Emily Marshall, a senior director at Afterpay, said this might be signalling a shift in the habits of New Zealanders. “Kiwis are investing more in everyday tools that support better routines, wellbeing and organisation,” Marshall said. Izzy Forde, a 24-year-old healthcare professional, said she has turned to paper planners in an attempt to bring structure and calm to her week. Outdoor and recreational products saw sales up about 67%, while fitness footwear and activewear increased by about 45%. Skincare and personal care products also saw sales increase by about 38%.

What makes this election truly unusual is not only who the reformers are, but the nature of the Opposition. The Australian Labor Party is the most successful Labour party in the world. New Zealand Labour is clearly trying to emulate that approach. A Labour Party with little policy is running against one of the most reforming governments ever. Voters can only support Labour if they believe the party can control both.

Ardie Savea is understood to be exploring options to play in Europe. Photo / PhotosportWorld-class loose forward Savea, who captained the All Blacks several times in Scott Barrett’s injury absence last year, is among those believed to be seriously unhappy. Unless major coaching changes are made, Savea may not return to the All Blacks. At this stage, though, he remains contracted through to 2027 and NZ Rugby expects he will return from Japan. Savea is believed to have delivered strong feedback to NZR chairman David Kirk on last year’s Grand Slam tour.

A fierce blaze in a Dunedin scout hall which prompted emergency smoke danger alerts across the city has been contained by firefighters after a five-hour battle. An update at 8.50pm said the fire which ripped through the Roslyn scout hall was under control and a warning to stay inside amid "significant smoke" had been lifted. Firefighters were still at the scene and a heavy digger had started to demolish the front of the building and expose remaining areas of fire. This work will continue into the night," Fenz said. The building in School St was "fully involved" and burning on both levels..Smokes pours into the sky from the Roslyn scout hall.

He told RNZ that making it the highest of the three meant there was technically no limit to the potential cost power companies may be required to pay. There have been calls to split the generation and retail arms of the large power companies, with the aim of increasing competition and lowering prices. Watts said the new penalties will match what the Commerce Commission can do and allow better monitoring of the electricity market. The Government is moving quickly to fix this by strengthening the Electricity Authority, which oversees the electricity market and makes sure power companies play by the rules.”The changes will require amendments to the Electricity Industry Act. “The timing of Ms Kominik’s decision was linked to another professional opportunity, and because the time is right following the Frontier Economics Review of Electricity Market Performance,” Watts said at the time.

Young fell to Kuldeep Yadav in the 38th over but Mitchell stood firm to bring up his hundred. But Mitchell, who was dropped on 80, and Young struck regular boundaries as New Zealand completed their highest-ever ODI chase in India. India captain Shubman Gill rued the team’s fielding lapses, saying, “Even in the last match, we let down a couple of chances. India started strongly courtesy of Gill and Rohit Sharma, who scored 24, as the opening pair put on 70 runs. Rohit failed to capitalise on his start and fell to Kristian Clarke, before pace spearhead Jamieson sent back Gill.

The complaint under the Advertising Standards Code and the Alcohol Advertising and Promotion Code was brought by the Communities Against Alcohol Harm lobby group. “The Advertising Standards Complaints Board has not upheld parts of this complaint related to the liberal use of F-bombs in the naming, labelling and advertising of these products,” Cowie said. Advertising targeted to adultsIt also said the labelling and advertising was targeted to a limited adult audience. The Good George Brewing company has been selling its F-word branded gin for five years, and has had only one complaint in that time. The complaints board at that time said that “bugger” was part of New Zealand rural humour and was unlikely to cause widespread offence because the advert was screened after 8.30pm.

All three expressed the fear of “backlash” or being the focus of bullying if they spoke up. The organisation found the woman had behaved in an undermining, bullying and harassing manner toward staff, and concluded the behaviour amounted to serious misconduct. Oranga Tamariki issued a final written warning and demoted her to a social worker, at her request, with salary protection. In a recent decision, authority member Davinnia Tan found Oranga Tamariki’s process was fair and the woman had full disclosure, representation and multiple opportunities to respond. “When I step back and assess the process in its entirety, I find that Oranga Tamariki met its obligations.

A major battle to look out for this year, other than the 2026 general election, will be the ‘Battle for Breakfast’. This year will see the appointment of John Campbell as RNZ’s new Morning Report co-host, battling for the morning audience. At the same time, it was revealed last month that TVNZ was also planning a new morning business show for this year. Breakfast is already undergoing a major change with former TV3 political editor Tova O’Brien joining Chris Chang as co-host in 2026. “In a big election year, it’s a masterful move by getting Tova O’Brien as the new Breakfast co-host.

According to Judge Lance, McEwen in the document said he had no savings or assets and was significantly in debt. “There is simply insufficient evidence in relation to the financial status of Mr McEwen,” Judge Lance said. Judge Lance said some character references, made via email, indicated McEwen still had money. McEwen’s associated entities included Stockfox Limited, Cosmopolitan Holdings Limited, Strategy Services Limited, Fund Administration Services Limited, and Digitech 1 Limited. Other entities included M and A Holdings 1 Limited, M and A Holdings 2 Limited, Agtech 1 Limited, Agtech 2 Limited, Agtech 3 Limited, Startight Holdings Limited, Innovative Capital Limited and McEwen’s Limited Partnership.

EB Games proposes closing all New Zealand storesTen businesses that didn’t survive 2025Liquidations hit decade-high in worst period since global financial crisisCan you all imagine how insane Mike Hosking would be if Labour were in power and they were shredding companies as fast as National/ACT and NZFirst have managed? - Sponsor Promotion -Do you think there would be jokey laughs and portrait swapping? Labour is good for Capitalism, National is good for Capitalists. Imagine if this many companies were failing under Labour! Increasingly having independent opinion in a mainstream media environment which mostly echo one another has become more important than ever, so if you value having an independent voice – please donate here.

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In a post on social media, Peters said the Reserve Bank had no role in US politics and should not involve itself. Photo: RNZForeign Minister Winston Peters has urged the Reserve Bank governor to stay in her lane when it comes to United States domestic politics. In a post on social media, Peters said the Reserve Bank had no role in US politics and should not involve itself. "The Reserve Bank of New Zealand is statutorily independent of Central Government on matters of monetary policy. "We remind the Governor to stay in her New Zealand lane and stick to domestic monetary policy.

Watch: TVNZ2 / TVNZ+StalkedThis vital true crime documentary series is presented by Jazz Thornton and follows the chilling stories of three stalking victims, told through their point of view. Watch: Sky Open / NeonTom Sainsbury stars in Small Town Scandal, the new series based on his podcast. Small Town ScandalTom Sainsbury’s fake true crime podcast about a true crime podcaster investigating a suspicious death gets a small screen adaptation from February 9. Watch: Sky Open / NeonTom Webster returns for Grand Designs NZ's 10th season. Watch: Sky Open / NeonSecrets at Red RocksBased on Rachael King’s award-winning novel, the Emmy-nominated Secrets at Red Rock returns for a second season.

Company incorporations also reached its highest levels since 2021, with 60,897 new companies started in 2025. At the end of 2025 there were 744,378 registered companies in New Zealand, gaining a net 10,412 companies over the year. “This Government is committed to doing what we can to grow the economy and improving the conditions for doing business,” Simpson said. The result follows the Government putting an additional $35 million into Inland Revenue in Budget 2025 for tax compliance and collection. “There’s ongoing cost rises, there’s uncertainty with an election later this year, and neither is going to help the economy or consumer sentiment.