This is literally what it was like in 1998. Now EVERYTHING is on fire, all the time. You might recall 1998 was once the hottest year on record. It held this distinction for several years. Climate change deniers would point to it (starting in 1999) and say that, yeah, ...

The Interislander Cook Strait ferries are reaching the end of their working life, and two new ferries are being built to replace them. Video / Mark MitchellAnother fault with a Cook Strait Interislander ferry is being investigated after the vessel experienced an engine issue at sea today. The Interisland ferry Kaiarahi experienced an issue with a sensor on one of its four engines today. The engine issue is the latest in a string of faults experienced by the increasingly unreliable and ageing Interislander fleet. Wellington harbourmaster Grant Nalder said at the time the hole above the waterline in the Interislander ferry looked “quite dramatic”.

The Defence Force has cut internet access for staff after a potential vulnerability emerged. Top brass won’t reveal the nature of what was described only as a “potential issue”, but the result is Defence staff have for days been unable to access the internet via their desktop browsers, the Herald has learned. NZ Defence Force (NZDF) chief information officer Air Commodore Carl Nixon said they routinely test their information technology (IT) Systems to ensure they are secure. “Over the summer break we identified a potential issue that required further investigation,” Nixon said. Issues in the Air Force included the phased retirement of its 50-year-old Hercules aircraft before replacements arrive later this year.

Newshub has collated a list of places nationwide where you can get birthday freebies, vouchers and discounts in 2024. Dining (nationwide)BurgerFuel: Free burger on your birthday (members of BurgerFuel VIB only)Burger Wisconsin: Free burger on your birthday (if you've made a purchase in the past six months)Chaitime: Free drink on your birthday (members of Loyaltea only)Cobb & Co: Free main meal (varies for children or seniors) when accompanied by three paying adult guests, seven days either side of your birthdayCoffee Culture: Free 240ml hot drinkColumbus Coffee: Buy one coffee, get one free (members of Columbus Rewards only)Denny's: Buy one main meal, get another free on your birthday (when with a paying guest)Gengy's: Dine for $1 on your birthday (when accompanied by three other adults paying full price)Jamaica Blue: Free cake slice (loyalty members only)Joe's Garage: $10 credit on your birthday (after adding your birthday in the app)Lone Star: $20 credit (after registering on the app)Mexicali Fresh: Free burrito or other menu item on your birthday (loyalty members only)Mexico: $10 credit for your birthday (after registering on the app)Muffin Break: Free muffin (loyalty members only)Nando's: $15 credit (loyalty members only, if registered before your birthday month)NZ Venues: $20 creditStarbucks: Free drink upgradeSubway: Free cookie and 600ml Coke or 750ml Pump with a sub/salad/wrap purchase (loyalty members only)The Cheesecake Shop: $5 voucher (sign-up required)Valentines: Eat for free on your birthday (when accompanied by three full-paying guests). Retail (nationwide)Healthpost: $10 voucher on your birthday (loyalty members only)Kathmandu: $20 voucher (minimum spend required)Mighty Ape: $10 voucherNoel Leeming: $20 discount (loyalty members only, with $100 minimum spend in-store during your birthday month)North Beach: $20 voucher (loyalty members only, applies to one item with $50 minimum spend)Cosmic: $10 voucher (loyalty members only with $25 minimum spend)Farmers: Free gift via email (loyalty members only)Country Road: $10 voucher (loyalty members only, minimum spend required). AucklandAuckland Adventure Jet: Free jet boat ride (when dining with a full-paying adult)Farro Fresh: Free coffee (loyalty members only)Gengy's: Dine for $1 (when dining with three adults)Gloputt: Play for free on your birthday (conditions apply)Habitual Fix: Free smoothie (loyalty members only)Kelly Tarlton's: Free entry on your birthday (or one day either side if it's closed, with possible booking required)Krispy Kreme: Free four-pack of glazed doughnuts (loyalty members only) or $10 off online orders (non-members). WellingtonElectric Avenue: $25 voucher (loyalty members only, when dining with two paying guests)Five Stags: $25 voucher (loyalty members only, when dining with two paying guests)Funicular: Free coffee on your birthday (loyalty members only)The Green Man Pub: Free voucher (loyalty members only)Habitual Fix: Free smoothie (loyalty members only)Mama Brown: Buy a main meal and drink, get one free (when dining with a paying guest)Thistle Inn: Free main meal (when dining with three paying guests).

Shock claims emerged yesterday about Green MP Golriz Ghahraman and shoplifting from Ponsonby boutique Scotties — so what is the shop and what does it offer? The Green Party has confirmed Golriz Ghahraman has been stood down from her portfolios over the issue. (Source: 1News)The police said they received a report "about an incident" on December 23 and initial inquiries are being made. Scotties Boutique in Ponsonby. The priciest item at Scotties according to its website is a The Row dress for almost $7000.

