Author: Mike Bain/cvnznews.com

Colin Ambler/Mike Bain/cvnznews.com When the dust settled on the first televised leaders’ debate between Christopher Luxon and Chris Hipkins, many viewers were left asking the obvious question: who won? The more important question may be whether New Zealand voters learned anything that will genuinely help them decide the country’s future. On points, political commentators appeared divided. Some suggested Chris Hipkins edged ahead through his relatability and aggressive challenges to the Government’s record, while others noted Christopher Luxon delivered a disciplined performance and largely avoided damaging mistakes. But from a voter’s perspective, the debate often felt like two competing sales pitches…

Mike Bain/cvnznews.com A major police reinvestigation into historical child protection and sexual assault cases has uncovered 11 cases where further alleged offending occurred after the original report was made to police. The inquiry, known as Operation Hark, was launched after concerns emerged over the handling of a historical sexual abuse complaint in Northland. The review resulted in 57 cases being reopened, including allegations involving children and adult victims. Police say the findings raise serious concerns about how some complaints were managed. Detective Superintendent Keith Borrell said victims have a right to expect reports of abuse will be thoroughly investigated. “It…

Sarah McMillan/cvnznews.com A 36-year-old woman who jumped into the Ōtara River near Ōpōtiki while fleeing police has been found dead, bringing a tragic end to a major search operation. Police confirmed the woman’s body was recovered on Tuesday afternoon near Moutohorā (Whale Island), north of Whakatāne, after it was discovered in the water by a member of the public. Inspector Phil Gillbanks said the woman had been formally identified as the person who entered the river early Sunday morning after fleeing from police alongside a 33-year-old man. Her death will be referred to the Coroner. “Police would like to thank…

Mike Bain/cvnznews.com Finally, Labour Releases Its Fiscal Plan… But Oh Boy, It’s Expensive After weeks of unveiling policy promises, the Labour Party has finally revealed how it says it will pay for them all. The verdict? A spending programme that runs into tens of billions of dollars and places a huge amount of faith in future economic growth and government management. At the centre of Labour’s fiscal plan is a commitment to maintain annual operating allowances of $2.4 billion, matching the level already set by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. Labour insists all of its election promises can fit within that…

Jessica Mach/Law Times A Quebec court certified a class action alleging similar claims in 2019 A lawsuit brought by three current and former Jehovah’s Witnesses who allege they were sexually abused as minors by adult congregation members cannot proceed as a class action, the Ontario Court of Appeal has ruled. In its Sept. 23 decision in Gutierrez v. Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Canada, a three-justice panel explained that the lawsuit failed to satisfy any of the criteria under Ontario’s Class Proceedings Act. Under the provincial law, a lawsuit must meet five criteria – including providing a cause of…

OPINION: Mike Bain/Christian Voice New Zealand There was a time when charitable status for a church, ministry, or Christian organisation was largely taken for granted. It was an acknowledgement that whatever one’s theological convictions, these groups contributed something of value to society. They fed the hungry, cared for families, provided community, offered hope, and served people whom government agencies often struggled to reach. Today, that landscape feels very different. The Gloriavale compound on the West Coast. Photo credit RNZ / Jean Edwards The recent decision to strip Gloriavale’s Christian Church Community Trust of its charitable status follows years of investigations,…

Mike Bain/cvnznews.com The ACT Party is proposing changes to New Zealand’s planning laws that would prevent resource consent conditions requiring developers to participate in, or pay for, karakia and other spiritual practices. ACT’s Infrastructure, Energy and Climate Change spokesperson, Simon Court, announced the policy, arguing that planning rules should focus on measurable environmental and physical effects rather than religious or spiritual beliefs. “New Zealanders should be able to build a house, a solar farm or a factory without being made to take part in, or pay for, a religious ceremony as a condition of consent,” Court said. The proposed amendments…

Mike Bain/cvnznews.com Warnings from New Zealand’s infrastructure sector are growing louder as hundreds of engineers and specialist workers leave the country, with industry leaders questioning whether successive governments have done enough to provide certainty around future projects. New data from the Association of Consulting Engineers New Zealand shows almost 600 consulting engineers moved overseas in the two years to March. During the same period, more than 1,350 workers were made redundant, while hundreds more moved into other opportunities or left the sector altogether. Industry leaders say the problem extends beyond the economy and reflects a long-standing failure by governments to…

