Williams told Goldsmith he had emailed him but did not expect a reply. That email, dated December 2023, detailed his concerns about the now-defeated bill and its political context. “We both know a referendum is not the clean ‘democracy in action’ play that it is purported to be. “I’d be very happy to meet up and talk through some of the things you raised, any time,” he wrote. The Treaty Principles Bill was defeated at its second reading in April.

A Dunedin man got a rude awakening when he went outside his house to find a car crashed in his yard and the driver sauntering away. He went outside to investigate, and found a car crashed into the front of his house. Snr Sgt Bond said officers found out the man, who was allegedly drunk, was driving his friend's car down the road when he lost control and crashed into a parked car. That parked car was then shunted into another parked car. The man’s car then ended up smashing through the resident’s fence and into the front of the property.

Oamaru's long, wide and straight section of State Highway 1 continues to tempt speeding motorists, helping the town’s only speed camera remain one of the busiest in the country. Now, drivers are being asked not to be tempted to drift over the limit. "We urge people to stick to the speed limit at all times for their own safety and the safety of others." Oamaru’s camera is the Otago region’s highest ticketer. Dunedin’s Southern Motorway camera, also on SH1, catches the second-most speeding motorists in the region, which resulted in 5144 tickets being issued between January and November.

John and Mary Lee outside the Cardrona Hotel, which they owned for seven years in the early 1970s. Photo: ODT files / Marjorie CookThe late John Lee, a pivotal figure in the development of the Upper Clutha district through the development of the Cardrona Alpine Resort, Cardrona Hotel and the Snow Farm cross-country skiing facility, will be farewelled at a private ceremony today. The couple’s next major project, the world-class cross-country skiing facility at Waiorau, Snow Farm, opened in 1990. The Southern Hemisphere Proving Grounds came to life during the development of Snow Farm in 1984. The Lees then supported their youngest son Sam in the development of freestyle skiing and snowboarding facility Snow Park, in the early 2000s.

The Oamaru Rowing Club has named one its new boats after former club member and Olympian the late Lex Clark, pictured in 2020. PHOTO: SOUTH ISLAND ROWINGThe Oamaru Rowing Club has received an early Christmas present — or three. It has bought three new boats — a coxless four/quad, an eight and a single scull — which took to the water for the first time this month at the Otago Rowing Championships on Lake Ruataniwha. The boats were named after former rowers of the club Jo Kearney, Mark Taylor and the late Lex Clark. She represented New Zealand at the junior and under-23 world championships, earning a silver medal at each regatta.

The bank may regret saying interest rates had stabilised. After interest rates, petrol is the next obvious risk. GDP growth is heartening, but New Zealand needs to lift GDP per person to raise living standards. Before the coalition pops the champagne, there is one final statistic that matters more than all the rest: GDP per person. With lower interest rates and the Fonterra payout, 2026 should be a better year.

Mankeel moved to NZ from India in January 2024, followed by his wife and son later that year. Mankeel did that; his and Geetha’s visas were approved in June, while Aidhan’s application for a new visitor visa was declined in July. “His status is now unlawful because he doesn’t have any valid visa ... so there’s a liability of deportation,” Mankeel said. A second petition is calling on the House of Representatives to abolish the Acceptable Standard of Health immigration requirements. “We understand the challenges faced by Mr Mankeel and his family; however, immigration health requirements are very specific and can only be waived through ministerial intervention.

According to the document, “the investigation has revealed that, on at least one occasion, Prince Andrew travelled to Nygard Cay in the Bahamas, a location where Nygard is believed to have trafficked minor and adult female victims”. US authorities said they wanted to question Andrew about his visits there, as well as any information he might have about Nygard and related individuals. US authorities also sought to question Andrew in connection with the Epstein investigation. The request states that “documentary evidence uncovered during the course of this investigation has revealed information suggesting that Prince Andrew had knowledge that Maxwell recruited females to engage in sex acts with Epstein and other men”. The files also include email exchanges from early 2020 between US prosecutors and Andrew’s lawyer, documenting weeks of back-and-forth over a proposed interview with Andrew.

