Middle East conflict: How to deal with anxiety about the Iran war and other global events and talk to your children about it
How to deal with anxiety around current news eventsMaguire says there are a number of evidence-based ways to regulate feelings of anxiety when digesting news such as the updates from the ongoing Middle East conflict. Research consistently shows that high media exposure during crises increases anxiety and helplessness,” she says. Saying to yourself, ‘I feel anxious because I cannot control global events’ can reduce the intensity of the emotional response.”Ask yourself whether your thoughts are helpful or harmful. Brief pauses help the nervous system reset.”How to talk to your children about the Iran war, the fuel crisis and other difficult news events“Children take their cues from adults. The psychologist says staying connected to your friends and community is one of the “strongest protective factors against anxiety”.
Source:New Zealand Herald
March 21, 2026 10:32 UTC
Petrol hits $4 a litre in some Auckland suburbs, stations ‘run out’
The BP New Lynn price is confirmed in a photo taken by a Herald journalist (see below). BP New Lynn in Auckland has tipped just over $4 a litre for Ultimate 98 petrol. Fuel prices have been surging globally due to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s retaliation following US-Israeli strikes on the country. “Gaspy, a crowd-fed app, is a good way to compare fuel prices quickly and easily between retailers. “There are about 50 days of petrol and diesel in the country, or on the way here, which is normal,” she said, noting that petrol stations that had run dry had done so because they were offering heavily discounted promotions.
Source:New Zealand Herald
March 21, 2026 09:34 UTC
Neighbours to join butchery in historic precinct
R&J’s resident butcher Rex Spence is looking forward to new neighbours in Milton’s historic precinct, as more buildings will soon join the butchery there. PHOTO: NICK BROOKA growing sense of history is being mapped out in a South Otago town, the founder of a replica vintage butchery says. R&J’s Butchery shop founder Rex Spence said the South Otago Heritage Society had plans to add a neighbour to the traditional-style butchery shop by Milton Blokes Shed, and develop a park-style area with new facilities for local collections at Milton’s historic precinct behind Rugby Park. "They’re putting in the money to build quite a big shed," Mr Spence said. Near the butchery and the Blokes Shed, the Milton Volunteer Fire Brigade was planning a new structure to serve as a small museum.
Source:Otago Daily Times
March 21, 2026 09:30 UTC
There Is NO WAY NZ Should Send Navy For Trump's Illegal Iran War
And the drum beat to join Trump’s illegal war in Iran is being beaten, surprise, surprise, by the NZ Fucking Herald……Fuck the NZ Herald. ANYONE trying to trick us into supporting America’s illegal war in Iran needs to face unrelenting criticism. Trump just called NATO cowards for refusing to join his illegal war. This Government has refused to criticise Trump and Israel for their illegal war in Iran and they have sided us with those committing the war crimes. There is NO WAY NZ should send our Navy for Trump’s illegal Iran war
Source:New Zealand Herald
March 21, 2026 08:13 UTC
Mosque shooter video clip was Hastings teen Ronndog Keefe’s ticket to world of online violence
DIA officers and police seized an iPhone 12 and a PlayStation 5 gaming console from the house in August 2024 as they acted on multiple tips from overseas agencies, which had been notified of Keefe’s online activities. Keefe collected and distributed extremist sexual materialThe material Keefe was collecting and posting included the worst sexual abuse of young children imaginable. Online network spans the globeThe online network Keefe was involved with spans the globe. The users gathered child sexual material to create digital “lore” books, which are used as currency, traded, archived and promoted to increase a user’s status or to recruit members. “This individual preyed on the innocence of children by distributing horrific child abuse and exploitation images online, including personally requesting explicit images from a teenager.
Source:New Zealand Herald
March 21, 2026 05:31 UTC
Auckland Subaru 22B race car destroyed in Ponsonby Automotive blaze amid fire engine failure
The owner’s son was the main user of the car, racing it in the Sport and GT series at Pukekohe Park Raceway. Firefighters were forced to wait for a second engine to arrive at the fire after a pump providing pressure to the fire hoses failed, New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union Auckland local president Terry Bird said. Faulty equipment caused delays in fighting a fire at Ponsonby Automotive on Thursday, the New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union says. Photo / Anna HeathA Fire and Emergency spokesperson said mechanics hadn’t found anything wrong with the vehicle and it was “possible that it’s an intermittent fault”. Meanwhile, the cause of Thursday’s fire was still being investigated, a Fire and Emergency spokesperson said.
