The millionth tree was planted at Queen Elizabeth Park during a live TVNZ Breakfast broadcast, marking a major milestone in efforts to restore former grazing land.

Greater Wellington chair Daran Ponter said the programme showed what could be achieved through partnerships with mana whenua, community groups, volunteers and local businesses.

“A million native trees is a special milestone for our region, and a powerful reminder of what we can achieve when we come together for te taiao,” Cr Ponter said.

“Recloaking Papatūānuku is about much more than planting trees. It’s about restoring the health of our regional parks, improving habitat for native species, enhancing the wellbeing of our waterways, and giving communities a practical way to care for the whenua that sustains us.”

Since 2019, about 420 hectares of the roughly 2,000 hectares of former grazing land in regional parks has been replanted.

Greater Wellington expects about 200,000 native trees to be planted each winter in the coming years.

Parks restoration project lead Kellie Benner said the programme relied on a wide network of nurseries, contractors and community groups.

Plants are sourced from nurseries including the Rimutaka Prison nursery in Trentham and iwi-run nurseries such as Otaraua in Kāpiti.

“Park visitors can see the transition for themselves,” Benner said.

“In just a few short years, the land has changed from pasture with very little biodiversity to regenerating native areas that are full of life.”

Greater Wellington manages eight regional parks covering 33,000 hectares. Much of the land was historically converted to farmland, reducing biodiversity and displacing native wildlife.

Director of delivery Jack Mace said restoring the parks also improved streams, wetlands, rivers and inlets.

Planting along waterways helped create habitat for fish, reduce erosion and limit sediment and nutrients entering the water, he said.

Emissions from grazing in regional parks have nearly halved since 2019 as stock has gradually been removed from restoration areas.

Greater Wellington also runs community planting days during winter. Upcoming community planting days will be held at Battle Hill Farm Forest Park at 1pm on Sunday 26 July and Edgewater Park in Waikanae at 10.30am on Thursday 30 July. Event details are available on the Greater Wellington website.

Russ died peacefully on June 18, 2026, one day after his 80th birthday.

He represented New Zealand in billiards and finished runner-up at the national championships six times.

One of those finals was against his father, Herb Robinson, who was also a national champion. Russ also competed in national finals against leading players including Dave Meredith.

He became a respected figure in Wellington’s billiards and snooker community, both as a player and through his work in sports administration.

Former New Zealand Billiards and Snooker administrator Nigel Wilson described Russ as a fantastic player and an all-round gentleman.

“He will be missed and remembered fondly,” Wilson said.

Friends and fellow players gathered at the Johnsonville Club to farewell Russ and share stories about his life.

Kevin Bracken was among those who spoke at the gathering, alongside long-time supporters of billiards in Wellington.

Russ was also involved in cricket and rugby. He played for Naenae and Hutt Districts and was remembered as a Poneke Rugby stalwart.

Those who knew him also recalled the encouragement and knowledge he offered younger players.

A private cremation has taken place in keeping with his wishes. A further gathering for family and friends will be held at a date to be advised.

Students, staff and alumni from Te Herenga Waka, Victoria University of Wellington, will take part in the university’s annual planting days on Friday 24 and Saturday 25 July.

This is the sixth year of the Growing our Future project, which has already seen more than 23,000 trees planted at the site.

Children from the university’s on-site University Kids childcare centre will also take part this year, learning how to plant trees before developing a garden in their own backyard.

University Kids Fairlie Terrace head of complex Leanna Miratana said the centre regularly took children on beach trips, forest walks and other outings that helped them connect with nature.

“Being involved in this project will be an amazing hands-on learning experience for them, and a special way to contribute to the environment,” she said.

Growing our Future is a partnership between the university and Wellington City Council.

The university has leased 26 hectares of land from the council for 33 years and is working to restore native forest across the site. Researchers will monitor the forest as it develops.

The planting helps fill a gap in Wellington’s Outer Green Belt, creating safer places for native birds and other wildlife to nest and live.

The project also supports the university’s goal of reaching net zero carbon by 2030.

Fifteen native species have been planted at the site, including kānuka and mānuka.

Researchers and master’s students from the university’s Centre for Biodiversity and Restoration Ecology are monitoring the area as a living laboratory for teaching and research.

Findings from the project are expected to help guide similar forest regeneration work across the lower North Island and upper South Island.

The awards recognise volunteers and not-for-profit groups contributing to communities across the wider Wellington region.

Wellington City winners and runners-up will be announced at an awards function in late July. Local winners will then go forward to the regional awards, where they will compete for the overall award in their category and the Supreme Winner title.

