Inside the Rovers: Capital Punishment
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.
North Shore residents have had their first glimpse of the devastation caused by the recent fire at the Abilities Group recycling plant on Hill Rd. Video / NZ Herald
Mourners turn out in huge numbers for Pope Francis. Fatal crash in Rotorua. Kremlin, US peace talks 'constructive'. Video / NZ Herald
Now based in Las Vegas, Kiwi comic Sam Wills is heading home for a special anniversary show.
Two firefighters had to be rescued last night after their aerial unit broke down, stranding them above the flames in a cloud of heavy smoke.
A man has been critically injured following a stabbing on Coburg St in Henderson Valley. Video / NZ Herald
Wendy's NZ owner Greg Flynn, chief executive and founder of Flynn Group, talks to Tom Raynel about the NZ business and his plans for growth in Australia. Video / Alyse Wright
Thousands have gathered for Anzac Day services around the country as Kiwis remember our fallen servicemen and women. Video / Cherie Howie / NZ Herald
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
an hour ago
- Otago Daily Times
To infinity and beyond with a possum and sweet chilli sauce
One of the things MPs like most about the Budget debate — the freewheeling discussion of the Finance Minister's hard work — is that it enables them to speak about almost anything so long as it can (sometimes very loosely) be linked back to the Budget. Hence this week our southern MPs have been talking about possums, utes, outer space, Barker's sweet chilli sauce ... and every so often about something of vital importance. On Tuesday Taieri Labour MP Ingrid Leary fell into the latter camp with an impassioned speech about the state of the nation's mental health system. "The Budget would have been the perfect opportunity to [workforce gaps], including the 1594 full-time equivalents that the NCAT — which is the National Committee for Addiction Treatment—has identified as missing from the NGO frontline," Ms Leary said. "But no, they did not. Instead, they threw a paltry bit of money to help the transition at emergency departments for the withdrawal of police. That was far too little, far too late." It was Ms Leary's Labour Dunedin colleague Rachel Brooking who brought possums and utes to the debate soon after — which was fairly funny, albeit with a serious purpose. The Budget had been good for possums, Ms Brooking said, because of cuts to pest management initiatives. And it had been good for utes because of subsidies being afforded to companies. But most of all, Ms Brooking said scornfully, the Budget had been bad for women. "Anyone listening closely to the House when the Budget dropped will have heard me give an audible gasp when I read ... that $12 billion was looking to be saved from pay equity. "Yet the Prime Minister had the gall to say to us just the week before, 'No, no, no. This has nothing to do with pay equity'. It is astounding." And she did not mean that in a good way. Up soon after, Taieri Green list MP Scott Willis warmed up on the topic of people feeling the cold as winter bit hard — although he might have sparked debate on his own side by talking about getting nice and cosy in front of a fire rather than being warmed up by an electric fire powered by solar or wind energy. "What really would have helped people and helped landlords, even, would have been support for warm, dry, energy-efficient homes," Mr Willis said. "But this government, over the last two Budgets, has cut over $230m from the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority ... crippling the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority. Why has this government decided that ordinary Kiwis should be left out in the cold?" The next day the South's government MPs got to give an alternative, all together more enthusiastic appraisal of the Budget. Rather than wreaking havoc on all and sundry, Southland National MP Joseph Mooney extolled it for "balancing the New Zealand taxpayers' funds in a very considered and careful way in a challenging domestic and geopolitical environment." Funding such as new daytime urgent care services in places like Invercargill, Gore, and Alexandra found favour with Mr Mooney, as did the potential expansion of the service to Balclutha, Lumsden, Roxburgh and all places in between in the future. It was Mr Mooney who donned his space suit, noting Southlander Sir Peter Beck had made New Zealand the third-largest launcher of satellites into infinity and beyond. "He had a wild dream and made it happen in a country that did not have a space sector. I think that's an opportunity for all of us to lift our sights high, aim for the stars, and we can make it happen," he said, leaving unspoken but fairly obvious the assertion that the government was helping such firms to focus on the target. Leaving Waitaki MP Miles Anderson — no doubt well aware that many residents in Geraldine would like their town to instead be in the Rangitata electorate — to praise the fine products of Barker's of Geraldine. "I spoke this morning to the team at Barker's of Geraldine — and those of you who have had the opportunity to try some of their goods, I highly recommend them." "Great little place. Sweet chilli sauce," Otaki MP Tim Costley chimed in, a sentiment echoed from across the House. "They supply jams, preserves, and pickles to supermarkets across the country," Mr Anderson added, in his best infomercial