Sarah McMillan/cvnznews.com A growing wave of metal thefts across Canterbury has prompted an unusual alliance, with police and the scrap metal industry working together to make it harder for criminals to cash in on stolen copper and brass. The move comes after multiple electric vehicle charging stations were vandalised this week in what is believed to be an attempt to steal valuable metals from charging cables. Charging stations at Ferry Road, Tower Junction, Victoria Park, Rangiora Library and Lincoln were left damaged and out of service, frustrating EV owners and adding to a growing list of metal-related crimes across the…

Mike Bain/cvnznews.com Does He Have a Learning Disability? Hosking’s Explosive Question After Hipkins PREFU Interview One of the most extraordinary moments of the election campaign so far unfolded on Newstalk ZB, where Labour leader Chris Hipkins’ handling of questions around Treasury’s Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update (PREFU) sparked a fierce response from broadcaster Mike Hosking. Following an interview that critics are already describing as a political fiasco, Hipkins reportedly conceded he had not read all of the PREFU document released the previous day, despite Labour having built significant political expectations around its contents. The exchange came as Labour continues to…

Noah Franklin/Staff Writer PNW News For years, the nightmare scenario surrounding artificial intelligence and warfare has looked something like science fiction: autonomous weapons making their own decisions, computers selecting targets, machines eventually removing human beings from the process of deciding who lives and who dies. But we may have been worrying about the wrong nightmare. AI does not need control of a missile to help start a war. It only needs to convince a human being that the missile needs to be launched. A remarkable incident inside the U.S. military earlier this year offers a glimpse of just how dangerous…

Mike Bain, Colin Ambler/cvnznews.com New Zealand’s financial outlook has received a welcome boost ahead of the election, with Treasury forecasting the Government will return to surplus a year earlier than expected and carry less debt than previously feared. The improved figures suggest the country’s economic recovery is gaining momentum, providing whichever party forms the next Government with a stronger starting position than many had anticipated. The figures come from Treasury’s Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update (PREFU), an independent assessment of the nation’s finances and economic outlook released ahead of every general election. The report is closely watched by politicians, businesses…

Mike Bain/cvnznews.com The Opportunity Party (TOP) is laying out its non-negotiable demands for coalition negotiations just as a new 1News Verian poll suggests the minor party could once again find itself holding the balance of power after the election. TOP leader Qiulae Wong unveiled five policy “bottom lines” she says would form the basis of any post-election negotiations, signalling the party is increasingly positioning itself as more than simply a protest vote. The announcement comes days after the latest 1News Verian poll put TOP on 6%, comfortably above the 5% threshold and projected to return seven MPs to Parliament. The…

Colin Ambler, Mike Bain/cvnznews.com Today marks one of the most significant moments of the election campaign, with the release of the Treasury’s Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update (PREFU) set to reveal the true state of New Zealand’s finances and potentially reshape campaign promises across the political spectrum. The independent report, prepared by the Treasury, provides the most authoritative snapshot of the Government’s books before voters head to the polls in November. It outlines the country’s economic outlook, fiscal position and the risks facing New Zealand in the years ahead. Political parties across Parliament have been eagerly awaiting the release, knowing…

Mike Bain/cvnznews.com While voters are being bombarded with promises on the cost of living, health and education, the Conservatives believe the biggest issue facing New Zealand is one that barely rates a mention on the campaign trail: the steady erosion of democracy. Party leader Helen Houghton says successive governments of all political stripes have become increasingly comfortable bypassing public scrutiny and rushing legislation through Parliament. “Undeniably the loss of democracy underpins cost of living, health, education, environment or whatever issue that goes before Parliament,” Houghton said. The Conservatives, who remain well below the 5 percent threshold required to enter Parliament,…

Anna Mahjar-Barducci India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited New Zealand in July shortly after the two countries signed a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in April. The FTA marks a strategic shift in New Zealand’s trade policy. However, the focus should be not only on the FTA’s economic benefits, but also on the new security partnership between India and New Zealand. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to New Zealand on July 10–11 marked a historic moment in bilateral relations. It was the first visit by an Indian prime minister to New Zealand in four decades. During the two-day visit, Modi…

