Nostalgic Kiwis in Auckland and the Waikato will not have to wait long for the re-emergence of the iconic Georgie Pie. McDonalds New Zealand announced today it will be trialling the classic Steak Mince ‘N’ Cheese pie in 11 of its Auckland and Waikato stores from early June, at a cost of $4.50. Managing director [...]

Preventing rural suicide needs more attention paid to it than much-publicised quad bike safety, says a top farming official. New Zealand’s high suicide rates in rural areas must be openly addressed, says Jeanette Maxwell, a  Federated Farmers national board member. Ms Maxwell thinks the issue can no longer be swept under the rug given statistics which show [...]

The Mental Health Foundation’s updated language guidelines aim to reduce the stigma of mental illness by removing some of the less helpful terms used to describe it. The guidelines have evolved over a number of years and are intended as a resource for journalists. According to the guidelines, people should be described as “experiencing” depression [...]

The numbers are out, the results are locked in. The World Economic Forum has spoken and it turns out New Zealanders are among the best in the world at hospitality.  The recently released 2013 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report ranks 140 countries by how welcoming they are towards foreigners, and New Zealand is tied first [...]

AUT staff member Enri’que Flores has qualified for the ITU World Triathlon Championship Finals in London later this year.  Flores will represent New Zealand in the men’s 30-34 age bracket in September on the same track that was used in the Olympic Games. Although he doesn’t feel he had his best race when he qualified [...]

Auckland high schools importing outstanding Pacific Island rugby players are now placing greater emphasis on the boys’ education. Intense debate has taken place on both sides of the Tasman about recruiting island talent for sporting reasons without the right academic motives. Secondary school students and staff who declined to be named have told TWN that [...]

An honorary doctorate was awarded to Thailand’s first female prime minister by AUT University last night. Elected in 2011, Yingluck Shinawatra was bestowed the award, which recognises her significant international contributions as well as the fact that she is the country’s first woman to lead the Thai Government. Tony Lynch, New Zealand’s ambassador to Thailand, [...]

Greenhithe was once a peaceful and quiet place, but not any more. Construction is underway for a new housing development on an area of land parallel with State Highway 18 at 150 Greenhithe Road. “The machinery is very noisy and come past very early in the morning,” says resident JB Ahn. “I am moving to [...]

Why travel? The first time I raised such a question was when I went through all of the booking and purchasing procedures for my boyfriend’s flight on Singapore Airlines’ website. Exhausted, I cancelled at the confirmation step. It was 3am, September 13. He said, “The website seems too far away and we’d better book the [...]