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Cyclone Gabrielle has started to move away from Aotearoa, but we are likely going to feel her impact for months to come.  From Northland down to Auckland and the Coromandel, and along the country to the East Coast, this massive storm has left a trial of destruction in its wake.  For regions already impacted by months of rain, attention is now turning to the clean-up process – and what we could do...

Cyclone Gabrielle was predicted to be the biggest storm of the century – and it certainly has made its mark.     Strong winds have already knocked out power lines, leaving thousands without electricity, while surge swells have rocked coastal areas with enormous power.    These conditions have now moved over Auckland, posing enormous risk for a city still recovering from the Anniversary Day floods....

The appeal of having a vista overlooking the city can come at cost.   Dramatic photographs of a cliff slide under a Stanley Point home captured the full peril of having a home built on the edge.   Warnings from experts that extreme weather events will become more common have so far not dissuaded those living in these beautiful cliffside homes from moving. In fact, some of these homes were only bui...

The upper North Island is due to be hit by Cyclone Gabrielle this weekend, only weeks after horrendous weather caused widespread damage last month.  And by all accounts, this storm could be just as bad if not worse.  So what do you need to know to prepare your house and family for this major storm?  Today, Damien is joined by NZ Herald news director Lynley Ward to run through everything you need t...

From Kaitaia to Bluff, the one thing all New Zealanders need is a place to call home. But that’s not such a sure bet these days.  Despite years of acknowledging the housing situation as a crisis, it seems like this country is always in an uphill struggle against under-supply and over-pricing.    Add to this the expensive materials, backlogged supply chains and growing concerns over climate change...

New Zealanders have been able to rely on the security of a state pension for decades. In the 1970s, this scheme kicked in from the age of 60 before steadily rising to 65 in the decades that followed. But since 2001, the age of eligibility hasn’t moved at all – despite the fact that New Zealanders are living longer and having fewer children. Is it time to adjust our superannuation age or perhaps ch...

Healthcare has always been one of the battleground issues in New Zealand politics. MPs love to sling mud over what the other party has or hasn’t done in terms of building hospitals or paying nurses properly. The current Government has made a big deal out of funding our healthcare further, with $30 billion assigned in last year’s budget.  But given how much attention is paid to healthcare, why does...

For years a capital gains tax has been a taboo political subject, avoided by politicians afraid to lose votes.    Tax experts have stressed time and again that Aotearoa should follow in the footsteps of the rest of the OECD and introduce this type of tax.    And while former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern refused to pull the trigger despite strong recommendations from the working group her own Gove...

The issue of co-governance has become a lightning rod over the last 12 months.     New Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has acknowledged a backlash against the ideas of co-governance and has even owned up to the Labour Government stuffing up its messaging around the idea. The widely misunderstood term was given massive prominence when combined with the Three Waters scheme. It galvanised opposition to...

New Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has had a chaotic start to his time in office, with the flooding in Auckland adding to the growing list of woes the Government faces.  However, two polls this week have given a beleaguered Labour Party some good news – with Hipkins and his party narrowly ahead of Christopher Luxon and National. But with the numbers suggesting Aotearoa is on the verge of a hung Parl...

The damage inflicted upon Auckland during a week of record-breaking weather is expected to cost over one billion dollars to repair.   From red stickered houses and damaged infrastructure, it will take a while for the city to recover from this intense storm.  But as we look toward the recovery, questions are also being asked about what needs to be done to avoid this level of devastation being wroug...

Aotearoa’s biggest Pride Festival kicks off today.  Auckland Pride runs for the next four weeks as a city-wide celebration of the rainbow community.  This year’s celebrations come amid a mixed outlook for the global queer community, with progressive moves being met with growing backlash and outrage.  Auckland Pride director Max Tweedie, who is standing down after four years leading the festival, i...

An unprecedented weather event has completely saturated the upper North Island over the last few days.  Record-breaking amounts of rain have submerged streets and parks, caused landslides and damaged infrastructure, and claimed the lives of at least four people.  The event has also sparked a backlash from Aucklanders over how Mayor Wayne Brown and public officials handled their communications.  Da...

