The Bull Ring

  Australian minister orders changes for New Zealanders facing deportation Australia's prime minister Anthony Albanese Photo: AFP Australia's immigration minister has ordered his department to soften its stance on deporting New Zealanders convicted of serious crimes, saying how long they have lived in Australia should now be made a top consideration. Australia has deported hundreds of New Zealanders using laws made almost a decade ago that allowed long-term residents to be deported on character grounds, as well as those who had been sentenced to a prison term of at least 12 months. The most common reasons for visa cancellations of any nationality were drug offences, child sex offences and domestic violence offences. A spokesperson for Immigration Minister Andrew Giles said the government had told the department to take a "common sense" approach. "Under these changes the Department of Home Affairs must now consider the...

  George Pell's body lying in state at St Mary's Cathedral as protesters, police head to court Australia's Cardinal George Pell, who died age 81 from heart complications during surgery last month. Photo: AFP Cardinal George Pell's body is lying in state at Sydney's St Mary's Cathedral today, as ribbons symbolising the hurt caused by child sexual abuse are tied to its exterior. A requiem mass and private funeral service will be held tomorrow at the cathedral where Pell once served as the Archbishop of Sydney. Australia's highest-ranking Catholic, he died age 81 from heart complications during hip surgery in Rome last month. His casket was driven down College Street in Sydney's CBD followed by clergy members and family, before it was carried into the cathedral. This morning, coloured ribbons were tied to a fence near the front doors, in an event organised by Ballarat man and abuse survivor Paul Auchettl. He said ...

  Grand Chateau Tongariro to close permanently on 5 February The Grand Chateau Tongariro is not taking any new bookings for 2023 and 2024. Photo: CC BY-SA 4.0 / W. Bulach, via Wikimedia Commons The Grand Chateau Tongariro will close permanently from Sunday 5 February. The Chateau, located in the Tongariro National Park, has been in consultation with the Department of Conservation (DOC) regarding the renewal of its 30-year lease, which expired in April 2020. As part of the hotel's due diligence in preparing to renew the lease, it had specialists conduct site and seismic assessments as part of plans to renovate the building and surrounding infrastructure. But the most recent seismic assessment found that underground shifts over time meant some of the hotel infrastructure no longer met current safety standards. To ensure the safety of those at the hotel, including its 36 staff, the decision was made to close it. Chateau Tongariro Hotel's...

  Auckland deputy mayor talks up role of media in disasters, in wake of Wayne Brown 'drongos' text Photo: Supplied Auckland mayor Wayne Brown is under fire for calling journalists "drongos", blaming them for having to cancel a round of tennis with friends on Sunday as the city dealt with the aftermath of record rainfall and flooding that left four dead . It comes after widespread criticism of his handling of the disaster , including being slow to declare a state of emergency on Friday night and a combative, testy media conference on Saturday. A producer for MediaWorks news station Today FM on Saturday said Brown turned down an interview on Friday morning because he wanted to play tennis instead. WhatsApp messages leaked to the New Zealand Herald showed rain got in the way, with Brown telling friends on Saturday morning it was "pissing down so no tennis". Despite being freed up, the interview did...

  National loses ground to Hipkins' Labour in two new polls Prime Minister Chris Hipkins in Auckland last week. Photo: RNZ / Nick Monro Two political polls tonight have Labour regaining lost ground against National, with leader Chris Hipkins more popular than the opposition's Chris Luxon. Both are the first poll for their respective organisations since Chris Hipkins took over as Prime Minister after Jacinda Ardern's shock resignation from the role. The 1News Kantar poll had Labour up 5 percentage points to 38, with National down one percentage point to 37. Newshub Reid Research's poll had Labour up 5.7 percent to 38, ahead of National which lost 4.1 points, dropping to 36.6. More to come... National loses ground to Hipkins' Labour in two new polls  

  Power Play: Flooding disaster showed up major failures in local Auckland leadership Jane Patterson , Political Editor @janepatterson jane.patterson@rnz.co.nz Auckland mayor Wayne Brown visits the Māngere emergency centre on Sunday. Photo: RNZ/Angus Dreaver Power Play - Aucklanders did not get the political leadership they deserve as they face the aftermath of Friday night's devastating floods. They needed reassurance, the confidence of strong leadership and clear direction. While the emergency response kicked into high gear on the ground, the political response was sadly lacking. During Saturday's media conference , mayor Wayne Brown seemed most interested in rolling out justifications against accusations of an initial absence of communications and that he waited too long to trigger the state of emergency , making it clear he was just following the advice of the experts. In his first major test as prime minister, Ch...

