
Kiwis flock to Jacinda Ardern memoir, smashing local sales records
The rule holds true: Kiwis will hand over hard cash for a memoir they really want to read. Jacinda Ardern's A Different Kind of Power has sold the most copies of any New Zealand-published book so far this year, despite being released only on June 3. At least 10,000 copies

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Watch: Judith Collins and Winston Peters make defence announcement
Defence Minister Judith Collins and Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters are making a defence announcement at 1pm. In April, the coalition government announced its 2025 Defence Capability Plan , setting out a spending blueprint for the next 15 years. The plan shows a boost in New Zealand's defence spending to $12 billion, $9b of which is new spending over the next four years. The government has committed to reviewing the plan every two years. According to the plan, given the "deteriorating strategic environment", New Zealand's military needs to be "increasingly combat capable, interoperable with our partners, able to act as a force multiplier with Australia, and make the most of innovation which allow us to be more effective". Some of the most expensive projects are replacing maritime helicopters (estimated to cost at least $2b), investment in software (at least $1b), replacing the Boeing 757 fleet (up to $1b), new armoured vehicles (up to $1b), and investment in defence estate assets (up to $1b). Collins has also mentioned uncrewed inflatable boats, drones, and long-range aircraft. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.