Severe weather hits New Zealand and Kiwisaver cuts not ruled out
Police pulled their Tasers and rifles on a man at Woolworths Quay St after he allegedly brought a fake gun onto a bus on Saturday.
Auckland FC have made history and the celebrations were fitting to the occasion. Video / Ben Dickens
A Lower Hutt dairy owner was the victim of an armed robbery over the weekend. Video / Supplied
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has spoken to Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking after his Vatican and Gallipoli trip on April 28, 2025. Video / Newstalk ZB
A suspect in a Vancouver car-ramming attack that killed eleven acted deliberately and had mental health issues, police said. Video / AFP
Vancouver mourns after a deadly festival tragedy, the Vatican prepares to elect a new Pope, and not all principals are convinced by the Government's teaching mandates.
Two different fires have marred Māngere Mountain in the past few months! Reporter Kaitoa heads to a Love Your Maunga event, bringing people together to support Te Pane o Mataoho.
Police will conduct an audit, assessing applicants over a six-month period. Video / Alex Burton, Alyse Wright
Fire and Emergency crews from South Auckland stations have attended an unexplained fire at a Funeral home in Mangere overnight. Video / NZ Herald
Flooding on Ross Rd in Parua Bay, Whangārei. Video / Kathy Wallace
Kerikeri River at full spate after wet weather. Video / Ian Johnston
The US is considering a 'harder' approach to Russia. Pope Francis' funeral sees thousands gather at Vatican City. Massive explosion at major Iranian port. Video / NZ Herald
Diagnosed at 45 with stage 4 cancer, Jackie Robertson wants earlier bowel screening — and a better chance for others. Video \ Jason Dorday
Pope Francis is farewelled at a funeral ceremony in the Vatican's St Peter's Square. Video / AFP
Thousands, including US President Donald Trump, Britain's Prince William and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, have gathered in the Vatican for Pope Francis' funeral.
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20 hours ago
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Colombian presidential candidate's condition 'grave' after assassination attempt
By Alba Santana , AFP Miguel Uribe. Photo: AFP/SEBASTIAN BARROS A prominent Colombian presidential candidate was in "grave" condition and "fighting for his life" in hospital Sunday, after an alleged teen gunman shot him twice in the head at a Bogota campaign rally. Thirty-nine-year-old right-wing Senator Miguel Uribe underwent successful initial surgery to contain injuries from Saturday's attack, but doctors warned his life was still in serious peril. He remains in "the most grave condition and the prognosis is reserved" said medics at the capital's Santa Fe Clinic. Uribe's shooting has utterly shocked a nation that had believed decades of bloody political and narco violence were largely in the past. Hundreds took to the streets in major cities on Sunday to light candles, pray and voice their anger at the attack. "Our hearts are broken, Colombia hurts," Carolina Gomez, a 41-year-old businesswoman, told AFP as she lit candles and prayed outside the hospital where Uribe was being treated. The crowd joined together in cries of "strength to you Miguel" and "the people are with you." Uribe's wife Maria Claudia Tarazona thanked Colombians for their support and asked that they collectively pray for his survival. "He is fighting hard for his life," she said. The senator received two gunshot wounds to the head and was also shot once in the leg. Although a security guard at the scene captured the alleged gunman, the motive for the shooting is still not publicly known. Uribe had been a fierce critic of Colombia's leftist government, of guerrilla groups that still control chunks of the country and of ultra-powerful drug cartels. The government has vowed to use every police, military and intelligence resource to uncover the motive and find those who hired the alleged would-be assassin. Police said there had been no specific threats against Uribe's life, but like other public figures he had close personal protection. The young Senator's family history traces the tragedies of modern Colombia, making the attack all the more poignant for many. He is the grandson of a former president Julio Cesar Turbay whose 1978-1982 term was marked by guerrilla insurgencies and the emergence of the Medellin and Cali drug cartels. Pablo Escobar. Photo: supplied But Uribe is best known as the son of Diana Turbay, a famed Colombian journalist who was killed after being kidnapped by Pablo Escobar and whose death rocked the nation. A team of about 100 investigators are now working to determine the motive for the attack, Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez said Sunday. Earlier he had offered a roughly US$725,000 (NZ$1.2m) reward for information about who was behind the shooting. The suspect, believed to be about 15 years old, was injured in the affray and was receiving treatment, said police director Carlos Fernando Triana. Two others - a man and a woman - were also wounded, and a Glock-style firearm was seized. The attack has been condemned by politicians across the political spectrum. Leftist President Gustavo Petro condemned the violence as "an attack not only against his person, but also against democracy, freedom of thought, and the legitimate exercise of politics in Colombia". The shooting was similarly condemned from overseas, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling it "a direct threat to democracy". But Rubio also pointed blame at Petro, claiming the attack was the "result of the violent leftist rhetoric coming from the highest levels of the Colombian government". "President Petro needs to dial back the inflammatory rhetoric and protect Colombian officials," the top US diplomat said. - AFP
Newsroom
a day ago
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NZ's means-testing creep
Whatever age we're at, means testing for benefits is creeping into our lives. From the Best Start allowance for parents of newborns, to the parents of teens applying for Jobseeker, and those in KiwiSaver earning over $180,000. But when it comes to the old age pension, means testing is too touchy politically, says NZ Herald political editor Thomas Coughlan. He tells The Detail why the pension is off limits, for now. 'There are things we get universally. Universal free education, a lot of health services are free. But cash payments, those are mostly means-tested with one big exception.' Every New Zealander who hits 65 is entitled to NZ Superannuation. 'You could be a billionaire or you could have absolutely nothing and you will get it. 'Culturally, politically we tell ourselves that we earn superannuation, we work hard we pay taxes our whole lives and when you retire you deserve to get the benefit from the government that you have paid for for your entire working life. That is the political bargain, I guess, at the heart of superannuation.' Means testing superannuation is also not as straightforward as other benefits where Inland Revenue knows exactly how much beneficiaries or their parents earn. But most superannuitants don't work, making a means test on income difficult to manage. That leaves asset or wealth testing, 'which is just uranium wrapped in barbed wire'. Coughlan says raising the retirement age is seen as the better of 'two horrible options' and National has already signalled plans to gradually raise it to 67. But that is also fraught. The Retirement Commissioner Jane Wrightson doesn't like either option but is 'more keen on the consideration of means testing than I am of raising the age'. 'But if that became a thing (raising the retirement age) then I would be arguing that it's a really comprehensive and well-thought-through policy change that considers a retirement system as a whole, not just about NZ Super, not just about KiwiSaver but the impact overall on future citizen New Zealand pensioners,' Wrightson says. She calls the debate around superannuation a gender issue. 'The commentators are mainly men. The issues around NZ Super, and who gets it and when, need to be looked at with a really strong gender lens because women are the ones who get disproportionately affected.' The Detail also talks to pensioner Doug Beever in Australia where the pension kicks in at 67 and is means-tested. Beever says he's happy with the arrangement because all of his working life he has been paying into a private retirement fund, a compulsory version of a KiwiSaver scheme that has been in place for decades. Wrightson says that is the difference between the two countries and why we can't copy Australia's pension model. The historic superannuation plan is a reason why the country is quite well-off, 'because those funds are in the billions and billions now. And secondly, people have got a decent pot themselves, so when you get that you can absolutely then talk about means testing, you can talk about raising the age … you've got more levers to your bow when your citizens have been protected by a decent regulatory environment. 'This is not what's happened here.' Check out how to listen to and follow The Detail here. You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter.
