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Source: PSA

Source: Fire and Emergency New Zealand

Property sales activity in New Zealand continued to strengthen in May, with volumes holding above average levels for a third consecutive month, according to Cotality’s June Housing Chart Pack.

Sales volumes in May, measured across both private deals and real estate agents, were 16% higher than in the same month last year. This is the 24th rise in the past 25 months.

The total number of sales at 8,218, was also about 5% above the 10-year May average, marking the third month in a row where activity has exceeded ‘normal’ levels.

In the largest global investigation ever, The Open Wing Alliance reveals never-before-seen footage of systemic animal abuse and public health risks in cage egg factory farming. Alongside footage from 36 other countries, the exposé includes footage from a colony cage factory farm in New Zealand.

New Zealand – June 17 2025 –  “The sound of thousands of trapped chickens, the industrial fans cranking and the stench of waste is beyond words”, says a volunteer investigator from Grassroots Campaigns NZ. “It's hell inside.”

This is the description animal welfare investigators gave about what they captured at an Auckland colony cage factory farm. Their footage was given to the Open Wing Alliance, a global coalition of nearly 100 organisations established by The Humane League, in collaboration with We Animals and Reporters for Animals International. Together with Animals Aotearoa, the united group has just released the largest ever investigation into industrialised egg farms in 37 countries. In never-before-seen footage, including from New Zealand, supported by an open letter backed by 100 celebrities.

“The shocking footage exposes widespread abuse of egg-laying hens trapped in filthy, overcrowded cages, with evidence of injured birds, rotting carcasses, disease-ridden conditions, and more. This investigation comes as bird flu sweeps across every continent, jumping from farmed birds to wild animals and even humans”, says Jennifer Dutton, Corporate Relations Specialist at Animals Aotearoa.

Footage from 37 countries, including:

Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United States, Vietnam and Zimbabwe.

Key findings from the global exposé include:

Hens confined in battery and enriched/colony cages, giving each chicken only the space of an iPad, or less, to live their entire life;

Automated systems leave dead bird carcasses trapped in cages with living hens;

Live hens abandoned in manure and waste pits, and eggs found in manure before sent to shelves;

Birds unable to stand upright or spread their wings;

Unsanitary conditions that promote disease spread, like avian influenza.

This massive coordinated worldwide campaign is focused on spotlighting multinational brands dragging their heels on fulfilling corporate policy to transition away from cage eggs in their supply chains. The vast majority of food corporations around the world publicly committed, a decade ago, to remove cages from their egg supply chains, with global companies like The Hershey Company, Hormel Foods, Famous Brands, and Barilla already fully cage-free. However, food companies like Walmart, Zensho Holdings and Inspire Brands (parent company of Dunkin' and Baskin-Robbins) continue to profit from sourcing eggs from hens raised in outdated, cruel cages. In New Zealand, hospitality giant Best Western Hotel chain was recently targeted by protestors highlighting the multinational's lack of transparent reporting on its global cage-free progress, supported by a petition.

Since 2023, when battery cages were outlawed in Aotearoa, there has been a disinformation campaign by the factory farm lobby to mislead caring New Zealanders about the continued domestic production of cage eggs. While battery cages are no longer in use, colony cages are. Eggs sold at retail level from these colony cage systems don't contain the word 'cage' anywhere on the packaging. Following a number of complaints, the Commerce Commission is currently conducting a compliance project to assess whether colony eggs are a breach of the Fair Trading Act.

In addition to cage eggs being sold under misleading labelling, the import of liquid eggs from battery cages is a significant problem. Over 80% of New Zealand's liquid eggs, used largely in food manufacture, are imported from China and Australia where egg-laying hens are kept in battery cages. Produced using methods illegal here, they are added into Kiwi foods and quietly sold to the caring public who are unaware.

Consumers around the world are increasingly demanding transparency and ethical treatment of animals in food production, and they won't stand for further risks to our global public health. Over 100 celebrity figures signed an open letter urging food corporations to end the use of cages in their global supply chains. This investigation s

• Facilitating mutual learning among parliaments about diverse approaches to religion and belief.
• Encouraging the adoption of good practices that foster inclusion and peaceful coexistence.
• Promoting scrutiny of legislation to ensure alignment with international human rights commitments.
• Strengthening inter-parliamentary and interfaith dialogue to better protect fundamental freedoms and the rule of law.

Upholding rights and countering hate speech

The report reaffirms the right to freedom of religion or belief as protected under international law, while acknowledging ongoing challenges in its realization. Parliaments are urged to play a proactive role in promoting and protecting this right, both formally through legislation and informally through cross-party or international networks.

In response to rising hate speech and identity-based hatred, the report outlines human rights and soft law standards around freedom of expression, and shares practical tools for parliamentarians, such as codes of conduct, public advocacy, educational activities and dialogue initiatives.

Special attention is given to the rights and inclusion of religious and belief minorities, with recommendations for legislative action, oversight and public engagement. The report also highlights the key role of parliaments in promoting gender equality and women's rights, and where the full enjoyment of these rights intersects with religion or belief.

All roads lead to Rome

The report is released ahead of the Second Parliamentary Conference on Interfaith Dialogue, in which the IPU is leveraging its global convening power to bring together parliamentarians, religious leaders, international experts and civil society from 19 to 21 June 2025 in Rome, Italy.

The Conference is being organized by the IPU and the Italian Parliament in cooperation with Religions for Peace under the theme Strengthening trust and embracing hope for our common future.

The IPU is the global organization of national parliaments. It was founded in 1889 as the first multilateral political organization in the world, encouraging cooperation and dialogue between all nations. Today, the IPU comprises 181 national Member Parliaments and 14 regional parliamentary bodies. It promotes peace, democracy and sustainable development. It helps parliaments become stronger, younger, greener, more innovative and gender-balanced. It also def

Source: Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand

Rain moves onto the western South Island late Wednesday continuing into Thursday with some places possibly seeing heavier rain and even thunderstorms. Meanwhile, eastern areas will notice increasing cloud, with patchy rain expected for Southland, inland Otago, and inland Canterbury.

On Thursday, rain and wind spread across the North Island, with wetter weather expected out west. Eastern areas like Wairarapa, Tairāwhiti Gisborne, and Hawke’s Bay will also see some rain, though it should be brief as the weather system moves through.

So, what does this mean for Friday morning’s Matariki and Puanga viewing?

MetService meteorologist Mmathapelo Makgabutlane says, “Showers will still be hanging around, especially in western parts of both islands and the upper North Island, and with showers comes cloud. But there may be gaps – and some spots might be lucky enough to catch a glimpse. Check out MetService’s Cloud Forecast for the outlook for your spot.”

 “Eastern parts of the South Island look most promising – Canterbury near the coast, Marlborough, and maybe even Nelson,” Makgabutlane says.

The rest of Friday will bring a similar mix of passing showers and dry spells.

“But rain or shine, this year’s theme Matariki mā Puanga – Celebrating Together will still ring true, giving us a chance to gather indoors or out,” Makgabutlane says.

The weekend looks to bring a classic Kiwi winter pattern: a few showers here and there, but also plenty of fine breaks.

“The rain radar will be your friend this long weekend! There will be chances to enjoy some time outdoors,” Makgabutlane adds.

Inland Otago and the Mackenzie Basin have been sitting under low cloud and cold conditions. While Saturday might bring a brief improvement, the cloud could return before the weekend’s out. Overnight temperatures will reflect that too – after a short-lived increase, Sunday morning looks to dip below zero again.