New Zealand Newspapers

‘Why don’t we just fund it’

Hoped-for government funding for the Wakefield St Bridge replacement is no closer, with the Whanganui District Council now mulling whether to fund the entire project itself. The Chronicle reported in November that NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi...

What's the magic visitor number?

You can track the pain on Google Maps. At 8.47am, the red snarl-up snake from Lake Hayes into Queenstown extends for 3 kilometres, turning the 14km trip into a 38-minute traffic jam. That’s the commuter hustle – locals who can’t afford to live in the...

Further fall from grace

Spending the day in police custody was hardly how Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor would have wished to celebrate his 66th birthday – but, for once in the life of the former prince and Knight of the Garter, his power and position could not prevent it. His...

Retrieving liberty with lead in hand

At an age when most adolescents begin testing which tethers they can sever on their path to independence, a Manawatū teen is instead latching a leash and hoping to find freedom with the help of a fourlegged companion. “Sammy will be the one asking if...

Coastal Calm

This home has spirit, colour and seriously positive vibes throughout! The pretty front porch is a charming masterpiece and sets the tone for what’s to follow. Stepping into the hallway, the proportions are bold with a high stud and clever design...

Crown crisis compounds

He left the police station under the cover of darkness. Slumped in the back seat of a car, wild-eyed and exhausted, Andrew MountbattenWindsor looked like a man with the full weight of the past and the future on his shoulders. A man born in a palace as...

Pukekura Park faces uncertain future

For decades, Pukekura Park was the beating heart of cricket in Taranaki. The small, picturesque ground, framed by steep terraces and native bush, was a place where the roar of the crowd matched the intensity on the field, whether it was an...

‘Turned our world upside down’

Grayson Jane has good and bad days. The Waipawa toddler’s good days are filled with trucks, trikes and happiness. On his bad days, he bites his hands to a bloody mess. Grayson, 3, was diagnosed with Lesch-Nyhan Syndrome (LNS) in November 2025. It’s...

Memorials held for the ‘big guardian of downtown’

Memorials have been held for a well-known Tauranga homeless man found dead on Saturday. Dax Rodney Holland’s body was discovered in a secluded area of Wharepai Domain. Police yesterday said they had arrested a man and charged him with...

Storms delay centenary plan

The historic St Mary’s Church in Tikitiki commemorates 100 years this year, but the weather has put plans for a full-scale centenary on hold for now. St Mary’s serves as a place of worship, a memorial to the Māori soldiers of the East Coast who fell...

Artful decor on a budget

Creating a home that reflects your personality doesn’t require expensive decor. ‘Art’ is all around us and with a little creativity you can turn even everyday objects into eyecatching displays. If you want to dress your walls and shelves with...

Te waka arrives at Aratoi

The cool, calm conditions were perfect for the arrival of Te Waka Wairua o Kurahaupō at Aratoi Museum early yesterday – an event many described as significant and overwhelming. The arrival of the 23-metre fibreglass-hulled waka was the culmination of...

Dad alarmed by leaky baby unit

The father of a premature baby staying in Rotorua Hospital’s Special Care Baby Unit has raised the alarm over rainwater leaks, a broken security door and what he described as “rotten floors” in the facility. Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora said safety...

Black Falcons put on show over Timaru

Residents and visitors were treated to an aerial display by the Air Force’s Black Falcons yesterday about midday, as part of the Flying New Zealand 2026 National Championships being held at Richard Pearse Airport this week. The Falcons will return next...

Mayors tackle park funding ‘lead balloon’

While Invercargill warns that losing Rugby Park would be a blow to regional pride, neighbouring mayors in Gore and Southland districts are signalling a tough “no” on funding for upgrades to the stadium. The future of the park, which is home to the...

Spotlight on river catchments

Restoring native habitats in New Zealand’s river catchments would help protect communities from increasing climate change-related threats like flooding and drought. That’s according to organisations investigating the best way to re-establish native...

‘Back to hope again’

Before dawn broke over Blenheim on Tuesday, about 100 students, staff, iwi representatives and officials gathered in the half-light at Marlborough Boys’ College for a ceremony marking the next step in the school’s long-awaited redevelopment. Shortly...

Wildly Intentional

IN THE EARLY morning light, before the nor’wester has a chance to pick up and the heat settles into the valleys of Central Otago, Sarah Rutherford and Jen Clark are already in their gardens. Yet these are not gardens like you and I have in our...

Feilding prepared for the worst, based on modelling

When a State of Emergency was declared late Sunday afternoon, it caught some residents by surprise. The rain and wind had been steady, but in many parts of the district it had not yet reached the intensity people associate with major flooding. Behind...

No confidence vote for Mangatu committee

Shareholders in a Gisbornebased Māori incorporation have passed a vote of no confidence in its committee as an application to investigate its multimillion-dollar overseas investment loss is considered in court. Mangatu Blocks Incorporation’s annual...