manner. There was actually a point to all this spruiking: Mr Anderson wanted to use his time to boast about Investment Boost, the Budget's central policy for business growth. Enabling firms to immediately write off some of the cost of new equipment was a boon for an expanding business like Barker's, he said ... and that was not all for the great electorate of Waitaki. "Other local businesses are also having an increase in asset investment," Mr Anderson said. "Te Pari Industries tell me that they have seen an increase in interest for their products, and that farmers are making decisions much more quickly with both sheep and dairy systems. Drummond & Etheridge in Oamaru, local farm machinery retailers, saw an immediate increase in sales and a significant increase in buyer inquiry." And with a shout out to Five Forks School — pupils from which had visited the House the previous day and been acknowledged from the chamber — that was it for the Budget debate for another year. Half time, change sides Act New Zealand Southland list MP Todd Stephenson is poised to become the most recognisable backbencher in the country following the grand rearrangement of the House this week. With the coalition swapping deputy prime ministers, New Zealand First's MPs have moved to where Act once sat, and vice versa. As Act's whip, Mr Stephenson is now sitting in the second row alongside National chief whip Stuart Smith. That means that during Question Time — the only bit of Parliament that most New Zealanders catch a glimpse of — that Mr Stephenson is sitting right behind Christopher Luxon and David Seymour when the cameras roll.
RNZ News
13 hours ago
- RNZ News
How can people get 'free money' out of their Kiwisaver?
money politics 24 minutes ago Time is running out for KiwiSaver members to get an extra $521 in their accounts from the Government. From next year it'll only be contributing about $260 or, in some cases, nothing at all. People will need to get in quick if they are to cash in on the final $500 payout. Money correspondent Susan Edmunds spoke to Lisa Owen about how to get this bit of "free money."
RNZ News
20 hours ago
- RNZ News
BBC journalists held at gunpoint and strip-searched by Israeli military, broadcaster says
By Lewis Wiseman , ABC Israeli military vehicles deploy at Israel's southern border with the Gaza Strip. Photo: AFP/JACK GUEZ A team of seven BBC journalists and staff claim to have been held at gunpoint, blindfolded and strip searched by the Israeli Defence Force in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The BBC said its crew, which included staff members and three freelancers, were stopped while filming at a checkpoint in Quneitra, inside the buffer zone between Israel and Syria. "BBC News Arabic correspondent Feras Kilani, along with three other BBC staff members and three freelance colleagues, were detained for seven hours and held at gunpoint by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF)," a BBC statement said. "The team have described how they were tied up, blindfolded, strip searched, interrogated and threatened." BBC Arabic special correspondent Feras Kilani was a part of the crew and described his experience on the BBC website. He said minutes after starting to film at the checkpoint, four IDF soldiers "pointed their rifles at our heads and ordered us to place the camera on the side of the road." From there, he claimed he and his crew were escorted by the soldiers through a barrier and into the city of Quneitra where the soldiers reviewed the footage, all while keeping rifles aimed at their heads. An Israeli soldier walks near the United Nations Quneitra crossing between the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights and Syria on January 5, 2025. Photo: AFP/JALAA MAREY The BBC said electronic devices were taken from the team and material was deleted. After hours passed, Kelani said he was asked "why we were filming Israeli military positions" by a person not known to him on a phone call made by one of the soldiers. He said he was then separated from his team and told by a lead IDF officer that he had to comply with their instructions. The first of those demands, he claimed, was to remove all his clothes except for his underwear for a search. Kelani said soldiers "inspected even inside my underwear, both front and back, searched my clothes, then told me to put them back on and started interrogating me." After the interrogation, Kelani claimed he was led back outside where he saw "the horrific scene of my team members, tied up and blindfolded". He claimed he asked officers to release them, but they were each taken inside for a strip search and questioning. After seven hours of detention by the IDF, Kelani claimed he and his team were told if they approached the frontier from the Syrian side again there would be "worse consequences". He said the crew were then dropped two kilometres outside the city, given back their electronic devices and left to find their way back. The BBC has said it "strongly objects to the treatment of our staff and freelancers in this way." "Despite making clear to the soldiers on multiple occasions they were working for the BBC, the behaviour they were subjected to is wholly unacceptable," the BBC statement said. The broadcaster said it has registered a complaint with the Israeli military over the incident but has not had a response. The ABC has contacted the IDF for comment but has not yet received a response. - ABC
