The Auckland region recorded the most vehicle thefts last year.

AMI insurance data shows Toyota Aqua is the most stolen in the country, Corolla is second.

EDITORIAL: New minister says he will bring a loud voice to the people of the south.

The Kīngitanga and Te Pāti Māori will be welcomed at 3pm Thursday.

Labour is holding its caucus retreat one day after National held its own in Hamilton.

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A small policy announcement is expected in the PM’s State of the Nation speech.

Prince Harry has claimed a monumental victory as Rupert Murdoch's UK tabloids made an unprecedented apology for intruding in his life over decades and agreed to pay substantial damages to settle his privacy invasion lawsuit.

News Group Newspapers offered a "full and unequivocal apology to the Duke of Sussex for the serious intrusion by The Sun between 1996 and 2011 into his private life, including incidents of unlawful activities carried out by private investigators," attorney David Sherborne read from the settlement statement in court.

Wednesday morning's (Wednesday night AEDT) statement even went beyond the scope of the lawsuit to acknowledge intruding on the life of his mother, the late Princess Diana.

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It was the first time News Group Newspapers has acknowledged wrongdoing at The Sun, a paper once known for featuring topless women on page three.

Harry had vowed to take his case to trial to publicly expose the newspaper's wrongdoing and win a court ruling upholding his claims.

But under English law, he faced astronomical legal bills even if he won, and his lawyer said he achieved the accountability he sought for himself and hundreds of others, including ordinary people.

News Group acknowledged "phone hacking, surveillance and misuse of private information by journalists and private investigators" aimed at Harry. NGN had strongly denied those allegations before trial.

"This represents a vindication for the hundreds of other claimants who were strong-armed into settling without being able to get to the truth of what was done to them," Sherborne said outside the High Court in London.

"We acknowledge and apologise for the distress caused to the duke, and the damage inflicted on relationships, friendships and family, and have agreed to pay him substantial damages," the settlement statement said.

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The bombshell announcement in court came as the Duke of Sussex's trial was about to start. Harry, 40, the younger son of King Charles III, and one other man were the only two remaining claimants out of more than 1,300 others who had settled lawsuits against News Group Newspapers over allegations their phones were hacked and investigators unlawfully intruded in their lives.

Sherborne said the company had engaged in "perjury and cover-ups" to obscure the truth for years.

"There was an extensive conspiracy," he said, in which "senior executives deliberately obstructed justice".

In all the cases that have been brought against the publisher since a widespread phone hacking scandal forced Murdoch to close News of the World in 2011, Harry's case got the closest to trial.

Murdoch shut down the News of the World after The Guardian reported that the tabloid's reporters had hacked the phone of Milly Dowler, a murdered 13-year-old schoolgirl, while police were searching for her in 2002.

As the case was about to start on Tuesday morning, his lawyer asked for a one-hour recess, then got a longer adjournment and finally asked to have the rest of the day as it became clear a settlement was in the works.

The case was one of three lawsuits Harry has brought accusing British tabloids of violating his privacy by eavesdropping on phone messages or using private investigators to unlawfully help them score scoops.

His case against the publisher of the Daily Mirror ended in victory when the judge ruled that phone hacking was "widespread and habitual" at the newspaper and its sister publications.

During that trial in 2023, Harry became the first senior member of the royal family to testify in court since the late 19th century, putting him at odds with the monarchy's desire to keep its problems out of view.

His feud with the press dates back to his youth, when the tabloids took glee in reporting on everything from his injuries to his girlfriends to dabbling with drugs.

But his fury with the tabloids goes much deeper.

He blames the media for the death of his mother, Princess Diana, who was killed in a car crash in 1997 while being chased by paparazzi in Paris. He also blames them for the persistent attacks on his wife, actor Meghan Markle, that led them to leave royal life and flee to the US in 2020.

The litigation has been a source of friction in his family, Harry said in the documentary Tabloids On Trial.

He revealed in court papers that his father opposed his lawsuit. He also said his older brother William, Prince of Wales, and heir to the throne, had settled a private complaint against News Group that his lawyer has said was worth more than £1 million ($1.97 million).

"I'm doing this for my reasons," Harry told the documentary makers, though he said he wished his family had joined him.

Harry was originally one among dozens of claimants, including actor Hugh Grant, who alleged that News Group journalists and investigators they hired violated their privacy between 1994 and 2016 by intercepting voicemails, tapping phones, bugging cars and using deception to access confidential information.

Of the original group, Harry and Tom Watson, a former Labour Party member of parliament, were the holdouts headed to trial.

News Group had denied the allegations.

NGN had issued an unreserved apology to victims of voicemail interception by The News of the World and said it settled more than 1300 claims. The Sun has never accepted liability.

The outcome in the News Group case raises questions about how Harry's third case — against the publisher of the Daily Mail — will proceed. That trial is scheduled next year.

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Construction of the athletes' village in Paris began five years out from the Olympics, which leaves just two years for the Queensland government to decide on a plan for Brisbane.