The Wellington City finalists are:

A–F

Bella & Bio-Bot (Youth-led STEM Storytelling Initiative)
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Wellington
Birth Wise
Cats Protection Wellington
Challenge 2000 Foodbank
Community Networks Wellington
Compassion Soup Kitchen
Devbhoomi Charitable Trust
Ekta NZ
FEET with Heat 4dance Studio
Franken Art Bursaries (FAB)

G–M

Ghost Diving Wellington
Good Bitches Baking Wellington
Great Harbour Way Trust
Interpreting New Zealand
Kaicycle Inc
Karori Lions Club
Katherine Mansfield House & Garden
Kauri Theatre Company Incorporated
Kia Ora Netball Club Wellington Incorporated
Kiwi Sports Network (KSN)
Leififi Boxing Gym (LBG)
Life Flight
Madoc Benfell Memorial Trust
Mary Potter Hospice
Matairangi Trail Builders
MenzShed Wellington in Hataitai
Mothers Network

N–S

New Zealand Cricket Museum volunteers
New Zealand Red Cross – Wellington
Newtown Budgeting and Advocacy Service (NBAS)
North City Cricket Club
Nourish Trust
NZ Eid Day – Wellington
Onslow Historical Society
Ōtari-Wilton’s Bush Trust
Pakistan Association of Wellington New Zealand (PAWNZ) Inc.
Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Aotearoa (PADA)
Rainbow Wellington
Roadworn Upcyclers
Rotary’s Lifting the Lid on Youth Mental Health
Seatoun AFC
Signature Tautai Trust
South Coast Arts Trail
Sri Lankan Seniors’ Association
Swimming Wellington Technical Officials

T–Z

Take 10
Tawa Brownies
Tawa Junior Rugby Football Club
Tawa School Whānau & Friends
Te Aka – Wellington East Girls College
Te Aro Eats
Te Toi Mahana Kaitiaki
The Circus Hub
The Nepalese Society of Wellington
The Nest Collective NZ Charitable Trust
The Runathon – Wellington College
Tiriti Action Group Pōneke
TSKF-ISKF Wellington Dojo
Tu Tagata Secondary Schools Poly Festival – Wellington
United Nations Youth Wellington
VietKidsNZ
Vogelmorn Community Group Trust (VCG)
Waitangi parkrun
Wellington Basketball Association
Wellington City Mission – Whakamaru
Wellington Community Revitalisation Society
Wellington Family & Foster Care Association
Wellington Free Ambulance
Wellington Indian Association
Wellington Kidney Support Society – WELLKiSS
Wellington Kids Cricket Community
Wellington Samaritans
Wellington Softball Association
Wellington Sri Lankan School
Wellington Volunteer Coastguard
Wellington Women’s Health Collective
Wellington Writers Walk
WIT (Wellington Improvisation Troupe)
World Marudào Karate Organisation
Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne

Award categories cover art and culture, education and child or youth development, health and wellbeing, heritage and environment, and sport and leisure. A Rising Star Award also recognises emerging groups.

Wellington Airport and the region’s five councils have run the awards since 2004.

Among the graduates is patrol dog Phoenix, who was named after Wellington Phoenix FC’s women’s team. After completing his training, Phoenix will head to Whanganui with first-time handler Constable Matt Stevenson.

Matt said training Phoenix had been a rewarding experience.

“Phoenix has been an awesome dog to train. He has a great ‘on and off’ switch that makes handling him enjoyable.

“We’ve both been lucky enough to have had great support from Sergeant Maxwell Spedding, Taranaki Dog Section, and my colleagues from Whanganui.

“I picked up Phoenix as a puppy so it’s special and I’m lucky enough to graduate with him. It’s a full circle moment.”

Another newly qualified patrol dog, Striker, will begin duties in Wellington with first-time handler Constable Chelsea Warman.

The remaining graduates are Constable Mike Robertson and Kroc, who will be based in Whakatāne, Constable Corey Waite and Frost in Auckland, Constable Regan Wilson and Huxx in Dunedin, and Senior Constable Karl Hansen and Bruce in Christchurch.

Karl, who has spent 21 of his 29 years in Police as a dog handler, was recognised during the graduation for mentoring new handlers throughout the course.

His latest patrol dog, Bruce, was named in honour of former Canterbury Police dog handler Senior Constable Bruce Lamb, who died in 2023.

“I think it’s really great that this dog was named after Bruce Lamb, and it’s special to carry on that legacy, especially since we have Bruce’s son Michael working here as a dog handler in our unit,” Karl said.