Arts festival in full bloom

Artistic expression in the Waikato is about to blossom, with the Hamilton Arts Festival getting under way with an opening weekend of riveting and – in some cases – risqué events. With a forecast for sunny skies for the duration of the festival – which...

MONTY BETHAM: GAME TIME FOR NZ WARRIORS

Residents hopeful sea wall will protect homes

A380-metre sea wall has been built to protect homes from coastal erosion at Port Waikato’s Sunset Beach. One resident, unsure how much longer she can remain at her beachfront home, says the wall has “given me hope for the future”. The $400,000 project...

FOXTON

Price by Negotiation Step into comfort with this inviting 3-bedroom home set on a generous 767m2 fully fenced section which offers space for children, pets, or further landscaping while keeping an open, airy feel. Featuring 3 double bedrooms, a...

Five weddings & a festival

If anyone encapsulated the 39th Marlborough Wine and Food Festival at Renwick Domain on Saturday, it would be Joanna Stuart and Janco Groot. Joanna is a native Marlburian; Janco is a native Dutchman. Visiting from the Netherlands, they made the event...

Pensioners hit with ‘crippling’ rent hikes

AFar North pensioner says a council rent rise of up to $100 a week will push him to a financial breaking point. Far North District Council (FNDC) said the April 1 rent increases — of $16 to $100 a week — at its elderly housing units will cover mounting...

IMPROVING PASTURE PRODUCTIVITY

A deep dive into utilising pasture well

STUNNING SEA VIEWS – SUN SOAKED AND SECLUDED IN WADESTOWN

Set in one of Wadestown’s most sought-after addresses, this special home delivers an exceptional combination of all-day sun, stunning harbour views, and versatile, easy living. Elevated to capture sweeping outlooks over Wellington Harbour, the home is...

Amazing support for teen Talyn

Talyn Print is a 13-year-old who, like many other Waikato teenagers, has a passion for crafts. The walls of bedroom are plastered in his work. He was also born with two rare genetic conditions. The primary one is KAT6A syndrome, which is so rare that...

Catherine’s stitch IN TIME! The princess is quite the seamstress

What a jean-ius! The Princess of Wales was put to work on the production line when she visited the Hiut Denim factory in Wales recently. Catherine, 44, tried her hand at cutting denim and also made the last stitches in a pair of jeans for her husband,...

OUR HOME MADE BETTER

For online child safety advocate Holly Brooker, finding the right home for her young family felt a little like striking gold. After renting in a seaside Auckland suburb for two years while they searched for the right house, she and husband Rico, a...

BRAD & JEN’S SHOCK REUNION

Working capital

It’s one of those rare, can’t-beat-it-ona-good-day Wellington mornings and builders and contractors are busy working on the Wellington Pavilion, the former band rotunda bisecting the sand at Oriental Bay. After 14 years of lying empty, the...

HOW WE TRAVEL

Because it is important for our journalists to have first-hand experience, it can be necessary to accept assistance from travel operators. However, we never promise positive coverage in return.

Mike White

It was the week of the Super Bowl and the Winter Olympics opening but I was entranced by the Lowburn dog trials.

Epstein & Andrew

It is difficult to fathom now, but Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was once a hugely popular figure. A fun-loving playboy who flew helicopters in the Falklands War, he was indulged by the public and adored by his mother. His marriage to Sarah Ferguson was...

Luxury for family, with sea and mountain views

This luxurious lifestyle property at 323 Koru Rd, near Oakura, began with a focus on more space for a growing family. Location was important, with a desire to be near Oakura, with views and space. This Koru Rd property proved to be the right place. At...

Live Auction Event

Residential / Commercial / Rural / Property Services

DONE WITH DRAGONS

Emilia Clarke moves on from Game of Thrones

Kotahitanga | community unity

Te Rā o Waitangi Whānau Festival Katikati 2026 was celebrated with happiness, inclusion and a wairua | spirit that made our day very special. The weather was perfect. The vendors provided such a delicious array of cultural kai, while the bands and...

A historic lifestyle opportunity

This is not only a stunning piece of history, but what a place to live! In the heart of Maraekakaho perched just above the historic woolshed is the Gardeners Cottage from Maraekakaho Station. A lovely two bedroom cottage plus two bedrooms detached from...

WHAT RAZOR’S SACKING MEANS FOR CERTAIN SUPER RUGBY PLAYERS

DISH SUBSCRIBER OFFER

Subscribe to dish from $40* and be in to win** one of five Ninja Stealth IQ Kitchen System Power + Processor Pros, each valued at NZ$349.99

New Zealand Walk: Greytown to Woodside a popular walk or bike

The Greytown to Woodside Trail in the Wairarapa, is a short walk that feels much bigger than its numbers. On a bright autumn morning I set out from Greytown with nothing more ambitious than a daypack, decent shoes and a curiosity about what lay along...

