New Zealand

PM Christopher Luxon won a confidence vote on the second challenge to his leadership; just a few months ahead of elections, he said he had the full support of his party, after calling crisis meeting to address leadership speculation

Te Pūmanawa Downtown West skyscraper project, comprising twin towers of 55 and 45 levels near Auckland’s waterfront, has been approved with a fast-track draft decision; ministers said it proved how well the fast-tracking scheme is working

Kainga Ora tenants are making about 1/5 of all cases at the Tenancy Tribunal as the national housing agency, who manages over 77.000 state-owned houses, proceeds with its "firm but fair" approach which includes taking action over anti-social behaviour

Queenstown area, home to some of NZ's most expensive properties, has seen a stable-to-rising housing market as global billionaires and Australians hit by new tax system look for crisis-proof housing market

The New Zealand fashion industry has seen a wave of business closures; in a shrinking manufacturing sector, it is harder to find people to make the 'Made in New Zealand' and for businesses to absorb rising costs

An award-winning Auckland bakery has temporarily closed after receiving E-grade, the lowest possible food safety rating for a risk associated with its pest control

Major changes to school curriculum and secondary qualifications bring "knowledge-rich" learning from this school year; The reform mandates evidence-based learning in literacy, numeracy and introduces subject-based assessment system in year 12,13

A women meeting in Wellington marked a year since changes to pay equity extinguished some 180.000 claims for equal work of equal value; a request to the UN was made to investigate whether the move amounted to systemic discrimination towards women

More men from the gay and bisexual community will be able to donate blood starting 4 May, as the screening process of the New Zealand Blood Service brings key changes to a number of questions related to sexual activity of donors

'Our Freshwater 2026' report highlights worsening quality of groundwater, rivers and lakes, with increasing levels of nitrates, E.coli above legal limit, and nearly half of New Zealand's river network unsafe for swimming due to faecal contamination

Tens of thousands of people attended the annual rock and car festival Beach Hop in Whangamatā; the Beach Hop, established in 2000, has degenerated in 2026 into cases of unsuitable behavior that brought to 30 arrests, more than in the last years combined

KiwiSaver -a voluntary, work-based retirement savings scheme- will see withdrawal rules changed to help farmers, diplomats and soldiers buy their first homes, as Finance Minister observed current rules are unfair to workers in service tenancies

Farmers and businesses are taking stock of the cost of flooding that swamped paddocks and swept through Little River, Banks Peninsula, which remains under a state of emergency though State Highway 75 to Akaroa reopened and telecommunications were restored