The Post

Pay gap push ‘not political’

An avowedly “non-political” group of business leaders are using the election as a springboard to push a long-standing demand for mandatory pay gap reporting – and hope political parties across the spectrum will get behind the call. Global Women,...

More power to overrule councils

The Government will rip up existing iwi participation agreements with local councils and give ministers extended powers to approve of developments that breach environment limits, in a series of changes to its planning law reforms that have now lost the...

NZ First promises $1b oil search

NZ First will campaign on spending $1 billion next term exploring offshore oilfields. Leader Winston Peters said it was possible New Zealand was sitting on “Norway-scale energy prospects” in offshore basins that had never been accurately...

Who wrote the new curriculum?

‘Goldie’ disappears from sale

A painting labelled a fake by an art expert, and previously pulled from the market by a prestigious auction house, has once again resurfaced for sale. Or has it? Advertised by New Zealand Art Broker as a “comprehensively authenticated” and...

High-spec hopes

Stuart Shutt, managing director of Sentinel Homes, wants to make architectural homes “genuinely affordable for regular Kiwi families”. Sentinel Homes has 13 franchises across the country. Shutt, who is in his 50s, shares his experience and advice from...

Treasury signals project risks

Treasury has flagged “major risks” with both the Lower Hutt Melling Interchange upgrade and Resource Management reform in an independent review of the projects. It is unclear what prompted Treasury to give the two projects an “amber/red” rating in...

Sir Sam Neill: Activist

Sir Sam Neill, who died in Australia aged 78, is being remembered for speaking up about issues he cared passionately about, particularly those affecting his beloved Central Otago. Neill remained steadfast in his mission to halt the fast-tracked...

Kayaking Antartica

Out-of-space adventures on earth

Matariki bonanza

Pressure? What pressure? If anybody embodies the opportunity, and the expectation, that hovers over Dave Rennie’s All Blacks early this evening at the Cake Tin in Wellington, it’s home-town hero Billy Proctor. And the slick centre was as cool as the...

Mānawatia a Matariki mā Puanga

It’s Matariki weekend, and the region is alive with celebrations marking the Māori New Year – from drag theatre and pottery festivals to waterfront fire installations, waiata, storytelling and whānau activities. Alongside the Matariki programme, the...

Nature restored

Black Teal Bay on the shores of Lake Wakatipu, nestled against an expansive blue lake and mountain in the background, is simply breathtaking. Over 10 years, an enterprising couple have transformed what was once a weedfilled wilding pine forest into...

Why Kiwibank economist opposes OCR rise

If the Reserve Bank decides to raise the Official Cash Rate to 2.5% today, it will face few fiercer critics than Kiwibank chief economist Jarrod Kerr. The Auckland-born, Massey-trained economist is far from alone in arguing the central bank should...

'Oppressive'

The Government is looking to ban or restrict the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) as part of its proposed under-16 social media ban, The Post understands. Such a ban would make the social media restrictions far harder to evade, but would also...

Let’s ‘fill the tin’ again for the All Blacks

Wellington may not be able to “raise the roof” for the All Blacks, but the city can still show its support for a national team playing entertaining if not yet flawless rugby. Italy may not quite be France or Ireland, but Wellingtonians ought still to...

NZ need not fear nuclear ‘bogeyman’

The new United States ambassador to New Zealand, Jared Novelly, wants to get in a time machine and return to the 1980s to get a nuclear-powered US aircraft carrier into Auckland harbour and stage a basketball game on its flight deck. “You need to see...

$350k-plus sewage review still under wraps

The first take of a $350,000-and-climbing ratepayer-funded Crown review into the Moa Point sewage catastrophe remains under wraps, with the four-member team already having been paid about $230,000. Local Government Minister Simon Watts ordered the...

On the food map

Bookings are pouring in for the three Wellington restaurants awarded Michelin stars, with diners rushing to secure tables after Tuesday night’s star-studded Michelin Guide award ceremony in Auckland. Ortega Fish Shack, Logan Brown, and Jano Bistro...

Health and safety overhaul delayed

Tiaki Wai officially swings into action today and the unglamorous issue of what to do with number two is high on the agenda for Wellington’s new water entity. Be it a failed sewage plant at Moa Point that is discharging 70 million litres of untreated...

