RNZ National

rnz.co.nzadded August 2026

Patient numbers soar for Whanganui Hospital's 15-bed emergency department

RNZ Nationalby RNZ; Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa19d ago

Whanganui Hospital's emergency department treated almost seven times the number of people it was built for over the second week of September.

Senior lawyer apologises for behaviour but disputes it amounts to ‘misconduct’

RNZ Nationalby RNZ; Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa19d ago

Senior lawyer apologises for behaviour but disputes it amounts to ‘misconduct’ A senior lawyer says she is "very sorry" about creating a work environment that triggered a mass "walkout" of her...

New Zealand First reveals plan for 'bold shift' in healthcare

RNZ Nationalby RNZ; Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa19d ago

New Zealand First has released its plan to "Make NZ Healthy", promising to put prevention at the centre of healthcare if re-elected.

Record number of votes cast in 2026 Bird of the Year competition

RNZ Nationalby RNZ; Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa19d ago

A record number of votes have been cast in this year's Bird of the Year competition, with just hours left until polls close.

Wellington 'vulnerable' after losing FENZ ladder truck to fire, senior firefighter says

RNZ Nationalby RNZ; Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa19d ago

Wellington's firefighting capabilities have been weakened even further after one of the region's two high-ladder trucks caught fire, a senior firefighter says.

Number of meth pipes, bongs seized by Customs soars

RNZ Nationalby RNZ; Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa19d ago

- The number of meth pipes and cannabis bongs confiscated at the border is soaring, with Customs officers seizing almost 40,000 in the first seven months of this year - more than in all of 2025.

Country Life: 'Looking for an edge' on a Māori-owned farm

RNZ Nationalby RNZ; Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa20d ago

Please publish to Country page (COU) and Country Life page (CLI) by ****** Saturday 8AM ********* In the past 16 years, the Pukepoto Farm Trust near Taumaranui has never not made a profit for its...

Thousands of NZ buildings no longer require earthquake strengthening

RNZ Nationalby RNZ; Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa20d ago

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown says common sense has prevailed, after the government passed legislation that means thousands of buildings across the country no longer require earthquake strengthening.

'Yarnarchists' blanket Christchurch for annual yarn bomb festival

RNZ Nationalby RNZ; Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa20d ago

'Yarnarchists' blanket Christchurch for annual yarn bomb festival Central Christchurch has been blanketed with knitted and crocheted installations as a talented band of 'yarnarchists' stitch...

$80k isn't much, how have I ended up near the top tax rate? Ask Susan

RNZ Nationalby RNZ; Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa20d ago

We'd love to hear more of your questions about money and the economy. You can send through written questions, like these ones, but even better, you can drop us a voice memo to our email...

Forest and Bird calls for fast-tracked coal mining application to be declined

RNZ Nationalby RNZ; Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa20d ago

Forest and Bird are calling for a fast-tracked coal mining application to be declined after the Environmental Protection Authority found gaps in its conservation plan.

Speldhurst still waiting for speed sign change

RNZ Nationalby RNZ; Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa20d ago

Residents of a lower North Island retirement village were celebrating when roading officials heeded their pleas to lower the speed limit on the state highway past their gate.

From wanting to be seen as white to finding his way back to te reo Māori

RNZ Nationalby RNZ; Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa20d ago

Ake, Ake, Ake - A forever language Nathan Grey (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Raukawa) grew up knowing he was Māori but not knowing much about what that meant.

Flu season passes peak - but watch out for a second wave

RNZ Nationalby RNZ; Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa20d ago

Many doctors are breathing a sigh of relief as the flu season passes its peak - but there is a warning of a sting in its tail.

'We're one people' - a young Tongan man's te reo Māori journey

RNZ Nationalby RNZ; Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa20d ago

Over the years, 21-year-old Siaosi (George) Lavelua (Kolomotu'a, Makave) has often made the trip north to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds with freshly made 'otai in tow.

Tonga claims Oceania netball championship title

RNZ Nationalby RNZ; Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa20d ago

Tonga's national women's netball team has claimed a double win at home in the Oceania Women's Netball Championship in Nuku'alofa.

Country Life: The farm photographer who captured a changing New Zealand

RNZ Nationalby RNZ; Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa20d ago

Ron Vine's crisp, observant and sometimes intimate black and white photos capture New Zealand farming at a turning point.

Country Life: 25 years of Banks Peninsula conservation

RNZ Nationalby RNZ; Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa20d ago

Country Life: 25 years of Banks Peninsula conservation Surveying 1600 hectares of rolling hills could be done on foot - but it's much easier from the air.

Tauranga eyes options to sell stake in airport

RNZ Nationalby RNZ; Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa20d ago

Tauranga City Council will consider its first steps towards potentially selling off shares in Tauranga Airport this week.

'A very capable and loving father': Oranga Tamariki's litany of failures in the Tom Phillips case

RNZ Nationalby RNZ; Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa20d ago

'A very capable and loving father': Oranga Tamariki's litany of failures in the Tom Phillips case A public inquiry into the handling of the Tom Phillips case identified a series of failings by...