The Briefing
New Zealand
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Farms turn into deserts as drought worsens
9:00 am todayA drought has been declared in the Northland, Waikato, Horizons, Marlborough-Tasman, and Taranaki regions. Audio
Fluoridation starts in Whangārei amid legal battle
Taranaki radiology services nearing 'crisis' mode
Politics
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Howzat? NZ-India trade negotiators given shot of urgency
It came after both Luxon and Trade Minister Piyush Goyal upped the ante at a business event in Delhi, joking about getting a deal done in 60 days.
The future of warfare: Killer drones and AI decision making
Watch: Winston Peters on what he and Marco Rubio discussed in Washington
Sport
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‘It's just an ugly thing’: Dalton Papali’i on Blues’ woes
8:33 am todayOne missed conversion against the Chiefs was all it took for the Blues to be having the same, frustrating conversation with themselves for the fourth time this season.
Cricket: White Ferns stars return for Australian showdown
Tennis players file lawsuit against sport's governing bodies
Business
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Don't wait to increase KiwiSaver contributions to 10 percent, providers say
If the government is making changes to KiwiSaver contribution rates, the amount we are putting aside for retirement should be pushed up to 10 percent of incomes, providers say.
Consumer confidence tumbles amid global chaos
NZ's biggest crypto exchange to merge with Australian firm
More News & Current Affairs
Featured stories
Lady Shaka: ‘I just want everyone up having a good old kanikani [dance]’
Groundbreaking New Zealand DJ Lady Shaka is a proud femme queen turning international dance floors into a celebration of joy and diversity.
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'Food always brings people together'
Normally, people can only find the best traditional Malaysian rice porridge during Ramadan, Habib Ali says.
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Is four minutes in the shower enough to get clean?
A long hot shower may be comforting, but will it make you any cleaner than a quick soapy rinse?
In Case You Missed It
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Explainer: How Khalistan could hurt Luxon’s free trade deal chances with India
18 Mar 2025Explainer - What lies behind the "anti-India activities in New Zealand" that Modi referenced in his prepared remarks to media?
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Stuff owner changes shareholding
6:26 am todayCEO and owner Sinead Boucher has changed her shareholding in Stuff Digital from being the owner of the one and only share to being the sole holder of one…
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A fateful moment looms as Trump's team seeks to bypass the judiciary
6:57 am todayAnalysis - The furore caused by the administration's peacetime use of wartime powers under the 18th-century Alien Enemies Act is the latest, and perhaps most…
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Another Italian town gears up to sell one-euro homes
7:02 am todayIf you're worried there are no more towns in Italy left giving away homes, don't be.
RNZ Music
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Producer Joseph Patel on Sly Stone's legacy in new doco
Without Sly Stone, there would be no Prince and no Parliament Funkadelic— he is an undeniable testament to his influence on the music world. This legacy is at the heart of a new film titled Sly Lives! aka The Burden of Black Genius, directed by Questlove and produced by Joseph Patel and currently streaming on Disney+. Audio
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Nitin Sawhney on A.I, protest and his musical languages
Nitin Sawhney is a musician, composer, and producer known for fusing jazz, electronic, orchestral and Indian classical music. He picks the tunes on Music 101 ahead of his slot at WOMAD. Audio
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Music Alive: Menzies/Endres Duo
The Menzies/Endres Duo, violin and viola player Mark Menzies and pianist Michael Endres, perform Schubert, Schnittke, Beethoven and Fisher at St Andrew’s on the Terrace, Wellington, in June 2023.
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Hymns on Sunday, 16 March 2025
Celebrating St Patrick's Day (17 March) this week, with a selection of Irish hymns and traditional tunes including John Rutter's setting of the Irish Blessing: May the road rise to meet you. Audio
In Depth
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'Not under my watch' - Minister blocks TAB's $150m casino deal
The racing agency wants a law change so it can cash in on a new online gambling market. Audio
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The lessons from Covid we haven't learnt
Hospital-acquired infections are a billion-dollar burden and cause more disability than road crashes. Why aren't we doing more to prevent them?
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Canoe Racing NZ's $2.3m white elephant
A purpose-built facility was supposed to be home to the country's elite paddlers. Why is it empty? Audio
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'It's broken me': How online gambling ruined a woman's life
Her addiction began with a single email. It ended when she was caught stealing $300k from her employer. Audio
What You Need to Know
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Gene technology changes: What you need to know
Explainer - The current GMO regime is out of date, experts agree. But proposed changes sideline Māori, some say. Audio
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The US TikTok ban and security concerns: What you need to know
Explainer - Why is TikTok seen as a bigger security risk than other social media platforms? Audio
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Was the Mangawhai storm a tornado? Here's what science tells us
Explainer: The wind speed of the Mangawhai tornado is similar to one that's occurred before - RNZ has been looking at what we know so far.
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January's Auckland rail shutdown: What you need to know
The January shutdown was to allow for KiwiRail to complete rail rebuild works that are crucial to the successful opening of City Rail Link in 2026.
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Comment & Analysis
NZ has no dedicated database to track losses from weather disasters
Currently, New Zealand has no dedicated disaster loss database. This means we don't know how much extreme weather events and other types of disasters are…
Luxon meets Modi: Why a ‘good’ NZ-India trade deal is preferable to a ‘perfect’ one
Analysis - Not all trade deals are the same, and Luxon may yet get to claim bragging rights.
Sharing 'information' or 'gossip'? It depends who's doing it
What counts as gossip is much more slippery than we might think, writes academic researcher James Greenslade-Yeats.
Australia learned from its own shooting tragedies: Six ideas NZ can borrow
Analysis - Nearly 30 years before the 2019 Christchurch attacks, NZ grappled with the horrors of another mass shooting - but law changes made in the aftermath…