Partner Media Outlet/ Christian Today Despite the increasing demand for Religious Studies (RS) as a GCSE subject, experts have continued to warn of a shortage of specialist teachers in the subject. In England this year the number of students taking RS as a GCSE increased by 0.5 per cent to 218,602, making it the seventh most popular subject out of 58 offered at GCSE level. At present there are 6,407 specialist teachers in the subject, meaning that based on this year’s numbers, each teacher would have an average of 34 students. The Religious Education Council of England & Wales (REC)…

Shiryn Ghermezian/ US Correspondent An umbrella group that represents the largest Jewish organizations in the United Kingdom is demanding answers from LiveNation UK for promoting Macklemore’s “Free Palestine” tour that was announced on Thursday. The Seattle-based rapper’s new tour will start in Dublin on Oct. 26, followed by Paris on Oct. 29 and London on Oct. 30. Collaborating artists will be announced soon as well as US dates. Tickets go on sale next week. Macklemore said all proceeds from the tour will go to organizations supporting “Palestine and the Palestinian movement,” including the anti-Israel group Jewish Voice for Peace and…

Mike Bain/cvnznews.com For years, cyclists have complained about vehicles brushing past them with barely enough room to stay upright. From October 1, that changes. New Zealand’s new mandatory passing-distance law will require motorists to leave at least 1.5 metres when overtaking cyclists, pedestrians, horse riders and other vulnerable road users, marking one of the most significant road safety changes in recent years. Road safety advocates are welcoming the move as a long-overdue step that could prevent serious injuries and save lives. The new rules replace previous recommendations with a clear legal requirement, meaning drivers who pass too closely now face…

Mike Bain/cvnznews.com NZ First Targets Waitangi Tribunal, Promising To Shut It Down Within 100 Days New Zealand First has thrown a political hand grenade into the election campaign, promising to abolish the Waitangi Tribunal within its first 100 days in office and declaring an end to what it calls New Zealand’s “Treaty grievance industry.” The proposal, unveiled by leader Winston Peters over the weekend, would replace the Tribunal with a temporary Treaty of Waitangi Completion Commission tasked with finishing outstanding historical claims lodged before 2008. Once that work is complete, the commission would cease to exist. NZ First argues the…

OPINION: Mike Bain/Christian Voice New Zealand I’ve discovered one of my spiritual gifts is people‑watching. Not voyeurism — just the noble art of observing humanity doing what humanity does best: being mildly ridiculous in public. Parks, malls, bus stops… everywhere you look, people are unintentionally performing a live comedy show. Over the weekend, Mandy and I were at a family garden bar listening to music when a toddler swaggered past like he owned the place. He’d just learned to walk — that magical stage where every child thinks they’re on an expedition to Mars. He wandered off, realised he’d gone…

Mike Bain/cvnznews.com Greenpeace activists boarded a government-owned research vessel in Wellington Harbour on Friday in a protest against deep-sea mining, prompting a police response and renewed debate over the future of seabed mineral exploration. The protest targeted the RV Tangaroa, operated by Earth Sciences New Zealand, after the vessel returned from a scientific expedition in the Pacific’s Clarion-Clipperton Zone, an area rich in valuable seabed minerals. Greenpeace said activists climbed aboard the vessel to oppose research work linked to mineral exploration. One protester dressed as US President Donald Trump and flew an American flag from the ship, while another displayed…

Contributed by Charlotte Cummings My name is Charlotte Cummings. Counsellor of 20 years. Licensed Private Investigator. PhD Candidate. Christian. I have worked extensively in the area of church harm. Across denominations. In some cases, the harm was recent, in some cases it was kept secret for 70 years. I was commissioned by Arise Church in 2022 to lead an independent review, following serious allegations that came via an annoying journalist. At times, that leads to people in a room standing up and clapping. At other times, it’s led to people being hired to make a dossier of dirt on me,…

Mike Bain/cvnznews.com A fresh political storm has erupted following the release of investigative author Nicky Hager’s latest book, with the Taxpayers’ Union strongly rejecting allegations surrounding its executive director, Jordan Williams. The new book, Dirty Work: The Taxpayers’ Union and New Zealand’s Hard Right, was launched in Wellington this week and examines the Taxpayers’ Union’s rise to prominence and growing influence in New Zealand politics. Hager argues the organisation has played a significant role in pushing political debate further to the right, while presenting itself as an independent voice for taxpayers. One of the book’s most controversial claims alleges the…

