Gloriavale Christian School to Close After Losing Registration
Joanna Thantu, ThePaper.co.nz Gloriavale Christian School will be forced to shut after the Ministry of Education cancelled its registration, ending years of scrutiny over how children at the isolated West Coast community are educated. The cancellation takes effect in January, after the school failed to meet required standards for student safety and governance. Gloriavale is…
Can Labour Deliver the Stability Barbara Edmonds Promises?
Joanna Thantu, ThePaper.co.nz This weekend, New Zealand Labour Party’s finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds laid out what she called a clear, steady plan for jobs, housing and economic stability. But the question now is whether Labour can turn that intent into delivery. Stability is an appealing promise — yet achieving it will require discipline, clarity and…
Wairarapa arsonist Maya Moore jailed for nine years after torching two homes
Joanna Thantu, ThePaper.co.nz Maya Moore set the fires while the homeowners were asleep, and when the flames finally died down, two Wairarapa houses were destroyed, a third was badly damaged, and the loss topped $2.3 million. This week, Judge Peter Hobbs sentenced the 50-year-old to nine years in jail, calling the arsons “planned, targeted, and…
This has to stop: New stalking law brings five-year jail term in NZ
Joanna Thantu, The Paper.co.nz Stalking is finally becoming a criminal offence in New Zealand — and the message from Parliament is blunt: enough. A new standalone stalking law has passed its final reading, creating an offence carrying up to five years’ imprisonment. It marks one of the biggest overhauls of personal-safety legislation in decades, after…
Timaru repeat driving offender, jailed last year, kills his dog in Pages Rd crash
Timaru Court News, by Joseph Nathan. He was jailed for driving offences only last year. Now, after decades of dangerous behaviour behind the wheel, Anthony John Kerr is back in court — this time after a high-speed crash in Timaru that killed his dog. Kerr, 41, admitted dangerous driving and driving while disqualified when he…
Youth Crime Is Dropping — So Why Does It Feel Worse Than Ever?
Joseph Nathan, ThePaper.co.nz Walk down any main street after dark and you’ll hear the same conversation: ram raids, break-ins, teenagers running wild. But behind the headlines and the shaky CCTV clips, a quieter truth sits in the official data — youth crime in New Zealand is actually going down. Not a little. A lot. Over…
Nathan Boulter: The Killer Who Waited Behind a Tree — and the System That Let Him
By Joanna Thantu He waited behind a tree. He bought the knife the day before. And on 23 July 2025, he plunged it 55 times into the woman who once loved him. That’s the cold fact laid bare in the High Court of New Zealand this morning. Nathan Boulter, 36, pleaded guilty to murdering a…
Teacher had inappropriate sex talk with 15 year old boys.
24 October, 2025. Joanna Thantu, The Paper He thought it was just banter — the students thought otherwise. A 68-year-old relief teacher, Graham Reinheimer, has been censured after being recorded by a group of 15-year-old boys boasting about his sex life, including describing his favourite position as “doggy style” and answering questions about his “body…
Geraldine man avoids jail after brutal head-stomping assault
Timaru District Court,| September 30, 2025 A Geraldine man who stomped on another man’s head about ten times during a drunken brawl has avoided prison — instead receiving six months of home detention. Benjamin Rod Sands, 25, appeared in the Timaru District Court on Thursday after pleading guilty to assault with intent to injure. Judge…
MSD worker stole from beneficiaries, denied name suppression.
A Ministry of Social Development case manager who stole from her own clients to pay her bills has lost her bid to keep her name secret. Denise Clout spent seven years using the names of needy people to apply for special hardship grants, then pocketed the cash. She even ticked the “recoverable” box, forcing MSD…
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