David Williams

2 weeks ago | nzherald.co.nz | David Williams

Auckland’s Hobsonville Point Secondary School has cancelled the Pride event Lil Gay Out due to a “possibility of outside protesters”. The cancellation has devastated students, with several stressing the event’s importance to rainbow students. Rainbow charity InsideOut says events like Lil Gay Out support young people to be “proud of who they are”. Students at an Auckland high school have been left devastated after an LGBTQ+ event was cancelled after protest threats.

2 weeks ago | nzherald.co.nz | David Williams

A 4m long orca whale approached Aaron Farrell's boat near Rangitoto in Auckland. An Auckland boatie describes a close encounter with an orca around Rangitoto as “once in a lifetime”. Aaron Farrell told the Herald he and two of his friends were fishing near the Rangitoto lighthouse on Saturday when the orca began swimming towards the boat. “When we first pulled up, it was hovering in the water in one spot for a bit so we thought it was a kayaker,” he said.

2 weeks ago | nzherald.co.nz | David Williams

Qantas has launched a major sale for New Zealand customers with tickets to 16 destinations. Photo / SuppliedQantas has launched a major sale for Kiwi customers with discounted return fares for international flights. Prices begin at $509 return from Auckland to Melbourne. Destinations include Australia, Bali, the Philippines and the USA. Qantas has launched a major sale on flights to 16 popular destinations as it expands its international network.

2 weeks ago | newsroom.co.nz | David Williams

The Crown has spent more than $2.6 million defending a High Court case over freshwater. Critics of successive governments’ policies say the money would have been better spent cleaning up the environment. South Island iwi Ngāi Tahu took the Attorney-General to court seeking a series of declarations, including that the Crown ought to, in cooperation with the iwi, design and implement a new freshwater management regime.

3 weeks ago | newsroom.co.nz | David Williams

“Eight years is simply too long.”Canterbury’s regional council, ECan, spent much of the second – and last – day of a High Court hearing explaining to Justice Cameron Mander why a judicial review, taken by Environmental Law Initiative, shouldn’t succeed. But if it did, for reasons of delay and prejudice an important “discharge” rule relied on by farmers shouldn’t be quashed, the council argued. Already have an account?