New Zealand First Stories

Kiwi Stories

New Zealand First stories

NZ First proposes big increase to taxpayer subsidies for video game developers

The plan would widen access to support and could help New Zealand studios keep staff, while lifting annual rebate payouts to $10 million.

By RNZ • 2 min read • Today

Housing

'They'll have to take me out of here in a box': Eviction notice for Whananaki bach owner on hold

An eleventh-hour mental health plea has prompted Whangārei District Council to pause action that could have left Brian Meadows homeless on Friday.

By Susan Botting • 6 min read • Last week

New Zealand Labour Party

Hundreds of builders call for slashing of red-tape, quicker consents

A survey of 250 tradespeople found 56% want council fees and slow consenting tackled, as costs and delays are squeezing small builders.

By Claire Taylor • 3 min read • Last week

New Zealand Labour Party

'Enough is enough': New Zealand First wants to ban fireworks

Animals, homes and emergency crews could be spared disruption if New Zealand First wins support for its proposed fireworks ban.

By Craig McCulloch • 3 min read • This month

Commerce Commission

ACT pledges to stop power companies being broken apart, open up solar market

Households could get better solar export prices under ACT's plan to widen electricity competition and let private firms build grid links.

By Russell Palmer • 3 min read • Last month

Risk & Compliance

Tauranga councillor Glen Crowther says he was required to view landslide files in supervised room

Access to Tauranga council records is under scrutiny after Glen Crowther said he had to review landslide files in a supervised room without notes.

By Ayla Yeoman • 7 min read • Last month

Virtual Private Networks

Govt pushes ahead with social media ban for under-16s

The plan faces an uncertain path in Parliament, with coalition partners ACT and New Zealand First refusing support for the under-16s ban.

By Giles Dexter • 7 min read • Fri, 28th Aug 2026

Urban Planning

Transport Minister Chris Bishop defends commissioning another Auckland harbour crossing report

More than NZD $106 million has already been spent on the project, as ministers insist a detailed business case is needed before work can start.

By RNZ • 6 min read • Tue, 18th Aug 2026

Housing

Civil Contractors New Zealand conference heads to Wellington

With more than 600 delegates expected, the event will put transport, procurement and pipeline concerns in front of election-year politicians.

By Sean Mitchell • 4 min read • Mon, 10th Aug 2026

Urban Planning

Politicians across party lines call for end to stop-start infrastructure investment

Consensus remained broad, but party MPs still clashed over who should pay for long-term works and how to curb costly overdesign.

By RNZ • 3 min read • Fri, 7th Aug 2026

Supply Chain

KiwiRail to run new Cook Strait ferries Kupe & Cook

The state-owned rail operator will keep control of the crucial Cook Strait freight link, with taxpayer support for the scheme capped at GBP £0.8 billion.

By Sean Mitchell • 4 min read • Fri, 17th Jul 2026

Supply Chain

Why not rail

Rail’s economic case is growing, but deferred upgrades and an ageing workforce threaten reliable services and future freight gains.

By Staff Writer • 7 min read • Wed, 21st Jan 2026

Data Analytics

Finance Now, Visa & Pismo to launch NZ fleet cards

Finance Now will launch New Zealand's first open loop Visa-powered fleet card in 2026, backed by Brazilian payments platform Pismo.

By Joseph Gabriel Lagonsin • 4 min read • Thu, 8th Jan 2026

Green Party

Push to restore regional rail amid airline demise

The Greens say restoring passenger rail could ease pressure on Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga as regional airlines cut routes and costs climb.

By Staff Writer • 5 min read • Thu, 24th Jul 2025

Taxation

Is our aversion to debt holding us back?

Record demand for New Zealand government bonds suggests ministers could borrow cheaply to tackle a $100 billion infrastructure gap.

By Staff Writer • 15 min read • Mon, 26th Feb 2024

Education, Learning & Training

A budget for our times

New Zealand’s wage subsidy extension and infrastructure spending are meant to blunt soaring unemployment as the economy heads into recession.

By Staff Writer • 13 min read • Fri, 15th May 2020

Data Analytics

Outsmarting storms

Customers in Auckland could face shorter outages as Vector and IBM use weather forecasts and AI to spot storm and vegetation risks up to 72 hours ahead.

By Staff Writer • 3 min read • Mon, 21st Oct 2019