Submissions reopened for treaty principles bill after record response and ‘technical issues’

Nearly 9000 young people will lose their eligibility for unemployment benefits in 2027 due to new government rules. The 2025 Budget introduces a change that shifts the financial responsibility for 18- and 19-year-olds back to their parents instead of the state. Consequently, single individuals in this age group will not qualify for income support if they are not employed or studying, provided their parents can support them. Full Article

A second "run it straight" contest, Up the Guts, has been cancelled a day after a similar event was pulled. Organiser Kimami Ngaluafe announced on social media that the scheduled event in Glen Innes on May 25 was halted after Auckland Council intervened with Barfoot & Thompson Stadium. Ngaluafe stated that while the council claimed they were not doing anything wrong, they simply disapproved of the event. Full Article

Google New Zealand reported a revenue of $87.2 million for the year ending December 31, 2024, an increase from $84.3 million the previous year. This revenue figure accounts for $1.05 billion in in-house service fees paid to its US parent, up from $959 million last year. The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) noted that search, in which Google holds a 96.8% market share, represents the largest digital advertising category in New Zealand, with total digital ad...

A Lotto player in Porirua has won a staggering $17.2 million in the First Division Powerball draw, comprising a $17 million Powerball win and an additional $200,000 from a First Division split. The winning ticket was sold at New World Whitby, where staff are now preparing for the prize claim. Owner-operator Nicola Hallett confirmed the supermarket was notified of the win shortly after the draw. Full Article

SummaryElijah Meyer, 23, has pleaded guilty to arson and reckless shooting after targeting the family of Khalid Slaimankhel, a Comancheros gang member attempting to leave the gang. The incident involved shooting into homes, endangering children, and grazing a man in the back as he fled. Initially charged with attempted murder, Meyer's charges were reduced, and he now faces up to 14 years in prison for his actions, which were retribution against Slaimankhel, who is currently...

Lawyers representing Jordan Taylor, a teenager who fatally attacked his mother Anita with a 10kg dumbbell, are appealing his life imprisonment sentence, arguing that it should be reduced to a finite term of 13 to 15 years. Taylor was sentenced to life imprisonment in October 2023, with a minimum period of 10 years. The appeal was presented in the Court of Appeal in Wellington, where his lawyers contend that the severity of the sentence is...