Good evening, it’s been a day of rain warnings, a call to entice Kiwis home and a dramatic ice landing for a Dreamliner.
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1 Band of heavy rain to hit northern NZ
The year of rain carries on with another weekend of heavy rain forecast for some areas.
A low pressure system is forecast to approach and then cross northern New Zealand from the northwest.
MetService described the system as a “potential severe weather bringer” and there are warnings and watches in place.
2 New govt ‘needs to entice Kiwis home’
Following yesterday’s migration numbers, which showed record numbers of Kiwis moving overseas, Jack Tame says in his column today that our next government should be focused on improving conditions for returning New Zealanders.
“We have to give New Zealanders a reason to come back home” by addressing housing costs, transport and the cost of living, he says.
3 But where is that new government?
Talking of a new government… we still don’t have one. The talks are closer than ever to a deal (says David Seymour) but continuing over the weekend (according to Christopher Luxon).
As for Winston Peters, well he’s still enjoying trading barbs with journalists with a grin on his face. See the latest exchanges here.
4 Biden calls Xi a ‘dictator’, was that helpful?
A day after Joe Biden and Xi Jinping showed signs of progress in their strained relationship, the US President again labelled his Chinese counterpart a “dictator”.
On the back of that, US Correspondent Logan Church takes a look into the importance of goodwill between the two superpowers.
5 Prince Harry ‘completely alone’ in Queen’s final hours
The Royal Family soap opera continues with Prince Harry reported in a new book as saying he was completely by himself during his grandmother The Queen’s final hours.
According to Omid Scobie's new book Endgame, Harry was unable to arrange travel with the rest of his family because his brother, Prince William, ignored his messages.
ONE HOT BEACH IDEA
Three Kiwi friends are putting a twist on the centuries-old Scandinavian tradition of sauna. (Source: Seven Sharp)
A couple of Bay of Plenty builders have given a Kiwi twist to a north European tradition, combining a spell in a sauna with a dip in the ocean.
The tradies’ portable steam room now turns up at Waihi Beach and Mount Maunganui. Comedian Ben Hurley tried out the sauna-to-sea experience and described it as “euphoric”.
ONE COOL ICE LANDING
The first time a Boeing 787 Dreamliner has ever landed in Antarctica was caught on film.
It makes for dramatic pictures as the giant aircraft lands on the runway of glacial blue ice. Watch it here.
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