Big tobacco ‘working in the shadows’ blamed for killing off NZ’s pioneering plan to protect future generations UK politics – latest updates When New Zealand announced its world-first law to ban smoking for future generations it was widely hailed as a life-saving plan that would prevent thousands of smoking-related deaths, flatten out inequities in healthcare and save the economy billions of dollars. The pioneering legislation – enacted in 2022 – introduced a steadily rising smoking age to stop those born after January 2009 from ever being able to legally buy cigarettes, alongside a slew of o ..read more

As nature falls silent in most cities around the world, New Zealand’s capital has been transformed by the sound of native birds returning to the dawn chorus Read more: No birdsong, no water in the creek, no beating wings: how a haven for nature fell silent Some time in the pre-dawn darkness, the commotion starts. From her bed, Danae Mossman hears the noise building: loud romantic liaisons, vomiting, squeals, the sound of bodies hitting the pool at full tilt. Things get particularly loud between midnight and 4am, Mossman says, “when they are getting busy”. A kororā, or little penguin, colony li ..read more

Police say the sheep was shot dead after confronting officers called to the property in Waitakere, west of Auckland Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast An aggressive ram believed responsible for the deaths of an elderly New Zealand couple has been put down by police after it was found alongside the two bodies in a paddock. The NZ Herald reported the pair, aged in their early 80s, were found dead in a field of their rural property early on Thursday morning. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free mornin ..read more

Newshub owner Warner Bros Discovery strikes deal with Stuff to provide bulletins amid concerns over the country’s shrinking media market New Zealand news outlet Newshub, which is set to shut down due to economic woes, has been thrown a lifeline by local media organisation Stuff that will save its bulletins and website, in new formats. Last week, Warner Bros Discovery confirmed it would close down its New Zealand newsroom, Newshub, including its website, the morning television show and the 6pm news bulletin, resulting in the loss of roughly 300 jobs and prompting alarm over the state of New Zea ..read more

More than 27,000 lightning strikes recorded across France as heavy rain warnings issued in New Zealand As Storm Pierrick affected France this week, a tornado was reported to have damaged about 15 homes in Lestrem, a village of about 5,000 people in the Pas-de-Calais in northern France. The tornado formed as part of a series of severe thunderstorms that hit the region on Monday night. Winds reached about 75mph (120km/h), making this an EF0 event, the lowest strength for tornado classification. A second line of thunderstorms developed across France that night, spanning from the Belgian border in ..read more

More than 350 jobs to go after Warner Bros. Discovery closes all its Newshub news operations and TVNZ cuts programs and bulletins New Zealand’s news media has been dealt a major blow after two of its primary news outlets announced programme closures and hundreds of job losses between them on the same day, leaving the country with just one state-owned news television service and many senior journalists out of work. On Wednesday morning, Warner Bros. Discovery confirmed it would close all its Newshub news operations, including the news website, the morning television show and the 6pm television ..read more

Net migration to New Zealand hit a near record high in 2023 after a new temporary work visa was introduced after the pandemic New Zealand will tighten its visa rules for some migrants as the coalition government moves to overhaul the immigration system it says has led to “unsustainable” levels of migration. Last year, annual net migration to New Zealand hit a near record high of more than 173,000 non-New Zealand citizens in the year to December, Stats NZ reported ..read more

Athletes no longer penalised for visible underwear or bra straps ‘We’re just making sure no one feels uncomfortable or excluded’ Gymnastics New Zealand (GNZ) has revamped its attire rules to allow women and girls to wear shorts or leggings over their leotards, and will stop penalising athletes for visible underwear and bra straps during competitions in the country. The governing body said the changes were made after a survey of competitive gymnasts, which garnered over 200 responses, found the athletes wanted to “feel comfortable and safe” in the sport. “We found the regulations around under ..read more

New Zealand did not follow the US and UK in imposing financial restrictions after accusing Beijing of links to cyber-attacks Politicians, journalists and critics of Beijing were among those targeted by cyber-attacks run by groups backed by China, western intelligence services said this week. The separate cyber-attacks hit the US, UK and New Zealand – all members of the Five Eyes alliance. The network of five countries, which also includes Canada and Australia, share security related intelligence ..read more

China’s NZ embassy denies involvement with the cyber-attack as fresh details provided in the wake of similar breaches in UK and US A group backed by the Chinese state targeted New Zealand government services in a cyber-attack in 2021, New Zealand’s intelligence agency has said. The government and intelligence agency – the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) – confirmed the breach on Tuesday after the UK and the US accused China of similar attacks ..read more