$25m spent and counting ROADING

Wellington’s mega highway project has already cost $25 million for contractors and consultants, while the minister in charge claims spades are already in the ground – partly due to purchases made long before he was born. In response to questions from...

Two-year trades boost pledge

Labour will campaign on restoring its Apprenticeship Boost scheme to two years of funding and expanding the range of professions eligible for support. The scheme, first introduced under the Ardern-Hipkins Government in August 2020, gives employers...

NCEA lesson

The years after Caitlin Gribble fell ill with Covid in year 9 were a struggle as she patched together the subjects she could tackle. Now in her final year of college, the determined 17-year-old credits the flexibility of NCEA for helping her to be on...

10 reasons to go for Hayu

Expanded offering

Southern comfort

When architect Sharlene Browning and family came home to New Zealand after 10 years in Brisbane, she started to house hunt but was shocked by the “ridiculous cost and process” to get on the property ladder. “We tried to navigate the post-EQC...

Coriander comfort

CASHEW NUT CURRY with coriander chutney Sri Lankan in origin, this unusual and delightful vegan curry, packed with creamy cashew nuts, is loved by vegetarians and omnivores alike. The fresh coriander chutney makes a wonderful accompaniment to any...

Big yes for compulsory super

Voters have delivered a resounding endorsement of compulsory KiwiSaver, with fresh polling showing overwhelming support for requiring all workers to contribute to the retirement savings scheme. The latest The Post/Freshwater Strategy poll with...

POLITICS KiwiSaver changes pitched

National will campaign on making KiwiSaver compulsory for all workers – including the self-employed. The party will also introduce KiwiSaver accounts for the newborn with a $1500 kick-start from the Government, introduce Government-paid KiwiSaver...

'Totally broken'

There had been many times in Lucy Adlam’s life when, overwhelmed by rage, depression and exhaustion, she contemplated taking her own life. Speaking from the Greytown home she shares with her two children, two cats and rescue dog Meg, one occasion in...

Golden Mile vote shows council’s impotence

If there is one moment that underlines just how impotent, how buffeted by outside forces, the Wellington City Council is, it came just before lunchtime yesterday. That was the moment, by a vote of 14 to three, the decade-long dream to rejuvenate the...

Water assets

Two Wellington councils have hugely hiked the rates charged for water assets in the lead-up to handing them off to a new water entity – one by 304% in a year – but it appears the situation is down to oddities of the rating system. When pipes and other...

U-turn

The Wellington City Council has confirmed it is looking to spend $1.5 million, partly undoing work on the one part of the Golden Mile project ever completed. The long-debated $139m project took a big blow with the release of a paper yesterday showing...

World Cup fever

With New Zealand’s first Fifa World Cup match kicking off at 1pm against Iran, Wellington football fans are gearing up for an exciting month of the beautiful game. Sports bars are readying themselves for an influx of fans over the next few weeks,...

Poll brings post-Budget blow

National has failed to secure a post-Budget lift in support, with a new poll revealing Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s party remains locked below 30%. In the latest The Post/Freshwater Strategy poll with Infrastructure New Zealand, National has...

Kiwi teachers lured to Australia

Struggling to make ends meet as a primary teacher in Auckland, Joseph Lloyd turned to the internet. “I put into Google, ‘where can I earn the most money as a teacher with two years’ experience?’” The results: Qatar, Kuwait, and remote Western...

INSIDE: YOUR FIFA WORLD CUP WALL CHART

More questions over new library website WELLINGTON CITY COUNCIL

An independent review will be held into the procurement of Wellington City Council’s sleek new $600,000 library website, as new questions are raised about why a link to a commercial business based in the Bay of Islands – now removed – was being...

Solve the clues and uncover the benefits of life at a Ryman village, where it's all taken care of.

Across 3 Furry friends frequently spotted out for walks on village grounds (4) 5 Social activity that gets residents moving to the music (7) 7 A cosy place in the village to enjoy the silver screen (6) 10 The NZ city where Ryman was founded in 1984...

The Christophers

Acting lifts film to artistic heights

Art attack

The Government is facing mounting criticism from across the arts sector after cutting more than $27 million from cultural agencies and introducing a cap on charitable donation tax credits, moves critics say risk weakening support for New Zealand...

