
Tom Skerritt, star of Alien and Picket Fences, dies at 93
The star of Alien, Top Gun and Picket Fences brought quiet authority and warmth to six decades of screen roles.

The star of Alien, Top Gun and Picket Fences brought quiet authority and warmth to six decades of screen roles.

Two male kākāpō and 122 Mahoenui giant wētā were released at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari, deepening a mainland trial for the world's rarest parrot after 25 years of restoration.

The US Supreme Court has refused to let the Trump administration immediately cut off gender-affirming medical care for transgender federal inmates, leaving a lower court order in place while the case proceeds.

Queenstown has traded bungee cords and ski racks for Michelin stars and Wagyu beef, with the resort town's inaugural Michelin awards anchoring a new era of luxury, year-round tourism.

A decorated Navy combat systems specialist has been jailed for nearly four years for his role in New Zealand's largest known cocaine import plot, a 1.5-tonne scheme run by the Comancheros from offshore.

The Ministry of Education has defended its decision to cancel Gloriavale Christian School's registration in the High Court at Wellington, rejecting claims the process was rushed.

The South Waikato District Council is urging people to stay away from the Blue Spring at Te Waihou over the long weekend, deploying traffic management and extra facilities at a cost of $20,000 while two councillors call for the attraction to be closed until a long-term plan is in place.

A tribunal censured Dr Stephan Neff after finding he diverted Midazolam from Rotorua Hospital and another facility for about 30 years while hiding his use from monitors.


TheWesternGuide and Kaylee Bell duet on regret, Dartz rally the pre-election faithful, and LEAO's Silver Scroll winner returns to the spotlight in this week's best new music.

Spain's Oscar submission La Bola Negra turns four pages Lorca wrote before his murder into a queer epic spanning 80 years, with a show-stopping Penélope Cruz cameo.

Port Moresby delivered a rugby league afternoon to remember: the PNG Orchids beat France 58-4 in their first World Cup match at home, with Naomi Kelly scoring four tries to equal the national record, before the Kumuls downed Lebanon 42-18.

The 31-year-old lock was found dead at the team hotel in France on the eve of the Lions' first ever Champions Cup match, against La Rochelle.

Mingus Reedus accepted an ACD on March 9, 2026, over the August 23, 2025 incident involving Olivia Cotter. No trial took place, and the case will be dismissed by March 2027 if he meets the conditions.

Survivors and descendants of nearly 5000 displaced Europeans who arrived in New Zealand between 1949 and 1952 are meeting in Palmerston North for their first-ever reunion.

Tukituki's election candidates rejected Mongrel Mob rehab funding, split over new dams, and traded climate plans at a 15 October debate shaped by Cyclone Gabrielle.

A 19-room luxury yacht is sailing Croatia's Dalmatian coast without casinos or buffet halls, offering a slower style of cruising built on local food and small bays.

Russian drones and missiles have struck facilities belonging to Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and McDonald's in Ukraine since August, while the White House stays quiet and presses Kyiv to stop hitting Russian refineries.

New Zealand's aquaculture sector has been told to seize a huge export opening in India, with the 33 percent tariff on key fish and seafood exports set to be phased out over seven years.

Corporate bankruptcies stayed above historical norms in the first half of 2026 even as filings declined from their recent peak.</p><p>Pronk was less optimistic about the near term.

Dane Gagai, 35, makes history as the Kiwis face Australia in their World Cup opener, while the Kiwi Ferns debut a star-studded side against Fiji.

Tom Cruise's climate satire Digger is on track to become one of the year's biggest box office flops. What does its failure teach us about how we talk about the climate crisis?

An Australian man has admitted to concealing the body of a 17-year-old Thai girl while denying murder charges, as her family seeks justice and compensation in a case that raises questions about accountability and the treatment of young women in tourist destinations.

Record petrol prices are hurting Kiwi wallets, but the windfall profits are going to state-owned oil companies, not the brands we know. An energy expert explains who really benefits.

The US Justice Department is investigating five major TV networks over their response to Trump's White House media ban. Legal experts call the antitrust probe an unprecedented attack on press freedom.

A US-backed expedition is heading to a remote Pacific atoll to investigate a promising lead in the 1937 disappearance of Amelia Earhart. Could this finally solve one of aviation's greatest mysteries?

Donald Trump's second Nobel defeat exposes a presidency obsessed with personal glory over genuine achievement, with foreign policy gambits that have backfired spectacularly.

Chris Hipkins courts Auckland's Muslim community with bold foreign policy pledges, warns on voter enrolment, and hears nursing students' struggles in a packed campaign day.

As the Nobel Committee announces this year's Peace Prize, analysts point to grassroots heroes, international law, and even the ISS as the real frontrunners.
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