The university is New Zealand’s only official nominator for the global environmental prize.

Its nominees are AgriZeroNZ, Critical., KiwiEconet, Mountains to Sea Wellington Trust, Mushroom Material and Sea Cleaners.

Andrew Wilks, Manutaki, director of sustainability at Victoria University of Wellington, said the university was proud to help take New Zealand climate solutions to an international stage.

“There were remarkable applications again this year, but Vic Uni is excited to elevate these six New Zealand solutions to the world stage through The Earthshot Prize because every single one has the power to change the world,” Wilks said.

“They’re affordable, immediately scalable, and could create true global transformation.”

The Wellington connection includes Mountains to Sea Wellington Trust’s Love Rimurimu project, which is working to restore declining kelp forests in Wellington Harbour through science, community action and Indigenous partnership.

The project also supports hands-on education and open-source knowledge sharing, helping communities better understand and care for the harbour environment.

Other nominees include AgriZeroNZ, a public-private partnership that invests in tools to help farmers reduce agricultural emissions while staying profitable and productive.

Critical., a Māori-led clean-tech company, is transforming hard-to-recycle plastic waste into Cleanstone, a circular building material made in Aotearoa from 100 percent reclaimed plastic waste.

The company is also developing compact microfactories to help communities turn local waste into materials, jobs and circular economic opportunities.

KiwiEconet, developed in Southland, is a 100 percent natural and organic jute fibre netting designed to replace plastic wrap used for baling hay and silage.

The netting is biodegradable and edible by livestock.

Mushroom Material has developed mycelium-based pellets as a biodegradable alternative to expanded polystyrene packaging.

The company says the pellets are designed to work with existing moulding equipment, making it easier for the packaging industry to shift to a sustainable option.

Sea Cleaners operates purpose-built vessels that intercept plastic pollution before it disperses beyond recovery.

The group removes millions of litres of waste from waterways each year and is expanding into the Pacific through an island-led clean-up network.

The Sustainable Business Network encouraged applications for nominations from its Next List, which features innovators, entrepreneurs, projects and organisations that were finalists in its Sustainable Business Awards.

Mushroom Material and Critical. were successful nominees from those recommendations.

James Griffin, general manager at Sustainable Business Network, said the nominations showed sustainable innovation was already emerging across Aotearoa.

“What’s exciting about these nominations is that they show world-class sustainable innovation is already emerging in Aotearoa New Zealand, not as distant ideas, but as practical, scalable solutions solving real problems right now,” Griffin said.

“We’re thrilled to see Critical and Mushroom Material nominated for the world’s most prestigious environmental award. Both were selected because they’re on our Next list, which exists to help elevate the innovators building tomorrow’s economy today.”

The Earthshot Prize Trust, led by Prince William, awards £1 million to each of five environmental solutions every year.

The prize recognises work across five goals, known as Earthshots: Protect and Restore Nature, Clean our Air, Revive our Oceans, Build a Waste-Free World and Fix our Climate.

In 2023, Sea Forest Ltd, one of Victoria University of Wellington’s nominees, was named among the 15 global finalists for the prize.

The 2026 finalists are expected to be announced in September, with winners to be named at the awards ceremony in Mumbai in November.

The off-peak Snapper fare discount has also been reduced from 30 percent to 20 percent.

Metlink says the increase follows Greater Wellington Regional Council’s Annual Fares Review, which is used to keep fares in line with inflation and operating costs.

The council says the review helps ensure passengers contribute a balanced share toward running and improving the network, alongside ratepayers and funding partners including the New Zealand Transport Agency.

Greater Wellington Public Transport Committee chair Ros Connelly said the council agreed to raise fares earlier this year to respond to cost pressures and revenue loss.

“We resolved to raise fares prior to the current conflict in the Middle East to mitigate cost pressures and address revenue loss,” Connelly said.

“Since then, the cost of diesel has skyrocketed, costing Metlink an extra $200,000 a week.”

Connelly said Metlink understood the cost-of-living pressure facing households.

“However, even with the inflation-adjusted fares, using public transport saves personal fuel use and contributes to the running of the whole network.

“We are also having to balance fiscal responsibility and funding constraints with affordability, ensuring our fare revenue meets targets set by NZTA.”

From May 15, the cost of a three-zone trip increased by 14 cents, bringing the peak adult Snapper fare to $4.67 for people travelling to the CBD from suburbs such as Miramar or Karori.

For Wairarapa passengers travelling by train from Masterton to Wellington, the adult Snapper fare rose by 56 cents to $18.50 at peak times.

Wellington passengers can check updated fares for their route through the Metlink Journey Planner or fare information at metlink.org.nz.

Last week, Year 10 and 11 German students attended a cultural presentation from Year 13 student Marek Smutek and his exchange partner Jacob, who recently visited from Munich.