Uefa teams have packed schedules, with World Cup qualifying, European Championships qualifying and (recently) Nations League matches. That has obviously been out of reach but the Fifa series changes the equation, as the costs are shared by the world governing body. “There’s a possibility we’ll see a Uefa nation travel down to play in this series, which will be phenomenal,” NZF chief executive Andrew Pragnell told the Herald. “[Generally] when we are trying to arrange matches one of the real challenges with our geography is bringing a Uefa nation down to New Zealand. New Zealand took part in the inaugural series in 2024, playing a pilot event in Egypt alongside Croatia, Tunisia and the host nation.

Television viewers from throughout NZ posted videos of glitching screens, with one broadcast of the 6pm news severely disrupted by picture issues. The problem affected Three, Bravo, Eden, Rush and their plus-1 channels,Nearly 70 commenters on one post said they, too, were having glitches in their broadcast. TV3 really bad tonight, thought the TV was on its way out,” one said. However, the issues seemed to be resolved overnight, with Three Now channels working normally this morning. Some who contacted the Herald thought the problem was caused by wind affecting aerials.

Photo: ODT FilesThe New Zealand Transport Agency has commissioned an independent analysis of breath testing data to try and identify the full scale of falsely recorded tests. RNZ earlier revealed about 130 Police staff were under investigation throughout the country after 30,000 alcohol breath tests were "falsely or erroneously recorded". "This independent analysis will identify whether any further irregularities (over and above any detected by NZ Police) are discernible." Johnson earlier said in a statement that NZTA had notified Police that delivery-dependent road policing funding for the first quarter of the financial year had been paused, while Police's investigation into irregularities in breath testing data was ongoing. Police continued to deliver "very high levels of breath testing activity", Johnson said.

Scott Hodges watches as his son Fraser (12), both of Invercargill, gets his karting helmet signed by F1 star Liam Lawson as Highlands chief executive Josie Spillane looks on. Photo: Gregor RichardsonAll eyes were on the sky at Highlands Motorsport Park this morning as Formula 1 driver Liam Lawson literally dropped in. To have Liam racing here today and raising so much money for the Breast Cancer Foundation is so impressive." Before he suited up Lawson, signed autographs for some of the hundreds of fans who began lining up several hours before the event began. Helmets, photographs, caps and cans of Red Bull were all offered to the racing star for his signature.

“It means so much to be able to come home before Christmas but we weren’t sure it was going to be possible,” says Williamson. “I remember right up until it happened, thinking we were going to win and then nothing. The Williamsons just won the most important battle of Nathan’s life and he is back where he belongs in time for Christmas with a battle scar to tell the kids about. Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald’s Racing Editor in 1995 and covers the world’s biggest horse racing carnivals.

Photo: SUPPLIEDHomes in rural Hastings are being evacuated due to a scrub fire which has destroyed buildings. Hawke's Bay Fire and Emergency said conditions were too windy for air operations, but five trucks, three tankers and support vehicles were working to contain the fire. Havelock North blazeMeanwhile, crews were also working on another scrub fire threatening houses near Havelock North, but it was contained at this stage. A Fire and Emergency spokesperson said the blaze was threatening houses, but there were no formal evacuations at this stage. Multiple fire restrictions were in place in Hawke's Bay, with crews warning of high fire danger levels.

A rebellion inside Trump’s Republican Party forced him to sign off on a law mandating the release of all the documents. A first batch was made public last Friday amid fierce criticism that the Justice Department was deliberately slow-walking the release and excluding any references to Trump. The latest slew of documents contains 8000 files, including hundreds of videos or audio recordings. He has said they fell out when Epstein “stole” young women working in the spa at his Florida golf club. Some of the references to Trump in the documents are impossible to verify and there are no indications of criminal behaviour.