While some Republicans have argued that small special election results are being overblown, others privately acknowledge that the signals are troubling for their party. Since the start of 2025, Democrats have used special elections to flip a dozen state legislative seats, while Republicans have not flipped one. But this district and Florida in general represent the kind of places where Democrats have lost ground in the past decade. “It’s not a secret that Republicans don’t tend to do as well in off-year elections.”Why do Democrats do better in special elections? Voter participation in special elections is always relatively low.

HNZ said it was now being used by 1250 doctors and front-line staff in EDs around the country. But now, according to reports by Australian media, it is under review in Australia by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). With its system prompt changed, Heidi began calling itself "Nexus", and rewrote its own code when asked. "But a clinical scribe is developed for healthcare, and its use is approved by their institution. "It did not put patient information at risk, affect any users, or connect to Health New Zealand systems."

Image: RNZThere are concerns that offering fuel support via the Working for Families system may mean some people end up having to pay it back. The government announced on Tuesday that it would pay households who receive the in-work tax credit an extra $50 a week to help with the rising cost of fuel. But it was not uncommon for people to receive Working for Families payments that they were not entitled to. Because it was paid based on household income, when a family's income changed - due to shifting jobs or business income moving - they could end up receiving too much and having to pay it back. Inland Revenue said it would monitor all customers receiving Working for Families payments to ensure they were getting what they were entitled to.

But now, according to reports by Australian media, the tool is under review in Australia by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). With its system prompt changed, Heidi began calling itself “Nexus” and rewrote its own code when asked. He warned against sensationalist framing of security research, which “doesn’t just misrepresent individual companies – it damages the ecosystem responsible disclosure depends on”. “When findings are overstated and misattributed, companies become less willing to engage with researchers and security companies openly. “It did not put patient information at risk, affect any users, or connect to Health New Zealand systems.”– RNZ

One of the new Ark flood barriers which was set up as a precaution in Wairoa. Photo / Annaleise Shortland“The cost of the damage from flooding afterwards far outweighs the cost of having those,” said Little. Photo / LinkedIn, Tarpaulin MakersKlint Brittain-Freemantle from Tarpaulin Makers is the brains behind the gear. “That’s what Ark is.”While the product would not prevent major flooding, it could be used strategically, he said. Photo / LinkedIn, Tarpaulin Makers“In [Cyclone] Gabrielle, there was a particular power station that only just flooded up a couple of hundred mil.

(Image: NZME)AI Generated BD AIStuff Group said it will consolidate its printing operations in 2027, closing its Petone print plant and shifting production to Christchurch as part of a plan to cut costs and improve efficiency.Owner and publisher Sinead Boucher said the move had been under consideration since the 2020 management buyout and was not driven by the recent sale of the Petone site by Nine Media’s new owners. Stuff said it would consult with about 30 Petone staff on the impact of the decision and look for redeployment opportunities, including new roles in...

A man has died by suicide after being bullied at Christchurch Men’s Prison - and the coroner says the issue was mismanaged by Corrections. Coroner Allie Cunninghame recommended bullying be "proactively" managed in prisons and said greater training for custodial staff needed to occur. Tragically, in 2016, his father, Russell Braddock, died in an avalanche in France, which led to an exacerbation of Nicholls-Braddock’s alcohol issues. Four days before his death, officers found a tattooing needle, ink and tobacco in Nicholls-Braddock’s cell, which resulted in a misconduct charge. In desperate phone calls to family, Nicholls-Braddock suggested the items were not his and said he had been repeatedly assaulted.

The ACT Party is claiming the government's proposed ban on surcharges for contactless and credit card payments is dead, but the minister responsible insists it is still being worked on. Now, ACT is essentially pulling the pin on the legislation, with leader David Seymour calling it "bad economics," and ACT did not support it. Retail NZ 'delighted'Retail NZ opposed a ban, warning businesses would likely to have to increase their costs elsewhere to recover the payment costs. Young said Retail NZ was pleased the government had listened to retailers in not progressing the bill. Without ACT or New Zealand First, National would need support from the opposition to pass the legislation.