FROM FLUFFY TO FIERCE!

How cute snowy owl chicks grow up to become powerful predators Watch out, here I come!

STEP-BY-STEP

A storybook setting for an historic homestead in • Roses, woodlands, paths, lawns & more in • Composting on a 500sqm site in • A tree-loving octogenarian tending a 109-year-old garden • An plantsman’s picks for summer colour food grower recommends the...

ENERGY

Our cover story this issue is on installing solar power – and how many of us have been considering that for years? The attraction of installing solar power is plain to see and there’s a lot to like about it. Harnessing energy from the mighty sun feels...

Travelling: An education for the soul

Travel is more than movement from one place to another; it is a quiet education for the soul. When we travel, we step outside the routines that shape our days and enter spaces where curiosity leads and where adventure awaits. In those moments of...

Good healthspecial

● Personalise your wellbeing ● Balance your blood sugar ● Build your strength at home

Know-how in spades for every gardener

ON THE COVER

A couple make an old shed on the family farm their new home – see page 26. Photograph by Jane Ussher

AYRBURN CLASSIC – BREAKTHROUGH EVENT OF THE YEAR

The prestigious Breakthrough Event of the Year part of the International Historic Motoring Awards was presented in London on 14 November to the Royal Automobile Club Concours. The Ayrburn Classic 2025 was nominated for the award alongside Concours of...

4WD and SUV buyer’s guide

The new vehicle market in New Zealand is a 4WD buyer’s paradise. Utes and SUVs are as popular here as anywhere in the world, and our new car sales have been dominated by SUVs and 4WD utes for ages. It’s widely known that Ford’s Ranger is top dog in...

FUN, FAST and FABULOUS!

Summer is the season to grow melons, pumpkins, cucumbers, zucchini and their flying saucer shaped cousins. Together, they are the cucurbit family and they're fun, fast and easy to grow from seed.

Many hands

Thousands of decisions go into making a magazine. Not just obvious ones like which topics we include, the people we speak to or the pictures we’ll use, but tiny ones too: that headline should go two clicks to the left and up one... yep, perfect. We...

Solid gold

Warm tones in a limestone spine lend this estuary-side property priceless presence.

FESTIVAL OF MOTORING

ALLAN DICK: THE ALLCOMERS SERIES | AUSTIN-HEALEY ‘FROGEYE’ SPRITE MIRANDA’S MOTORS: TOYOTA MR2 | JAGUAR-POWERED SPORTS CARS FORMULA JUNIOR WORLD TOUR | SKOPE CLASSIC: SILVESTER COUPE BILL RICHARDSON TRANSPORT WORLD | WAIMAK CLASSIC CARS

New Year Joy

Anew year carries its own kind of unspoken promise that life can feel fresh again. This new energy isn’t something that appears automatically at midnight but rather cultivated, perhaps it’s a shift in thinking and the willingness to release what weighs...

SUMMER STYLE ESSENTIALS

CHORIZO EMPANADAS, CHIMICHURRI VERDE, CHICKEN FLAUTAS, KINGFISH PASTRAMI, PRAWN QUESADILLAS, SNAPPER CEVICHE, TUNA TOSTADA, STRAWBERRY & TOMATO SALSA, PORK KEBABS, SMACKED CUCUMBERS, STEAK LIKE TARTARE, ROASTED PRAWNS, PLUM & MANGO MOCHI, STRAWBERRY &...

The smart home seller’s guide:

Selling your home now means navigating A Buyers’ market. With more properties listed than there Are Active Buyers, the power shifts. Buyers can Be more selective, And homes may take longer to sell. In this climate, your choice of real estate company...

What does the market want?

Fonterra, NZ Merino, Atkins Ranch and more weigh in on the changing customer demands and farmers’ efforts to match them

50+ HOMEGROWN RECIPES

• Vibrant salads • Outdoor cooking • Sharing plates • Dips & nibbles • Sweet treats • Cordials, mocktails & cocktails

Fonterra brands gone

Farmer shareholders have said yes to selling off iconic brands to French dairy giant.

WHAT'S INSIDE?

Rethinking the urban dream What liability law changes mean for landscapers Environmental impacts of compacted soil

Winter a strategic time to buy, sell

When the temperature drops and the days shorten, many buyers and sellers assume the property market hibernates, so they wait for spring to look or list. But for the savvy, winter offers unique opportunities for both buyers and sellers in the real...

Winter a strategic time to buy, sell

When the temperature drops and the days shorten, many buyers and sellers assume the property market hibernates, so they wait for spring to look or list. But for the savvy, winter offers unique opportunities for both buyers and sellers in the real...

Melanie Bracewell

Beyond the punchline.