He understands where the game’s at, it’s critically important for the back end of the innings to understand what’s required. “We’ve got a pretty clear idea of a best XI,” said Walter. “However, the best XI will change, there’s no doubt about that. “We understand what our best XI looks like for the conditions in front of us. If the conditions change, so will that XI.”Alex Powell is a sports journalist for the NZ Herald.

Bishop Te Kito Pikaahu asked the crowd for calm while Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour delivered his prayer at the Waitangi Day dawn service. Seymour made the comments during Waitangi Day, a public holiday commemorating the anniversary of the initial signing of the Treaty of Waitangi on February 6 in 1840. His address at this morning's dawn service at Te Whare Rūnanga, Waitangi Treaty Ground in Northland was interrupted by loud hecklers and boos. A large crowd gathered for the dawn service at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. Following the ceremonies, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon reaffirmed that National would not back a rehash of the Treaty Principles Bill.

Waitangi Day 2026: Thousand gather for dawn service as Seymour heckled, waka ceremony and hīkoi to Treaty GroundsFighting for the rights of the next generation is the focus of this year’s hīkoi to Waitangi led by Northland Māori. Video / NZ Herald

According to Italian media four Finnish players have contracted the highly contagious virus, a form of gastroenteritis, which causes vomiting and diarrhoea. The game has been postponed until February 12, but other women’s games did go ahead. Vonn’s Olympic comeback at the age of 41 depends on her being able to ski with a ruptured ACL (anterior cruciate ligament). Italy said on Wednesday it had thwarted a series of Russian cyberattacks targeting the Olympics. A Russian hacker group claimed responsibility for the attack, which it said was in response to the Italian government’s support for Ukraine.

Sign in hereAccess to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Watercare has issued a precautionary boil water notice for residents of an Auckland island after a sample tested positive for E. coli. Chief operations officer Mark Bourne said the notice for Herald Island, in the Upper Waitematā Harbour, was in place to protect public health. “While the other results from this routine sample were completely normal, we are taking a careful and precautionary approach,” he said late last night. “We’re asking Herald Island residents to boil their tap water before use while we complete further testing.”

The town of Katherine, in Australia's Northern Territory, has a population of around 6000 people. Photo / Getty ImagesWadsworth’s interactions included engaging in sexually explicit conversations and sending sexually explicit photos to a Kik user who claimed to be 13 years old, while receiving child abuse material from the same user. In addition, Wadsworth also accessed child abuse material files transmitted by a Session application user and engaged in another sexually explicit conversation with a Kik user, which involved the sharing of text-based child abuse material and discussions about sexual violence against children. The document says watching pornography and using the internet to seek out sexually explicit content was normalised during Wadsworth’s time at boarding school, leading to an unhealthy porn addiction. Wadsworth was sentenced in Darwin's Northern Territory Supreme Court on January 14.

The Serious Fraud Office has laid 33 charges against Breingan, relating to almost $15 million in public and private funding for 13 TV shows, produced under the banner of his Auckland-based Stripe Media (Stripe Studios) company, and associated firms. Stripe Media (Stripe Studios) managing director Alex Breingan is facing 33 charges following a Serious Fraud Office investigation. The IMDB movie database lists Alex James as the founder of 2nd Hour Films. On Instagram, 2nd Hour Films has one post from November 2024 - another promotional image for The Circus of Death and the promise of it “coming soon”. BDO ‘welcomes’ chargesThe receivers of Stripe Media told the Herald that they welcomed the action being taken by the Serious Fraud Office.

Brooklyn Beckham's tattoo as it was before the word "Dad" was covered up. Brooklyn Beckham's anchor tattoo, with the word "Dad" covered up. “To see Brooklyn covering up Victoria’s tattoo, and now the one he had for his dad, will sting,” a source told the Sun. David Beckham, Victoria, Nicola Peltz and Brooklyn Beckham. Nicola Peltz wore Valentino Haute Couture to marry Brooklyn Beckham at her family home in Palm Beach, Florida.

