Editor’s Picks

Hot dogs and a cherry picker were used to disrupt the footpath outside ACC head office in Wellington this week to publicise a $4.6 million claim. YONG-CHOO LEE reports.

Chemicals are suspected in fire call-out involving three fire service appliances.

Striking McDonald’s workers greeted Wellington commuters leaving the railway station yesterday morning, reports ZAK GERRATY.

Talented teenagers enthusiastic about ‘indie cred’ and affordability of lawn bowls.

Wairarapa endurance horse club gives motorbike riders the chance to get into the bush.

After starring in awards in 2012, the Wellington student band is well on the way to ticking all the boxes for success. RYAN ABRAHAM reports.

Many people have found that the way to Maori culture’s heart is through its song and dance. NATASHA THYNE reports.

Wainui’s rugby club is celebrating its Old Timers Day this weekend, remembering past achievements.

Public feedback swings decision, but Khandallah cuts still possible in annual plan.

A new dedicated downhill mountainbike track will be ready by summer. ANNEKA PAUL talks to Kevin O’Donnell, above, about Brooklyn Trail Builders’ new Wellington project.

A Petone school has high hopes for its new system for pupils learning in te reo, reports HOANI HOTENE.

Victoria University has introduced new regulations banning smoking on campus grounds.

Wellingtonian Hannah Shand takes the stage and third place with her Malysian collaborator.

Some protesters from the anti-asset sales march on Saturday are now camping out in front of Parliament.

Shortage of grass has meant farmers are beginning to lose money and ‘dry off’ cows early.

Taonga puoro was a lost art when Richard Nunns took an interest. Now a new generation is carrying on.

Wayne Guppy still has the energy to be the voice of his community, he tells JAMES PAUL.

Hutt City Council’s road resurfacing has made some hills like ice rinks for cyclists.

Cynthia Knight rallies her neighbours for speed bumps as an anti-bump petition reaches council.

Lower Hutt celebrated its diversity last weekend with food, fashion and dance from around the world.

Laura Macdonald was on the Dom Post page one on the day she won the Canon best journalism student prize.

Tattooist Zak Kohl likes fast cars, karate and playing bass guitar, but his main calling is preaching, he tells JAMES VERNON.

Anoushka Isaac volunteers for an award-winning charity. She talks to VICTORIA COTTERELL about living a meaningful life.

Te Taiohitoa o Te Awe wants to push into Hutt Valley with programme aimed at young people.

MELISSA WASTNEY talks to Wellington writer Max Rashbrooke about New Zealand’s growing divide and what it means for us.

Dyer-Kelly Elementary – its children are high achievers, thanks to its Kiwi principal.

Flyover opponents grateful for international support from England’s cricket supporters.

Earth mothers all over Aotearoa are reviving the practice of whenua burial, reports MELISSA WASTNEY

IN PICTURES: Black Caps efforts helped by rain in drawn Wellington test match.

Twenty people turn out to Mana Movement hui in Newtown to hear Harawira’s plans for 2013.

Things Kiwi were given an acrobatic twist in one high-flying Fringe show.

Making things happen is on the agenda for fresh faces in city council youth body.

Brooklyn’s Cornerstore Crawlers plan on a big charity walk around Lake Taupo.

A GROUP of Wellingtonians is fighting for patients in pyschiatric hospitals before 1992, whose stories of trauma are a forgotten chapter of New Zealand’s history.

To this day, the former patients have not received an apology from the Government. ERIN KAVANAGH-HALL reports.

Ex-club dance floor becomes the stage for Pinwheel Dance Theatre’s new show.

Let there be peace on earth, and in march along Wellington streets.

New Zealand’s largest open-air street fair kicks off the start of the 2013 Newtown Festival.

Grant Lyon says he is the first to succeed in NZ, at community garden on public land.

Video games are being embraced as art, and people are welcome to see why at Te Papa.

New Zealanders are using eftpos at record levels – 35% more than the world average.

The latest Fringe Festival installation is a constantly evolving mural that invites community participation.

A woman was advised by the council to walk a stray dog to her employer’s house.

Locals celebrate New Zealand’s national holiday with music and other events

Taranaki Wharf comes alive as thousands of people flock to see Birdman competition.

Studylink Wellington has labelled a client “ex-psychiatric patient” without his knowledge or permission.

JEAN ELTRINGHAM looks at how the student’s privacy was breached and why it shouldn’t have been.

Almost ten per cent more people visiting friends and relatives say Stats NZ latest travel figures.

Local band Minuit’s latest album has a flavour of the islands with its Pacific style beats.

Artists donate work for auction to help raise funds for Wellington Rape Crisis.

NIWA is predicting a hot, dry summer for Wellington but there is a downside.

A city council move may consign a significant piece of Wellington’s history to decay.

A doctor treating a boy with a rare disorder has warned his mother to stop making incorrect comments about his condition.

Cosplay may seem strange and foreign but the community is friendly to newcomers, reports TAREN STEVENS.

Estimates show home birth is still a rare choice for Kiwis as official numbers remain unknown. MELISSA WASTNEY reports.

Heritage firearms enthusiasts can be very competitive. SOPHIE JACKMAN attended a recent shoot.

NZ gets in step with global emitters’ carbon footprints. JAMES PAUL reports on mixed messages.

High school waka ama students had a great day at the recent championships in Petone. EMILY LIPSYS reports on a fast-growing sport.

Wellington cricketer Harry Boam is holding his own alongside ‘import’ team-mates. He talks to Sarah MacKenzie.

New Zealand uses more internet bandwidth as plans get cheaper and more content is available online.

The number of young people departing the city only
shows small drop in years since the earthquakes.

Homelessness is on the rise, and not all of it is visible on the street. KRISTEN PATERSON reports on new ideas on how to deal with it.

A visual look at the two most popular minor parties and their election fortunes.

New Zealanders are confident Barack Obama has it in the bag.

NZ back on map as both candidates want to spread more military in Pacific.

Victoria University must stop providing employment aid to migrants if funding cannot be sourced.

Chances of Republican women gaining key positions a lot slimmer.

Their role is to stay in the background and secure key constituencies.

Newswire website to provide diverse live coverage of presidential election on Wednesday.

The mood has shifted from spreading hope to avoiding despair.

Referendum against health cuts the aim of national community health network

NEW ZEALAND is on the verge of teaming up with America to break down trade barriers – but a new US President may mean a different agreement. JAMES PAUL finds while Obama and Romney’s policies look similar, the reality may not be so clear.

SAMUEL HILL offers insights into the nuances of the US states most likely to swing one way or the other.

Democrats appear to let nothing slip, while new Republican Party stances are quickly betrayed. KRISTEN PATERSON reports.

Green candidate among minor voices trying to be heard in the US political system.

KAT DUGGAN looks at the domestic policies of presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Barack Obama.

This vote “…more important than Abraham Lincoln’s election before the American Civil war”.

Famous for being the first black US president, Obama is now a pop icon.

As US elections loom, New Zealand media coverage steps up. LAURA MACDONALD looks at some of the variety.

Could Hurricane Sandy be the key to the US election? KRISTEN PATERSON looks back at the weather’s effect on poll results.

Electoral Colleges give small states a big say when the voting gets tight.

Barack Obama is the social media pioneer, but Mitt Romney is catching up fast, writes MEGAN SMYTH.