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No criminal charges will be laid in relation to a Mt Ruapehu bus crash that killed a West Auckland schoolgirl. Police have completed their investigation into the crash near the Turoa Skifield in July that killed 11-year-old Hannah Francis. Eighteen others were injured, including the driver. Police say, as a result of their investigation, no criminal charges will be laid - and they're preparing for...

Czech drug dealer Karel Sroubek is liable to be deported after a firestorm of criticism that embarrassed the Government. Immigration Minister Ian Lees-Galloway has said today he had apologised to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern over his handling of the matter. The new information included that Sroubek was convicted in the Czech Republic, but Immigration NZ did not know this because Sroubek came to N...

An independent review has been launched to into bullying and harassment in Parliament. The review had been talked about for a while, but has become more urgent after recent events, including the sexual assault scandal at Russel McVeigh, allegations of bullying behaviour by Botany MP Jami-Lee Ross, allegations of bullying by Meka Whaitiri, and Dame Laura Cox's report into bullying and harassment of...

The Government is launching an urgent immunisation programme to fight meningococcal disease in Northland, after increasing problems with a new deadly strain, MenW. There's been seven nationwide MenW-related deaths this year, with three in Northland. The number of MenW cases jumped from five in 2016 to 29 this year. Health Minister David Clark says clinical experts have declared MenW has reached ou...

A High Court jury has found a 14-year-old boy guilty of the murder of a 40-year-old Flaxmere man. Haami Hanara has been on trial since Monday in the High Court at Napier. Hanara is one of the youngest defendants ever to be charged with murder in New Zealand. And a ban on vaping in bars, restaurants, and workplaces is being proposed as part of the Government's plans to regulate the product. See omn...

The devastated family of Wellington woman Sonam Shelar believe she may have been murdered. Wellington police searching for the 26-year-old, who was five months pregnant and went missing on Saturday, recovered her body from the Wairarapa's White Rock Beach late yesterday. Family spokesperson Harshal Patkar told the Herald Sonam's mother collapsed when news of her death reached home in India. A woma...

An inquiry is underway into the controversial SAS raid on an Afghan village, which is said to be one of the most complex inquiries in New Zealand history. The main topic today has been deciding what information is to be made public. Dozens of claims have been made in the controversial book Hit and Run, which brought the most serious allegations ever to be aimed at the elite NZSAS. The book, by aut...

A New Zealand woman has been jailed in the UK after she was found to have provided fake qualifications from the University of Auckland to work as a doctor for more than two decades. Zholia Alemi has been jailed for five years after eventually being found out when she was convicted of trying to fake the will of an elderly female patient. A judge described her as "despicable" when ordering her jail...

A 21-year-old Whakatāne man has been charged with murder, after a man hit by a car in Taneatua died late last week. The charges come after a horror weekend on New Zealand roads, which has left at least six people dead in eight major crashes, and several others fighting for their lives. It has bumped the year's current road toll above last year's, and road safety experts say New Zealand may be on t...

Police and Customs have found more than 190kg of cocaine in a container of bananas. The discovery in a shipment from Panama is biggest bust of the drug in New Zealand history. The cocaine would have had a street value of $28-36 million. A Sydney man has been arrested and is facing charges relating to trying to facilitate the importation of part of the consignment into Australia. Also, two Year 8 s...

One of the country's biggest health initiatives isn't picking up serious problems and could actually widen the rich-poor divide. A Herald investigation has revealed serious concerns about the "before school check", including the perverse possibility it could actually worsen inequality. Auckland, Counties Manukau, and Waitemata DHBs have jointly written to the Ministry's chief advisor on child heal...

A touching reunion as a critically ill Napier father was reunited with his daughter at Auckland Hospital. 27-year-old Jarred Thompson was medically evacuated from Fiji to Auckland last night, after falling ill on his one-month holiday to the islands. Thompson had been celebrating the news that he was in remission after going through cancer treatment for the past year when his health took a turn. H...

