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The Bulletin

Under the new rules, operators must pay back residents’ funds within 12 months of a unit being vacated. (Image: The Spinoff)

Stronger protections for residents promised under retirement village overhaul

The government has set a mandatory 12-month buyback period for vacated units, ending open-ended waits that have left some residents and families in financial limbo.
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By Catherine McGregor | 5th December, 2025
Contributing writer
New Zealand’s first Ikea store will open its doors at 11am today. (Photo: Getty Images)

Ikea finally lands, and New Zealand begins the flat-pack era in earnest

As Ikea opens its first NZ store this morning, shoppers face long queues – and its competitors face new questions about sustainability and value for money.
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By Catherine McGregor | 4th December, 2025
Contributing writer
Three species putting New Zealand’s native wildlife (and honey bee populations) at risk: gold clams, yellow-legged hornets, and feral cats.

How cats, clams and Asian hornets are putting Aotearoa’s wildlife at risk

While Auckland battles the hornets, a highly invasive type of clam is poised to devastate waterways further south.
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By Catherine McGregor | 3rd December, 2025
Contributing writer
The $2.3 million public toilets in Inglewood Place, Wellington – a favourite target for critics of council spending priorities. (Photo: Wellington City Council)

Will ratepayers come to regret having their rates capped?

The government says a rates cap will end 'dumb' spending, but critics warn it will only make councils' infrastructure problems worse.
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By Catherine McGregor | 2nd December, 2025
Contributing writer
Senior minister Chris Bishop has tried and failed to unseat Christopher Luxon, reports Andrea Vance. (Photo: Hagen Hopkins / Getty Images)

Luxon, Bishop and the coup that never happened

Christopher Luxon has reportedly beaten back a leadership push from Chris Bishop – for now. But the forces that fuelled the bid have not gone away.
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By Catherine McGregor | 1st December, 2025
Contributing writer
After a flat year, forecasters expect only modest house price rises in 2026. (Image: Tina Tiller)

The OCR falls again – so why are house prices stuck in neutral?

Economists say house price growth in 2026 is likely to stay muted. Would that be such a bad thing?
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By Catherine McGregor | 28th November, 2025
Contributing writer
The reforms are ‘a once-in-a-generation chance” to create a more efficient local government system, says Chris Bishop.

Is the regional council reboot a government power grab in disguise?

As regional councils prepare to be restructured out of existence, critics warn the real battle will be over who controls the reorganisation that follows.
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By Catherine McGregor | 27th November, 2025
Contributing writer
National is promising to begin lifting employer Kiwisaver contributions if it wins next year’s election. (Image: The Spinoff)

A sudden shift on KiwiSaver reshapes the election terrain

A policy reversal from National has opened a wider debate on retirement savings – and suspicions that old fights over Super eligibility are about to return.
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By Catherine McGregor | 26th November, 2025
Contributing writer
An artist’s depiction of the Golden Mile upgrade on Courtenay Place. (Image: WCC)

Is the Golden Mile pause the beginning of the end?

A fresh review of the troubled project has revived questions about the city’s faltering confidence in its own future.
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By Catherine McGregor | 25th November, 2025
Contributing writer
For once, Winston Peters’ party looks comfortably secure rather than holding on by its fingernails. (Photo: Fiona Goodall/Getty Images)

With election year approaching, Winston Peters is practising his greatest hits

Like clockwork, Peters has started distancing NZ First from its coalition partners while doubling down on identity politics and anti-immigration.
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By Catherine McGregor | 24th November, 2025
Contributing writer
Kmart NZ has sold 67,000 units across four children’s sand products, one of which has been on its shelves since 2015

How a chance lab finding sparked a national coloured sand recall

Parents and schools are asking questions about the level of risk posed by the asbestos – and how the contamination slipped through unnoticed.
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By Catherine McGregor | 21st November, 2025
Contributing writer
Police are investigating around 20 cases of alleged misuse and inappropriate content on work-issued devices. (Photo: Getty Images)

20 officers investigated for device misuse amid widening McSkimming turmoil

The investigation is the latest escalation in a scandal that has exposed deep failures in police culture and oversight.
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By Catherine McGregor | 20th November, 2025
Contributing writer
National is failing to convince voters in areas it has traditionally been strongest, say commentators. (Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)

Trust in National slips further as voters turn away

The latest Ipsos Monitor survey reveals National has lost the public's trust across almost every major issue.
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By Catherine McGregor | 19th November, 2025
Contributing writer
OceanaGold’s existing open-pit gold mine in Waihi (Photo: Getty Images)

Greens vow to scrap mining consents as fast-track changes rushed through

The public was given just 11 days to make submissions on dozens of controversial changes to the fast-track law.
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By Catherine McGregor | 18th November, 2025
Contributing writer
More than 2500 hospitality businesses closed this year, including hundreds in liquidation. (Photo: Getty Images)

Can Michelin stars save New Zealand’s struggling restaurant scene?

As thousands of eateries shutter and diners tighten their belts, the government is spending millions to bring the Michelin Guide to New Zealand. Will it help?
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By Catherine McGregor | 17th November, 2025
Contributing writer
In the year to September, another 72,700 New Zealanders left the country. (Image: The Spinoff)

NZ’s growing exodus is prompting a call for a rethink on population

The large number of departing New Zealanders has become an international curiosity – but fixing our population problem will take more than just encouraging people to stay put.
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By Catherine McGregor | 14th November, 2025
Contributing writer
State-owned Kiwibank is among the assets that could be on the sales block if National wins another term.

Why New Zealand may be headed for another fight over asset sales

The PM wants a 'mature conversation' about recycling the Crown’s assets, but public scepticism and coalition politics are standing in his way.
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By Catherine McGregor | 13th November, 2025
Contributing writer
Police commissioner Richard Chambers, police minister Mark Mitchell and public service minister Judith Collins at their press conference following the publication of the report, November 11, 2025. (Photo: Mark Mitchell /New Zealand Herald via Getty Images)

How one woman’s ordeal forced the police to confront their own misconduct — again

The damning IPCA report exposes senior police failings in the McSkimming case – and awakens memories of a similar scandal two decades ago.
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By Catherine McGregor | 12th November, 2025
Contributing writer
Te Pati Maori co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi announcing MPs Takuta Ferris and Mariameno Kapa-Kingi have been expelled from the party, November 10, 2025. (Photo: Mark Mitchell /New Zealand Herald via Getty Images)

Will Te Pāti Māori’s brutal MP purge succeed in ending its turmoil?

The dramatic decision to oust a third of its caucus marks a collapse of unity within a party once hailed for its strength and purpose.
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By Catherine McGregor | 11th November, 2025
Contributing writer
Social agencies and opposition MPs have condemned the ‘move-on’ plan as inhumane and ineffective. (Photo: Getty Images)

Concerns grow over plan to let police move on rough sleepers

The prime minister says he wants the Auckland CBD to 'look its best' and the mayor agrees – but social agencies warn a move-on law will backfire.
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By Catherine McGregor | 10th November, 2025
Contributing writer

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