𝕄𝕒𝕪𝕠𝕣 ‘𝕕𝕖𝕖𝕡𝕝𝕪 𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕔𝕖𝕣𝕟𝕖𝕕’ 𝕒𝕥 𝕡𝕣𝕠𝕤𝕡𝕖𝕔𝕥 𝕠𝕗 𝕊𝕚𝕞𝕖𝕠𝕟 𝔹𝕣𝕠𝕨𝕟 𝕒𝕤 𝕥𝕣𝕒𝕟𝕤𝕡𝕠𝕣𝕥 𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕎𝕖𝕝𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕥𝕠𝕟 𝕄𝕒𝕪𝕠𝕣 𝕋𝕠𝕣𝕪 𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕒𝕦 𝕥𝕠𝕝𝕕 𝕎𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔽𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕤 ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕘𝕖 𝕡𝕠𝕕𝕔𝕒𝕤𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 ℕ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕒𝕝’𝕤 𝕥𝕣𝕒𝕟𝕤𝕡𝕠𝕣𝕥 𝕤𝕡𝕠𝕜𝕖𝕤𝕡𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕠𝕟 𝕨𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 𝕡𝕦𝕤𝕙 𝕎𝕖𝕝𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕥𝕠𝕟 ‘𝕓𝕒𝕔𝕜𝕨𝕒𝕣𝕕𝕤’ 𝕚𝕗 𝕙𝕖 𝕓𝕖𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕤 𝕥𝕣𝕒𝕟𝕤𝕡𝕠𝕣𝕥 𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣. W ellington's mayor Tory Whanau is worried her plans for the city could be scuppered by a new National-led government – and specifically by the party’s most likely candidate for transport minister. Last year’s local election saw many voters scuttle as far away from the centre left as they could, with most major centres turning various shades of blue. In Auckland, that resulted in the election of the centre-right Wayne Brown despite the public endorsements of Labour and the Greens for candidate Efeso Collins. In Wellington, however, ther...

  Minimum wage too high to increase further without fuelling inflation - National's Nicola Willis Grant Robertson and Nicola Willis. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver National says it's a "great shame" Labour has increased the minimum wage by so much, because it means they can't do it now to help low-income Kiwis make ends meet without stoking inflation. On Wednesday, Statistics NZ said inflation in the 12 months to December was 7.2 percent, unchanged from September's figure and slightly down on June's. Finance Minister Grant Robertson told RNZ's Morning Report he thinks inflation has peaked. "Most commentators yesterday when they saw those numbers, would say that," Robertson said. "Doesn't mean that that makes life easier immediately for people, but it's the trend." Prime Minister Chris Hipkins earlier this week singled out what he called the "global inflation pandemic" as his n...

  'Sparrows chased away a falcon' - Sanctuary prepares to unleash rats to stop pest birds Photo: 123RF A Waikato wetland sanctuary is reintroducing rats to try to drive out birds fouling a prized lake. The move is a last resort to try to scare off half a million sparrows and starlings that have found a safe spot to roost overnight around pest-free Lake Rotopiko. They defecate so much they are changing the ecosystem and endangering the water quality. Karen Denyer of the National Wetland Trust said 30 rats had been released to try to deter the birds. If the birds shift where they sleep at night to outside the predator-free fence instead of inside, then they will poison the rats. "It's quite a drastic approach," Denyer said. "But we know we can get rid of the rats again - we've done it before. "We want to see if this makes a difference. And if it does, maybe every so often we can put some rats in for a month or s...

  Piha drowning: Farewell for two dead Indian nationals, calls for water safety awareness By Akula Sharma of NZHerald.com Friends Saurin Patel (left) and Anshul Shah (right) lost their lives in the water at Piha Beach on 21 January, 2023, and survivor Apurva Modi (middle) is still recovering from the loss. Photo: Givealittle / Apurva Modi A family member of the two men who drowned at Piha Beach is calling for heightened water safety measures saying people do not realise lifeguard patrol hours are limited. Yesterday, an emotional farewell ceremony was held to complete the last rites of Saurin Patel and Anshul Shah. The two friends died at the Auckland west coast beach on Saturday , and their remains are being repatriated to India today. Patel, 28, was an electrical engineer who arrived in New Zealand in August, while Shah, 31, worked as a cashier at a petrol station and arrived here in November. Th...