Betty Gilgen and her father, Harry Pennell. Phil said Betty had “Pop’s engineer’s eye for detail” and “monitored the Bayfair bridge pile progress”. Betty Gilgen as a baby. Betty also had “extremely good sewing and millinery skills,” spinning possum, alpaca, and mohair wool into garments, rugs, and blankets. Betty remarried in 1958 to Swiss immigrant and horticulturist Ernst Gilgen, who died in 2005.

Meryl Streep jokes about having "PTSD from wearing high heels for 16 weeks" filming "The Devil Wears Prada" sequel. Photo / Getty ImagesMeryl Streep jokes about having "PTSD from wearing high heels for 16 weeks" filming "The Devil Wears Prada" sequel. Photo / Getty ImagesMeryl Streep has joked she’s suffering “PTSD from wearing high heels for 16 weeks” while filming The Devil Wears Prada sequel. But I almost had PTSD from wearing high heels for 16 weeks. The sequel reunites Streep with her co-stars, Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt, who return as Andy Sachs and Emily Charlton respectively.

US Vice-President JD Vance announced the Agreement on Trade in Critical Minerals with 55 countries. The three-way partnership will include co-ordination including price floors for critical minerals, the US Trade Representative’s office said. The US also announced an agreement with Mexico and has already reached deals on critical minerals with Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Thailand. This week Trump unveiled “Project Vault” - a nearly US$12 billion ($20b) bid to stockpile critical minerals and effectively anything else needed by US industry. Vance accused former President Joe Biden of failing to address critical minerals, although the Democratic administration launched in 2022 a Minerals Security Partnership focusing on collaborative funding.

These German tourists were lost in translation, crashing a funeral reception dinner service they mistook for a food court. Photo / Facebook, Charantorn ChaloemkiadThese German tourists were lost in translation, crashing a funeral reception dinner service they mistook for a food court. Photo / Facebook, Charantorn ChaloemkiadTwo German tourists were left embarrassed and apologetic after crashing a funeral reception in Thailand, confusing the venue for a restaurant. Local man Charantorn Chaloemkiad said he was helping as an usher at the traditional event when he noticed the backpackers enter the backyard dinner service. “I went over to speak with them and they asked if the place was a food court,” he said.

A national pictureMehdi Shahbazpour, Breast Cancer Foundation NZ head of research and strategic programmes, said advanced breast cancer was when the disease spread beyond the breast and nearby lymph nodes to other parts of the body,Shahbazpour said more than 350 people are diagnosed with advanced breast cancer in New Zealand every year, and many live with the disease long term. New research released by the foundation shows median survival for people with advanced breast cancer has increased, and Māori outcomes are now on par with non-Māori. “When we look at how Kiwis are doing when they’re diagnosed with advanced breast cancer, we are starting to see some improvements, which is great,” Shahbazpour said. “We need to do better at diagnosing advanced breast cancer earlier than we currently are,” he said. “My grandchildren growing up, getting married.”Living with advanced breast cancer has changed her priorities.

Photo / Tauranga City CouncilA rāhui is still in place for affected areas around Mauao and people are asked to respect it by not entering, swimming, gathering kaimoana, or undertaking recreational activities. “There are currently 40 landslips on Mauao, 29 of them are on the base track,” the mayor said. The road cordon around Mauao will be lifted, but the hill itself remains closed. Image / Tauranga City Council“Closing Mauao is to reduce the likelihood of injury or harm while further assessments and mitigation work is undertaken. Drysdale said any decision about the Mauao closure will be made with the council’s partners and will take into account the community’s aroha for it.

“Kristin Cabot’s life ‘blew up’ last July after a fleeting moment at a Coldplay concert became a global obsession,” a promotional social media post read. Cabot gained worldwide infamy after she was caught out in an affair with her boss, former Astronomer chief executive Andy Byron, at a Coldplay concert in Boston. Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy,” Coldplay frontman Chris Martin was heard saying in the moment. Cabot filed for divorce from her husband, Andrew, whom she later revealed was also in attendance at the show. That’s the price I chose to pay.”Social media response to the announcement was not favourable.