NZ Herald Live: PM Christopher Luxon speaks to the media
Chris Hipkins wants to reverse the changes, but won't commit to a dollar figure.
Charlie Davies-Carr is now 19 years old and studies law at university. Video / ZM
KiwiSaver cut, Best Start means-tested, $6.6b for business. Nicola Willis' Budget aims for growth but she warns of slow wages and high unemployment. Video / Mark Mitchell
Debt is projected to increase by $60 to $70 billion over the next five years. Video \ Mark Mitchell
Cameron Bagrie says the government saved $21 billion over the forecast period but faces challenges in finding future savings. Video \ Mark Mitchell
Ryan Bridge and an expert panel break down Budget 2025
A serious crash has happened on Dansey Rd near Rotorua.
Finance Minister unveils NZ Budget 2025, the end of an era as Smith & Caughey closes and Trump, Ramaphosa in heated Oval Office exchange.
Donald Trump ambushes South Africa's president during a White House meeting by playing a video alleging 'genocide' of white people in South Africa. Video / The White House
The Halberg Games isn't just a fun event for kids Gemma and Jemma, it's also an exciting reunion! Reporter Zoe catches up with the besties as they compete for their 3rd year.
Cameron Emerson has displayed plenty of courage and dedication on his way to reaching the 100-cap milestone. Video / Neil Reid
A large crowd packed Trust Stadium for the Runit event last night. Video / Mike Scott / Benjamin Plummer
New Zealand Rugby Player of the Year Jorja Miller speaks about transferring to the Black Ferns from the sevens side and her future goals. Video / Alyse Wright
The Bachelor NZ winner said the "only way" she knows how to read books set overseas is by changing the character's voice in her head. Video / The Hits Drive
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NZ Herald
8 minutes ago
- NZ Herald
Crown observer Lindsay McKenzie says Tory Whanau made right call ‘for her' not to seek re-election
He said the problems which caused the Government to intervene in the first place have been solved, as have tolerance and interpersonal relationships between councillors. Asked by Mills whether he thought Mayor Tory Whanau is an effective leader, McKenzie said 'it's a tough ask for somebody to come into a mayoral role, especially in the capital city, with no local government experience and I think that showed, she'd probably admit that'. When asked whether Whanau had made the right call in deciding not to stand again, McKenzie said 'for her, yes'. Whanau announced she was quitting the mayoral race in April after previously saying she was keen to serve three terms and had received the Green Party endorsement for the mayoralty. When speaking about her decision not to seek re-election Whanau admitted that she personally had become a 'distraction' – one that threatened to undermine what she wanted to achieve. Since then, she has spoken out about the online abuse and harassment she faced over her term, saying it is an issue that will deter women and marginalised communities from standing for public office. Wellington mayor Tory Whanau speaks to media after the Government appointed a Crown observer to the city's Council. Photo / Mark Mitchell McKenzie said politics has long been a feature of the council and while 'not uniquely a Wellington thing' was more evident at Wellington City Council. McKenzie wrote a report in May warning of the risks of party politics around the council table, but says he is generally ambivalent on the issue. During his time McKenzie wrote six reports to the Local Government Minister and five to the council, as well as providing constant advice to councillors in what he described as a 'below the radar' way. In his final report McKenzie states he does not believe further Government intervention is needed. 'I recommend that the Minister maintains a watching brief over Wellington City Council while the key decisions to implement the amended Long-term Plan are taken and the water services delivery plan is submitted', the report states. 'There are no other matters that the Terms of Reference specifically required to be addressed' he said. McKenzie also noted he worked on 'some interpersonal difficulties both historic and recent, opening communication lines where barriers existed, acting as a go between and 'honest broker' and generally assisting to de-escalate issues that, a year or so earlier, could have led to formal complaints'. Lindsay McKenzie. The Herald earlier revealed McKenzie was paid $1000 a day for the role. The council, to the disappointment of Mayor Tory Whanau, foot the bill for the observer, costing ratepayers $71,754.70 before GST as of this week, but his final invoice has not yet been received. $12,494.70 of that was for travel, with McKenzie residing in Nelson. $385 was spent on his office set up. Mayor Tory Whanau has thanked McKenzie 'for his professionalism, impartial advice, and valuable insights' as the council worked to pass its Long Term Plan. 'The Observer's final report shows that Wellington City Council has worked through the challenges in a robust and democratic way, getting near consensus on many key votes. I was always confident that our Council would do so, and I hope this helps rebuild public confidence in the Council's decision-making and processes', Whanau said. Ethan Manera is a New Zealand Herald journalist based in Wellington. He joined NZME in 2023 as a broadcast journalist with Newstalk ZB and is interested in local issues, politics, and property in the capital. He can be emailed at
RNZ News
8 minutes ago
- RNZ News
Former SIS boss Rebecca Kitteridge gets new role at University of Oxford
