New Zealand's Latest Breaking News, Business, Sport, Weather, Entertainment, Politics

Latest FromJamie Morton

NEW ZEALAND

Breakthrough epilepsy finding could help kids around the world

21 Apr, 2019 10:42am
3 minutes to read

Breakthrough to boost treatment for most common neurological hospital emergency in kids.

Our national icon, the kiwi, is among 4000 species considered threatened or at risk. Photo / File

NEW ZEALAND

Special Report: The tragedy of our environment in four dismal figures

18 Apr, 2019 11:00am
15 minutes to read

A sweeping audit has revealed an environment under attack from virtually every direction.

Aerial 1080 drops have proven key to the survival of kiwi chicks in a North Island forest, shows the first long-running study of its kind. Photo / File

NEW ZEALAND

When 1080 falls on forests, more kiwi chicks survive

17 Apr, 2019 1:18pm
3 minutes to read

Aerial 1080 drops have proven key to the survival of kiwi chicks in a North Island forest.

The Hikurangi Subduction Zone is a sprawling offshore fault, east of the country, that marks where the Pacific Plate dives - or subducts - westward beneath the North Island. Image / GNS Science

NEW ZEALAND

Study shows past rumbles on NZ's big quake danger zone

17 Apr, 2019 12:47pm
4 minutes to read

Scientists pull together most comprehensive picture yet of NZ's largest geological threat.

Current working figures show Kiwis eat 17.2kg beef, 5kg of lamb and 0.7kg mutton per capita. Photo / 123RF

NEW ZEALAND

Study: Bowel cancer risk with even 'moderate' amount of red meat

17 Apr, 2019 11:04am
7 minutes to read

Even a moderate amount of red and processed meat raises risk of bowel cancer, study says.

NEW ZEALAND

White Island's crater lake now less likely to overflow

17 Apr, 2019 10:13am
2 minutes to read

The risk of an overflow at NZ's rowdiest volcano appears to have cooled, scientists say.

Safeswim allows people to check where and when they can swim before heading to the beach. Image / Auckland Council

BUSINESS

Auckland's Safeswim app to be sold overseas as product

17 Apr, 2019 8:07am
2 minutes to read

Auckland's real-time Safeswim app to be sold overseas as a multi-million dollar product.

Nearly two thirds of GPs have had patients ask about medicinal cannabis over the past year, a new survey indicates. Photo / Helius Therapeutics.

NEW ZEALAND

Two-thirds of GPs quizzed about medicinal cannabis

17 Apr, 2019 5:00am
5 minutes to read

Nearly two thirds of GPs have had patients ask about medicinal cannabis in the past year.

Orange fronted parakeets are among the native species most threatened by this year's

NEW ZEALAND

DoC: Forest 'mega-mast' may spell local extinctions

14 Apr, 2019 12:00pm
7 minutes to read

Pest plagues are feared with biggest beech forest seeding event in nearly half a century.

Cats are highly efficient killers - and one study has suggested they're a bigger threat to birds, skinks, geckos and weta in cities than even rats and mice. Photo / 123RF

NEW ZEALAND

Is this how we stop the cat control debate turning feral?

14 Apr, 2019 5:00am
4 minutes to read

Working with cat owners, not against them, key to finding solutions that work.

Pre-school kids exposed to their parents' drug abuse or domestic violence are more likely to struggle with basic reading, writing and maths later on, new findings show. Photo / 123RF

NEW ZEALAND

Home truths: what hurts and helps Kiwi kids' development

12 Apr, 2019 5:00am
3 minutes to read

Kids from troubled homes struggle later - but in spite of poverty some beat the odds.

One of the newly-discovered squids, which belongs to the Histioteuthidae family. Photo / Richard Young

NEW ZEALAND

Creatures of the deep: Weird new NZ species discovered

11 Apr, 2019 2:32pm
4 minutes to read

Squid that resembles a character from The Muppets among just-discovered NZ sea creatures.

NEW ZEALAND

Rising NZ emissions sparks call for transport crackdown

11 Apr, 2019 12:48pm
4 minutes to read

Pressure needs to be put on the transport sector over rising emissions, scientist says.

Overnight, scientists will give the world its first actual glimpse at a black hole. Photo / 123RF

NEW ZEALAND

Q&A: Why tomorrow's black hole reveal is big news

10 Apr, 2019 2:25pm
4 minutes to read

Scientists are about to reveal what a black hole looks like - and it's a big deal.

NEW ZEALAND

NZ study: NZ glaciers' 'huge loss' of ice in just 42 years

9 Apr, 2019 8:47am
5 minutes to read

Rampant glacier loss shows NZ may become 'land of the short white cloud', scientist says.

