Stories from Wellington · New Zealand

Councillor Benedict Ong has been accused of breaching the council's code of conduct. The accusation follows Ong leaking a confidential email regarding a fresh code of conduct complaint against him. Council Chief Executive Sandy Graham filed the complaint on Wednesday afternoon.

Mahe Drysdale stated the council is working to reopen Moawe as soon as safety concerns are addressed. Drysdale said that safety must remain the council's top priority during the process.

A New Zealand Court of Appeal has declined an application by an Australian man to appeal his convictions for the 2019 murder of 51 people in two mosques. The court reviewed a diary submitted by Tarrant describing anxiety and interactions with prison guards. A New Zealand court has denied an appeal by the perpetrator of the March 15, 2019, mosque shootings. The court found the shooter was not in a psychotic state, contradicting testimony from experts, lawyers, prison staff, and psychologists. Evidence indicated the shooter held extreme right-wing Islamophobic beliefs that motivated the actions. The court ruled that the individual's actions were underpinned by specific beliefs and that any expressions of remorse should not be taken seriously. The court also determined the individual is fit and should not be allowed to vacate his guilty pleas.

A portion of the Capital Cycle Network plan in Wellington has been paused due to financial pressures following the Moor Point sewage plant failure.

The former Northcote school site is being considered for conversion into a vocational education campus. The school closed in 2018 after serving Maori Catholic students. Waawahi Ara Board Chair Helen Te Hira stated the board is open to proposals regarding the use of the whenua.

Morningstar's latest KiwiSaver survey indicates the first quarter of the year was difficult for KiwiSaver funds. The top performer for the three months ending in March was Colonel's Clean Energy Fund, which rose 16.8 percent.

Betty Weihongi has challenged claims regarding the immigration detention of her daughter, Everly Weihongi, in the United States. Winston Peters stated that Everly was detained due to a failure to declare a previous cannabis possession charge upon re-entry.

The Reserve Bank's Monetary Policy Committee is improving transparency following charter changes agreed upon with the Minister of Finance. Under the new charter, committee members can publicly share their views.

All three parties in the New Zealand coalition have stressed their understanding of the importance of stability. The parties intend to remain in power until November 7.

New Zealand First Deputy Leader Shane Jones rejected suggestions of tension between coalition partners. The stability of the current governing alliance is being actively debated by commentators. Political tensions within the New Zealand coalition government are being scrutinized as analysts debate the potential for a snap election. Any of the three coalition parties could potentially trigger an election by withdrawing support. Current political dynamics are described as a new level of brinksmanship. The stability of the coalition through November remains uncertain. There are questions regarding whether the current coalition will last until the November elections. However, pulling the pin on the current arrangement is described as a gamble. All three coalition parties have expressed an intention to maintain stability until November 7.