The high cost of cancelling a ferry contract; Kiwi mum and son detained by ICE have booked tickets home; and a guilty plea over a fatal "coward punch".
1 How much it cost NZ to cancel the iRex ferry contract
KiwiRail has reached a settlement agreement with South Korean shipyard Hyundai Mipo Dockyard following the coalition Government's cancellation of the iReX ferry project.
Project iReX was launched to replace KiwiRail's ageing Interislander fleet however, the contract was cancelled with Hyundai in December 2023, shortly after the coalition Government came into power.
Finance Minister Nicola Willis said the cost of the project "had almost quadrupled" by the time of its cancellation in December 2023, with costs associated with the ferries and required port upgrades ballooning.
2 NZ mum Sarah Shaw and son to be released from ICE detention
A New Zealand woman detained at the US-Canada border alongside her 6-year-old son is set to be released from US immigration custody.
Sarah Shaw was detained when returning to her home in Washington after dropping off her two older children in Vancouver, with immigration agents saying there was a problem with her documents.
After three weeks in custody, her lawyer confirmed her parole request had been granted and a flight for the mother and son had been booked for the coming days.
3 Man pleads guilty over 'coward punch' that killed Daniel Nganeko
The man who killed Daniel Nganeko in an unprovoked attack outside a rugby clubroom in Taranaki last month has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
About 200 people attended a rally earlier calling for the introduction of a new coward punch law to be fast-tracked, with Nganeko's father telling the crowd his son's death in such circumstances should be the last.
In June, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith said the Government would legislate to ensure coward punches were treated as a specific offence and sentences reflected the gravity of the crime.
4 Man who fell off broken swing ordered to pay council $20k
A man who tried to sue Masterton District Council for $2.4 million after falling off a swing and damaging his tail bone must now pay the council about $20,000 for its legal fees.
Although ACC covered the injury, he claimed it had affected his ability to work as a truck driver and the council had neglected its duties under the Local Government Act.
However, the claim was dismissed under the ACC Act, which barred people from suing for personal injury.
5 Council issues 183 bin warnings, but are they all rule breakers?
Due to rising contamination in recycling and green waste bins, Whakatāne District Council introduced a three-strikes system at the beginning of July, having already issued 173 first warnings.
With the threat of having the bins temporarily confiscated after two warnings, one couple believes they were unfairly given their "first strike" despite being meticulous about following the rules.
Watch: 'We were lucky to get back' - 80 years on, our war veterans remember
On the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII, three surviving servicemen explain what it was like to finally come home.
ONE SANDWICH ATTACK
A man has lost his job at the US Justice Department and been charged with a felony after he threw a "sub-style" sandwich at a Customs and Border Protection agent.
According to police, the man approached a group of agents, pointed a finger in an one's face, 'swore at him, called him a "fascist," before launching the sub and attempting to run away.
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