Ball, James

Time for a tax refund – or a bill: All you need to know

It's that time of year when a tax refund notice – and hopefully not a bill – can turn up in your inbox.

Wednesday 6:00am

1:30

Flooding in Brightwater on Tuesday morning.

Eight homes evacuated as 200mm deluge causes flooding across Tasman

Extreme overnight rain swamped the top of the South Island, forcing evacuations in Brightwater, closing major highways and leaving rivers high, as severe weather shifts north.

Tue, Jun 2

3:02

The Ross family's houseboat, moored at Ōpua in the Bay of Islands, where thieves stripped the vessel of an estimated $8000-$10,000 worth of belongings.

Bay of Islands houseboat raided, sleep apnoea machine among items stolen

Up to $10,000 of property was taken from an Ōpua houseboat 100m in a burglary that has left a family baffled over how it was carried out.

Tue, Jun 2

1:30

Flooding threat for Northland, top of the South as front lashes NZ

Heavy rain and strong winds are battering large parts of the country, with Golden Bay in Tasman already recording nearly 280mm in 24 hours and more to come.

Mon, Jun 1

A breakdown stranded TranzAlpine passengers in tunnel for over an hour on Saturday.

Breakdown strands TranzAlpine passengers in tunnel for over an hour

Transport accident investigators have urged all passengers on board to come forward as they gather evidence from Saturday's incident.

Sun, May 31

Time for a tax refund – or a bill: All you need to know

It's that time of year when a tax refund notice – and hopefully not a bill – can turn up in your inbox.

Wednesday 6:00am

1:30

Eight homes evacuated as 200mm deluge causes flooding across Tasman

Extreme overnight rain swamped the top of the South Island, forcing evacuations in Brightwater, closing major highways and leaving rivers high, as severe weather shifts north.

Tue, Jun 2

3:02

Bay of Islands houseboat raided, sleep apnoea machine among items stolen

Up to $10,000 of property was taken from an Ōpua houseboat 100m in a burglary that has left a family baffled over how it was carried out.

Tue, Jun 2

1:30

Flooding threat for Northland, top of the South as front lashes NZ

Heavy rain and strong winds are battering large parts of the country, with Golden Bay in Tasman already recording nearly 280mm in 24 hours and more to come.

Mon, Jun 1

Breakdown strands TranzAlpine passengers in tunnel for over an hour

Transport accident investigators have urged all passengers on board to come forward as they gather evidence from Saturday's incident.

Sun, May 31

King's Birthday weekend weather: Rain warnings and a surprise warm-up

A Tasman low is set to end one of the driest Mays on record, bringing rain, strong winds and unseasonably warm nights to much of the country.

Fri, May 29

3:16

Falling tree branch kills man, leaving newly arrived wife alone in NZ

Paradeep Singh was killed while trimming branches on the couple's property.

Thu, May 21

Dianne Hodson's ashes and 30-year service badge were set in the new foundations as part of a heartfelt tribute.

Worker's ashes buried in foundations of new supermarket build

The ashes and service badge were placed beneath the new build as part of a heartfelt tribute.

Wed, May 20

The incident was caught on camera on State Highway 1 north of Taupō last week.

Cop's 'alarming' overtake sparks review after close-call with truck

Dashcam footage showed patrol car in oncoming lane on SH1 near Taupō, with a truck driver saying he "just missed" a collision.

Mon, May 18

0:36

Damage to a wood burner after a fire burned underneath a Kelson home.

'It saved us': Carbon monoxide alarm wakes family to hidden house fire

A Lower Hutt family is urging others to install CO alarms after a smouldering fire beneath their home went undetected by smoke alarms.

Sun, May 17

An flight was forced to abort its approach and return to Auckland after a cluster of floating sky lanterns drifted into Tauranga Airport’s airspace last night.

Lanterns in flight path force Auckland–Tauranga plane to turn back

A flight was forced to abort its approach and return to Auckland after a cluster of floating sky lanterns drifted into Tauranga Airport’s airspace last night.

Sat, May 16

Strombom said the ceramic poppies pictured had been "deliberately and systematically" removed.

Hundreds of ceramic poppies stolen from Auckland veterans' graves

A veterans charity says someone has "systematically" stripped commemorative poppies from multiple graves in cemeteries across Auckland.

Sat, May 16

The New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) said 122 tickets issued on March 12 had been cancelled.

Dozens of speeding tickets cancelled after NZTA broke parking rules

A mobile safety camera broke protocols in Auckland's northwest, leading to fines being refunded.

Sat, May 16

Rising global fuel prices are set to cut into the funding used to pay for New Zealand's transport network.

Fuel price surge hits transport fund, project delays feared

The fuel crisis has reduced revenue for the National Land Transport Fund – with a signalled decision to shelve an imminent fuel excise hike potentially deepening the shortfall.

Thu, May 14

3:28

Police take a man into custody on Nelson St after a fleeing driver incident.

Watch: Police pull pair from car in dramatic central Auckland arrests

Police tracked a stolen vehicle across central suburbs before boxing it in on Nelson St, arresting two after dangerous driving through Auckland.

Mon, May 11

0:39

A yellow-bellied sea snake on Hōkawai Beach near Ōpōtiki.

Second sea snake found on Bay of Plenty beach shocks dog walker

The man thought the serpent was an eel before realising it was the rare, venomous species after another sighting earlier this week.

Fri, May 8

1:59

The attack occurred on Tuesday when Taiatini Nelson, a long-time lover of horses, was riding along the Bay of Plenty beach on his horse Hero — something his wife Aimee said he did regularly.

Horse badly injured in attack by two dogs on Bay of Plenty beach

Taiatini Nelson urged his horse Hero into the sea to escape a prolonged attack by two off-leash dogs at Pāpāmoa Beach on Tuesday.

Thu, May 7

Auckland Harbour Bridge sways beneath crowds – protests curbed

Newly released NZTA documents warn relatively small, dense crowds can trigger side‑to‑side movement on the clip‑on lanes, potentially crushing pedestrians and damaging the bridge.

Wed, May 6

0:31

Damage to homeware store Table Talk on Whangamatā's main street this morning.

'Just carnage': Six Whangamatā stores hit in overnight burglary spree

Police say an 18‑year‑old was arrested after a string of overnight break‑ins along Port Rd, with the alleged spree ending in a pursuit and crash on Waihi‑Whangamatā Rd.

Tue, May 5

0:36

April 2026