Assistant Commissioner Jeanette Park congratulated the six new operational teams and highlighted the important role Police dogs play in supporting frontline staff.

“The dog teams are magnificent. You’re there when there’s a critical incident. You’re there when our staff are in danger and need your help and support,” she said.

“Frontline staff at an incident know that when Delta is on their way, things will be good. Dogs are coming, and they will have it under control.”

Inspector Todd Southall, National Coordinator Police Dogs, also acknowledged Wellington Phoenix FC head coaches Bev Priestman and Chris Greenacre, who attended the graduation to support Phoenix and his handler.

He said Phoenix was one of three puppies named after women’s sporting teams in the region, with fellow recruits Poua and Pulse still progressing through the Police dog programme.

Todd also praised the work of trainers, handlers and support staff involved in developing the new operational teams.

“These graduates have worked very hard to obtain this operational qualification and it’s a pleasure to see them graduate today,” he said.

An Auditor-General inquiry found only about half of the meals assessed by the Ministry of Education in 2025 met its nutrition standards.

The report, tabled in Parliament on June 30, also identified excessive food waste, delivery failures, safety incidents, inadequate planning and concerns about the fairness of the programme’s procurement process.

The findings apply nationally and have implications for Wellington schools participating in the Healthy School Lunches Programme, also known as Ka Ora, Ka Ako.

Between May and December 2025, just over 50 per cent of meals assessed by the ministry complied with its nutrition standards.

The School Lunch Collective, which supplies meals under the revised programme, disputed that figure. It said compliance reached 69 per cent in Term 3 and 75 per cent in Term 4.

The inquiry found the ministry could not show the cheaper programme was delivering value for money beyond reducing costs.

A waste survey carried out in Term 3 last year recorded 8.82kg of waste for every 100 lunches, above the programme’s target of no more than 7kg.

The proportion of unopened meals was also above the programme’s 10 per cent limit and had increased to 17 per cent in 2026.

The Auditor-General said it was unclear how the ministry and the School Lunch Collective were effectively monitoring or reducing waste.

Delivery problems were also identified. During Term 1 of 2025, the programme failed to meet its delivery targets on 22 of the 47 days measured.

The School Lunch Collective received 51 complaints in February last year. Some were resolved within one day, while others took as long as 260 working days.

Safety concerns included an incident in which a child was burned after meal packaging unsuitable for commercial ovens was reheated.

The inquiry was also critical of the programme’s planning and procurement.

The revised model was developed around a target cost of about $3 a meal, but that figure did not initially include all delivery and distribution costs and had not been fully tested with suppliers.

Officials had warned the proposed model might not meet students’ nutritional needs, could place additional pressure on school staff and might create food safety risks.

The report said the programme continued to change during the procurement process, raising fairness concerns for suppliers that had withdrawn because they could not deliver the required service for $3 a meal.

Contingency planning was also found to be inadequate for a programme of its size. Financial, production and quality problems emerged early, and supplier Libelle went into liquidation soon after the revised programme began.

Associate Education Minister David Seymour defended the changes, saying the programme had saved taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.

He said early problems had been addressed and further work was under way to reduce surplus meals and improve menu variety, quality and responsiveness to school feedback.

Seymour said there was also a difficult balance between meeting nutrition standards and providing meals students wanted to eat.

Labour education spokeswoman Ginny Andersen said it was unacceptable that so few meals met the required standards.

She said lunches that were not eaten represented poor value for money and repeated Labour’s commitment to return to the previous model.

The Auditor-General said monitoring had improved, but inconsistent data and measurement methods continued to limit the ministry’s ability to assess the programme.

It also remained unclear whether the scheme was meeting its wider goals of reducing food insecurity and supporting student attendance and achievement.

The All Blacks will face Italy at Hnry Stadium on Saturday, July 11, as part of the inaugural Nations Championship.

The 32,450-seat test is sold out. Stadium gates open at 3pm ahead of the family-friendly 5.10pm kick-off, while all parking at the venue has also sold out.

Fans can meet selected All Blacks at Rebel Sport on the corner of Cuba and Manners streets from 10.30am to 11.30am on Saturday.

From 2pm, waterfront lighting will support fans walking towards the stadium. The Cable Car tunnels will also be lit with the New Zealand flag in one tunnel and the Italian flag in the other.

Extra public transport

Extra trains will run on the Hutt Valley, Kāpiti and Johnsonville lines before and after the match.

People with match tickets or stadium membership passes can travel on Metlink buses and trains at no extra cost throughout Saturday. Tickets must be shown to the driver or onboard staff.