Got a good quiz question? Send your questions to quiz@stuff.co.nzAnd if you’re looking for other quiz challenges, you can find the rest of our quizzes here!

nzherald.co.nz published this video item, entitled “Killer road, Wellington water restrictions and hot weather | Focus Morning Bulletin January 12, 2024” – below is their description. Calls for urgent safety work after road claims six lives in under a year, Wellingtonians face higher water restrictions and muggy weather set to stick around in the latest NZ Herald headlines. Full story: https://bit.ly/3tOhPtNSubscribe and be notified of breaking news: https://goo.gl/LP45jXCheck out our playlists: https://goo.gl/Swd249Like NZ Herald on Facebook: https://goo.gl/tUC4oqFollow NZ Herald on Instagram: https://goo.gl/oLicXeFollow NZ Herald on Twitter: https://goo.gl/Wi6mbvnzherald.co.nz YouTube Channel

“Unprecedented” is how the organisers behind the rankings to find the world's most powerful passport have described the latest index. Citizens of these countries have visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 194 destinations out of the 227 the rankings measure. Just behind is South Korea, Finland and Sweden with visa-free travel to 193 destinations. New Zealand is ranked joint sixth, or joint 22nd depending on how you read the rankings, with 189 destinations. Another ranking, the Passport Index, looks at the passports of 193 United Nations member countries and six territories.

This Golriz story is Dirty Politics 2.0Lprent has written about Dirty Politics here at The Standard in the past, here’s Marc Spring’s tag for posts that include him. Is this Dirty Politics? Nasty pol rather than Dirty Politics itself. One of the features of Dirty Politics is the two tracks, the background one that the public doesn’t know about, and the foreground one that we do. Dirty Politics since its inceptions has been well orchestrated and caused serious problems for individuals and New Zealand’s political culture and society generally.

“Unprecedented” is how the organisers behind the rankings to find the world’s most powerful passport have described the latest index results. For the first time, six countries now top the list of Henley & Partners. Previous table-toppers Japan and Singapore have been joined by four EU member states – France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. Citizens of these countries have visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to a record-breaking 194 countries out of the 227 the rankings measure. Just behind is South Korea, Finland and Sweden with visa-free travel to 193 destinations.

UFC star Israel Adesanya in the dock in the Auckland District Court, seeking a discharge without conviction after pleading guilty to drink-driving. Photo / Jason OxenhamJust moments after Israel Adesanya left an Auckland courtroom yesterday, avoiding a conviction for drink driving after arguing it would cripple his career, a surreptitious photo was taken of the police prosecutor who had opposed the discharge request. He returned to court yesterday for what would have been a sentencing hearing, had Judge Peter Winter not granted him a discharge without conviction. Adesanya put his hand over his heart and loudly thanked the judge as yesterday’s hearing ended. Several media outlets, including NZME, were granted permission by the judge to take photos and video of yesterday’s hearing.

This is literally what it was like in 1998. Now EVERYTHING is on fire, all the time. You might recall 1998 was once the hottest year on record. It held this distinction for several years. Climate change deniers would point to it (starting in 1999) and say that, yeah, ...

“Child Protection” laws facilitated the removal of Māori children from their homes, and crime laws empowered the police and courts to arrest and imprison Māori. The Crown waged war against “rebel” Māori then confiscated vast areas as punishment, often including land of “loyal” Māori. Māori land funded the infrastructure of Aotearoa, but often infrastructure didn’t reach Māori communities. Fast-forward to recent decades, Treaty settlements returned a small amount of land and money. Our history is being ignored to cement into place 19th Century White Settler Privilege and pretend Māori will simply accept that.

She captioned the video posted to social media ‘Make money while I play’ Video / Fair useAn investigation has been launched after a Wellington Water employee boasted on social media she spends her work days lounging on the couch, catching up with friends and going to the movies. The now-deleted clip, titled “Council Engineer - Challenge one day slacking off and do no work. A Wellington Water employee is being investigated after posting on social media about slacking off. A Wellington Water spokesperson confirmed she was an employee of the organisation. “This video is not representative of Wellington Water staff, who are a dedicated team focused on providing water services to our communities 24/7.”Wellington Water is owned and fully funded by the Hutt, Porirua, Upper Hutt and Wellington City Councils.

Here's our summary of key economic events over the holiday that affect New Zealand, with another quick news wrap-up so you can get back to 'time-off'. After the sharp fall in the two week Christmas holiday period, American mortgage applications recovered as strongly last week. That would take the 2023 bank debt increase to a massive +¥23 tln (+NZ$5.2 tln) which incidentally is more bank debt issued than the 2023 GDP of countries like the UK. Yesterday, ANZ said 2023 ended with a little momentum in card spending in their monitoring of customer card use. That all means our TWI-5 starts today just under 70.7 and and -20 bps lower from this time yesterday.