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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
Further setback for Duncan on comeback
The four-time world champion last month revealed to the Otago Daily Times she did not have a seat in this year’s Women’s Motocross Championship. She was supposed to make her competitive return at the Oceania Women’s Motocross Cup in Australia this weekend. "I was really looking forward to competing at this event — it’s always an honour to represent the fern, especially alongside this team of women,’’ Duncan told the Waikato Herald. "Team events are quite different from my normal racing schedule, and so I was excited and well-prepared for this one. Duncan had hoped the event would serve as a springboard for her to mount a comeback.
Source:Otago Daily Times
March 20, 2026 22:27 UTC
One injured in crash
A person has been critically injured in a crash affecting a major highway in Central Otago. Police said they received a report of a single-vehicle crash on State Highway 6, near the Roaring Meg Lookout, in the Kawarau Gorge about 5.20pm yesterday. "One person received critical injuries." A Fire and Emergency New Zealand crew from Cromwell attended and a rescue helicopter was also sent to the scene. A spokesman for the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi said road users "should avoid the area if possible, or be prepared for delays".
Source:Otago Daily Times
March 20, 2026 22:17 UTC
Govt orders complete review of Dog Control Act
Photo: RNZThe government is ordering a complete review of the decades-old Dog Control Act after sustained criticism the current law is not enough. Watts said the government has heard clearly from Local Government NZ and councils that the Dog Control Act is outdated and stopping them doing their jobs. But Watts said dog control issues were best managed locally by councils, which already had enforcement powers under the existing law. Photo: RNZPolice Minister Mark Mitchell said while the review was under way police would support dog control officers when they needed help. "Police have a role to play in dog control when council staff have safety concerns while dealing with dangerous and high-risk dogs.
Source:Otago Daily Times
March 20, 2026 22:17 UTC
Middle East conflict live updates: Trump rules out ceasefire in Iran as Israel strikes Syria
Already a subscriber? Sign in hereAccess to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen. Middle East conflict live updates: Trump rules out ceasefire in Iran as Israel strikes Syria
Source:New Zealand Herald
March 20, 2026 21:54 UTC