Mike Bain/cvnznews.com Three people are facing serious criminal charges after allegedly posing as Police officers and detaining members of the public in the Eastern Bay of Plenty using a former Police vehicle modified to look like an undercover patrol car. Police say the incident unfolded on September 13 when two young people were stopped and detained by two men and a woman who identified themselves as Police officers. The group was travelling in a black 2017 Holden Commodore that had previously served as a Police vehicle before being sold at auction. Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Ash Clements said the car…

Supplied/Helen Houghton-Conservatives. NZ Calls are growing for an independent investigation into whether New Zealand’s immigration and migrant-employment settings are creating unintended barriers for local workers and encouraging recruitment patterns centred on particular overseas labour markets. New Zealanders have a right to expect that our immigration system is working in the interests of New Zealand, our workers, our businesses, and the migrants who come here. I am calling for an independent investigation into New Zealand’s immigration and migrant-employment system over the past decade, including the rapid growth in temporary and permanent migration and the operation of the Accredited Employer Work Visa…

Mike Bain/cvnznews.com Almost 500 locally owned supermarket owner-operators from Houhoura to Stewart Island have signed open letters expressing concern about proposals to force the break-up of the Foodstuffs co-operatives. Representing family-owned PAK’nSAVE, New World and Four Square stores across New Zealand, the signatories say the proposal raises significant questions about its actual impact on grocery prices for consumers, supply chain costs, regional communities and future investment in their family businesses. The letters have been signed by owner-operators from both the Foodstuffs North Island and Foodstuffs South Island co-operatives and reflect concerns shared across the country about the consequences of dismantling…

Mike Bain/cvnznews.com New Zealand’s nurses say they’ve had enough of political spin, after claims of 2300 new hospital nurses “by Christmas” were exposed as yet another numbers game in a system running on fumes. The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) says the public is being sold hope while hospitals are still running short‑staffed, burnt‑out and dangerously stretched. National deputy leader Nicola Willis told RNZ that thousands of nurses were being recruited “right now”. But Te Whatu Ora’s own chief nurse, Nadine Gray, told RNZ the reality is far smaller: just over 300 nurses recently hired and still in the recruitment…

Mike Bain/cvnznews.com New Zealand’s banking sector is heading into a decade of rapid transformation, with digital banking emerging as the biggest pressure point for consumers and regulators alike. A new Future of Banking study released by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) outlines how technology, artificial intelligence and shifting customer expectations could reshape the way Kiwis manage their money by 2035. Assistant Governor for Financial Stability Angus McGregor says the country is entering “a period of profound and accelerating change”, driven largely by digital innovation. For everyday New Zealanders, that means more banking done online, more services delivered through…

Mike Bain/cvnznews.com Election season always brings drama, but the latest round of billboard vandalism has sparked a bigger question: is this personal, or is it simply politics doing what politics always does? Because if politicians are outraged that their signs are being defaced, they might want to take a number — the rest of the country has been living with vandalism, abuse, and public hostility for years. Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer says the racist slur sprayed across her billboard is more than an attack on her personally — it’s a reminder of how uneven the playing field is.…

EDITORIAL: Mike Bain/cvnznews.com New Zealand has just been handed another “damning report,” another “systemic failure,” another “missed opportunity,” and another round of officials telling us they’re “deeply sorry.” But let’s stop pretending this is new. Let’s stop pretending we’re surprised. Let’s stop pretending New Zealanders can’t see exactly what went wrong. The disappearance of the Phillips children — twice — is not a mystery. It’s not a tragedy of circumstance. It’s not an unforeseeable chain of events. It is what happens when agencies fail, freeze, ignore, minimise, and hide behind excuses while children pay the price. And now the inquiry…

Mike Bain/cvnznews.com Aucklanders woke up this morning with something they haven’t had in years: a genuine choice in how to get to work. For the first time, the city’s commuters stepped into a Monday knowing they could skip the gridlock, dodge the bus queues, and drop straight into the CBD through the brand‑new underground rail link — a transport shift already being hailed as a gamechanger for the country’s biggest city. After a massive 61,000 people trialled the network during yesterday’s public opening, today marked the moment the system began proving its worth. From early morning, office workers, students and…

