Seymour himself floated the idea of capping ministers and departments in a speech last May. “The Ministry for Regulation has been trying to count the number of regulatory agencies in New Zealand. “Labour appointed a Minister for Auckland without any actual budget, department or responsibility. “Reducing the number of ministers will save money, but it will also change the point of being a minister. “Instead, one minister will be solely accountable for getting results for their budget of taxpayer money from their department,” he said.

Emergency services were notified of the single-vehicle accident at about 10.50pm yesterday. Person dies after being thrown from vehicle in late-night Whangārei crashEmergency services were notified of the single-vehicle accident at about 10.50pm yesterday. A person has died after being ejected from a vehicle in a Whangārei crash. Emergency services were notified of the single-vehicle accident on Knight Rd, Ruatangata West, at about 10.50pm yesterday. The road was closed while the Serious Crash Unit undertook a scene examination but has since reopened.

Rutherford, 29, spent Thursday on the ground at the Mount Maunganui slip site. He spent the day before his wedding there too, alongside Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, as well as making a visit to the site of the Pāpāmoa landslide. “I did find it really conflicting, but I knew that my priority needed to be my community, and then on the Saturday, my priority being Hannah and our marriage. “I think that’s one of the reasons why we make such a formidable and strong team, her support for me, her love. The pair were married in an intimate affair at the popular wedding venue, Black Walnut, in Whakamārama, a 30-minute drive from Tauranga.

Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones. Photo: RNZAfter a public outcry, the government is imposing a two-year ban on taking shellfish from rockpools north of Auckland - and the minister in charge is blaming migrant communities. Fisheries worked with the Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust, Jones said, to enact a traditional rāhui. "My decision excludes some of the species and areas requested by Ngāti Manuhiri where existing closures and restrictions apply." The closure did not apply to any aquaculture activities such as marine farming or the collection of spat (small juvenile shellfish), Jones and Marcroft said.

Pat Dougherty says it could take months before it is safe to swim on Wellington's South Coast. Sign in hereAccess to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. By RNZWellington Water is concerned wild weather could increase the likelihood of raw sewage being pushed towards the shoreline. Progress is being made at the Moa Point Wastewater Treatment Plant to clean it, mitigate the odour, and inspect the damage. Mega-litres of raw sewage have spilled into Cook Strait since, but not through the short outfall pipe since the following day.

The trouble is that Australia’s economy suffers from one of the same structural problems as ours. We haven’t come close to troubling our potential growth rate, regardless of how low it is now. Australia still has a much lower unemployment rate – it currently sits at just 4.10%. If the central bank forecasts hold through until 2028, we may actually have a marginally lower unemployment rate than Australia. The RBNZ has unemployment falling to 4.5% by March, while the RBA has Australia’s rate rising to 4.6% by June 2028.

The Court of Appeal in Wellington has heard evidence this week on why the gunman should be allowed leave to appeal his convictions for the mass shootings in 2019.

The Court of Appeal in Wellington has heard evidence this week on why the gunman should be allowed leave to appeal his convictions for the mass shootings in 2019.

It comes as untreated sewage continues to flow into the sea off Wellington’s south coast, after a serious failure on February 5 saw the Moa Point plant flood and become inoperable. The capital’s south coast beaches are currently off limits, and are expected to remain so for months as the plant is fixed. Untreated sewage continues to flow into Cook Strait, after a serious failure at the Moa Point treatment plant. Wellington City Council owns the Moa Point Wastewater Treatment Plant site, Wellington Water is contracted to run the region’s water network, waste management company Veolia is contracted to run the plant and Greater Wellington Regional Council has regulatory oversight. Zyngfogel said the map is not part of the council or Wellington Water’s work.

The Gibbston Valley as seen from the air in this Otago Daily Times file photo. Mary May has been a rural girl since she was young and talks to the Wānaka Sun about the development of Central Otago. ‘‘He was a musterer up at Hunter Valley Station in Hawea. In 1969, she and Alan bought Wentworth Station in the Gibbston Valley where they farmed 20,000 acres. ‘‘Now they have tidied it up in the Gibbston Valley and I just love it the way it is.

Shepherd is the Taupō community constable, Bay of Plenty police area lead for search and rescue and a member of the national Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) team. Senior Constable Barry Shepherd (left) and St John Ambulance paramedic Tony More (right) assist a schoolboy who slipped and was injured at Red Crater on the Tongariro Alpine Crossing in 2017. Senior Constable Barry Shepherd addresses media at a January 24 press conference at Mount Maunganui during recovery efforts following the campground landslide. Senior Constable Barry Shepherd marks 50 years of service in policing. Assistant Commissioner Tim Anderson said Barry Shepherd’s contribution to policing was “impossible to quantify”.

“One fire truck attended, supported by volunteers from the Hamilton brigade and a crew of eight from the swift water rescue department. “Crew left the scene around 2am, with volunteers remaining to help assist police.”State Highway 39 remains closed. Police have urged people to avoid the area. Right now, our focus is on supporting those affected by the widespread flooding, as well as emergency workers and support agencies who are also helping. That motorist escaped injury, a resident told the Herald.

Johnston expressed exasperation that his son-in-law could return to the Waitārere Beach Rd property a second time after the protection order was in place. Timmins’ sister has also told the Herald he was not allowed at the Waitārere Beach Rd property as part of his bail conditions. Police prepare to remove a body from a property on Waitārere Beach Rd after a shooting that left a man dead and three others in hospital. The sister of Benjamin Timmins, Rachel O'Grady, and other family members hold a karakia at a Waitārere Beach Rd property after a family shooting last month. Timmins was killed in a shooting at Waitārere Beach in which three others were critically injured on January 14, 2026.

However, Inland Revenue did not report the alleged kidnapping. “This is a textbook example,” Steve Symon, the chair of the ministerial advisory group on organised crime, previously told the Herald. Those leaders would then be held accountable for meeting those targets by a proposed government minister with a dedicated focus on organised crime. In December, the Government released a new five-year Transnational, Serious and Organised Crime [TSOC] strategy. Jared Savage covers crime and justice issues, with a particular interest in organised crime.

“I guess that’s where the interest began.”Van Heuven’s first collector’s tractor was a Farmall FC. His most recent purchase –another Farmall FC – joined the shed in June 2025, an acquisition he freely admits was an impulse buy. The 1953 Farmall FC viewed from the back – the seat is not original. Chris van Heuven’s Farmall FC has a Hamilton-built front loader. The Farmall FC is unusual in being fitted with a grader.