Secrecy over Sherman exit

TVNZ has refused to release documents and correspondence related to the events that led up to the departure of its former political editor Maiki Sherman, citing multiple reasons, including privacy and confidentiality. The Post made several requests...

PMO climate email snafu

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has admitted a corporate lobbying document at the centre of a climate litigation dispute was sent to a former Beehive staffer’s private email account, prompting a fresh records review. Until now, Prime Minister...

ACC claim rejections queried

More than one in four ACC claims for healthcare-related harm are declined – 26 times the rejection rate for standard claims. Of the 64,314 Kiwis who made claims in the past three years for medical mishaps or other treatment injuries, 16,614 were...

A career centred on fairness

Now retired after a decades-long career during which he was Principal Family Court judge, Law Commissioner and Chief Ombudsman, Sir Peter Boshier has always sought to protect the vulnerable.

MP's early cancer detection 'lucky

Labour Party deputy leader Carmel Sepuloni kept her cancer a secret from the world, and even her parents and children, for more than a year-and-a-half before she decided on a whim to post it on social media. It was important for Sepuloni to share her...

Applause but not a lot of laughs – unless your name is Winston,

As the MP who has sat through the most Budget platitudes by a considerable margin, NZ First leader Winston Peters endured yesterday’s Budget debate as merrily as if it was a new season of his favourite comedy show. Depending on the ballot box, of...

No tricks, no treats BUDGET 2026

Finance Minister Nicola Willis has warned the nation that, despite fevered speculation, there will be no big surprise “new sexy thing”, “sweet new lolly” or magic trick in this afternoon’s Budget. In a Budget-eve interview with The Post, Willis was...

Bite of the (fiscal) pie

Finance Minister Nicola Willis and her associate ministers – Shane Jones, David Seymour and Chris Bishop – made a tasty pit stop at Puku Pies yesterday after making the annual pilgrimage to see the Budget being printed at Blue Star. Willis will deliver...

‘Boomer’ Budget gobbles cash

One of the key megatrends facing New Zealand’s fiscal management is the nation’s large – and growing – boomer state. This is one of the key pressures Finance Minister Nicola Willis will be dealing with in this Budget. The costs are largely set,...

Ambulance refused despite many calls

A Wellington man says he was left horrified after emergency call handlers repeatedly refused to send an ambulance to a man who had collapsed unconscious on the city’s Cuba St and later complained of chest pain. Communications and public relations...

The Mandalorian and Grogu

The Mandalorian and Grogu (M, 132 mins) Directed by Jon Favreau Reviewed by Graeme Tuckett ***½ Isee a lot of films. Plus there’s Hurricanes and Wahs games, shows on Wellington’s mighty Radio Active FM to host, a couple of side hustles and my little...

‘Inappropriate’ for democracy

Newly released emails show Wellington mayor Andrew Little’s chief of staff labelled the $41 million new office fit-out “inappropriate” for democracy and bemoaned that future mayors were stuck with it for a quarter of a century. The Wellington City...

Fraudulent licences linked to crashes

Holders of fraudulent driver licences were involved in 10 crashes and allegedly committed 180 traffic offences after the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi became aware something could be wrong. In February 2025, NZTA detected previously “unidentified...

‘Bad news on top of bad news’

Plans to further slash public service jobs will cause “anxiety” in an already subdued Wellington, mayor Andrew Little says – but he’s urging the city to play to its strengths in other areas. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed the Government...

More public service reform

Finance Minister Nicola Willis will use a pre-Budget speech today to launch a new wave of public service reform, including slashing the number of Government agencies, driving public servant headcount down and leaning heavily into digitisation and AI...

Concerns at embassy move

News the Israeli embassy is moving to a new Wellington location, with some tenants currently unaware, is drawing parallels to “human shield” allegations made against Hamas. The Israeli Embassy is on the 13th floor of a Brandon St office block but is...

Wild weather ‘meth crisis’ for home buyers

With New Zealand experiencing a storm on average every eight days, thousands of properties in coastal inundation and flood zones could become uninsurable. Our new series explores the impacts of relentless weather events on families and communities,...

