Author: RNZ
A retired Salvation Army pastor has finished walking the length of New Zealand to raise money for foodbanks and help households struggling with the cost of living. Gavin Baxter began Te Araroa Trail on New Year’s Day at Bluff and finished at Cape Reinga three weeks ago. He raised $30,000 for foodbanks to support households struggling with the cost of living, which is roughly $10 for every kilometre he tramped. “There were times when I was thinking at least this kilometre we’re raising another $10 towards foodbank work in New Zealand,” Baxter said. “I got to saying, well that kilometre…
Kaya Selby RNZ Pacific journalist Cash set aside to host the Pacific Island Forum (PIF) in New Zealand next year may fall short of what the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) expected it to cost. RNZ Pacific has received a document from MFAT under the Official Information Act (OIA) that puts potential operating costs at $30 million over two years, as of March. Budget 2026 set aside $20m over that time to host PIF. This is noted as a specific fiscal risk in MFAT’s submission, but was not disclosed in Treasury’s Budget Economic and Fiscal Update. An MFAT spokesperson said…
Iliesa Tora RNZ Pacific senior sports journalist God and family are the two key elements that the Bower family of Taita in Lower Hutt, Wellington, build their lives around. These values were central to the upbringing of current All Black George Bower, something his family believes has kept the eldest sibling ticking. They are what his proud parents, dad Niko and mum Kula, point to as the forces that have kept their son’s dream alive in a tough and competitive All Blacks environment. “His real edge? Faith and family values,” Niko says. “Kiwiraised with Fijian heart. He knows his strength comes…
Torika Tokalau/LDR Auckland An Auckland church’s plan to help feed more than 500 people a day with low-cost meals has raised concerns from locals and businesses who fear it will worsen the area. St Mary by the Sea wants to start a social enterprise in Browns Bay, operating as a café during the day and transforming into a community hub serving low-cost meals at night. It’s part of the Anglican church’s plan to move from its long-term home in Torbay, after struggling to maintain its current facilities. The church has an ambitious goal of feeding more than 500 people a…
By Kaya Selby /RNZ Pacific journalist Nauru has banned the sale and import of tobacco products for one day of the year. As per a new law passed by Nauru’s parliament earlier last month, 31 May has been declared “Our Day to Let Go of Tobacco”, and sellers will face an AU$2000 fine or a 12-month prison stay for violating the law. A body corporate could face up to $50,000 in fines. The ban will apply on that day annually, covering all tobacco products, including “cigars, e-cigarettes and adulterated smokeless tobacco products such as chewing tobacco. “This is an initiative…
Johnny Blades/RNZ Pacific senior journalist A West Papuan church leader has warned that ongoing killings of young Papuans allegedly by Indonesian security forces have the hallmark of genocide. Since the start of the year there’s been no stop to violent incidents in Indonesian-ruled Papua region – known internationally as West Papua. Indonesia’s government blames recent violence on armed, pro-independence West Papuan fighters. However, human rights defenders say the violence is escalating, while the young, indigenous people of West Papua are in the firing line. Escalation Last week a 17-year old Papuan girl was killed as a result of a military…
Source: RNZ/Country Life podcast. When Blair Coates’ parents took a skinny dip in the river running through the family farm one hot summer’s day, little did they think it would inspire a skincare production line in the former cowshed. “I can’t actually remember a time it wasn’t called Nudi Point, and it’s just always been a very, very special place,” Coates told the RNZ Country Life podcast. Coates called his range of serums, balms and other skincare products after the swimming hole because “my number one criteria for the range was that it was 100 percent natural.” The former city banker…
By Claire Taylor/ RNZ Plans are under way to protect Tekapo’s famous Church of the Good Shepherd from bad parking, damage and visitors using the “bushes as toilets”. The Mackenzie District Council’s Lake Tekapo Master Plan wants to recognise the popular tourist site as a New Zealand Heritage Precinct. The plan aims to improve traffic flow while maintaining lake views and walkability in the area. It could mean more parking restrictions and a slower speed limit. “People are using the trees and bushes as toilets,” Mackenzie mayor Scott Aronsen said. “I know there’s some concerns around… people parking up and…
Story by RNZ Pacific Fiji’s biggest Christian denomination has joined forces with the state in its efforts to address illicit drug use and the spread of HIV and AIDS in the population. It comes following the soft launch of a three-year prayer and fasting campaign by the Methodist Church in Fiji and the Ministry of Policing in Suva on Monday. Fiji has been gripped with a hard drugs crisis as it serves as a gateway for the movement of hard drugs from Southeast Asia and North America bound for the lucrative Australia and New Zealand markets. The drugs issue is…
This story by RNZ Reporter Tim Brown discusses graphic details of violence. Convicted murderer Clayton Weatherston has told the Parole Board that his mutilation of Sophie Elliott was “just an F-U to everything about her”. The 50-year-old has been declined parole and will remain behind bars until at least November 2027. Weatherston was an academic at Otago University who lectured in economics and had been in a relationship with the honours student. Elliott, 22, had left Weatherston and was packing up her life to move to Wellington to take up a job at Treasury on 9 January 2008, Weatherston’s 32nd…