Northland teacher shortage forecast to persist despite national gains
Education leaders in Northland say the numbers reflect a reality many schools in the region have been dealing with for years. NZ Rural Schools Leadership Association president Andrew King said recruiting new teachers was hard across the board, but particularly difficult for small, rural and isolated schools. “Because you do not necessarily have the same teacher for the whole year and likewise you might constantly have changing teachers. Children need consistency and a professional relationship with a teacher that they have known for a while to optimise learning. “Northland schools and kura, like all schools in New Zealand, are responsible for recruitment of the staff they need.
Source:New Zealand Herald
March 14, 2026 23:48 UTC
Carless days are no solution to an oil shock – Liam Dann
But even discussing carless days will be triggering for anyone over the age of 55. For the record, the carless days policy was a disaster. The Government eventually claimed fuel consumption was reduced by 3% during the carless days period. “Oil shock from Iran war grips global economy,” said the banner headline on the New York Times website on Friday. The Iranian revolution, in that year, caused the second oil supply shock of the 1970s.
Source:New Zealand Herald
March 14, 2026 23:33 UTC
Auckland fraudster Thomas Davies loses High Court sentence appeal
But Justice Downs noted that the district court judge had already allowed a 10% discount for Davies’ rehabilitation efforts and another 10% for his addiction to methamphetamine, before adding five months for his extensive criminal history. Those discounts were “careful and considered”, Justice Downs determined at the end of the short hearing, declining to declare the sentence manifestly excessive. Thomas Davies' appeal was heard in the High Court at Auckland. But Justice Downs was not persuaded he had the authority to address the issue. “I apprehend that none of this money is recoverable,” Justice Downs said.
Source:New Zealand Herald
March 14, 2026 23:30 UTC
F1 calls off April races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia
The Saudi Grand Prix. File photo: ReutersFormula One's Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix will not take place in April due to the conflict in the Middle East, the sport announced on Saturday. The deadline for freight for the race to be sent to Bahrain was March 20, according to informed sources. Formula Two, Formula Three and the all-female F1 Academy rounds scheduled for the Middle Eastern races will also not go ahead. "Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are incredibly important to the ecosystem of our racing season and I look forward to returning to both as soon as circumstances allow."
Source:Otago Daily Times
March 14, 2026 23:29 UTC
France win Six Nations with last-gasp win over England
England played superbly against France, however, scoring tries through Tom Roebuck, Cadan Murley, Ollie Chessum (2), Alex Coles, Tommy Freeman and Marcus Smith. The match got off to a pulsating start and remained frantic throughout, until Ramos' clinical penalty won it for France. Les Bleus stretched their lead with a Ramos penalty, yet England refused to take the easy points when awarded a penalty inside France’s 22. France gifted England another try just before Genge’s sin-bin time was over as Chessum intercepted a Jalibert pass to race to the line. France have now won eight Six Nations titles, one more than England, and two more than Ireland and Wales.
Source:Otago Daily Times
March 14, 2026 23:29 UTC
Inside the revival of Auckland’s inner-city heritage shopping arcades
A $5 million refurbishment project is planned for Queens Arcade, which connects Customs St (the frontage pictured here) with Queen St. There are also renewed signs of life at the Strand Arcade on Queen St, which has emerged from an unloved, almost derelict state. Barbara Holloway says innovative projects in heritage arcades like the Strand can fill a growing demand for "experiential shopping". Since it opened, Queens Arcade has been owned by the Davis family, who have strong generational links to the city. According to what he’s gleaned, the lineage of the modern shopping arcade dates back to early 19th-century London, where Lord George Cavendish commissioned Burlington Arcade in Piccadilly in 1819.
Source:New Zealand Herald
March 14, 2026 23:00 UTC
Meal service calls for help
Claire GlassVolunteers are needed for the Soup or Salad (SoS) monthly community meal and fortnightly morning teas held at Reach Church. SoS organiser Claire Glass said the ‘‘very popular’’ monthly lunch required more volunteers as the programme grew to ensure consistent service. ‘‘We have several volunteer roles available and would require a commitment for one shift per month, particularly for the morning teas. ‘‘This is a voluntary and non-profit service to cater and create a social space in a warm, welcoming environment,’’ Mrs Glass said. An extension of the church’s monthly free community lunch — the morning teas — are at the heart of what pastor Brendon Perumal says is the church’s spirit.
Source:Otago Daily Times
March 14, 2026 22:49 UTC
Alice Robinson clams another podium finish
Alice Robinson in action in Sweden. Photo: Getty ImagesNew Zealand skier Alice Robinson has continued her excellent season, finishing third in the Giant Slalom at the latest round in Are, Sweden. She posted a time of 1:12.46 in her first run, and then 1:10.70 in her second run, to finished a combined 0.75 of a second behind the winner, Austrian Julia Scheib. Scheib is the first Austrian woman to win a World Cup giant slalom title since Eva-Maria Brem in 2016. Overall, Robinson is sixth in the Giant Slalom standings with 372 points.
