The Post

PM: ‘Full support of my team’

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is digging in his heels in the face of a dire result from his own pollster. Luxon looked to douse quickly spreading speculation he was “considering his position” following the poll, which had his party at just 28.4%...

Council spending under knife

Wellington deputy mayor Ben McNulty has wielded his scalpel, and today invites Wellington to see his rates-cutting masterpiece – but dissent is already mounting, and there are fears of job cuts. In appointing McNulty as his deputy in October, newly...

Man for the job

Aday before Dave Rennie was announced as the new All Blacks coach, Tony Brown was doing his Springboks media duties in South Africa and fired off a warning to the locals. “Whoever gets the job, I can guarantee you the All Blacks will be very good this...

Castle in the clouds

Some homes are amazing, some memorable – but it’s a rare house that makes your jaw drop in astonishment. It’s even rarer for it to have a rateable value of $7.25 million. But 34 Lookout Rd in Roseneath, Wellington is a landmark glass castle on the...

‘Take shelter’ Kiwis told

At least 1750 Kiwis have found themselves in a conflict zone with no promise of rescue following a US-Israel military strike on Iran during the weekend that is likely to have far reaching implications, including in New Zealand. While embassies are...

Iranians rejoice, mourn MIDDLE EAST CRISIS

Iranian-New Zealanders have expressed their joy, relief, anger and fear following major air strikes against their homeland that have left the Middle East in turmoil. The United States and Israel launched the attack on Saturday, with strikes in the...

Sting shock

In any given town, on any given night, the chances are there’s a grog-vendor willing to sell booze to underage customers, data released under the Official Information Act shows. The multibillion-dollar alcohol industry is in theory heavily regulated,...

Sobering change for hospitality

Hospitality NZ is pleading again for a reduction in excise duty on beer, after official figures showed Kiwis’ alcohol consumption plunged last year. Stats NZ reported that the volume of alcoholic drinks sold and available for sale last year fell 8.3%,...

Transport changes Government proposes new rule for passing cyclists

Safety or compassion – a hard call

As the Government considers new move-on powers for rough sleepers, Wellington faces a difficult balance between safety, compassion and rising street-level pressures. Frances Chin talks to those on both sides of the street.

Bus lanes cash bonanza

People driving in bus lanes are now the Wellington City Council's leading infringement cash cow. The council issued $17.6 million in infringement notices in 2025, of which $5.8m was for unauthorised drivers in bus lanes, according to data released by...

Sewage rules spark alarm

New wastewater standards introduced late last year have alarmed engineers, watchdogs and councils, who warn that they could push plants like Wellington’s Moa Point towards cheaper, simpler treatment reminiscent of 1930s practices. The guidelines,...

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...

Swim spots could be off-limits next summer

Tiaki Wai’s board chairperson, just 90 working days away from inheriting Wellington’s Moa Point fiasco, is making no promises of south coast swimming next summer – and has a surprising claim about the sewagespewing plant. “Moa Point is an operating...

Nats stall, Peters rises

As the election year begins, Labour holds a steady lead while National is struggling to gain traction in government, according to the latest The Post/Freshwater Strategy poll with Infrastructure New Zealand. The ruling coalition could cling to power,...

Cut roads, fix the basics

The Infrastructure Commission, tasked with creating a multi-decade bipartisan infrastructure plan, has released a report pushing New Zealand to massively increase health and energy spending – while cutting back on land transport. The National...

Pop princess joins 50th party

‘So sorry about the mishap earlier. We’re still working out a few kinks.” “Oh, that’s all right. I love a kink.” It’s at that moment you know that not only are the multi-generationally entertaining Muppets back, but they’ve chosen the right guest for...

‘Gosh it’s so cold, isn’t it?

A strong southerly tore through the harbour and straight into the bones of Wellington yesterday morning as thousands descended on Oriental Parade to take part in the Southern Cross Round the Bays and Honda Half Marathon races. Now in its 48th year,...

Record rentals, but no respite for students

After three months of flat hunting with no luck and one week till their impending move-out date, Ellice Lawrie and her friends started putting together “homeless plans”. “We were working out friends we were going to crash with and getting a storage...

Warning sounded for government spending

New Zealand is facing a demographic “silver tsunami” of retirees as the working age population shrinks, health costs rise and towns across the country see population decline. The warning came at the New Zealand Economic Forum hosted by the University...

