As Wednesday turned to Thursday, people around the world said goodbye to a sometimes challenging 2025 and expressed hopes for the new year to come. While New Zealand was among the first in the world to welcome the New Year, countries across Asia, Europe and Africa have welcomed 2026 in the hours since. FIREWORKS LIGHT UP SYDNEYIn Australia, Sydney began 2026 with a spectacular fireworks display, as per tradition. The chimes are believed to dispel misfortune and welcome peace and prosperity for the year ahead. Organizers were hoping to beat their 2024 Guinness World Record for the biggest New Year's Eve celebration.

In a tragic start to the New Year on Sydney's eastern beaches, emergency services were called to Maroubra Beach at 4am after reports a person had been swept into the ocean. While yet to be formally identified, it was believed to be the missing woman and a report will be prepared for the coroner. At nearby Coogee Beach, a search was under way for a swimmer believed to be missing in the water. The incidents follow the death of a man in Sydney on New Year's Eve after a dinghy capsized at Palm Beach. A man was pulled from the water by surf lifesavers and treated by paramedics, but he died at the scene.

A search operation is under way to find a person heard yelling for help off a Dunedin track this morning. Police said they received a call from someone who was walking the Mackie Dackie Track, off Flagstaff-Whare Flat Rd, at about 9.30am today. The caller had heard someone yelling for help, but could not locate where the voice was coming from. Police have conducted initial enquiries and walked the track, but were unable to hear or see anyone. A Search and Rescue operation was now under way.

At the time of publication, RNZ found Wellington to Dunedin seat and bag fares on the Air New Zealand website for $436 per person. "Normally, she's really, really careful about these sorts of things. Air New Zealand was not responsible for the price that appeared on a website like Gotogate, she said. "It is really unfortunate that there are these third-party sites that do engage in what we would say is price gouging. RNZ has contacted Air New Zealand, Gotogate and its Swedish owner, Etraveli Group, for comment.

Trump’s deployments of National Guard troops have been a centrepiece of his hardline policies on immigration and crime since returning to the White House in January. The 79-year-old billionaire and former reality star has also sent the National Guard into the capital Washington and to Memphis, Tennessee, and threatened to send them to San Francisco. But the Trump administration had already begun to pull some troops from Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland in recent weeks as court judgments went against it. Most had already been demobilised, with the US military saying 100 Guard troops remained deployed at the time. As of last week, some 300 National Guard troops remained activated in the Chicago area but were not engaged in operations.

Iran, which does not recognise Israel, has long accused it of conducting sabotage operations against its nuclear facilities and assassinating its scientists. The vice-president of the University of Tehran, Mohammad Reza Taghidokht, told the Iranian Students’ News Agency that four students were arrested on Tuesday and released overnight. Nevertheless, the protests remain limited in number and concentrated in central Tehran, with shops elsewhere in the sprawling metropolis of 10 million people unaffected. Before the attack in Fasa, Iranian media had not reported any new protests that day. There were also widespread protests in 2019, sparked by a sharp increase in the price of petrol.

One person was taken to hospital following a high-speed, head-on collision in the Kawarau Gorge this morning. A Fire and Emergency NZ spokesman said three crews from Cromwell were called to a crash involving three vehicles on the Gibbston Highway (State Highway 6) about 10.30am. It was reported the crash was "high-velocity" and two of the cars had collided at speed, the spokesman said. Initial indications had been of four people with moderate injuries and one person with minor injuries. *A single-car crash was reported at Roaring Meg in the Kawarau Gorge about 4.20am today and one person received minor injuries.

Parts of the South Island are welcoming the New Year with heavy rain warnings and severe thunderstorm watches. On Thursday, the ranges of Tasman District, west of Takaka, and Buller were under orange heavy rain warnings. MetService said streams and rivers could rise rapidly, with surface flooding, slips and difficult driving conditions possible. Meanwhile, much of the lower half of the South Island was under a severe thunderstorm watch from 2pm until 9pm. Driving conditions will also be hazardous with surface flooding and poor visibility in heavy rain."