Rebecca Kitteridge. Photo: RNZ / Diego Opatowski Former spy boss Rebecca Kitteridge is taking up a new teaching and research position at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. She will leave the Public Service Commission where she is currently one of two deputy commissioners. From 2014 to 2023, Kitteridge was director-general of the Security Intelligence Service, the first woman appointed to the role . She then headed up the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, before moving to the Public Service Commission in April 2024. Oxford's Blavatnik School of Government this week announced Kitteridge would be joining them as professor of practice in public policy. In a statement Kitteridge said she was thrilled, citing her experience as an alumnus of the school's Executive Public Leaders Programme. "I have experienced first-hand the quality of the teaching, and its ability to deepen and strengthen leadership capability in government," she said. "Public service, organisational leadership, and building international connections are at the heart of both my own career and the Blavatnik School's mission. I am looking forward to contributing to this work and equipping public leaders around the world with the tools they need to succeed." Founding dean Professor Ngaire Woods said she was delighted by Kitteridge's appointment. "Her leadership and deep expertise will be invaluable in enriching both our teaching and research, and in helping governments meet on Wednesday's pressing challenges with insight, integrity, and innovation." Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche said the prestigious appointment was a testament not only to Kitteridge but also the quality of New Zealand's public service. "Rebecca has a wealth of experience, knowledge, and passion, and has made a very significant contribution to the leadership of the New Zealand public service," he said. "Our loss is Oxford University's gain. I thank Rebecca for her dedicated service and wish her the best." Oxford has appointed Kitteridge for a term of three years. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
NZ Herald
38 minutes ago
- NZ Herald
Five years on, Beirut blast victims still await justice and answers
Yesterday NZT, hundreds took to the streets of Beirut to mark the fifth anniversary of the blast and to demand accountability. An investigation led by Judge Tarek Bitar was finally reopened earlier this year after almost four years of delay because of political interference. 'It's just disgusting really that there's been no accountability, no justice, and five years on and it's just not even to the point where we've got proper answers,' said Copland, an Australian who at the time of the blast had been working for the United Nations in Beirut. 'Isaac was just a child, and we got caught up in this web of negligence, corruption, and crimes.' A helicopter drops water on a fire after the explosion in the port of Beirut on August 4, 2020. Photo / Lorenzo Tugnoli For The Washington Post Firefighters responding to the explosion. Photo / Lorenzo Tugnoli, For The Washington Post The longtime head of the Hezbollah militant group, Hasan Nasrallah, had derailed attempts to investigate the explosion after Bitar had called several officials close to the group in for questioning. 'The country will head to ruin if this judge continues on this path,' Nasrallah said in a 2021 speech before sending supporters to the Beirut courthouse to intimidate Bitar, triggering an armed clash. Hezbollah's critics alleged that an investigation could reveal the extent of the group's illicit activities in the port. What followed was a prolonged push by Hezbollah and its allies to have the judge recuse himself after suspects filed complaints accusing Bitar of bias, further delaying the investigation. Copland had then taken matters into her own hands, lobbying the Australian Government to take the lead on a statement at the UN Human Rights Council urging Lebanon to complete the investigation and safeguard its independence. This year's anniversary of the port blast comes after the war that erupted last year between Hezbollah and Israel, and as the group faces a new political reality after the killing of senior leaders, including Nasrallah. The group's new leadership has taken a less combative approach. 'The port investigation right now is not Hezbollah's biggest priority,' said David Wood, a senior Lebanon analyst at the International Crisis Group. He added that the group is in a weaker position and has been forced to adopt a less confrontational stance after the war. Earlier this year, the group acquiesced to the election of Joseph Aoun as President and Nawaf Salam as Prime Minister, paving the way for the probe to resume. Lebanon's new Justice Minister, Adel Nassar, said the Government is committed to ensuring that the judiciary conducts its work independently. 'A state that is not capable of giving answers and accountability after a tragic event or crime this horrific will be a state missing a major element of its proper existence,' he said. The reopening of the probe may eventually provide closure to survivors who have watched justice evade them for years. 'Nothing is okay until the indictment is released. This is what the Lebanese victims' families demand. The pain, the grief and the anger of injustice are even more than before,' said Mireille Khoury, whose 15-year-old son Elias died of injuries sustained in the blast. The commemoration included a minute of silence in front of the partially destroyed port grain silos that stand as a stark reminder of the disaster. Many families hope to see the site turned into a memorial for the victims. People stage a commemoration in memory of those who lost their lives in the 2020 explosion to mark the fifth anniversary of the blast in Beirut. Photo / Getty Images Lebanon's new Transport Minister, Fayez Rasamny, said in an interview that no final decision has been made regarding the demolition or preservation of the silos. 'We at the ministry and across the Lebanese government are approaching this matter with the utmost sensitivity and respect for the victims of the August 4 tragedy,' Rasamny said. Culture Minister Ghassan Salamé has added the silos to a list of historic buildings, meaning they cannot be torn down easily. In the absence of an official memorial, artist Nada Sehnaoui has sought to keep the memory of the victims alive through a mural she made near the blast site that features their photos covered in glass. Sehnaoui took the initiative, she said, because Lebanese governments have proved reluctant to remember tragedies in the past, such as the country's long civil war. 'It's public amnesia. To this day, we do not have a memorial for the civil war,' she said. 'This memorial is for the present and the future.' After consulting with Isaac's parents, the Australian Embassy in Beirut erected a swing in his memory at a Beirut museum, where the boy once loved to run around in the courtyard, Copland said. 'I do think that these memorials make a difference,' she said. Copland added that she will not have closure for her loss, but hopes justice prevails. 'I think we have to work as hard as we can to seek accountability, because that's what Isaac and all of the other victims deserve,' she said.
