Kane Russell. PHOTO: ODT FILESOtago defender Kane Russell will boost the Black Sticks for the important series against Japan in Hamilton next year. He will be joined in the squad by Nic Woods, who also plies his trade for German club Hamburger Polo. Veteran striker and captain Sam Lane said starting the new cycle at home was a huge boost for the Black Sticks. "It’s exciting to start our very important 2026 World Cup year at home playing in front of our fans again," he said.
About 20 minutes later, a teenager was summoned to appear in Dunedin District Court after recording a breath alcohol level of 501mcg, Senior Sergeant Anthony Bond said. That parked car was then shunted into another parked car. Police had the man undergo breath testing procedures, and he recorded a breath alcohol level of 1006mcg — over four times the legal limit of 250mcg. He recorded a breath alcohol level of 786mcg. The crashes came less than 24 hours before the official holiday road toll began at 4pm on Christmas Eve.
PHOTO: SUPPLIEDthe mighty Penrith Panthers. Not sure about that but it fairly sums up how the Panthers have played in recent years. My favourite moment... was near the end of the 2023 grand final. Co-captain in four straight grand final wins, two-time Clive Churchill Medal winner, two-time Dally M halfback of the year and an absolute wizard with the ball. Panthers v Warriors grand final in 2026?
Tokomairiro District High School pupils outside the Tarras store in 1965, on a stop during a bus trip. From left: Eddie Eason, Bruce Robins, Valerie Burn, Rosemary Clark, Gaynor Flett and Stephanie Sproule. PHOTO: KEN DOLPHIN. MS- 5147/006/001, HOCKEN COLLECTIONS UARE TAOKA O HĀKENADuring 2025, staff at Hocken Collections added thousands of images to the Digital Collections website, most of them never previously seen online. The site can be accessed at hocken.recollect.co.nz
Air Milford chief pilot Antony Sproull is looking for the owner of a wedding ring he found in Milford Sound. PHOTO: SUPPLIEDAntony Sproull is feeling a little bit like Frodo Baggins, from The Lord of the Rings, after recovering a "precious" wedding ring which was lost on a track at Milford Sound. So I just asked them straight up, and said, ‘what’s happened, guys?’"And they said they’d lost a wedding ring. "I was pretty confident that we’d find this ring because the search area was a very small, pretty contained area just off the walking track. So he has put messages up on social media in the hope that six degrees of separation will help find the family, so he can return the ring.
PHOTO: ODT FILESMTF Finance is the new entrant on the Deloitte Top 30 Financial Institutions Index for 2025, ranked 27th with total assets of $1228 million. It was great to see a Dunedin-based company doing well nationally; there was something about Dunedin that generated a really strong partnership approach to business, chief executive Chris Lamers said. The combined asset base of the Top 30 increased by 3.2%, rising from $732,848m in 2024 to $756,000m in 2025. ANZ remains firmly in the top position, with total assets of $199,176m, representing 2.5% growth year-on-year. The company was also looking for ways to support its customers more and also to support communities.
The variety and each shift is different. What does a typical day in your life look like? I oversee a few different teams (youth engagement, Youth Aid, community, beat, co-response mental health and alcohol harm), so touching base with them to see what’s happening in their spaces. I’ve travelled around New Zealand for multiple different events and investigations and even been to America, as I was assisting with a deportation. We don’t, but we see what happens when crashes happen, and have been to too many unnecessary serious injury or fatal crashes.
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Model Chrissy Teigen has lost a front tooth after a mishap with a candy cane. Teigen, who has four children with singer John Legend, shared on Instagram how the dental disaster unfolded. In the clip, she shared how she and her children had been “growing” candy canes. The children filled flower pots with crushed Oreo cookies before “planting” small candy canes inside. Teigen revealed she had planned on swapping the small candy canes for larger ones, to give the impression they had grown.
Sergeant Mark Robinson posed for a photo with "Santa" after pulling the man and his wife over for speeding in Ohio. Photo / Fulton County Ohio SheriffAlready a subscriber? Ohio deputy’s surprise as he stops speeding Santa and Mrs ClausSergeant Mark Robinson posed for a photo with "Santa" after pulling the man and his wife over for speeding in Ohio. Photo / Fulton County Ohio SheriffPolice in Ohio, United States, were surprised to pull over a speeding Santa and Mrs Claus over the weekend, before letting them off with just a jolly warning. The Fulton County Sheriff’s Department in Ohio shared bodycam video of an officer pulling over an elderly couple on December 20, capturing the deputy’s surprise at the duo’s seasonal costumes.
One person has been flown to Middlemore Hospital in a critical condition. Photo / Auckland Rescue Helicopter TrustAlready a subscriber? Person airlifted to Middlemore Hospital after quad bike crash at Poutō Point, NorthlandOne person has been flown to Middlemore Hospital in a critical condition. Photo / Auckland Rescue Helicopter TrustA person has been airlifted to hospital after a quad bike rolled over in Northland. Shortly afterwards a patient was flown in the Auckland Westpac Rescue Helicopter to Middlemore Hospital.
A dashcam captured footage of the police chase through the back streets of Levin. A brief pursuit was initiated after the driver failed to comply but police abandoned the chase because of the person’s erratic driving. The person of interest then abandoned that vehicle and entered a second one nearby. Police launched a second pursuit but soon abandoned the chase because of the dangerous driving. About 2.20pm, the second vehicle crashed into a car on Queen St before being driven away.
Car theft also increased significantly in the summer months, with the Toyota Corolla, Nissan Tiida, Toyota Aqua and Toyota Hilux being top targets. Northland District prevention manager Dean Robinson said the region’s geography meant officers couldn’t be everywhere at the same time. “There’s a period for a few weeks where we shorten staffing in some areas to increase the staffing in other areas,” Robinson said. Robinson encouraged people to get to know their neighbours as a way to protect their property over summer. “Making your house look like a fortress is actually supporting the opportunistic offender who’s actually trying to duck behind that six-foot fence,” Robinson said.
On the day of their home wedding celebration, Williams wore “the most incredible” Georges Hobieka gown, teamed with jewellery from Messika. “I got the most amazing nails by Gina Edwards, and I wore the most incredible dress by Georges Hobeika,” she said. I was crying and happy.”Williams had been unable to try on her “magical and perfect” gown before the wedding but a sample wasn’t available. “I was in Paris for a day, and I said, ‘I have to go try this dress’. She said: “I didn’t want to be the team captain – I just wanted to be on the team with my husband.
Aimed at protecting consumers from disinformation and hate speech as well as counterfeit or dangerous goods, it obliges platforms to swiftly remove illegal content or make it inaccessible. The law instructs platforms to suspend users who frequently share illegal content such as hate speech - a provision framed as “censorship” by detractors across the Atlantic. Digital Markets ActSince March 2024, the world’s biggest digital companies have faced strict EU rules intended to limit abuses linked to market dominance, favour the emergence of start-ups in Europe, and improve options for consumers. The EU fined Meta €200m in April over its “pay or consent” system after it violated rules on the use of personal data on Facebook and Instagram. The rules require firms to seek the consent of users to collect personal data and to explain what it will be used for and gives users the right to ask firms to delete personal data.
