The Front Page

Real Estate Institute data out today revealed a whopping 12.9% drop in sales volumes in the last month. It's significant not only because of the figure, but because at this time of year, sales volumes are normally very strong. In fact, typically the number of sales usually sit well over the 7000 mark - but 6938 sales was the lowest number of properties sold for the month of March since 2011. The m...

Sports stars and politicians are united in their condemnation of homophobia today, after Israel Folau once again used social media to attack the gay community. Tasmania has just become the first Australian jurisdiction to make gender an option on birth certificates. After the announcement, the Wallabies star took to Twitter to tell people to repent, and "turn away" from their evil ways. The tweet...

Most New Zealand fashion retailers are doing a good job of looking after the people who make their clothes, but some brands have work to do. Department store Farmers was among those who got a poor ranking in this year's Ethical Fashion report by relief and development groups Tearfund and Baptist World Aid Australia. Farmers is one of 10 New Zealand retailers to receive an F or D ranking for supply...

Tighter gun laws are now almost reality, and we've have our first look at what the details of that would be. The bill banning military-style semi-automatics and assault rifles was back in front of Parliament today, and the Government wants it to be law by Friday. There are just two exemptions to the tougher rules. But with the country on high alert, Anzac Day services are being cancelled. See omny...

Facebook has been labelled 'morally bankrupt, pathological liars', by New Zealand's Privacy Commissioner. John Edwards used Twitter last night to post his most pointed attack on the social network yet, although he has been heavily critical since the platform was used to livestream the terror attack in Christchurch. He says the social network cannot be trusted, as they are 'morally bankrupt patholo...

Today was the first High Court appearance for the 28-year-old man accused of the Christchurch mosque attacks. Because he's being held at New Zealand's maximum security prison in Paremoremo, he appeared through audio-visual link from custody in the High Court at Christchurch today. Naturally there was a significant media presence, with more than two dozen reporters from New Zealand and around the w...

Catholic cross-emblazoned knights on horses have been scrapped from the Crusaders' pre-match entertainment, after the Christchurch mosque attacks. The Canterbury team have been considering moving away from the association with the Crusades, a religious war started by the Latin Church against Muslims. Today, they've announced the Crusaders Horsemen won't feature in the rest of this year's games, in...

Jacinda Ardern has finished her whirlwind visit to Beijing with a clear message from the Chinese President ... our two countries must trust each other. In his opening remarks to Jacinda Ardern, Xi Jinping spoke about taking an already very good relationship to new heights but also said the two countries had to trust each other. Meanwhile Huawei is stepping up to the plate, saying it would be willi...

A series of public debates start tonight to discuss moves to legalise euthanasia, as new figures show a huge majority of people are against the idea. More than 90 per cent of Kiwis who made submissions on the euthanasia bill say no to assisted dying. The Care Alliance analysed virtually all of the more than 38,000 submissions made to Parliament's justice select committee on Act leader David Seymou...

Spoken and sung words of unity and hope, have resounded throughout Christchurch's Hagley Park. Event organisers estimate 20 to 25 thousand people attended the National Remembrance service in the city today, two weeks to the day since the March 15 mosque shootings, where 50 people were killed. Another tribute service was then held in Auckland this afternoon. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern received a...

Movement at last from Facebook. It's banning white nationalism and white separatism, in the wake of the mosque attacks. The social media giant says such views, deeply linked to organised hate groups, have no place on its Facebook and Instagram sites. It will ban the praise, support and representation of those views from the start of next week. Facebook has also acknowledged it needs to be better a...

A man has died from stab wounds after a protracted standoff with armed police in a Christchurch suburban street. Police are now investigating whether the dead man had any link to the March 15 mosque attacks. The 54-year-old man had been sought in relation to a firearms incident yesterday. After a tip-off from a member of the public, a search warrant was executed at a St Martins property late yeste...

