Stories from New Zealand

A Christchurch terrorist failed in a bid to appeal 92 convictions. The individual will remain in prison for the rest of his life. The source did not provide the specific name of the individual.

A lahar released approximately 2 million cubic meters of water from the Mount Ruapehu crater lake. The flow swept up rock, ice, trees, and debris before smashing into a railway bridge over the Whangahiu River.

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.

Two wool auctions held at the PGG Wrightsons Wool Store in Christchurch concluded this morning. A total of 9,000 bales of wool were sold during the sessions. The auctions generated $6.6 million in total revenue. The event took place at the Glenamode location in Christchurch.

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.

New Zealand recorded jobs growth in the agriculture and manufacturing sectors. Agriculture employment rose by 6% and manufacturing grew by 2.6%. The Canterbury region saw the highest jobs growth at 4.4%.