A world-first study aims to reveal the bacterial boost that vaginally-born babies may get in early life. Photo / Getty Images

LIFESTYLE

Breakthrough NZ research: How C-section babies may miss health benefits

8 Apr, 2019 5:00am
4 minutes to read

World-first study to reveal the health benefits of non-Caesarean births.

Conservation hero Sir Rob Fenwick has spent a decade as chairman of Kiwis for Kiwi. Photo / Brett Phibbs

NEW ZEALAND

Conservation hero's departing words: NZ will save the kiwi

7 Apr, 2019 3:12pm
5 minutes to read

Stepping down from Kiwis for Kiwi, Sir Rob Fenwick is optimistic our national icon's safe.

Mount Taranaki has a 50 per cent chance of erupting in the next 50 years, scientists say. Photo / Mark Mitchell

NEW ZEALAND

Why a big Mt Taranaki eruption just got more dangerous

7 Apr, 2019 1:38pm
5 minutes to read

Deadly pyroclastic flows from Taranaki eruptions can spread further than once thought.

The Archey's frog is the country's smallest native frog, growing to only 37mm in length. Photo / Supplied

NEW ZEALAND

Coromandel haven for rare frogs gets Govt protection

7 Apr, 2019 10:14am
2 minutes to read

A Coromandel forest home to some of rarest frogs in the world granted new protection.

A swarm of East Coast quakes has just been triggered by one of the largest

NEW ZEALAND

Swarm of quakes triggered by major 'slow slip' NZ event

5 Apr, 2019 10:40am
4 minutes to read

Silent, slow-burning earthquakes can displace faults over days and months.

Scientists have offered more insights into how our kiwi became flightless. Photo / File

NEW ZEALAND

Is this the reason our national bird can't fly?

5 Apr, 2019 7:00am
3 minutes to read

The reason kiwi are flightless likely lies in their molecular roots, scientists say.

New research announced by Associate Health Minister Jenny Salesa today indicated that, for the first time, fewer than two per cent of Kiwi teens aged 14 to 15 now smoked daily. Photo / File

NEW ZEALAND

Smoking among young teens nearly stubbed out - survey

4 Apr, 2019 11:12am
4 minutes to read

Smoking among young teen students appears close to being stubbed out, new survey shows.

NEW ZEALAND

EPA sweep finds banned chemical at six airports

4 Apr, 2019 10:04am
4 minutes to read

Officials surprised to discover foams containing a long-banned chemical at six airports.

NEW ZEALAND

Report card on NZ's vanishing nature: Must try harder

4 Apr, 2019 1:00am
3 minutes to read

More work urgently needed to arrest decline of NZ's vanishing nature, report finds.

NEW ZEALAND

Q&A: Sir Peter Gluckman talks science, Facebook and climate change

3 Apr, 2019 4:14pm
11 minutes to read

A symposium celebrates Sir Peter Gluckman's career next week. He talks to the Herald.

Kerikeri firefighters extinguish a blaze next to State Highway 10 at Bulls Gorge in the Far North last month. Photo / File

NEW ZEALAND

Second-hottest March another sign of climate change

3 Apr, 2019 1:31pm
5 minutes to read

NZ's second-equal hottest March another clear sign of climate change, scientists say.

It's estimated that the material value of some 95 per cent of plastic packaging is currently being lost to the economy. Photo / File

BUSINESS

Top thinker: Why NZ's economy has to go 'circular'

3 Apr, 2019 5:00am
5 minutes to read

A circular economy could solve NZ's waste woes and free up billions, a top thinker says.

Beekeepers have reported losing around 10 per cent of their hives last year - with wasps and suspected weather-driven starvation among the reasons. Photo / File

NEW ZEALAND

NZ beekeepers lost 10 per cent of hives last year - survey

2 Apr, 2019 4:41pm
2 minutes to read

Beekeepers have reported losing around 10 per cent of their hives last year.

NEW ZEALAND

Q&A: 'Medical manslaughter' a growing worry

2 Apr, 2019 3:18pm
8 minutes to read

Dr Jenny Vaughan has been visiting NZ to talk about "medical manslaughter". What is it?

About 50 critically-threatened Bryde's whales are estimated to live year-round within the Hauraki Gulf. Photo / File

NEW ZEALAND

What whale poo reveals about Gulf's giant residents

2 Apr, 2019 10:31am
4 minutes to read

Poop-scooping the North Island's community of Bryde's whales.

Around 45,000 Kiwis receive support to reduce their alcohol and drug use each year - and that's estimated to be just a third of those having problems. Photo / 123RF

NEW ZEALAND

Proposed NZ vaccine could combat drug addiction

1 Apr, 2019 5:00am
5 minutes to read

A NZ scientist is exploring a new high-blocking vaccine for drug addiction.