Political and business leaders worldwide are turning against social media giants, in the wake of the Christchurch terror attacks. Representatives from Facebook, YouTube-owner Google and Twitter are meeting with the Australian Prime Minister this afternoon, where it's expected they will be threatened with new restrictions and 'significant' penalties. Ahead of the meeting, Scott Morrison said we nee...

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced a Royal Commission of Inquiry will be held into the Christchurch mosques terror attack. She says people are asking how the attack, in which 50 people died and dozens more injured, was able to take place, including how the alleged gunman obtained the weapons, the role of social media and the role of agencies. Ardern says she also has questions. The inquir...

Today at 1.30pm all of New Zealand came to a halt to remember the victims of the Christchurch terror attacks a week ago. It started with a call to prayer, followed by two minutes silence. It was marked in cities around the country, and even some overseas. Fifty people, of Muslim religion, died in the terrorist attack perpetrated by one accused gunman. 48 were wounded, some critically, including a...

Military style semi-automatics and assault rifles will be banned under stronger new gun laws announced today. The country's rules around guns have been in the spotlight since last Friday's mosque shootings in Christchurch, where 50 people died and many more were wounded. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has just revealed the changes in a press conference. And a security expert says New Zealand's stro...

There'll be a two-minute silence on Friday, to remember the victims of the Christchurch mosque attacks. Jacinda Ardern made the announcement in Christchurch today, following a meeting with St John first responders and addressing an assembly at Cashmere High School this morning. Ardern also met with Muslim community leaders, and acknowledged their "resolve" to support those who are grieving. Ardern...

The families of the fallen will have justice. That's the vow of our Prime Minister in the wake of the mosque massacre. In delivering her message of condolence in the House, Jacinda Ardern says the man at the centre of this attack will face the full force of the law. She says he sought notoriety - but New Zealand will give him nothing, not even his name. Ardern says she will never mention his name....

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced there will be reform of gun laws. She says Cabinet has made "in principal" decisions about the changes, and there will be change within 10 days. She did not say what those changes would be, but said media would be told within a week. A total of 50 victims have been confirmed dead after Friday's terror attack on two Christchurch mosques, with the dead ran...

Gunmen have opened fire at mosques in Christchurch, with reports of between nine and 27 people killed and police urging residents to stay indoors. One man is in custody. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called it "one of New Zealand's darkest days". One of the gunmen broadcast live as he shot victims. Ardern described the event as "extreme and unprecedented violence". Police were "actively managing t...

Greens co-leader James Shaw is "shaken" after being injured in a violent attack on his way to Parliament this morning. Shaw was punched in the face in an apparently unprovoked attack as he walked to work through central Wellington. A party spokesperson says Shaw was confronted by a man who stepped out, spoke to him and identified him then hit him in the head. Shaw suffered a black eye in the attac...

Elderly lives are on the line as overworked rest home workers are resulting in residents not even bothering to ask for help. A shocking new report, In Safe Hands, has been released by the New Zealand Nurses Organisation and E tū, after surveying over a thousand people working in aged care. It's revealed some rest home residents are dying as a result of just six minutes of care an hour. Patients ar...

Police have referred Jami-Lee Ross' complaint about National's election donations to the Serious Fraud Office. Ross was kicked out of the National Party last year. In October he went to police with details of alleged donation fraud in which he claimed leader Simon Bridges was a "corrupt politician with no moral compass". The Botany MP claims Bridges had asked him to collect a $100,000 donation fro...

The first signs of a thaw in the relationship between New Zealand and China, with China-New Zealand Year of Tourism back on. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has just announced at her post-Cabinet press conference that the new opening ceremony be held on the 29 of March. When the delay to the launch of the New Zealand/China year of tourism was revealed by The Herald last month, Ardern said it was bec...

It's International Women's Day - but as many of us know, there's still a lot of work to be done. And that sentiment's been echoed today by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Speaking at an event in Parliament this morning, she says the work will be done, when gender doesn't feature in the minds of girls and young women. She says as long as we have a country where women are over-represented in intimate...