Don’t have time to read the headlines? Watch the Focus Morning Bulletin presented by Cheree Kinnear above.
Tāmati Coffey says he’s well-placed and ready to champion the East Coast.
He has been selected to replace Labour’s sitting MP Kiri Allan in contesting the seat at the election.
Allan is stepping back, after struggles with her mental health culminated in a car accident last Sunday.
Coffey says he’d previously decided to leave politics in March, after the birth of his second child.
The Football Ferns’ adventure at the World Cup is over.
They’ve been held to a nil-all stalemate by the Swiss in Dunedin, to finish third in Group A.
Norway’s emphatic 6-0 victory over the Philippines at Eden Park meant the Ferns needed to win to progress.
Crews searching for a missing Christchurch real estate agent will reassess whether it’s safe to continue today.
Yanfei Bao, 44, disappeared 12 days ago and police believe she is dead.
Police are continuing an extensive air, land and ground search for Bao involving more than 40 people and covering several areas of Christchurch.
The investigation team faced delays yesterday as high water levels put a dampener on search efforts.
Meanwhile, a Givealittle page set up by one of Bao’s closest friends has already had over 800 donations, with money going towards “easing the burden” for Bao’s family.
Four more expert witnesses will testify in the triple murder trial of Lauren Dickason.
Dickason is accused of murdering her three young children in Timaru.
Dr Susan Hatters-Friedman, who focuses on why parents kill, gave evidence in support of Dickason’s defence of insanity and infanticide last week.
Another two defence experts and two Crown experts will present their evaluation of Dickason’s state at the time of the killings.
The Crown will argue Dickason knew what she was doing when she killed the children.
A large explosion at a fireworks warehouse in southern Thailand has killed at least 10 people and wounded dozens.
At least 118 people were hurt in the explosion and residents of more than 200 households were affected.
Officials believe there are still a number of people trapped under the debris waiting to be rescued.
