Massive explosion at Iranian port
Northland Expressway announcement. Video / NZ Herald
Christopher Luxon visits Kiwi troops in the UK, NZ's economic recovery expected to be gradual and uneven and fears of more exclusion to gender minorities.
Dr Erik Monasterio spoke at the coronial inquest into the death of Olympic cyclist Olivia Podmore in Christchurch District Court on April 22, 2025.
MetService National Weather Update: April 22 - April 26. Video / MetService
A special mass at St Patrick's cathedral was held to remember the passing of Pope Francis. Attendees gathered to pay their respects and celebrate his contributions to the church.
Detective Inspector Glenn Baldwin will speak to media at the scene on St Johns Road.
The world has gathered in mourning after the passing of Pope Francis.
Proceedings in motion after Pope's death, a monthly snapshot not representative of police recruitment and concern of decline in teacher numbers.
Flockhill luxury lodge in Canterbury. Video / Supplied
A major new Foodstuffs supermarket is taking shape in Pt Chevalier, designed by Wingate Architects. Video \ Jason Dorday.
Reporter Penelope is at the Lost Dog Disco, a spectacular light and sound installation for people and their favourite four-legged friends to rock out.
A West Auckland family is reeling after a fire tore through their Henderson home on Sunday night, leaving them homeless - and uninsured. Video / Supplied
The Kiwi journalist was out for dinner with her fiancé and friends on Saturday when her car was sideswiped. Video / @wilshrimpton
Reporter Tom is at the Beach Hop with drifting legend Fanga Dan and Carter, a lucky local fan who gets to go for a fang.
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Scoop
a day ago
- Scoop
Tinā Sails Past Whale Rider At The New Zealand Box Office
Press Release – New Zealand Film Commission Tin made waves across the Pacific, with the widest ever release for a New Zealand film. Released across 132 locations, its impressive debut also claimed the third-highest opening week of all time for a local film, just behind Hunt for the Wilderpeople … The runaway film success of 2025, Tinā, has hit another milestone by taking $6,498,469 at the New Zealand box office, overtaking Niki Caro's Whale Rider, and securing the fifth spot on the Top Ten Most Successful Kiwi Films list. Tinā made waves across the Pacific, with the widest ever release for a New Zealand film. Released across 132 locations (Aotearoa, Papua New Guinea, the Cook Islands, Fiji, and Samoa), its impressive debut also claimed the third-highest opening week of all time for a local film, just behind Hunt for the Wilderpeople and Sione's 2: Unfinished Business. Annie Murray, New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC) CEO, says the incredible response to Tinā shows just how deeply audiences connect with stories that reflect their own lives and communities. 'Breaking into the top five most successful New Zealand films of all time, and surpassing a beloved classic like Whale Rider, is no small feat. Tinā's success in Aotearoa, combined with cinematic release in Australia and the United States, proves a distinctly local story can resonate globally. Its themes of grief, community, hope, and love speak to the human condition. Crucially, Tinā also shows that commercial and critical success are not mutually exclusive. When we invest in stories that speak to who we are, audiences show up in force.' Tina 's director, producer, and writer, Miki Magasiva, continues to be overwhelmed by how strongly the film has performed. 'What a huge milestone for the team, and we're incredibly proud to reach this significant achievement. We want to sincerely thank everyone who helped us bring this film to life.' These sentiments were echoed by co-producer, Dan Higgins, 'To surpass the legacy of Whale Rider is both humbling and surreal. The success of Tinā belongs to our extraordinary cast and crew, and to the audiences who filled cinemas in their hundreds of thousands—this milestone is truly yours.' The film has been distributed in New Zealand and Australia by Madman Entertainment, Andrew Cozens, General Manager NZ, has been impressed with how local audiences have embraced the film. ' Tinā has shown the magic of the big screen is alive and well, capturing the hearts of New Zealand audiences with its incredible 24-week uninterrupted run. It has crossed cultural and generational lines to become a true phenomenon – with many audiences making repeat visits to the cinema.' Since its release, Tinā has carved out a place in New Zealand film history, landing at number five on the Top Ten Most Successful Kiwi Films list: Hunt For the Wilderpeople (2016) – $12,207,699 Boy (2010) – $9,322,000 The World's Fastest Indian (2005) – $7,059,147 Once Were Warriors (1994) – $6,801,471 Tinā (2025) – $6,498,469 Whale Rider (2003) – $6,496,371 Sione's Wedding (2006) – $4,075,000 What Becomes of the Broken Hearted (1999) – $3,201,000 What We Do in the Shadows (2014) – $2,595,000 Footrot Flats (1986) – $2,400,000 A moving and uplifting drama, Tinā follows Mareta, a grieving Samoan teacher who finds unexpected purpose at an elite school. With standout performances from Anapela Polataivao and rising star Antonia Robinson, the film also features Beulah Koale and Nicole Whippy. Directed, written, and produced by Miki Magasiva, Tinā was produced by Dan Higgins and Mario Gaoa. The film was made with investment from the New Zealand Film Commission, the New Zealand Screen Production Rebate, and NZ On Air, with financing support from Kiwibank Limited. Madman Entertainment is distributing the film in New Zealand and Australia, and Rialto Distribution have acquired the global rights, including the United States. About the New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC) The New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC) is the government agency responsible for supporting and promoting New Zealand's vibrant screen industry. It invests in the development, production, and marketing of New Zealand films, both locally and internationally, and works to grow the country's reputation as a world-class destination for screen production. The NZFC provides production financing for New Zealand feature and short films, offers talent development initiatives, and administers the New Zealand Screen Production Rebate (NZSPR) – a key driver in attracting major international productions. It also supports official co-productions and offers resources to connect New Zealand filmmakers with global partners. Through its dual focus on nurturing local storytelling and bringing international productions to New Zealand's shores, the NZFC plays a vital role in the economic and cultural growth of the screen sector.