Five people have been injured in a high-speed, head-on collision in the Kawarau Gorge this morning. A Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) spokesman said three crews from Cromwell were called to a crash involving three vehicles on the Gibbston Highway (State Highway 6) about 10.30am. It was reported the crash was "high-velocity" and two of the cars had collided at speed, the spokesman said. A Hato Hone St John spokeswoman said four people had received moderate injuries and one person had minor injuries. *A single-car crash was reported at Roaring Meg in the Kawarau Gorge about 4.20am today and one person received minor injuries.

File photoPolice are crediting Operation Open Roads for a reduction in road deaths for the third year in a row. In a statement, police said the provisional number of road deaths in 2025 was 272. Superintendent Steve Greally, director of road police, said the reduction was in "large part", because of its focus on deaths on open roads. "We continue to ask drivers to play their part and make sensible decisions both on the road and before you get behind the wheel. "Our aim is to see the number of speed infringements issued drop, which is an indication that people are doing the right thing, and following the sign-posted speed limits."

In Whangamatā, crowds were larger than last year, with an estimated 3500 to 4000 people gathered at Williamson Park. The spokesperson said the atmosphere was positive and the crowd was generally well-behaved, with 12 arrests and some liquor ban infringements handed down. In Mount Maunganui, in the Bay of Plenty, fireworks were fired into crowds, posing a spark and fire risk. The spokesperson said Gisborne/Tairāwhiti also saw no significant issues, with police successfully preventing planned large gatherings by antisocial road users, and no issues reported at the popular festival Rhythm and Vines. Photo / NZ PoliceIn Christchurch, behaviour was mostly good, with no issues at the Hagley Park concert and only minor incidents at the Rolling Meadows Festival.

It’s the opening match of Super Round and the first look at the new One New Zealand Stadium. Women’s T20 World Cup final, July 5A final at Lord’s which has mixed memories for New Zealand cricket fans – especially at World Cup time. Photo / PhotosportFifa World Cup final, July 20MetLife Stadium plays host for what will be the 104th match of the tournament. Photo / PhotosportRugby League World Cup final, November 16The tournament returns after a five-year gap and it’s probably as open as it’s ever been. The women’s Rugby League World Cup and Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup will be running at the same time.

The country's largest patient information portal on Wednesday confirmed it had identified a cyber security incident involving "unauthorised access" to its platform. "I want to assure our users, customers, and stakeholders that we take the protection of your health information extremely seriously. "Health New Zealand is aware of the cyber security incident at ManageMyHealth and is working with them to understand any impacts. Ayers says it was a large data breach, even by worldwide standards and catastrophic on the New Zealand scale. But at 108 gigabytes, that's a pretty large data breach, and it looks like it's going to be much larger than the Waikato DHB data breach, which affected just over 4000 people."

“[2025] was a year where a lot of hard work paid off,” Libby tells Society Insider. “The US market is a huge focus for us as we look at more international growth this year,” Swart tells Society Insider. She tells Society Insider the year ahead is about “pushing boundaries while staying grounded”. “We’re already seeing really encouraging traction in Australia, which has given us the confidence to lean in,” Macrae tells Society Insider. “Emma has well and truly pushed me forward and given me a huge opportunity,” Bull tells Society Insider.

Morning Headlines | NZ welcomes 2026 with Sky Tower firework display and road closure on SH16 | Thursday, January 1, 2026Already a subscriber? Sign in hereAccess to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. One person dies after early morning crash on SH26, HaurakiA person has died after a crash in Tirohia, Hauraki, early this morning. A police spokesperson said they were called to the intersection of State Highway 26 and Cadman Rd at 12.40am. “Despite emergency services’ efforts, the sole occupant of the vehicle sadly died at the scene,” the spokesperson said.