Artist impression of light rail on Queen Street central Auckland. Photo / AT

NEW ZEALAND

Auckland smartens up its thinking

30 Mar, 2019 5:00am
4 minutes to read

A recent Government report explored New Zealand's smart city potential.

A young girl walks through flood waters near Beira, Mozambique. Much of the city is below sea level on one of the world's most vulnerable coastlines. Photo / Themba Hadebe

NEW ZEALAND

Grim global climate report: Drought, rising seas, millions displaced

29 Mar, 2019 5:00am
7 minutes to read

A dramatic new stocktake shows climate change is here - and now affecting millions of us.

One of the images captured by a camera worn by a child in the ongoing KidsCam study. Research has indicated kids are being bombarded by junkfood advertising. Photo / Supplied

NEW ZEALAND

Kids' call to Jacinda Ardern: ban junk food ads

29 Mar, 2019 5:00am
5 minutes to read

Kiwi kids have made an unlikely plea to PM Jacinda Ardern: ban junkfood marketing.

Forest and Bird is warning of a plague of bird-killing pests in forests this year, fueled by a

NEW ZEALAND

Plague warning: Forest & Bird fears biggest 'megamast' in 45 years

28 Mar, 2019 7:39pm
5 minutes to read

Forest & Bird warns "megamast" in forests is likely to be the most widespread in 45 years.

Totaranui Beach in Golden Bay. Tracks around Abel Tasman National Park are particularly at risk from rising seas, DOC says. Photo / File

NEW ZEALAND

Rising seas threaten hundreds of campgrounds, habitats

28 Mar, 2019 2:09pm
3 minutes to read

Rising seas are putting hundreds of campgrounds and archaeological sites at risk.

The Waiho River Bridge at Franz Josef on the West Coast was washed away during heavy rainfall earlier in the week. Photo / Wayne Costello, DoC

NEW ZEALAND

Coming months to be warmer - with potential downpours

28 Mar, 2019 1:08pm
3 minutes to read

Niwa is picking a warm few months ahead - but with the chance of big downpours.

As at January, more than 100 tracks in the Waitākere Ranges were closed - seven of them permanently - while 29 were open and four were partially open. Photo / File

NEW ZEALAND

Tensions as council mulls future of popular Waitākere Ranges

28 Mar, 2019 11:03am
5 minutes to read

Proposal to keep much of the regional park closed - but not everyone agrees.

NEW ZEALAND

Great Barrier among 'arks' to save world's most threatened species

28 Mar, 2019 7:00am
3 minutes to read

Five NZ islands in global list of offshore havens to save Earth's most threatened species.

Councils may face lawsuits if the Government doesn't help them prepare for climate change, a leading QC says. Photo / File

NEW ZEALAND

QC: Councils at risk of lawsuits over climate inaction

28 Mar, 2019 5:00am
5 minutes to read

Councils may face lawsuits if the Government doesn't help them prepare for climate change.

New changes to the emissions trading scheme would add 89 million trees, the Government says. Photo / File

NEW ZEALAND

Govt: ETS changes to add another 89 million trees

27 Mar, 2019 1:40pm
4 minutes to read

New changes to the emissions trading scheme would add 89 million trees, Govt says.

NEW ZEALAND

1080 drop wiped out 90pc of deer on Molesworth block

27 Mar, 2019 10:55am
3 minutes to read

A bungled 1080 drop on a Molesworth Station block accidentally killed 90 per cent of deer.

NEW ZEALAND

Environment watchdog's bold idea to combat climate change

26 Mar, 2019 2:00pm
7 minutes to read

Biological emissions from farms should be policed differently to CO2, watchdog says.

The Elms homestead near Kaikōura was destroyed in 2016's 7.8-magnitude quake. Photo / File

NEW ZEALAND

Scientists unravel 'most complex ever' Kaikōura quake

25 Mar, 2019 3:06pm
4 minutes to read

Scientists have unravelled the 7.8 Kaikōura Earthquake - the most complex ever recorded.

The Brewster glacier, located on the Main Divide near the South Island's Haast Pass, was among those particularly affected by another unusually warm summer. Photo / Drew Lorrey

NEW ZEALAND

NZ's glaciers 'sad and dirty' after third-hottest summer

24 Mar, 2019 5:59pm
5 minutes to read

NZ's famous glaciers are looking "sad and dirty" after another brutally warm summer.

NEW ZEALAND

Whale song recordings aid recovery of rare ocean giant

24 Mar, 2019 3:21pm
3 minutes to read

Scientists make crucial discoveries about a NZ whale species nearly driven to extinction.