New Zealand is facing up to the abuse and misogyny faced by politicians.   In the wake of Jacinda Ardern’s shock resignation as Prime Minister in January, many commentators and analysts have pointed to the online abuse she faced during her five and a half years in office.   Ardern didn’t specifically cite the abuse as a reason for resigning, but data released in the days after her announcement sho...

New Zealand is set for a blockbuster year of sport, with four world cups being held.   The big one will no doubt be the FIFA Women’s World Cup, which will see superstars from around the world descend on Aotearoa for a four-week football festival in July. That massive event will then be followed by the spectacle of the Men’s Rugby World Cup in France.   So, who are the sports stars to watch in 2023...

After five and a half years, the Jacinda Ardern premiership has come to an end.   Following her shock resignation, Ardern has officially vacated the Ninth Floor, and is now a backbench MP free from the burden of the country’s highest office.  From a terrorist attack to a volcanic eruption and on to a pandemic, her tenure as Prime Minister was complicated and challenging.    While Ardern has been a...

For the last 25 years, the disappearances of Ben Smart and Olivia Hope has been a constant source of speculation and controversy.  The two disappeared in the early hours of New Year’s Day, 1998, after accepting an offer to stay aboard a man’s yacht while staying in the Marlborough Sounds.   Scott Watson was convicted of their murders in 1999. Now, Watson and his supporters hope a return to the Cou...

Helicopter safety has been a simmering debate in New Zealand for years.   It’s one that’s returned to the spotlight after several accidents and close calls over summer, including a horror crash on Australia’s Gold Coast.   This comes at a time when helipads are spreading across the country as wealthy New Zealanders look to skip the traffic by taking to the sky.  So as we see more helicopters takin...

Wayne Brown has long been an advocate for moving the Ports of Auckland up to Northland.   Now that he is Auckland’s mayor, it’s a goal that Brown may be able to make a reality. However, while many Aucklanders would love to see the cars and containers go, the scale of such a move has made for a contentious debate So what would be involved in moving the port, and should it happen? How long until Auc...

The Labour Party has a new leader, and the country a new Prime Minister.  Chris Hipkins, best known for serving as the Covid-19 Response Minister, is set to be sworn in as Aotearoa’s 41st Prime Minister, after receiving unanimous support from his colleagues to succeed Jacinda Ardern.  Hipkins is known as the party’s ‘Mr Fixit’, due to a history of being parachuted in to fix his colleague's ministe...

In a shock announcement Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said that she will be stepping down on February 7th.    This means she will not be standing again as leader of the Labour party, and will not contest the next election.    New Zealand will soon find itself with a new Prime Minister.  So, who could take the reins at Labour? What could next be on the cards for Ardern? And how will this news b...

The economy is widely anticipated to be 2023’s election-defining issue.   With the country forecast to enter a recessionary period, a cost of living crisis, declining house prices and a mortgage shock on the horizon, the next 12 months don’t look easy for New Zealanders.    On top of this, the distribution of wealth across Aotearoa continues to favour those who already have most.   So how bad will...

After a few weeks off for their summer break, our politicians will soon be returning to Wellington to gear up for what is expected to be a close election year. The polls have National and Act ahead of Labour and the Greens, but with a late election likely on the cards, this is still anybody’s race. And before we can all head to the polls, the Government has some key legislation to pass that could...

The news cycle this year has so far been dominated by one man and his long-running family feud.   Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has finally released his memoir, Spare, after weeks of leaks and promotional interviews.  The book takes aim at everyone, from his own brother, father and stepmother, to the British media who have long been the bane of the Duke’s existence.   Spare is a global publish...

After a rough 2022, we all could have used a nice summer break to help us recharge for the year ahead. But the weather had other ideas.   A constant stream of rain, not helped by an ex-cyclone, well and truly dampened the country’s hopes for a good summer – and left a trail of destruction in its path.   It once again has raised the question about the impact of climate change and whether New Zealan...