New Zealand

Wellington city councillors are gobsmacked at a proposal to lift rates by 16 percent next year, saying it's come completely out of the blue.

The capital city had consulted on a rise of 13.5 percent… Audio

News from the business sector, including a market report. [embed] https://players.brightcove.net/6093072280001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6255722947001 Video, Audio

The former Children's Commissioner Dame Cindy Kiro has been announced as the new Governor-General.

She will replace Dame Patsy Reddy whose five-year term ends in September.

Here's our deputy… Audio

Wanaka skifields are trashing their rubbish bins; this season skiers will have to take their wrappers, food bags and waste off the slopes with them.

There will be recyling and compost bins instead -… Video, Audio

A police investigation is underway in a rural area of the Far North after two men were found dead at a dairy farm this morning.

Police have spent the day in Awarua, which is just south of Kaikohe.

… Audio

Samoa has plunged deep into an unprecedented constitutional and political crisis.

A dramatic series of developments in Apia have added new twists to Samoa's protracted election.

The party which… Video, Audio

Waikato DHB has admitted there's a real threat some people's personal information may have been breached, as a result of the cyber attack.

The DHB is still working to get its systems back online -… Video, Audio

Community-led projects are leading the charge to halt biodiversity decline, while researchers make break-throughs in their quest to remove predators and protect borders from reinvasion. Video, Audio

Looking a little worse for wear after three weeks of suspected bush bashing and possum wrestling, two missing Dunedin dogs have been found.

The border terriers Floss and Scruff had been playing down… Video, Audio

Frontline staff working for fashion giant H-and-M walked off the job this afternoon.

The workers from two Auckland stores took to the streets accusing the employer of failing to meet its commitment… Audio

A man has been ordered to pay $5,700 after he was found guilty of flouting kauri dieback rules at an Auckland regional park.

Robert Armitstead was sentenced today at the Waitakere District Court by… Audio

They left it until the very last day possible, but Marborough, Rotorua and Stratford district councils have become the lastest to approve the formation of a Māori Ward in time for the 2022 elections.

The boost to benefits was the centrepiece of Budget 2021, but questions are already being asked about whether it's enough to keep pace with the rising cost of living.

Beneficiaries will get up to $55… Video, Audio

Imagine a dog that could be women's best friend, by sniffing out the early signs of ovarian cancer.

A medical charity is trying to raise $250,000 to train a cocker spaniel pup to do exactly that.

… Video, Audio

Tourism businesses in the Cook Islands may be crying out for more Kiwi holidaymakers, but the sentiment isn't shared by all.

Some Rarotongans are anxious about Covid-19 creeping into the Cooks, while… Video, Audio

The Labour government has signalled its future Budgets will have more support for workers - as the Opposition attacks it for ignoring middle New Zealand.

Yesterday's Budget contained a $3.3 billion… Audio

News from the business sector, including a market report. [embed] https://players.brightcove.net/6093072280001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6255337651001 Video, Audio

The Ports of Auckland appears to be bracing itself for more health and safety charges following a workplace death last year.

There have been three deaths linked to the Ports in recent years - the… Video, Audio

Checkpoint reporter Louise Ternouth and camera operator Nick Monro went to find out what students will spend their extra money on.

  Video, Audio