Te Papa jobs to go

Te Papa has confirmed a net loss of 20 roles in its latest round of restructuring. The national museum confirmed that 62 positions would be disestablished yesterday, however, 42 new positions would be created, according to an internal document...

Scaling up

Property investor and coach Ilse Wolfe bought and held more than 30 rental properties before she began helping others to do the same, using the BRRRR – buy, renovate, rent, refinance, repeat – strategy. Wolfe shares her experience and advice as part...

Judith Collins takes final bow on politics

National Party stalwart Judith Collins has closed out her decades-long political career with a curtsy and a word of warning to her colleagues. First elected in 2002, Collins has held a formidable number of roles over her 24 years in politics,...

Waterfront safety back in spotlight

Wellington’s waterfront safety will again to come under scrutiny, with an inquest confirmed into the harbour drowning of a Christchurch teacher – nearly 18 months after a coroner called for urgent action. The inquest into the 2023 death of Isaac...

Motorway contractor probe by SFO SERIOUS FRAUD OFFICE

The Serious Fraud Office is investigating the contractor alliance responsible for Auckland’s motorway network, amid allegations of financial discrepancies of between $700,000 and $1.3 million, conflicts of interest, and preferential treatment of a...

Jake Sanders

The strange re-emergence of a serial conman

Chaos, failure and serious risk to life

Sweeping condemnations of the emergency response after Kaitaki lost all power in Cook Strait have been detailed in a new report, showing Maritime NZ failed to properly respond to the scale of the evolving disaster. The Transport Accident Investigation...

$14.4m spent on consultants MARITIME

The state-owned company delivering the new Cook Strait ferry fleet has spent more than $14.4 million on external contractors and consultants in its first 13 months of operation. But that’s not the total bill. Ferry Holdings Limited (FHL) won’t...

'Rushed and unsustainable'

Primary curriculum changes are “rushed and unsustainable” as educators struggle to come to grips with rapid changes, according toasurvey. Primary teachers’ union NZEI surveyed 7800 primary school teachers from 700 schools to discover how teachers felt...

Signed and sealed

New Zealand has signed a major new trade deal with Singapore, committing both countries to protecting the movement of food and fuel amid the global crunch looming large over New Zealand’s ability to import refined fuel. The deal was signed at the...

Treasury warning over ferry project

A critical Government review slapped a high-risk “amber” warning on the Cook Strait ferry replacement programme, finding “back-to-front” planning and decaying port infrastructure have left the project exposed to delays and higher costs. The Targeted...

Policing the Chathams

Cracks in coalition

National’s Nicola Willis has accused Winston Peters of acting in bad faith and contrary to the coalition agreement in an extraordinary attack following his release of emails on the Iran war. Willis went so far as to suggest the 81-year-old Peters was...

Tools of a home stager

Sharn Potaka puts her experience as a visual merchandiser for bougie retailer Anthropologie to use to help sellers present their homes. She talks to Joanna Davis. Sharn Potaka founded her own home staging company, Evoke Home Staging, in 2017. Then it...

Cook Strait safety ‘betrayal’ MARITIME

The cash saved from cancelling an open ocean tugboat for Cook Strait has gone into a scheme which will make it cheaper for international airlines to fly into the country. Maritime NZ national secretary Carl Findlay says the “revelation” is “a betrayal...

Price cuts signal market shift

New Zealand property sellers trimmed tens of thousands off their asking prices taking an average reduction of more than $33,000 per listing in the first three months of the year. New quarterly figures from realestate. co.nz showed vendors who dropped...

Capital becomes Wahllington

Warriors captain James Fisher-Harris has been there and done it all in the NRL. For him, the intensity and noise at a packed Hnry Stadium in Wellington on Saturday night rivalled all those big occasions. “It felt like a finals game, how loud it was....

The Takoradi Run

The overwhelming scale of the wilderness in the Chilean fiords is hard to comprehend. Our much-loved Fiordland boasts 14 fiords over 200 kilometres of coastline. The Norwegian fiords have 900 fiords over 2500km of coastline. Chile has a remarkable 1000...

Cash for buyouts unlikely

The cost of buying out uninhabitable, flood-stricken homes is likely beyond Wellington City Council, with mayor Andrew Little signalling the city could turn to the Government for support once property assessments are complete. “Minister for Local...