Water entity lawyers up after plant failure

Wellington Water has called in the lawyers – stopping the flow of information to the public while raw and smelly sewage continues to run freely. As the one-week anniversary of the Moa Point catastrophe passed yesterday, the under-fire water utility...

Water funding gap flagged INFRASTRUCTURE

A six-year-old report shows the Wellington City Council was warned as far back as 2020 about a water infrastructure funding shortfall running into the “hundreds of millions of dollars”. The issue of water infrastructure funding – and who knew what...

Finding “THE ONE” for your skin

Meet the suitors The Palmer’s body oil trio Each Palmer’s body oil brings its own unique personality, charm and skin-loving strengths: the key is finding ‘the one’ that feels right for you and your skin’s needs. • Cocoa Butter Body Oil – the...

South coast remains off-limits

Early water sampling around Wellington’s south coast has delivered mostly encouraging results, but public health officials are keeping beaches closed, saying the risk remains too high as screened but untreated wastewater continues to be discharged into...

A global visionary

When Sir Richard Taylor and wife Tania Rodger won one of their first big accolades, the pair got to travel to Auckland and, for the first time, stay in a hotel. The year was 1990, and the recognition was for best contribution to design for Peter...

Sewage alert

Wellington is facing a long, sunny Waitangi weekend with millions of litres of raw sewage flowing to the sea, closing south coast beaches and ruling out swimming for months. At its peak on Wednesday morning, 3300 litres of water and sewage...

Making her mark

Farmer's blank canvas now a garden oasis

Inquest spend questioned

Wellington City Council spent nearly $200,000 on lawyers and experts for a coroner’s inquest where a spotlight was shone on waterfront safety – only to backtrack on its pledge for significant fencing and lighting improvements. The inquest looked into...

Latest budget blowout LOCAL GOVERNMENT

The Wellington City Council’s latest budget blowout has been revealed – a $56 million shortfall between what was budgeted and reality. The second phase of the council’s social housing upgrade programme (Hup2) had plenty of known numbers: A $446m...

Dozens of schools in need

As term one begins, 58 schools remain on a waiting list to receive desperately needed support from a charity to feed and adequately clothe their students. KidsCan already supports 949 schools and if, or when, they manage to get the current schools off...

Restoring trust

On a Hawke’s Bay Facebook page, parents trade school uniforms like others trade furniture – getting more urgent as term 1 looms like an impending moving date. It has nearly 9000 members and during back-to-school season there are continuous pleas for...

Waitangi visit taking shape

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon will attend Waitangi next week, The Post understands. Luxon’s attendance or non-attendance at the traditional pōwhiri for politicians ahead of Waitangi Day has become a major topic of discussion in recent weeks, after...

Housing optimism, prices taking time

Nearly three quarters of Kiwis surveyed expect house prices to rise this year, as confidence lifts with New Zealand’s market slowly showing steady signs of recovery. Cotality NZ’s Decoding 2026 report looked at expectations from real estate agents, as...

WELLINGTON Hooray for Hnry

Wellington’s regional stadium will be known from this March as Hnry Stadium, after the sole trader accountancy firm announced it had taken on the naming rights for a five-year term, from broadcaster Sky. The stadium and Hnry, a Wellingtonfounded and...

Cash for regions battered by storms

Cabinet will today be asked to sign off on immediate funds to help the regions damaged in last week’s wild weather to recover. Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell will make the request at the Cabinet meeting that will be held ahead of...

Parliament back after storm

The traditional first big day of national politics was overshadowed last Friday as the prime minister skipped Rātana celebrations to visit areas smashed by extreme weather. It’s likely that the damage from this deadly weather event will continue to...

Marty Supreme

FILM REVIEW Marty Supreme (R13, 150 mins) Directed by Josh Safdie Reviewed by Graeme Tuckett ***** We are in New York’s Lower East Side, mostly. The year is 1952, and young Marty Mauser has just returned home from a table tennis tournament in London....

Desperate dig for survivors

Desperate families could only wait and hope as rescuers searched for people, including children, missing after torrential rain and devastating landslides in the upper North Island yesterday. In Tauranga, rescuers were digging in search of survivors...

Decision day

Timing is everything. Christopher Luxon seemed clear on this as he announced November 7 as the election date yesterday, telling media that “every day makes a difference” in the kind of economic recovery we are currently experiencing. In other words,...