Source:New Zealand Herald
March 21, 2026 05:22 UTC
Intense rains threaten Hawaii dam, thousands told to evacuate
A dam on the Hawaiian island of Oahu is at imminent risk of failure and thousands of residents have been ordered to evacuate. A dam on the Hawaiian island of Oahu is at imminent risk of failure and thousands of residents have been ordered to evacuate. Photo / Getty ImagesOfficials in Hawaii today ordered some 4000 people living near an ageing dam on the island of Oahu to evacuate the area immediately, following severe rains that have battered the region. The century-old Wahiawa dam, located in the north of Hawaii’s third-largest island, which is home to the state capital Honolulu, “is at imminent risk of failure”, the local emergency management agency warned. Hawaii Governor Josh Green said torrential rains have caused “serious flooding” and brought water in the reservoir to dangerous levels, prompting authorities to issue the alert.
Source:New Zealand Herald
March 21, 2026 04:59 UTC
Stupid Rules: The new book tackling New Zealand’s problem with red-tape
“There’s just a lot of things not happening the way we would like them to happen. “It’s not really a right-wing book or a left-wing book,” she says. “This third option, which is organising things in a hierarchy, is efficient, and it’s effective,” she says. Inside those hierarchies, whether they be corporate, public sector agencies or universities, things work best when they are not running on rules and contracts. “The book is definitely not a case for going back to the ’70s, and I’m not in favour of price controls,” she says.
Source:New Zealand Herald
March 21, 2026 04:32 UTC
AA warns against panic buying, stockpiling fuel
Image: RNZThe Automobile Association (AA) is warning against panic buying or stockpiling fuel, saying large quantities may impact house insurance claims. AA principal policy adviser Terry Collins told RNZ the government had been "very clear" the country had enough fuel. It was dangerous to store large quantities of fuel in residential homes - even in jerry cans, Collins said. Insurance providers would not expect people to have large quantities of fuel at their homes, he said. "It's ok to have those cans for your chainsaw, your lawnmower, your motorbike or boat ... but large quantities of fuel is just not recommended."
Source:Otago Daily Times
March 21, 2026 04:01 UTC
New Zealand woman dies on holiday in Cook Islands
The Cook Islands is a popular holiday spot for Kiwis. Photo / Cook Islands TourismAlready a subscriber? New Zealand woman dies on holiday in Cook IslandsThe Cook Islands is a popular holiday spot for Kiwis. Photo / Cook Islands TourismA New Zealand tourist has died while on holiday in the Cook Islands. The New Zealander was recovered unresponsive from the lagoon in Vaimaanga on Wednesday afternoon local time (Thursday afternoon NZT), according to the Cook Islands News.
Source:New Zealand Herald
March 21, 2026 02:59 UTC
Arrest after assault leaves one critically hurt
A man has been charged over an assault that left another person critically injured in Canterbury on Thursday night. Police were called to an address on Racecourse Rd in Amberley, Hurunui, about 10.25pm after receiving a report a person had been seriously assaulted. "The victim was transported to hospital with critical injuries and is currently undergoing surgery," police said yesterday morning. In an update today Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Luke Vaughan said they had charged a man over the incident. The 24-year-old man is due to appear in Christchurch District Court on March 26, charged with wounding with intent.
Source:Otago Daily Times
March 21, 2026 01:58 UTC
Pilots on flight from Auckland to Fiji’s Nadi alerted to engineering troubles, plane turned around
NZ Herald Morning Headlines | Saturday, March 21, 2026. Sign in hereAccess to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Pilots on flight from Auckland to Fiji’s Nadi alerted to engineering troubles, plane turned aroundAn Auckland flight bound for Nadi in Fiji has been turned around after engineering difficulties. Air New Zealand flight NZ952 returned to Auckland yesterday afternoon after its pilots were alerted to an unknown “engineering requirement” mid-air. Flight radar shows the Nadi bound flight was turned back around to Auckland about halfway through its route.
Source:New Zealand Herald
March 20, 2026 23:49 UTC
Nicola Willis faces fuel-crisis budget reckoning as diesel pain spreads – Fran O’Sullivan
Logistics companies like Mainfreight and Move, major supermarket chains like Foodstuffs, Woolworths and the wider food distribution ecosystem, face escalating diesel and freight costs. Escalating fuel costs hit on-farm operations, transport to processing plants, and shipping to global markets. For Air New Zealand, jet fuel pricing is quickly feeding into route economics and ticket prices. The upshot is logistics firms may have to absorb some diesel spikes and exporters have to decide how much of rising freight and fuel costs they can wear before global competitiveness suffers. Let diesel prices rip and you bake higher costs into food, building materials and freight; intervene too crudely and you distort markets, undermine climate settings and risk blowing the fiscal position.
Source:New Zealand Herald
March 20, 2026 23:03 UTC