New Zealand news. A wider perspective.
Asian Insider
Safety
A coroner has criticised MetService's automated hourly rain forecasts after a student died on a school caving trip. With thunderstorm watches across the upper North Island, here is what each alert level means and which forecast to go by.
Auckland
From Sunday 22 November, Auckland trains will run every 15 minutes until 11pm on Friday and Saturday nights, and more West Auckland peak trains will run through to Henderson.
Events
A temple cherry blossom festival in Flat Bush, a Japanese market in Birkenhead, a halal food day in Māngere and the Waitakere Diwali Mela in Henderson. Here are the details for 14 and 15 November.
Scams
Police say offshore scam centres are ringing Auckland restaurants with fake large-function bookings that require a big prepayment for abalone from a supplier in China. One restaurant lost $15,000.
Crime
Police say thieves are targeting copper and telecoms cables in West Auckland, sometimes posing as workers. Outages have hit schools, thousands of households and an 80-year-old left without connectivity for a month.
Housing
Cotality says New Zealand's median dwelling value was $790,987 in October — the seventh monthly fall. Auckland's median sat just above $1 million, down 4.2% year on year.
Housing
Buyers had more choice in October than in any October since 2014. Available stock rose 11.4% to 37,433 homes, while new listings and asking prices both fell, Realestate.co.nz told RNZ.
Law
Since 25 October 2026, Police can issue a written move-on order requiring someone to leave a public place for up to 24 hours. The order cannot target under-18s or people primarily demonstrating for a cause.
Diwali
Sylvia Park's Diwali display runs until 16 November; its live dance sessions were held on 5 and 7 November. Te Manawa in Westgate held free storytime and craft sessions. All were free to attend.
Chinese community
For more than 30 years, visitors from China have come to the Ōmiha property where the 'fairytale poet' once lived. His family says it can no longer keep the house up, and has asked that the sale not revive old gossip.
Education
Agents say demand from Chinese families for a few weeks in a New Zealand classroom is rising fast. Some Auckland schools take only a handful of short-term students, and families are looking to Hamilton and beyond.
Health
Twenty-one Auckland schools have reported whooping cough in the past month, RNZ says. Health NZ's vaccine schedule shows who gets a free dose, from pregnancy to age 65.