SuperGold Card To Become official ID Under Budget Shake-Up
Older New Zealanders will soon be able to use a new version of the SuperGold Card as an official photo ID, after a Budget 2026 move aimed at fixing a long-running gap in how seniors prove their identity. The upgrade will create a free, government-issued photo ID option for people aged 65 and over, designed…
Who Is New Zealand’s Trump? Winston Peters Leads the Comparison
Winston Peters, David Seymour and Christopher Luxon are compared to Donald Trump-style politics in New Zealand — but only one comes close to the label. New Zealand doesn’t produce a Donald Trump. The system is too small, too disciplined, and too resistant to sustained political chaos. But the style Trump represents — grievance politics, media…
Greens say thousands could fail under NCEA shake-up.
Thousands of students could be left without a recognised qualification under the Government’s plan to scrap NCEA, the Greens say. The warning comes after the Government confirmed it will replace NCEA with an entirely new school qualification system from 2028. Under the changes, Year 11 students will work towards a new foundational literacy and numeracy…
Stolen spa gets stuck at Bunnings speed bump
A shoplifting spree involving an inflatable spa, piles of meat and a sex toy ended when a trolley of stolen goods got jammed on a speed bump outside Bunnings. The failed getaway landed Creedence Haden Brell, 41, in the Hamilton District Court. Brell and a partner spent months moving through Waikato stores, filling trolleys and…
Gloriavale Teacher Sentenced After Beating Boys With Tools
A Gloriavale teacher who beat young boys with tools including a pitchfork, axe handle and metal pipe has been sentenced to 10 months’ home detention. Vigilant Standtrue, 43, was sentenced in Christchurch District Court after being found guilty of assaulting four boys over more than a decade. The abuse happened between 2001 and 2013 while…
NZ TikTok Star Faces Rape Charges
A New Zealand-based TikTok creator has appeared in court facing serious sexual assault charges after an alleged incident in Christchurch. Benjamin Hasbun Dansky, 27, is charged with rape, unlawful sexual connection, strangulation and intentional damage following an alleged assault at the University of Canterbury Rugby Football Clubrooms. Police say the charges relate to an incident…
Fake Cop Fooled Teenage Girls
A Waikato man who spent months pretending to be a police detective has admitted a string of offences after using fake police ID to fool teenage girls, employers and members of the public. Charlie Terry Simonsen-Kemp, 20, appeared in Hamilton District Court on charges including impersonating a police officer, forgery, using forged documents, drink driving…
Suspicious fire destroys Kerikeri Salvation Army store
A fire that destroyed a Kerikeri Salvation Army family store is now being treated as suspicious. Investigators believe the blaze was likely deliberately lit after a fire ripped through the Kerikeri Rd building on April 15. Emergency services were called about 6.25pm after flames broke out in the building, which houses both the Salvation Army…
Two Charged After $100,000 Kiwifruit Pollen Theft in Kerikeri
Two men have been charged after more than $100,000 worth of kiwifruit pollen was allegedly stolen from a Kerikeri property. A 35-year-old man appeared in Kaikohe District Court charged with receiving stolen property, unlawful possession of a firearm, and unlawful possession of ammunition. A 42-year-old man has also been charged with receiving stolen property and…
Ōpunake eviction over cats ends in rifle shot and court sentence
Joanna Thantu, 11 February, 2026 “It would not have happened but for you.” That was the blunt message in the New Plymouth District Court after a South Taranaki violent eviction over cats ended with a woman beaten in the street and a rifle fired in the dark. It started with an offer of help. Sheryl…
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