Kerikeri has already received 490mm, well above the April average of 150mm.

Six new bus stop bays opened today in Tauranga’s city centre.

The Waitākere Ranges belong to all Aucklanders, says NZ First and Act.

Coroner probes murder of woman by rapist released on parole just 72 days earlier.

A man has been arrested and charged over the incident on Saturday.

A man has allegedly been assaulted and robbed of a Pokémon card worth more than $8000 during a late-night sale in a NSW car park.

The 38-year-old man had arranged to sell rare collectable cards at the intersection of Lake Entrance Road and Shellharbour Road in NSW's Illawarra region at 10.45pm on Friday, March 28.

The seller told police a man purporting to be the buyer assaulted him before the card was stolen.

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Police have set up Strike Force Calmar to investigate the incident.

Police have released images of a car seen in the vicinity of the incident. 

The vehicle is described as a red 2023 model Ford Mustang with grey stripes.

Police believe the driver may be able to assist with inquiries.

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Murder charges have been filed against a suspect in a weekend car ramming attack that killed 11 people between the ages of five and 65 and injured dozens at a Filipino heritage festival in the Canadian city of Vancouver.

The British Columbia Prosecution Service charged Kai-Ji Adam Lo, 30, with eight counts of second-degree murder and said more charges were possible. Investigators ruled out terrorism and said Lo had a history of mental health issues.

Lo, a Vancouver resident, appeared in court on Sunday (Monday AEST) and remains in custody, prosecutors said.

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"It is the darkest day in Vancouver's history," Vancouver Police Interim Chief Steve Rai told a news conference.

"The person we have in custody does have a significant history of interactions with police and health care professionals related to mental health," he said.

Video of the aftermath shows the dead and injured along a narrow street in South Vancouver lined by food trucks. The front of the driver's SUV is smashed in.

Kris Pangilinan, who brought his pop-up clothing and lifestyle booth to the festival, saw the vehicle enter past the barricade slowly before the driver slammed on the gas in an area that was packed with people after a concert. He said hearing the sounds of bodies hitting the vehicle will never leave his mind.

"He sideswiped someone on his right side and I was like, 'Oh, yo yo.' And then he slammed on the gas," he said. "And the sound of the acceleration, it sounds like an F1 car about to start a race.

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"He slammed on the gas, barrelled through the crowd. And all I can remember is seeing bodies flying up in the air higher than the food trucks themselves and landing on the ground and people yelling and screaming.

"It looked like a bowling ball hitting bowling pins and all the pins are flying into the air."

Pangilinan said that it would be hard to believe "that someone has some malice against the Filipino people."

A 30-year-old Vancouver man was arrested at the scene. Rai said that the man was arrested after initially being apprehended by bystanders.

Video circulating on social media shows a young man in a black hoodie with his back against a chain-link fence, alongside a security guard and surrounded by bystanders screaming and swearing at him.

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"I'm sorry," the man says, holding his hand to his head.

Rai declined to comment on the video.

Prime Minister Mark Carney cancelled his first campaign event and two major rallies on the final day of the election campaign before Monday's vote.

"Last night families lost a sister, a brother, a mother, father, son or a daughter. Those families are living every family's nightmare," Carney said.

"And to them and to the many others who were injured, to the Filipino Canadian community, and to everyone in Vancouver, I would like to offer my deepest condolences."

Carney planned to join British Columbia Premier David Eby and community leaders late on Sunday (Monday AEST) in Vancouver.

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It will benefit around 115,000 school and early learning teachers over three years.

North Korea has confirmed for the first time that it has sent troops to Russia to support its war against Ukraine.

US, South Korean and Ukraine intelligence officials said North Korea last year dispatched up to 12,000 troops to Russia.

But North Korea had not confirmed or denied its reported troop deployments to Russia until Monday.

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In a statement provided to North Korea’s state media, the North’s Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers’ Party said leader Kim Jong Un had decided to send combat troops to Russia under a mutual defence treaty.

It cited Kim as saying that the troops’ deployment was meant to “annihilate and wipe out the Ukrainian neo-Nazi occupiers and liberate the Kursk area in cooperation with the Russian armed forces.”

“They who fought for justice are all heroes and representatives of the honour of the motherland,” Kim said, according to the statement.

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In February, South Korea’s spy agency said North Korea appeared to have sent additional troops to Russia, after its soldiers deployed on the Russian-Ukraine fronts suffered heavy casualties.

In January, the NIS said about 300 North Korean soldiers had died and another 2700 had been injured. Zelenskyy earlier put the number of killed or wounded North Koreans at 4000, though US estimates were lower at about 1200.

Earlier this year, Kim expressed his unwavering support for Russia's war in Ukraine during a meeting with a top Russian security official, Sergei Shoigu, in Pyongyang.

State media reports said Kim and Shoigu reaffirmed their commitment to uphold the mutual defence treaty agreed upon last year. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko told Russian media the governments were discussing a potential visit by Kim to Moscow.

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North Korea has been supplying a vast amount of conventional weapons to Russia as well. South Korea, the US and their partners worry that Russia could reward North Korea by transferring high-tech weapons technologies that can sharply enhance its nuclear weapons program. North Korea is expected to receive economic and other assistance from Russia as well.

North Korean soldiers are highly disciplined and well trained, but observers say they've become easy targets for drone and artillery attacks on Russian-Ukraine battlefields due to their lack of combat experience and unfamiliarity with the terrain.

Still, Ukrainian military and intelligence officials have assessed that the North Koreans are gaining crucial battlefield experience and have been key to Russia's strategy of overwhelming Ukraine by throwing large numbers of soldiers into the battle for Kursk.

Australia's consumer watchdog is urging businesses to ensure card surcharges are in line with the law.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is encouraging businesses to review their surcharges to make sure the cost doesn't exceed the cost of accepting card payments.

Any card payment surcharges that apply should also be adequately disclosed up front.

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"Businesses need to ensure their customers know about any card payment surcharges upfront, and that they are only charging what it costs them to accept those card payments," ACCC Deputy Chair Mick Keogh said.

Australian Consumer Law prohibits businesses from misleading people about the prices they charge and charging a card payment surcharge that is excessive.

This year the ACCC will focus on educating businesses on their obligations to help them to comply with the laws.

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"We understand that small businesses need to be across a lot of information to comply with all of the laws that apply to their business," Keogh said.

"However, charging excessive surcharges and not being upfront with customers about pricing can result in small businesses losing customers.

"It is important for small businesses to ensure they understand their obligations and check their costs of acceptance to know what amounts they can legally charge their customers as a payment surcharge, as well as reviewing how they inform customers of their prices, including any applicable surcharges."

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