NZ Herald
2 days ago
- NZ Herald
Book of the day: Reacher: The Stories Behind the Stories
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The Spinoff
3 days ago
- The Spinoff
The Green Party positions itself as the left's leader, and a friend to the coal miners
Sitting at around 10% in recent polls, the Greens will need to reach communities they haven't traditionally related to if they realistically want to lead the left bloc. Many of the promises made by political progressives this year have fallen under the umbrella of 'we'll clean up whatever the other guy is doing'. Labour would repeal the Regulatory Standards Bill within its first 100 days, Te Pāti Māori would establish a te Tiriti commissioner, and the Green Party, well, they hope to be leading the pack. Already armed with an alternative budget and a fiscal strategy, and with their sights set on a new eco-friendly industrial era and a new voter base among miners and farmers, the still self-described hippies reckon they're the strongest offering the left has got – but they're self-aware enough to know they'll have to spend the next 12 months convincing Aotearoa of that. The mood at the party's annual general meeting, held over the weekend at Wellington's Te Auaha – a Whitireia and WelTec creative campus set for the chopping block in the Te Pūkenga demerger, much to the party's chagrin – was jovial, ambitious and resolute. Powered by vegan salads and doughnuts from plant-based bakery Belén, party members spent the weekend fundraising by way of a 'Greenathon', which saw MPs perform in front of attendees for donations – Lan Pham did a dance routine with her twin, while Steve Abel, Benjamin Doyle and Kahurangi Carter belted out a rendition of Chappell Roan's 'Pink Pony Club', the latter of which raised $20,000 in five minutes. In the more serious moments, attendees did breathing exercises to deal with the bullshit, reaffirmed their political earnestness and also reaffirmed the importance of trying to understand where your racist uncle is coming from every now and then. When co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick delivered her address on Sunday – the main event of the AGM – she urged her supporters not just to connect with each other, but with 'the New Zealanders outside of this room', to build a bridge between those who 'straight up hate' politics and 'a bunch of earnest nerds' (aka the Greens). It's time to build a bridge and get everyone over it, the Greens reckon. 'In the political arena, it is pretty common for people to accuse the other side, and particularly the people who vote for them, of being idiots,' Swarbrick told the crowd. 'If we can't understand why people do the things that they do, then the logic tends to flow: they're wrong, and they just don't get it. That's clearly not a winning formula.' She's right – in terms of giving the major parties a run for their money, it hasn't been. The Greens have a loyal core voter base and 2023 was their most successful election ever, with 11.6% of the party vote and three electorates giving them 15 seats. Since then, polling has kept the party safely above 10% of the vote, and it remains the best-polling minor party alongside Act – but there's still a long way to go in terms of getting a shot at leading a government. And though the Greens have stayed mum on whether their closest frenemy's inability to dream up something concrete in terms of policy will aid them in the long run ('that's a question for the Labour Party,' Davidson told The Spinoff, smiling), there's no doubt that being the man with a plan has to mean something to someone. The Greens' AGM coincided with the tail-end of a small stint around the South Island by the Labour caucus, which reaffirmed that the legacy left party wouldn't commit to any policy promises until closer to the general election. In lieu of announcing any concrete policy, the party has instead gone hard on highlighting what they see as the government's failures, from school lunches to Family Boost to the price of butter – and are still polling on triple the numbers that the Greens have. Of course, the Greens are also constantly scrutinising the government's decisions while also offering up policies and alternative plans, but they have struggled to get the biggest power on the left bloc on board with the likes of their Green budget . It's one thing to be the 'big idea' factory, as Swarbrick described the party, but if you can't get the CEO to sign off on the proposals, you're not going to get anywhere. So why not try to position yourself as the one who should be calling the shots? Future finance minister? And so, the party has hopes that those who aren't traditional Green voters (specifically, the farmers and miners) could be persuaded to see the light. Yet reaching out to the blue-collar worker – who probably has some underlying feelings of class consciousness because their boss is driving a BMW while they've had to pick up extra shifts and still be stuck on public transport – hasn't been something the Greens, and the progressive left as a whole, are best at. After recently visiting miners on the West Coast, Swarbrick reckoned her party had 'a heck of a lot more in common with coal miners' than most realised – their shared interest being decent incomes, community and pride in their work. 'There were a few surprises to be perfectly honest [because], as you say, it's not a ground the Green Party are expected to occupy,' Swarbrick said. 'But it's not good enough for us simply to have the stacks of evidence if we're left clinging to [it] when the last tree is cut down – we have to bridge that gap.' With her sights quietly set on a possible future as finance minister, Swarbrick wouldn't confirm whether the party had any bottom lines ahead of possible coalition talks following next year's election. She and her co-leader have plenty of time to try to talk things through with Chris Hipkins, and less time to convince swing voters and those literally at the coal face that their version of a tail-wagging government would be better than the current one. And anyway, Swarbrick and Davidson made sure to repeatedly reaffirm their belief that 'no political party, no politician, is entitled to anything – New Zealanders get to decide the future of our country'. So, all of this aside, there might still be a bigger and more uncomfortable truth for the Greens to deal with: there are still many New Zealanders who aren't ready, or just don't want to, elect what's being touted as Aotearoa's most progressive parliament. Page 2