𝕄ℙ 𝕂𝕚𝕖𝕣𝕒𝕟 𝕄𝕔𝔸𝕟𝕦𝕝𝕥𝕪 𝕥𝕠 𝕤𝕥𝕠𝕡 𝕒𝕕𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕥𝕚𝕤𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕞𝕠𝕓𝕚𝕝𝕖 𝕠𝕗𝕗𝕚𝕔𝕖𝕤 𝕚𝕟 𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕖𝕝𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕠𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕖 𝕕𝕦𝕖 𝕥𝕠 ‘𝕕𝕖𝕒𝕥𝕙 𝕥𝕙𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕥𝕤’ 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕥𝕠𝕥𝕒𝕝 𝕝𝕦𝕟𝕒𝕔𝕪 𝕗𝕣𝕠𝕞 𝕣𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕨𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕙𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕤 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕥𝕣𝕠𝕝𝕝𝕤 𝕚𝕤 𝕟𝕠𝕨 𝕡𝕣𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 ℙ𝕒𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕒𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕪 𝕄ℙ'𝕤 𝕗𝕣𝕠𝕞 𝕓𝕖𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕒𝕡𝕡𝕣𝕠𝕒𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕓𝕝𝕖 𝕥𝕠 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕚𝕣 𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕥𝕦𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕤. 𝔻𝕖𝕒𝕥𝕙 𝕥𝕙𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕥𝕤 𝕗𝕣𝕠𝕞 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕤𝕖 𝕣𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕨𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕔𝕠𝕨𝕒𝕣𝕕𝕤 𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕠𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕚𝕟𝕔𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕖 𝕚𝕟 𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕓𝕖𝕒𝕦𝕥𝕚𝕗𝕦𝕝 𝕔𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕥𝕣𝕪. A lleged death threats have caused Wairarapa MP Kieran McAnulty to stop advertising mobile offices in the electorate. McAnulty, the Minister for Emergency Management and Racing, has clarified a report that suggested the continued threats had caused him to discontinue the practice of staging mobile offices. Local MPs have a long-established protocol of publicised street-corner meetings with constituents or se...

  Mike Pence: Classified documents found at former vice-president's home Representatives of Mike Pence sent a letter to the National Archives alerting them to the documents. Photo: AFP / Ryan M Kelly Classified files have been found at ex-US vice-president Mike Pence's home in the latest discovery of secret papers at the homes of officials who have served in the top ranks of government. The documents, discovered by a lawyer last week for Pence at his Indiana home, have been handed over to the FBI. Investigators are already looking into President Joe Biden and ex-president Donald Trump's possession of files. Trump faces a criminal investigation for allegedly mishandling papers. Representatives for Pence sent a letter to the National Archives alerting them to the documents. The FBI came to the former vice-president's home to collect the documents, bypassing "standard procedures" and requesting "direct possession...

  Auckland mayor Wayne Brown grants two interviews, of 108 media requests Wayne Brown granted two one-on-one interviews with journalists during his first month in office as mayor. Photo: RNZ / Finn Blackwell Auckland mayor Wayne Brown gave two direct interviews to journalists in his first month in office, of the 108 requests made by media. Brown won the mayoralty vote in a landslide on 8 October last year, soundly defeating his nearest rival Efeso Collins. His victory was on the back of a campaign promising to "fix Auckland", and by promoting himself as a businessman, not a politician. It is that last point which is being used by his team to justify a lack of public engagement since he took over from the former mayor, Phil Goff. Wayne Brown was not good in front of a microphone, but he was good in the boardroom, RNZ has been told. According to figures obtained under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act, Brown rec...

𝕁𝕒𝕔𝕚𝕟𝕕𝕒 𝔸𝕣𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕟 𝕖𝕩𝕚𝕥𝕤 ℙ𝕒𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕒𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕒𝕤 ℙ𝕣𝕚𝕞𝕖 𝕄𝕚𝕟𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕒𝕞𝕠𝕟𝕘 𝕝𝕒𝕣𝕘𝕖 𝕔𝕣𝕠𝕨𝕕 𝕠𝕗 𝕒𝕕𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕠𝕟𝕝𝕠𝕠𝕜𝕖𝕣𝕤 𝕁𝕒𝕔𝕚𝕟𝕕𝕒 𝔸𝕣𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕟 𝕠𝕟 𝕎𝕖𝕕𝕟𝕖𝕤𝕕𝕒𝕪 𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕒𝕣𝕣𝕚𝕧𝕖𝕕 𝕒𝕥 𝔾𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕟𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥 ℍ𝕠𝕦𝕤𝕖 𝕥𝕠 𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕞𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕪 𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕚𝕘𝕟 𝕒𝕤 𝕡𝕣𝕚𝕞𝕖 𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣, 𝕖𝕩𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 ℙ𝕒𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕒𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕥𝕠 𝕒𝕟 𝕒𝕕𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕔𝕣𝕠𝕨𝕕 𝕠𝕗 𝕠𝕟𝕝𝕠𝕠𝕜𝕖𝕣𝕤. S he was greeted on Parliament's steps by fellow Cabinet ministers, MPs, staff and onlookers, who she greeted with emotional farewells. Her formal resignation was confirmed by the Governor-General who then  swore in her replacement, Chris Hipkins . The Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate, have also paid tribute to Ardern's leadership on Twitter. Thank you @jacindaardern for your friendship, leadership and support over the years, not least at the time of my grandmother’s death. Sending you, Clarke and Neve our best wishes...