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Iran, US trade strikes as Trump dismisses report of deal

Flames rise following a strike, in Tyre, Iran. Photo: Reuters

Iran, US trade strikes as Trump dismisses report of deal

Iran's Revolutionary Guard targeted a US airbase today after the US military carried out what a Washington official said were strikes on an Iranian drone operation near the Strait of Hormuz.

Former Highlander appeals sex offence conviction

Mahonri Schwalger looks on during a game for the Highlanders in 2011. Photo: Getty Images

Former Highlander appeals sex offence conviction

Public prosecutors say they will fight an appeal by a former Highlander and Manu Samoa head coach, following his recent conviction for multiple sex offences.

$48m boost for Māori broadcasting

Pokere Paewai of RNZA boost for Māori broadcasting is the one main highlight for Māori in this year's Budget.

Money to shore up South Is state highways

The Milford Road (SH94) in Southland. Photo: MILFORD ROAD ALLIANCE

Money to shore up South Is state highways

Budget 2026 contains funding for just one Road of National Significance and will help ensure state highways are resilient due to severe weather events.

Funeral held for mum and daughter who died in fire

Mum and daughter who died in house fire farewelled

Hundreds of people have farewelled a mother and her young daughter who were killed in a Christchurch house fire earlier this month.

Opposition: Govt making Kiwis' lives harder

The Opposition says this year's Budget leaves Kiwis to fend for themselves, with more spending for prisons and more children in poverty.

Willis' superannuation comments an 'unfortunate mistake': Peters

Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters. Photo: RNZ

Willis' superannuation comments an 'unfortunate mistake': Peters

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters says the Finance Minister made an "unfortunate mistake" when she made comments about superannuation during the Budget-lock up.

Spending on Pacific aid and defence

Budget 2026 will see more foreign aid to the Pacific region, while defence and customs spending rises with an eye towards crime and security.

Govt creates $450m stash to address fuel crisis

Govt creates $450m stash to address fuel crisis

The government has announced it is holding $450 million in reserve to address further shocks caused by high fuel prices amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Boost for trades training as tertiary subsidies frozen

The Budget boosts spending on curriculum changes and trade training for teens, freezes nearly all tertiary subsidies and fast-tracks a modest boost for early childhood services.

Big boost for health

Health gets $5.8 billion of new spending, including a $5.5b increase to frontline services over four years.

Country 'digging its way out of the post-Covid hole'

An end to the Middle East conflict, financial discipline and a return to solid economic growth are being relied on to deliver a quicker return to budget surpluses.

Budget 2026 at a glance

As promised, the Finance Minister has delivered a bread-and-butter Budget 2026, with few big surprises and no sign of a lolly scramble.

Students march to Octagon in protest of scrapping fees free

Liam Calder, a member of Southern Young Labour and co-lead co-ordinator of this morning’s student...

Students march to Octagon in protest of scrapping fees free

Students protesting the government’s decision to scrap fees free have told supporters that nothing short of a ‘‘legitimate mass movement’’ was needed to effect long-term change.

No 'sugar hits' as Willis battles to balance books

Finance Minister Nicola Willis has used her election-year Budget to preach prudence and discipline, with the books now forecast to be back in black a year earlier than picked.

'Grand Designs' castle in Canterbury up for sale

The Sefton property was featured on Grand Designs New Zealand. Photo: Supplied

'Grand Designs' castle in Canterbury up for sale

A luxury "post-modern castle" in Canterbury that appeared on 'Grand Designs New Zealand' in 2022 is on the market.

Luxon, UK PM talk war, cost of living in call

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon (L) talks with UK Prime Minster Keir Starmer in...

Luxon, UK PM talk war, cost of living in call

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon spoke with his British counterpart Sir Keir Starmer on Wednesday night to discuss the Iran and Ukraine wars, as well as the cost of living.

13 cases of hantavirus from cruise outbreak

The cruise ship MV Hondius arrives for disinfection at the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands....

13 cases of hantavirus from cruise outbreak

The number of cases of hantavirus linked to a cruise ship at the centre of an outbreak has increased to 13, the head of the World Health Organisation has confirmed.

11 feared dead in chemical vat rupture

Families of people working at the pulp and paper mill attended a vigil. Photo: Reuters

11 feared dead in chemical vat rupture

The search for nine people missing after a chemical tank imploded and ruptured in Washington state has moved from a rescue to a recovery effort, likely brining the death toll to 11, authorities say.

PA who injected Matthew Perry with lethal dose jailed

PA who injected Matthew Perry with lethal dose jailed

The personal assistant who injected Friends star Matthew Perry with a fatal dose of ketamine has been jailed for 41 months, the last of five people who admitted to playing roles in the actor's death.

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