The deputy premier today claimed that it could cost about $3.5 billion to build enough apartments to house 10,000 athletes across four villages.

"If the athletes' villages continue in those four locations as planned by the former Labor government, it's going to cost Queenslanders $3.5 billion," Jarrod Bleijie said.

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"Only Jarrod Bleijie can release to you how that number has been determined, and why he says it's going to cost $3.5 billion" Deputy Opposition Leader Cameron Dick said.

"There hasn't been any planning work, there hasn't been any site determination yet, there hasn't been any costings done."

Bleijie insisted the figures came from the Treasury.

"I'm now disclosing that the cost of these athlete's villages is a budget black hole of $3.5 billion," he said.

Like with the Commonwealth Games, the 2032 Olympic villages would likely be built in partnership with developers, and either sold off or used in build-to-rent schemes.

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The games' independent infrastructure coordination authority is currently conducting a 100-day review and assessing options for the villages.

9News can reveal that $2.4 billion will be budgeted in the forward estimates for the athletes' village.

It is expected to be revealed in the mid-year fiscal and economic outlook tomorrow.

Once the independent infrastructure panel has decided what the village will look like, it will likely be built in partnership with the private sector, so the entirety of that funding might not be needed.

Exactly where the village or villages will be built is still up in the air, but Northshore is a likely site, since much of it is state-owned land.

The State Government wants to factor it into expenses as a signal to the industry that the project will go ahead.

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A person is trapped in a car after strong winds knocked a tree on top of the vehicle south of Sydney's CBD.

Rescue efforts are under way to free the driver stuck in a car on Danks Street in Waterloo.

Moments before the car was crushed, strong winds on the Mid North Coast caused a massive tree to collapse onto a house.

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The roof of the home on Lisa Valley Close in Wahroonga suffered serious damage from the massive tree.

There are no reports of injury, the SES said. 

It comes as the Bureau of Meteorology records winds of 50 to 90 km/h at Sydney Harbour and the eastern suburbs beaches.

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The State Emergency Service warned earlier that wind gusts of up to 90km/h will hit the South Coast this afternoon before moving up to Sydney and the Hunter.

Wind speeds will average 60 to 70km/h, and the SES has urged residents to be prepared for falling trees and debris.

"Strong winds could bring down trees and powerlines, as well as cause damage to properties," SES Assistant Commissioner Sean Kearns said.

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"Residents and holidaymakers across greater Sydney should download the Hazards Near Me app and set up local watch zones to stay across the latest warnings and information.

"Taking the time now to prepare your home by securing or putting away loose items around your yard or balcony will ensure you're as prepared as possible."

Sydney is expected to be hit by the winds mid-afternoon before they reach Newcastle by the early evening.

Thunderstorms are also possible tonight over parts of Sydney and the Hunter, however, there are no severe storm warnings from the Bureau of Meteorology.

Heatwave grips half the nation

Meanwhile, a heatwave warning is in place for NSW, Queensland and Western Australia over the next three days. 

Residents in Brisbane will swelter through a top temperature of 36 degrees today, but in some inland regions it is expected to surge to more than 40.

The areas expected to be hit the hardest by the heat include the Brisbane metropolitan area, Clermont, Dalby, Emerald, Gladstone, Goondiwindi, Longreach, Rockhampton, Roma and Stanthorpe.

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The sweltering weather will remain for most of this week, with a minimum overnight temperature in the high 20s offering little relief.

A milder southerly change will bring some relief to eastern parts of Queensland over the weekend.

Similar heatwave conditions are also building over northern parts of NSW.

Areas likely to be impacted over coming hours include Byron Bay, Glen Innes, Inverell, Moree, Murwillumbah and Tweed Heads.

Central Sydney is heading for a top temperature of 35 degrees today, but the mercury will surge to 39 degrees at Penrith in the city's west.

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But other parts of NSW – such as Bourke in the state's north-west and Dubbo – are forecast to hit 40 degrees or more.

The extreme conditions are not expected to linger, with a cool change sweeping in from this afternoon, bringing the chance of a thunderstorm in the evening.

In Western Australia, similar conditions are forecast with top temperatures expected to reach 45 degrees or higher.

The areas expected to be impacted include Perth, Carnarvon, Denham, Geraldton, Gingin, Kalgoorlie, Kalbarri, Meekatharra, Mount Magnet, Mandurah, Newman and Northam.

Temperatures are expected to cool by Saturday.

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https://twitter.com/NSWRFS/status/1881507764779823294?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

The bureau said the heatwave was driven by hot dry winds from western and northern Australia.

Fire authorities in Queensland and NSW are warning about an increased fire danger.

Meanwhile, Western Australia is experiencing its third heatwave of the summer, with Premier Roger Cook insisting the power grid is performing well enough in the sweltering conditions.

Perth's temperature peaked at more than 40 degrees on Monday, resulting in record power usage.