As the decision looms over what will happen with the Pike River Mine, family members are hoping they'll get re-entry into the drift. Minister Responsible for Pike River Re-Entry Andrew Little has announced the Government has made its decision, and will announce it at Parliament at 7.15 tomorrow morning. The wait means a sleepless night for those who lost their loved ones in the disaster. And sugar...

The first day of primary and intermediate teacher strikes went ahead today, with tens of thousands of teachers taking industrial action, and nearly half a million students impacted. The majority of primary and intermediate schools will be closed for one day this week, as part of rolling strikes around the country. The union's standing its ground over pay, class sizes, and the sector's ability to r...

A man has been charged with kidnapping after holding a knife to a woman's throat in Auckland's Westfield Manukau mall for 1.5 hours. Counties Manukau Area Commander Inspector Adam Pyne says the victim wasn't known to the offender. The knife being held to the woman's throat had a five inch blade. And the Supreme Court rules denying prisoners the right to vote is inconsistent with the Bill of Rights...

A shock admission from the Immigration Minister over Karel Sroubek's case. Iain Lees-Galloway has confirmed he took about an hour to decide on the convicted drug smuggler's residency, but he didn't read the whole file. Sroubek has also released his own statement today, in response to the Deputy National Leader telling Parliament yesterday, Sroubek was questioned in prison about the burglary of his...

A project manager critically injured in a charity boxing match has died. 37-year-old Kain Parsons passed away in hospital today. He was not wearing headgear. Inspector Darryl Sweeney said police were previously aware of the boxing match and are liaising with the event organisers and officials to fully understand the circumstances surrounding his death. Also today, unemployment levels are the lowes...

DHB-employed midwives have voted overwhelmingly to strike, in the most drastic industrial action ever taken by New Zealand hospital midwives. More than 1,100 will walk off the job for two hours, every 12-hour period, across all different shifts, for two-weeks from November 22nd. And new bombshell claims that Czech man Karel Sroubek forced an entire family into witness protection, as a result of cr...

NZ banks are in hot water for pressure over sales targets, and not policing their staff's behaviour. Poor outcomes for customers were increased by sales incentives for bank staff, with concerns some staff are pushed into selling products like personal loans, credit cards and insurance. And a fisherman spotted what he thought was a doll in the sea, until it started to cry. See omnystudio.com/listen...

The Czech Republic wants convicted drug dealer Karel Sroubek extradited from New Zealand. The Republic's Justice Ministry says an international search for Sroubek was launched in 2013, over outstanding criminal matters. PM Jacinda Ardern has openly criticised the case for the first time. Jo Morgan has described the terrifying moment a deadly avalanche struck her and two climbing guides, saying it...

Immigration Iain Lees-Galloway today ordered an investigation of new information, which he says contradicted the information he relied on while deciding Sroubek's case. The investigation could take up to three weeks. He won't say what the information is, but NewstalkZB political editor Barry Soper understands it relates to Sroubek's ex-wife. An early Christmas present for NZ renters, as letting fe...

New information's been revealed on the Karel Sroubek residency case. It's prompted Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway to seek urgent advice. Sroubek is believed to have returned to the Czech Republic since arriving in New Zealand in 2003, which would challenge any notion that his life might be at risk if he were deported. And the story of the deadly avalanche at Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park....

A 6.2 quake has shaken much of the central part of New Zealand. The epicentre was 25 kilometres southwest of Taumaranui at a depth of 207 kms. It was felt from South Canterbury to Hawkes Bay, even prompting temporary suspension of the sitting of Parliament. And the story of Karel Sroubek, the man granted permanent residency while serving a jail sentence for smuggling drugs, continues to develop. S...

Early childhood centres are joining schools in highlighting a major teacher shortage. Early-childhood centres say it's their worst-ever shortage, creating a market where qualified teachers can get "whatever they want". The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are also in New Zealand, taking the opportunity to raise mental health issues, and boost NZ fashion. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informati...

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