Super Rugby Pacific: Fijian Drua to host eight home games in 2027
The Fijian Drua will host eight home matches during the 2027 Super Rugby Pacific competition, including one against defending champions. The Fijian Drua management have yet to confirm where seven of their home matches will be played. The Super Round returns to Christchurch for the second consecutive season. Super Rugby Pacific CEO Jack Mesley said the new season will be exciting. "Throw in all the traditional and emerging rivalries, and a new Finals Series where every game is sudden death, and there will be more at stake in every Super Rugby Pacific fixture, from the opening whistle through to the Grand Final.
Source:RNZ
September 16, 2026 02:35 UTC
Kahurangi National Park predator control programme hailed as success
A conservation group has completed a successful predator control operation in the Kahurangi National Park in the north-west of the South Island. There had been successful 1080 drops in the area before but this one was "wildly successful," he said. Things that made a 1080 drop successful in reducing rat numbers included the time of year and how many rats there were, he said. The rats then eat the bait and the stoats and weasels eat the rats and "goodbye stoats and weasels". Kahurangi National Park had a huge amount of biodiversity in terms of its plants and native birds, he said.
Source:RNZ
September 16, 2026 02:35 UTC
Councils to be allowed to charge developers with new levy from 2029
The government has confirmed it will let councils charge development levies from 2029, as it seeks to change the system by which infrastructure growth is paid for. Currently, councils charge developers a 'contribution' to help cover the costs of growth. "The new development levy system will make sure that growth pays for growth, and that the beneficiaries of new housing and the developers building that new housing are charged appropriately for the costs of that growth." Councils would be able to charge development levies for water supply, wastewater, stormwater, transport, reserves, and community infrastructure. This is meant as an interim measure, until the development levy legislation passes.
Source:RNZ
September 16, 2026 02:11 UTC
Māori health and arts leader John Broughton dies
Māori academic and playwright Emeritus Professor John Broughton CNZM (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Kahungunu Ki Heretaunga) has died. The University of Otago, where Broughton dedicated more than 40 years of his professional academic life, confirmed he passed on Tuesday. Among his achievements was the introduction and development of hauora Māori curriculum in health professional courses, and being the inaugural director of the Ngāi Tahu Māori Health Research Unit. In a statement the university said Broughton "was awarded a PhD in 2006 following a doctoral thesis in Māori oral health and became professor in 2012. In 2025 the university awarded Broughton an honorary doctorate of science in recognition of his outstanding career and contribution to healthcare and Māori advancement.
Source:RNZ
September 16, 2026 01:28 UTC
Global dairy price drop points to 'mixed market'
Milk powder prices held relatively steady but butter dropped 5.7 percent.
Source:RNZ
September 16, 2026 00:46 UTC
Pacific nations show promise at inaugural Women's Handball Championship
The tournament director at the first-ever Oceania Women's Handball Championship believes Fiji, Cook Islands and Kiribati are on the right path in the sport. David Ireland, who is also president of New Zealand Handball, made the comments following the Fijians' performance at the event, which concluded on Monday. There were some penalties, really exciting, and that was really intense, and really really good quality handball." They are one of the the top nations in Oceania for handball, and they are all gearing up towards the 2032 Olympics. "At the moment, our junior and youth men's team are in preparation mode for the Oceania Handball Championship.
Source:RNZ
September 16, 2026 00:33 UTC
New nurses: Labour and National spar over who hired them
National deputy leader Nicola Willis says more than 2000 nurses being recruited by Health NZ will be working by the end of the year. But appearing on Morning Report's political panel with Labour deputy leader Carmel Sepuloni, Willis said 2300 nurses were being recruited "right now". The two parties have repeatedly clashed over how many nurses had been hired while the coalition had been in power. National said the 2100 more nurses hired between September 2023 and March 2024 were its doing. Health NZ said on 24 August, of the 2378 roles being recruited, 475 nurses had accepted offers and were preparing to join the workforce.
Source:RNZ
September 15, 2026 23:55 UTC
Fiji declares HIV emergency as epidemic grows
One in every 60 adults in Fiji is now living with HIV.
Source:RNZ
September 15, 2026 23:39 UTC
Fiji declares HIV emergency as 1 in 60 Fijian adults live with HIV
Fiji's Health Minister Dr Atonio Lalabalavu has formally declared a national HIV emergency in the country. The health minister confirmed that the government's current estimates indicated that one in every 60 adults in Fiji is living with HIV. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Fiji has the second-fastest-growing HIV epidemic in the Asia-Pacific region behind Papua New Guinea (PNG). "It helps people living with HIV stay well, and when it achieves and maintains an undetectable viral load, it prevents sexual transmission." The Fijian government has also proposed the establishment of a parliamentary standing committee on HIV and related matters, he said.
Source:RNZ
September 15, 2026 23:20 UTC
Why schools are ditching Facebook photos of students
Why schools are ditching Facebook photos of their students Nine To Noon Download MP3 8mSocial media has become a popular means of keeping school communities updated on events and student achievements. But concerns over how the images could be used has seen two schools decide to no longer post photos of students on Facebook pages. Over the last two terms, we've been thinking about the same thing as a senior leadership team and the safety of our children's images. "I've just seen how easy it is to take a screenshot of a photo on Facebook to screen record videos. That's a worry... parents give permission for our children's images to go up, but it's a lifelong digital footprint that the children haven't given consent for."
Source:RNZ
September 15, 2026 23:07 UTC
Vanuatu PM praises China's 'generous' NZ$155,000 donation for dual-disaster recovery
China has donated about VU$11 million (approximately NZ$155,000) to help Vanuatu's recovery efforts following the Ambae volcanic emergency and the weekend ferry disaster, the Vanuatu government says. In a statement on Wednesday night, the Vanuatu Prime Minister's Office said the "generous donation" was handed over to Prime Minister Jotham Napat in Port Vila by Li Minggang, Beijing's top diplomat in the country. "[China's] support at such a critical time demonstrates true friendship", Napat was quoted as saying in the statement. Ambae has been experiencing renewed volcanic activity since earlier this year, with a major eruption in late August prompting ongoing response and recovery efforts from local authorities. Napat asked Li to pass on Vanuatu's deepest appreciation to Chinese President Xi Jinping and the people of China.
Source:RNZ
September 15, 2026 22:03 UTC
Man pleads not guilty over murder of two people in Auckland
A man has pleaded not guilty over the murder of two people in the Auckland suburb of Wattle Downs. The 30-year-old entered not guilty pleas through his lawyer at the Auckland High Court on Wednesday, before Justice Michele Wilkinson-Smith. More than a dozen people observed in the public gallery and when the accused first appeared in the dock, a man in the public gallery yelled "d***head". Justice Wilkinson Smith warned the man and asked him to contain himself. She said if there's disturbance in the public gallery, she would close the court.
Source:RNZ
September 15, 2026 21:58 UTC
Retirement village operators say law change needed to provide certainty
A retirement village operators group says the government's plan to change the law to ensure residents moving out of a unit are fully repaid within 12 months is fair to operators and residents.
Source:RNZ
September 15, 2026 20:43 UTC