Photo / Mark MitchellThere are 18 questions used to measure material hardship. A family are classed as living in material hardship when they lack seven of the items or services referred to on the list. Photo / Ben DickensFigures released in February for a 12-month period between 2024 and 2025 show that material hardship and poverty rates remain persistently high, with around 14% of New Zealand children living in material hardship. One in four – or one quarter – of Māori children, one third of Pacific kids and one in four disabled children are living in material hardship. “We have a choice between letting families and children fall through the cracks or ensure everyone receives adequate support.”Julia Gabel is a Wellington-based political reporter.

Lashing out at his domestic opponents, Trump also claimed Democrats were trying to “deflect from all of the tremendous success that we’re having in this military operation”. “President Trump does not bluff, and he is prepared to unleash hell. Iran should not miscalculate again.”Asked if negotiations with Iran had stalled, Leavitt replied: “Talks continue. Meanwhile, the White House appeared to stick to the four to six-week timeline it had previously given for the duration of the war. “We’ve always estimated approximately four to six weeks [for the length of military operations against Iran], so you could do the math on that,” Leavitt added.

Photo: RNZ/Marika KhabaziNews publisher Stuff Group has announced the closure of its Petone printing press and the loss of 30 jobs on site. Boucher said the Petone site was bought from Australia's Nine Media by new owners in November. "This did not factor into the future of the plant for Stuff, as the Christchurch option was already well advanced." She said the lease didn't expire for another year and consultation with the 30 people employed at the Petone site would take place over the coming weeks and months. "[We] will be looking for opportunities for redeployment within the business, including at our Christchurch site where we will be adding jobs to accommodate the additional work."

News publisher Stuff Group has announced the closure of its Petone printing press and the loss of 30 jobs on site. Owner and publisher Sinead Boucher told staff earlier today that the plant would shut down in 2027, with print operations moving to Christchurch. Boucher said the Petone site was bought from Australia's Nine Media by new owners in November. (Source: 1News)"This did not factor into the future of the plant for Stuff, as the Christchurch option was already well advanced." She said the lease didn't expire for another year and consultation with the 30 people employed at the Petone site would take place over the coming weeks and months.

Ockham co-founder Mark Todd at the developer’s Greenhouse building. (Image: Michael Craig)Veteran Auckland apartment developer Ockham has been forced to lay off 10 of its 27 staff due to the lengthy market slump.Ockham is the developer of 20 apartment complexes around Auckland.The projects are known for their attractive facades, such as the yellow Kōanga in Waterview, The Greenhouse in Ponsonby, and Aroha in Avondale.Co-founder Mark Todd has been an outspoken advocate for density done well, but said the apartment market had been tough for some time.“The pre-sales market [has been] effectively non-existent for close to four yea...

The incident happened in front of the South Dunedin Library. Photo: ODT FilesA Dunedin pedestrian was forced to run for it when a woman he knew chased him down the street wielding a weapon. However, witnesses in the area said she had been trying to hit the man with a tyre iron and missed, Sgt Lee said. The incident happened in front of the South Dunedin Library’s new CCTV cameras which would be reviewed. Inquiries were continuing to identify and locate the woman, Sgt Lee said.

Photo: RNZThe country will not be moving up an alert level when ministers announce more details of the national fuel plan at Parliament on Friday. "Tomorrow we will also provide more information about the criteria we will use to assess when a change in the response phase is required. Willis also told MPs in the House that the government's goal was to "avoid ever getting to response phase three or four". Willis also doesn't expect the government would need to be "skipping through the response phases" of the alert level framework. On how much warning there would be for alert level changes, Willis said, "we are determined to ensure people aren't in a situation where things change suddenly overnight in ways that aren't expected".