Mike Bain/cvnznews.com Paul Henry has never been one to slip quietly into anything, least of all politics. So when ACT unveiled its refreshed election slate this afternoon, the real jolt wasn’t in the policy notes or the familiar faces—it was the unmistakable grin of Henry sitting at number four, a placement bold enough to signal that David Seymour is betting big on personality, provocation, and prime‑time wattage. Henry’s entry instantly reframed the announcement. What was meant to be a tidy rollout of candidates became a moment of theatre, the kind of political disruption ACT has long flirted with but never…

Mike Bain/cvnznews.com National is sharpening its law‑and‑order message, announcing a dedicated Auckland Transport Police Team aimed at boosting safety across the city’s rapidly expanding public transport network. The policy lands on the same day the City Rail Link officially begins transforming Auckland’s commuter landscape—an event National is using to underline its argument that the city’s transport system is about to get busier, later, and more reliant on visible policing. Police spokesperson Mark Mitchell says the shift is unavoidable. With peak commuter capacity through the city centre expected to jump by around 50 percent, Mitchell argues that Aucklanders will increasingly depend…

Mike Bain/cvnznews.com New Zealand First has launched one of the most comprehensive immigration reform packages seen in recent decades, arguing that New Zealand must “take back control” of its borders, its population growth, and the meaning of citizenship. The party says the current system has expanded far beyond what the country can sustain — and that New Zealanders must come first in decisions about who enters, who stays, and who receives the privileges of belonging. The policy document, released Friday, opens with a blunt assessment: “New Zealand’s immigration system must serve New Zealand and New Zealanders.” For years, the party…

Mike Bain/cvnznews.com The Financial Markets Authority’s latest KiwiSaver report reads like a banquet menu — and far too many fund managers are still feasting. While New Zealanders tighten belts and juggle rising costs, KiwiSaver providers have quietly helped themselves to another year of swollen fee revenue, with total charges climbing to $978 million. Fees as a proportion of funds under management have barely budged, stuck at 0.7% for three years, even as balances surge past $138 billion. Simplicity Managing Director Sam Stubbs says the report exposes an industry that has grown very comfortable dining at the KiwiSaver trough. “As funds…

Mike Bain/cvnznews.com Are New Zealand’s stadiums actually fit for purpose — or were they built for a narrow era of single‑sport dominance that no longer reflects how we use them? As concerts, festivals, community events and multi‑code fixtures grow, the country is discovering that many of its big venues are struggling to keep up with modern demands. Wellington’s Hnry Stadium is the latest example. A new report shows the venue cannot afford the $42 million in maintenance required over the next decade. The stadium’s trust says it simply doesn’t have the revenue base to cover the rising costs of ageing…

Ashley Church Over the past couple of days, media outlets here in New Zealand have reported that the “far-right Alternative for Germany” (AfD) has swept to a stunning victory in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt, winning almost 44 percent of the vote and more than doubling its support from the previous election. That result is extraordinary. The AfD, has gone from being a minor insurgent political force to one of the most powerful parties in Germany, and the scale of its victory has understandably set alarm bells ringing well beyond the country’s borders. 1News noted that the Saxony-Anhalt branch…

Mike Bain/cvnznews.com Wellington City Council has spent the week telling staff it’s a “very difficult time” as 141 roles are disestablished and $4.4 million in savings are carved out of the 2026/27 Annual Plan. Forty‑one of those roles were vacant, but 100 staff are directly affected, with no guarantee they can be redeployed into the 94 new positions being created. The message from the top: tough choices, tight budgets, and a commitment to “reducing rates increases”. Yet, in the very same news cycle, Wellington Zoo has asked the Council for $14 million to build a new lion enclosure — a…

Mike Bain/cvnznews.com If you thought Labour had hit rock bottom, the latest Taxpayers’ Union–Curia poll politely informs you: No, actually, there’s still room to dig. The party has dropped to 25.9 percent, its lowest score in this poll since mid‑2024 and even worse than its 2023 election drubbing. At this point, the question isn’t why Labour is falling — it’s how far down does the basement go. National isn’t exactly thriving either, slipping to 29 percent, which is a polite way of saying the governing party is also having a little lie‑down. But unlike Labour, National’s slump doesn’t threaten its…