Christopher Luxon attends his first Rātana as PM, armed police swarm an Auckland CBD park, and an Oscars snub has frustrated a major star.
1 Rātana: PM says Govt 'will honour Treaty' as Kīngitanga warns against 'meddling'
Kīngitanga representative Rahui Papa has delivered a searing speech to Government leaders at Rātana, warning if there is "any measure of meddling" with Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Māori "will not sit idly by".
In attendance, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon committed to attending the celebrations in the future and said the Government had "no plans to revise the Treaty of Waitangi" or treaty settlements. Labour's Chris Hipkins and other politicians were also present, ACT's David Seymour excluded.
2 Police take man into custody after armed officers surround Auckland CBD park
Armed police shut down neighbouring streets and surrounded Albert Park in Auckland's CBD earlier today after "concerning comments" were made.
A man, 52, who was "wanted to arrest" prior to the incident has since been taken into custody, police said in an update this afternoon.
3 Judith Collins defends NZ's Defence Force deployment to Red Sea
The Defence Minister has hit back at criticism by Labour and the Greens in the wake of the Government's decision to send six Defence Force personnel to the Middle East, as a result of attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.
4 'Disgusting': Mitre 10 changes culturally insensitive product names
Hardware store Mitre 10 is changing the names of some bathroom products because they are culturally insensitive. A video showed some of these products' packaging had been covered with stickers to replace Māori words.
5 Trump wins New Hampshire primary, Biden rematch looking likely
The likelihood of a rematch between Joe Biden and Donald Trump has been bolstered today with the former president's victory in New Hampshire, tightening his grip on the Republican presidential nomination.
ONE EXPENSIVE NECESSITY
Amid cost of living struggles, parents are starting to raise concerns about the price of compulsory school uniforms ahead of the start of the new school year. The cost of new uniforms can range from around $80 to over $1200 for a single student.
Johanna Reidy writes that relying on best practices and guidelines is not enough to ensure everyone can afford and access school uniforms.
ONE BARBIE SNUB
Barbie star Ryan Gosling is fired up after what he described as a major "snub" of his co-stars at the Oscars this year.
He said: "To say that I'm disappointed that they are not nominated in their respective categories would be an understatement."
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