The offer does not include harbour ferries, Airport Express buses or Te Hunga Whaikaha Total Mobility taxis.

An additional harbour ferry sailing will leave Queens Wharf at about 7.30pm after the match, but bookings are required. Metlink is advising passengers to travel early and expect busy services.

Matariki on the waterfront

Matariki Ahi Kā is also scheduled along the Wellington waterfront from 6pm to 9pm during the long weekend.

The free, whānau-friendly celebration features fire installations, projections, live performances and kai.

Thursday night’s programme was cancelled because of bad weather. People planning to attend the remaining sessions should check Wellington City Council’s event updates before travelling.

Other school holiday attractions include the pop-up ice rink at Queens Wharf and LEGO Star Wars: The Exhibition at Tākina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Drivers are encouraged to consider other routes or forms of transport because of the large crowds. Pedestrians, cyclists and e-scooter riders should also take extra care around the waterfront and stadium area.

The tree won the national title after strong public support during this year’s competition, run by the NZ Notable Trees Trust.

Trust chair Brad Cadwallader said the result reflected the tree’s history, distinctive shape and the enthusiasm of the Tawa community.

“The Bucket Tree captured people’s imagination from the outset,” Cadwallader said.

“Its success was driven by an extraordinary level of community engagement through local media, social media, schools, community groups and residents who proudly got behind their local tree.”

The tree was planted in the 1850s on Boscobel Farm in Tawa. It is also known as the Earp Macrocarpa, after the property’s original owner, William Earp.

Since around 1879, it has been regularly trimmed into the shape of an upturned bucket, creating a silhouette familiar to generations of locals.

Cadwallader said the tree represented an important part of Wellington’s heritage.

The Trust said Tree of the Year was about celebrating remarkable trees, their histories and the communities that care for them.

“The real winners are all six finalists,” Cadwallader said.

“Each of these extraordinary trees has enjoyed national exposure, with thousands of New Zealanders discovering their stories, histories and significance.”

The Bucket Tree finished ahead of The Sangro Survivor in Pukekohe and Old Goff in Hobsonville.

The Trust said this year’s competition attracted strong engagement across traditional and social media, with support from local councils, community organisations, elected representatives and mayors.

“It has been fantastic to see communities embracing their trees with such pride,” Cadwallader said.

The NZ Notable Trees Trust thanked everyone who nominated trees, voted, shared stories and helped promote the competition.

Wellington City Council’s community pools are offering a mix of fun and family-friendly swimming, with activities at Karori, Keith Spry, Tawa and Freyberg pools.

Karori Pool has a 25-metre heated indoor pool, learners’ pool, teaching pool, toddlers’ pool, hydroslide and spa. During the holidays, it is also promoting inflatables for extra fun.

Keith Spry Pool in Johnsonville has a 25-metre heated indoor pool, teaching pool, diving pool, toddlers’ and children’s play pool, spa and sauna. It is a good option for families with younger swimmers, as well as children keen to use the dive boards.

Tawa Pool has a 25-metre heated indoor pool, learners’ pool, toddlers’ pool and spa, with high-energy inflatables planned for the holiday period.

Freyberg Pool in Oriental Bay has a 33.5-metre heated indoor pool, spa, sauna, steam room, gym and group fitness studio. It is also hosting youth nights with music and time for young people to catch up with mates.

Wellington Regional Aquatic Centre in Kilbirnie offers the city’s largest pool option, with a 50-metre heated indoor pool, diving pool, toddlers’ pool and spray water-play area, programmes pool, hydrotherapy pool, gym, spas and saunas.

Families are encouraged to check pool timetables, lane availability and activity times before heading out.

More information about Wellington City Council pools is available through the council’s swimming pools page: https://wellington.govt.nz/recreation/facilities-and-centres/swimming-pools

The one-hour strike was due to begin at midday today, Wednesday 8 July.

NZPFU said members had been deployed to affected regions to support and rescue people caught in extreme weather.

Water rescue teams have been sent to Kaikōura, while other members deployed to Blenheim have been cleaning up or heading home after working in difficult conditions.

The union said members in 111 emergency dispatch centres had also been working hard, with another busy shift expected today.

The wider Wellington region is bracing for strong winds, which NZPFU said were expected to rise to severe gales.

Heavy rain warnings were also in place for Wairarapa, while Horowhenua, Manawatū, Taihape, Tararua and Hawke’s Bay were under a heavy rain watch.

NZPFU said it supported members who were working to protect and rescue storm-hit communities.

The next strike is scheduled for 12 noon on Friday 10 July.

Strike event details are listed at direemergency.nz/events.