Source:Otago Daily Times
March 14, 2026 22:40 UTC
Relationship break-ups and frozen joint account: who gets frozen out – Nadine Higgins
She alleges her ex freezing joint bank accounts, cancelling credit cards, removing joint funds and redirecting business income amounted to financial abuse. Photo / SuppliedBut Women’s Refuge says abuse through joint accounts is common. “There’s inconsistency in the level of support and what can be done”, she says - not helped by the fact that financial abuse is seldom recognised as abuse in its own right. But coercive control itself is not a specific criminal offence, while in countries we like to compare ourselves to, that is changing - in the UK, coercive control is a criminal offence, and in Australia, Queensland and New South Wales have introduced similar laws. Your bank is, of course, meant to be the neutral party; they can hardly take sides in a relationship breakdown.
Source:New Zealand Herald
March 14, 2026 22:32 UTC
Lawson takes points in sprint, unlucky in main qualifying
McLaren's Oscar Piastri and RB's Liam Lawson in action during the sprint race in China. Photo: ReutersKiwi driver Liam Lawson has gained valuable Formula 1 points, finishing seventh in the sprint race, before Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix at Shanghai. Oscar Piastri finished sixth for McLaren, with Lawson seventh and Oliver Bearman taking the final point for Haas. After the later qualifying sessions, Lawson will start from 14th on the grid in the main race. With the bottom six drivers dropping out after the first qualifying session, Lawson scraped through into the second stage in last place.
Source:Otago Daily Times
March 14, 2026 22:14 UTC
Why business deserves a morning wake-up call – Garth Bray
There’s another reason I can see success for Herald NOW Business. Garth Bray gives a business update on the Ryan Bridge TODAY show on Herald NOW. So, what did Sir Stephen say when I asked him if it was the right time? And Sir Stephen – thanks for all of those suggestions as to who we should be speaking to on the show. Watch: Herald NOW Business with Garth Bray at 6.30am weekdays on nzherald.co.nz or on ThreeNow or catch up on all of the interviews here.
Source:New Zealand Herald
March 14, 2026 21:30 UTC
Six Nations: France clinch rugby title with last-minute penalty in thriller with England
England had started well with a couple of Elliot Daly grubbers pinning France down in their 22. England struck back immediately, spinning the ball wide for Tom Roebuck to dive over in the corner. Two tries each but France led by four points as Ramos proved more accurate than Fin Smith with the conversion attempts. And after Smith kicked a penalty from in front of the posts, England led 27-17, by four tries to two. Once again the momentum shifted, as France turned over ball deep in their own half and Dupont hoofed it long.
Source:New Zealand Herald
March 14, 2026 21:30 UTC
Who stands to win from Southland's massive new AI data centre?
It describes a data centre that was built to serve AI technology, through training and inference. AI training involved teaching a model by feeding it datasets to learn patterns, while AI inference was the application of that knowledge. Microsoft opened a data centre in Auckland in 2024, while Amazon Web Services (AWS) spent $7.5b building a cluster of data centres in the city. A project years in the makingSouthland Business Chamber CEO Sheree Casey said the new data centre provided an opportunity for the region to broaden its economic horizons. Transpower said it was confident the national grid could meet the energy needs of the new data centre.
Source:Otago Daily Times
March 14, 2026 21:29 UTC
Trump urges allies to send warships as Iran war chokes Strait of Hormuz
Commercial ships anchor off the coast of the United Arab Emirates due to navigation disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, Dubai, on March 2. After earlier vowing that the US Navy would “very soon” begin escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, Trump called for reinforcements. He later said that although the United States had “beaten” Iran, countries dependent on the strait for oil “must take care of that passage, and we will help”. US President Donald Trump has urged other nations to help secure the Strait of Hormuz. AFP journalists heard blasts over Jerusalem after the military detected missiles launched from Iran on Saturday (local time).
Source:New Zealand Herald
March 14, 2026 21:10 UTC
‘New Zealand Fruit’ – why I’m renaming the feijoa: Glenn Dwight
The kiwifruit is taken, but I would like to formally nominate the “New Zealand fruit”. The feijoa, the New Zealand fruit, is already more Kiwi than most of us. Let us give them a giant feijoa, a New Zealand fruit. The selfie potential of a giant feijoa, the New Zealand fruit, alone would give Tourism New Zealand a hashtag. The time to officially recognise the feijoa as the New Zealand fruit.
Source:New Zealand Herald
March 14, 2026 20:56 UTC