Photo: SuppliedCars blocked by a slip in rural Taihape are now free after a local farmer cleared a path for them with his tractor. Watson previously said he understood it was a local farmer who raised the alarm, calling emergency services to report what he could see. Watson said some of the roads the cars took would normally only see "half a dozen" cars a day, he said. Many other local roads were also closed. Winiata Marae opens to stranded travellersAbout 80 people are sheltering at Winiata Marae, in Taihape, which has opened to stranded travellers.

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Christchurch and Banks Peninsula residents are being urged to prepare for possible flooding as the wild weather hammering the North Island tracks south. This could cause flooding in some areas of the district, with Banks Peninsula looking likely to be the most affected. The peninsula is under an orange heavy rain warning from 8am today until 6pm tomorrow. "The upper Heathcote flood storage basins will be functioning as they should during this event, so people may notice fluctuating water levels in the river," Smith said. "Given the amount of rain forecast, Little River residents should prepare for possible flooding, and other parts of Banks Peninsula should be aware of the potential for slips and road disruptions.

Some growers are harvesting early varieties now, with the main harvest getting under way in a few weeks. Potatoes New Zealand chair Paul Olsen said his crop in Manuwatu was looking good, but further north in Pukekohe, growers had had a lot of rain. Olsen said if the national crop did end up being smaller, prices could remain higher, as demand for potatoes had been solid. He hasn't made money on potatoes for 18 months, so getting higher prices would be good for cash flow. "It's getting to the stage now where growers have decided, well, it's not worth growing anymore, so they got out of it."

Photo: RNZSupport for both major parties has dipped - while New Zealand First is up on double digits - in the latest 1News Verian poll. Between November 29 and December 3, 2025, 1007 eligible voters were polled by mobile phone (500) and online, using online panels (507). Party support percentages have been rounded up or down to whole numbers, except those less than 4.5%, which are reported to one decimal place. Undecided voters, non-voters and those who refused to answer are excluded from the data on party support. The results are a snapshot in time of party support, and not a prediction.

Photo: RNZAnimosity between two men led to one of them being murdered and dismembered, a Christchurch High Court jury has heard. Photo: Supplied / NZ PoliceWhile the two women sat in a bedroom and ate, Leman went to look for a way to smoke more methamphetamine, Mallett said. "They found Mr Leman and Mr Rodger in the lounge facing each other, while Mr Rodger had a gun in his hand." The Crown argues Rodger shot Leman twice, first in the leg, then a fatal shot to his chest. He said Rodger threatened to kill both women, took Leman's drugs and cash and dragged his body into another room.

Jack Willson was 10 years old when he was killed in a motocross accident in Taupō in 2023. Photo: Supplied via RNZThe deaths of four young people in separate motocross accidents over a two-year span will be the focus of a joint Coronial inquest, placing the safety of the sport under scrutiny. "It is without question an extraordinarily difficult day for everybody involved, and particularly the parents of Jack, Luke, Eli and Wai'aryn," he said. The joint inquest builds on earlier proceedings into Jack Willson's death. The Cambridge 10-year-old died after a crash while racing at the Digger McEwen Motocross Park in Taupō in April 2023.

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Anton Korinek, one of the world’s most influential economists studying transformative AI, says: “It may happen later this year or later this decade. Now, some of the world’s smartest people are warning that AI is making their skills obsolete. In the UK, someone earning less than £43,000 in 2023 would be at risk, according to the latest data. I don’t think we’re going to have AI take over airline traffic control any time soon. We’re not going to have AI take over chief financial officers, chief executives or chief operating officers,” Acemoglu says.

“None of the people at your table were intoxicated?” Stephens asked the judge. “You must have been affected to some extent.”“I don’t accept I was disinhibited or affected by alcohol in the way you are suggesting,” Judge Aitken replied. Stephens asked the judge if she had done anything to cause Costello to look in her direction. “I don’t know why she was staring at me.”“You didn’t call out loudly or yell at the top of the stairs,” Stephens asked. “No, we don’t want to put that in the statement,” Judge Aitken recalled being told during the phone call.

Photo: Nick BrookOne person has been taken to hospital with moderate injuries after a single-vehicle crash near Purakaunui in the Catlins this morning. A police spokesman said they were alerted to the crash at about 11.45am on Purakaunui Bay Rd, near the site of a popular beach-side campsite. "It appears to be a case of tourists giving a bit too much way when they've encountered an oncoming vehicle," a police officer at the scene said. "It is a narrow gravel road with blind corners and it's an all too common situation we do get called to." Hato Hone St John also attended with two helicopters and a first response unit.

By Kate Green of RNZA prisoner with a burst appendix was told it was a stomach bug, and waited six days to be admitted to hospital for surgery. The Health and Disability Commissioner said multiple registered nurses saw the woman, but their clinical impression was that of a viral infection. The prison has denied clinical staff said this. Ms A said she was in a vulnerable and dependent state, and the clinical staff did not do enough to escalate her care. "The medical care Ms A received fell short of what is rightly expected of us.

A machete was found along with cannabis, a set of scales and an imitation firearm inside a vehicle searched in Dunedin this morning, police say. Police stopped the vehicle in Ardmore Dr, near the Kensington Sports Bar & Tavern, about 12.10am this morning, Sergeant Matt Lee, of Dunedin, said. Officers spotted a meth pipe in the vehicle and invoked a search, Sgt Lee said. The search of the vehicle also produced a butterfly knife, a machete, police scanners, cannabis plant, scales and a ‘‘tick book’’. Officers witnessed a 19-year-old man allegedly ‘‘chasing after an associate and trying to kick him over’’, Sgt Lee said.

Highlanders centre Jonah Lowe looks for an opportunity while Timoci Tavatavanawai and Cameron Millar are in support during the Super Rugby Pacific game against the Crusaders on Friday night. Highlanders fans might at least want a few days to revel in the pure joy of beating the Crusaders 25-23 in the opening game of the Super Rugby season before they contemplate losing their coach. They found a way to win the game, just about lose it, and win it again. "I thought he contributed really, really well," Joseph said. The other eyebrow-raising Super Rugby result at the weekend was in Lautoka.

Photo: DOC/SuppliedFurther work could be required to protect a Bluff beach from old waste such as asbestos, despite tonnes of material already being removed. In August, Ocean Beach re-opened to the public following closure in 2018 due to contamination from a historic landfill. "Significant" amounts of asbestos needed to be removed and up to 30 - 50 years of work was forecast, Suter wrote. DOC operations manager Murihiku John McCarroll said contaminants, including asbestos, were first reported at the beach in 2018 and 1.2 tonnes of material was removed. Located just outside Bluff, Ocean Beach is situated near an old freezing works site which is now home to aquaculture and a distillery.