Author: Mike Bain/cvnznews.com

EDITORIAL New Zealand has drifted back to work after the summer break, sunburnt, distracted, and dangerously complacent — as if the world politely paused while we were at the beach. It didn’t. And while we were busy chasing perfect weather and perfect Instagram angles, one story cut through the haze: water safety. Again. The same warnings. The same recklessness. The same funerals. The same excuses. Let’s stop pretending this is accidental. It’s not ignorance anymore. It’s not bad luck. It’s a national epidemic of arrogance. Every summer, the warnings are shouted from every platform we have — and every summer,…

Pharmac will begin funding the drug nitisinone for New Zealanders living with the rare metabolic disorders tyrosinemia type 1 and alkaptonuria from 1 February 2026, shifting the treatment from its current case‑by‑case approval pathway to full listing on the Pharmaceutical Schedule. The move is expected to benefit around 10 people nationwide in the first year of funding. Pharmac’s Acting Manager of Pharmaceutical Funding, Claire Pouwels, said the decision would significantly streamline access for patients and clinicians. “This decision will make it easier for people living with these rare conditions to access nitisinone,” Pouwels said. “It will also make it easier…

The latest World Watch List from Open Doors is not merely an annual report–it is a global alarm bell. According to the nonprofit’s newly released findings, 388 million Christians worldwide now live under high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith. That is more than one in seven believers across the globe, and the highest number ever recorded. Behind that staggering figure are stories of churches burned, families displaced, believers surveilled, imprisoned, beaten, or killed–often simply for gathering to pray. Open Doors CEO Ryan Brown described the trend as both expanding and intensifying. Persecution is not only spreading to…