka Dr, she ended up leaving the road and plunging down a bank and on to the sand at the Waikouaiti Beach, Snr Sgt Dinnissen said.

File photoA pack of allegedly intoxicated young men behaved like a pack of "untrained seals" after police stopped them for throwing cans out of a moving car, police say. Police stopped the vehicle and spoke to the occupants. The 22-year-old driver underwent breath testing procedures and recorded a breath alcohol level of 440mcg — the legal limit is 250mcg. While the testing was underway, the passengers proceeded to perform "like untrained seals" for attending officers. When one of the passengers learnt another unit was on their way to assist police with the unruly men, he fled on foot.

OpenAI, which makes ChatGPT, is planning its second Super Bowl TV commercial, the Wall Street Journal reported. The Super Bowl ads are a high-stakes pitch to win new fans and become enmeshed in American life. But the AI industry faces a special challenge, because it’s selling a vision of the future that Americans don’t like. “The next era of AI marketing will not be won by showing what machines can do, but by clarifying what humans still own,” she said. The planned Super Bowl commercial for Anthropic’s Claude mocks ChatGPT’s recent addition of advertising messages to the widely used chatbot.

Photo: Getty ImagesDunedin police spent their afternoon searching for a "large-built, golden-haired individual — possibly of Scottish descent" after multiple calls from the public reported his roadside manner to police. Motorists reported the wandering highland cattle after spotting the cow walking around State Highway One near Pidgeon Flat on Sunday, Senior Sergeant Craig Dinnissen said. After further descriptions from other motorists were gained, police identified that "he had large horns and was possibly of Scottish descent". but there were genuine concerns over his understanding of road rules", he said. Snr Sgt Dinnissen said the cow was never located.

Photo: Nathan McKinnon / RNZA priest admitted sexual abuse to leaders of his religious order nearly 20 years before he would be convicted of sexually abusing four boys, RNZ can reveal. RNZ also revealed that the Society of Mary was made aware of allegations against the priest nearly 20 years ago. "Donoghue was sent for a six-month programme to Encompass, an institute in Australia that provided professional risk assessment and therapy for those accused of sexual abuse." In response to earlier questions from RNZ, a Teaching Council spokesperson said in general, the council did not comment on complaints or mandatory reports to the council. In early 2023, police were contacted about the allegations of sexual abuse by Donoghue in relation to his time at St Bede's College.

Should primary and intermediate schools teach children to type so they are ready for online exams at high school? "Exams and assessments are about the students' ability to display their knowledge and what they've learned. So those students who are able to type... do have an advantage over those who are unable to type or who have never been taught to type properly," he said. The curriculum's so full that schools just don't have the ability to teach the actual skills and fundamentals of the ability to type," he said. Ultimately, however, exams should not be a test of students' ability to type, McCracken said.

The Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework is a global standard developed by the OECD to enable the automatic exchange of information between tax authorities on crypto-asset transactions. Before CARF, many crypto transactions remained invisible to tax authorities, especially those conducted on offshore platforms. The idea is to support enforcement of existing tax obligations, improve fairness in the tax system, and reduce opportunities to under-report crypto income or gains. Once collected, this information will be shared both domestically and internationally under the CARF rules, improving visibility over cross-border crypto activity by New Zealand tax residents. Tax professionals also advise taxpayers to review their past crypto transactions and consult a tax adviser if they are unsure about reporting requirements.

Warning: This story details domestic violenceA man subjected his partner to almost two years of violence in their Alexandra and Christchurch homes. Judge Elkin outlined how the abuse had started three months into the pair’s relationship and spanned 20 months. Judge Elkin said Cudby would be subject to a first strike under the new Three Strikes law. "If you commit a further serious offence, the consequences will be serious," Judge Elkin told him. • Crisis line - 0800 742 584 (available 24/7)• Ministry of Justice: For information on family violence• Te Kupenga Whakaoti Mahi Patunga: National Network of Family Violence Services• White Ribbon: Aiming to eliminate men's violence towards women.

On the Government’s plan to ban social media for under-16s, Luxon said he was looking very closely at what Australia had been doing. He acknowledged their approach wasn’t perfect but “you’ve got to die trying” - protecting 70% of under-16s from the harms of social media was better than protecting none. Luxon’s much-touted India free trade agreement is also facing scrutiny as NZ First continues to oppose the deal. Plans are also being laid for India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit New Zealand mid-year, just months before the NZ elections. Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

Photo: Getty ImagesZoi Sadowski-Synnott has made an imposing start to her Winter Olympic campaign, leading after the first qualifying run in the women's Snowboard Big Air. Sadowski-Synnott is competing in her third Olympics and is chasing her first Big Air gold. A year later, she competed at the Pyeongchang Olympics, claiming a bronze medal in the Big Air. In Beijing 2022, she made history as the first Kiwi to ever win a Winter Olympic gold medal when she won the snowboard slopestyle title. She followed that up just days later with a silver medal in the Big Air.

Jorja Miller attempts to break free on a run for the Black Ferns Sevens against Australia in the final of last night's tournament in Perth. Photo: Getty ImagesThe Black Ferns Sevens have overwhelmed defending champions Australia in Perth, scoring five tries in the final to win 29-7 and extend their lead in the world series. The two sides have met in all four finals this season, with the Black Ferns Sevens prevailing in the opening round in Dubai, before Australia struck back in Cape Town. Teneti scored tries either side of halftime to give the Black Ferns Sevens control, using her power for the first and her speed for the second, racing 75m to score. New Zealand remain third in the standings while Fiji held on to their top spot, despite a 21-19 loss to second-placed South Africa in the Perth final.