Flooding swamps Tamaki Dr homes at Kohimarama. More than 43,300 Aucklanders are directly at risk from future sea level rise, up from 34,700 people in 2001. Photo / File

NEW ZEALAND

Auckland's rising seas: Insurance warning as 43,000 at risk

24 Mar, 2019 2:09pm
5 minutes to read

More than 43,000 Aucklanders - and growing - at risk of rising seas under climate change.

Christchurch's Masjid Al Noor mosque has been closed since Friday's terror attack. Photo / Michael Craig

NEW ZEALAND

Islamophobia in New Zealand: where does it come from?

22 Mar, 2019 5:00am
8 minutes to read

Eyes have opened to racism Muslims have long faced in NZ. Now there's a call to tackle it.

A sweeping, first-of-its-kind assessment, released during a three-day city symposium this week, has laid bare Auckland's possible future under climate change. Photo / File

NEW ZEALAND

Climate change in Auckland: heat, disease and rising seas

20 Mar, 2019 1:00pm
7 minutes to read

City of Sails could see an equivalent three months of extra-hot days - within a century.

Port Taranaki, which was already experienced in handling industrial chemical products, could be a

BUSINESS

'Green' hydrogen: Could it save Taranaki's energy industry?

15 Mar, 2019 1:00pm
6 minutes to read

Taranaki's future as an energy powerhouse could be in "green" hydrogen, PM announces.

NEW ZEALAND

Students march over climate change: 'We need adults to listen - this is our future'

15 Mar, 2019 11:20am
7 minutes to read

Student says although she can't participate in elections, being at protest "was her vote".

Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles. Photo / File

NEW ZEALAND

22 leading NZ academics explain why they back the School Strike 4 Climate

14 Mar, 2019 5:53pm
15 minutes to read

22 of NZ's leading scientists explain in their own words why they back tomorrow's strike.

A microplate containing embryos that have been injected with Cas9 protein and PCSK9 sgRNA is seen in a laboratory in Shenzhen in southern China's Guangdong province. Photo / AP

NEW ZEALAND

NZ scientists call for moratorium on human genome editing

14 Mar, 2019 7:00am
3 minutes to read

Shock at a rogue Chinese experiment sparks a call for international rulebook.

Kiwi scientists have analysed samples that were gathered by a prototype Mars rover in Chile's extreme Atacama desert. Photo / David Wettergreen

NEW ZEALAND

Is there life on Mars? Kiwi scientists join the hunt

13 Mar, 2019 2:45pm
4 minutes to read

Kiwis are helping answer one of the most tantalising questions facing science.

A total of 64,400 hectares in the Mokihinui River catchment on the West Coast north of Westport, including 15 km of riverbed, is being added to Kahurangi National Park. Photo / Ligs Hoffman

NEW ZEALAND

Biggest-ever addition to a national park announced

13 Mar, 2019 8:13am
4 minutes to read

An area of land half the size of Auckland is about to be added to Kahurangi National Park.

NEW ZEALAND

James Renwick: Dauntless hope in the face of a climate catastrophe

12 Mar, 2019 4:45pm
11 minutes to read

It must be depressing being a climate scientist in 2019. But James Renwick perseveres.

Eating later - and poorly - isn't just bad for our bodies, but the millions of bugs that live within us. Photo / 123RF

NEW ZEALAND

Why delaying dinner time is bad for your bugs

11 Mar, 2019 12:03pm
3 minutes to read

Eating later isn't just bad for our bodies, but the millions of bugs that live within us.

Young people have many reasons to be angrily demanding action over climate change. Photo / File

NEW ZEALAND

Big Read: Five reasons young Kiwis deserve to be angry about climate inaction

10 Mar, 2019 5:41pm
10 minutes to read

Thousands of teens will march over climate action on Friday. What world will they inherit?

An estimated 700,000-plus people worldwide die each year because of drug-resistant infections - and rates are predicted to climb dramatically. Photo / 123RF

NEW ZEALAND

Antibiotic resistance: NZ among least exposed - study

10 Mar, 2019 12:16pm
4 minutes to read

New study uses sewage samples to compare risk of drug-resistant bacteria around the globe.

Pest predators, such as possums like this one, are blamed for killing 25 million native birds each year. Photo / File

NEW ZEALAND

'We've been left behind in the world': New call to discuss controversial gene technology

10 Mar, 2019 11:04am
5 minutes to read

Conservationist says it's time to talk about controversial gene technology to beat pests.

NEW ZEALAND

'Digital dementia': Why you need to train your brain

10 Mar, 2019 10:38am
5 minutes to read

Two Auckland sisters are helping people keep their memory in tip-top condition.

Video footage has captured a spectacular

NEW ZEALAND

Watch: Amazing ice 'break-out' at Scott Base

7 Mar, 2019 5:28pm
2 minutes to read

Video footage has captured a spectacular "break-out" of ice outside NZ's Scott Base.