Lisette Reymer

2 days ago | stuff.co.nz | Alan Granville |Lisette Reymer |Jennifer Sinco Kelleher |Catrin Owen

Paris Louvre Museum: Higher entrance fee for non-EU visitors in 2026, Macron announcesIf art really imitates life then the masterpieces at many of the world’s most renowned museums should depict long lines, jam-packed galleries, dirty bathrooms, rude employees and miserable visitors. Iconic cultural institutions from Cairo to Paris to New York have earned a permanent slot on sightseeing itineraries. But popularity does not always equal impeccable performance.

3 days ago | stuff.co.nz | Hamish McNeilly |Sam Smith |Lisette Reymer |Jennifer Sinco Kelleher

After initially declining funding, South Wairarapa District Council has now locked in support for establishing a district-wide sports and recreation service. A majority vote secured funding of $80,000 to the cause per year over two years. At a meeting on Wednesday, councillor Rebecca Gray moved to revoke the earlier funding rejection which was decided during Long-Term Plan deliberations.

3 days ago | stuff.co.nz | Poppy Clark |Hamish McNeilly |Monique Steele |Lisette Reymer

A South Otago organic farmer had a cache of illegal firearms to protect his crops – from rabbits rather than criminals. When police carried out a search warrant on March 4 at the rural lifestyle block belonging to Shaun James McVicar, 61, of Clinton, they found five firearms, more than 400 rounds of ammunition and cannabis plants and head. McVicar told police the guns were to protect his vegetables from rabbits and that the cannabis was for his own use.

3 days ago | stuff.co.nz | Lisette Reymer

‘Tourists trashed our paradise’: A cautionary tale for NZ tourismBoracay Island in the Philippines was loved to death; a victim of its own beauty. Overrun by mass tourism and drowning in pollution, in an unprecedented move, the government hit pause on the paradise, shutting the island down for six months of intensive environmental rehabilitation. Now, this small island has emerged as a global model for sustainable tourism and locals have a warning for New Zealand.

2 weeks ago | stuff.co.nz | Poppy Clark |Lisette Reymer |Jennifer Sinco Kelleher |Hamish McNeilly

A driver has died after they crashed into a garage and their vehicle caught fire in a West Otago town. The crash, on Station Rd in Tapanui, was reported about 3.30pm on Friday. A neighbour told the NZ Herald he saw a ute smash into the garage and catch fire, and that firefighters could not remove the driver as it was “just too hot”. Blair Walklin, a Fire and Emergency NZ shift manager, said two crews from the Tapanui station were sent to the scene and found the car fully ablaze.