Over the summer holidays, Marek spent six weeks in Germany living with a host family and attending high school in Munich as part of the New Zealand–Germany exchange programme. The initiative has offered Wellington College Year 12 students the chance to experience German language and culture since 1989.

Jacob later travelled to New Zealand, spending six weeks at Wellington College and experiencing Kiwi life before returning home to Germany.

The programme aims to strengthen cultural understanding between New Zealand and Germany while encouraging students to learn languages and engage with different cultures.

Teachers said opportunities like the exchange help students develop confidence, broaden their world view and create lasting international friendships.

Ethan Mupariwa, who was in the Class of 2025, was last year’s recipient of the Wellington College Courtney O’Connor Scholarship at the International College of Management, Sydney.

The scholarship is provided each year by ICMS in the name of Darryl Courtney-O’Connor, the college’s founder and chairman, who is also a Wellington College old boy from the Class of 1967.

The scholarship gives Wellington College students the chance to gain an internationally recognised education while studying and living in Sydney.

Speaking at the April scholarship ceremony, Mupariwa said receiving the award had made a major difference.

“Receiving the scholarship was a real turning point in my life,” he said.

He said it had been “a significant decider” of his future, and acknowledged the support of his family in New Zealand and Zimbabwe.

Mupariwa has been settling into Sydney life and has continued his passion for rugby after joining the Manly Marlins Rugby Club.

Wellington College said it looked forward to hearing more from Mupariwa as he continues his studies and sporting journey in Australia.

Associate Education Minister David Seymour announced the new school, Kura Toa, will cater for students in Years 7 to 13, with a focus on improving outcomes for Māori learners.

The school will be based in Porirua, with a final site still under consideration.

Seymour said Kura Toa represents an opportunity to create learning environments better suited to Māori students. He made the comments in an interview with Te Ao Māori News.

Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira chief executive Helmut Modlik said the kura reflects a long-term vision to reshape education pathways for iwi across the region.

“Like all Māori, we’re people with the development imperative, and there’s no silver bullet, but the closest thing we’ve got is education,” Modlik said.

He said the iwi has been deliberate in developing new pathways for tamariki and rangatahi.

Kura Toa will operate as a bilingual school and is already being trialled with 24 students. The roll is expected to grow to around 200, with early demand indicating strong interest.

The kura will be supported by Ngāti Toa’s education hub Puna Mātauranga and wraparound service Te Pikau o te Rangi, which focus on wellbeing, cultural identity and tailored support.

Modlik said the charter model allows iwi to exercise greater control over education outcomes and strengthen mana motuhake.

Kura Toa is expected to open in Term 3 next year.

The concert will take place at the Michael Fowler Centre on June 5, led by conductor Benjamin Northey and featuring internationally acclaimed cellist Li-Wei Qin.

At the heart of the programme are selections from Sergei Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, widely regarded as one of the greatest ballet scores ever written. The work captures both the intensity of the lovers’ relationship and the conflict between their families, with dramatic and lyrical passages throughout.

The concert will also include Samuel Barber’s Cello Concerto, performed by Qin, and Kenneth Young’s Douce Tristesse, adding further emotional depth to the programme.

Organisers say the performance will explore themes of love, tension and tragedy through powerful orchestral music, offering audiences a fresh way to experience Romeo and Juliet.

The Wellington concert is part of a wider national tour, with additional performances scheduled in Palmerston North, Hastings and Auckland.

The show, titled GLO!, will run from 17 September to 4 October at TSB Arena, transforming the waterfront venue into a series of themed performance spaces.

World of WearableArt chief executive Meg Williams said the concept centres on the idea of creative energy expressed through wearable art and live performance.

“Everything in the world carries a special energy; what we’re playfully calling GLO!,” she said.

“There’ll be fire and flame, unreal nature and performance that seemingly defies physics.”

The production will feature six themed sections, including Metallic, Open, Aotearoa, Avant-garde, Kinetic and the returning Bizarre Bra category.

The Bizarre Bra section will appear for the first time since 2023. First introduced in 1995, the category has become a crowd favourite, known for unconventional designs using everyday materials.

Williams said its return had been driven by audience demand.

“The results are unexpected, witty, camp and truly bizarre,” she said.

International creative director Brian Burke will return for his fifth year leading the show’s production. His previous work includes major global events such as the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix opening and closing ceremonies.

Burke said the 2026 concept responds to a growing demand for connection and creative expression.

“People want to feel connected again to creativity, inspiration, and what makes them happy,” he said.

Designed as a live experience, the show will move between large-scale spectacle and more intimate moments.

The annual event brings designers from New Zealand and around the world to Wellington, showcasing wearable art through a staged performance.

The 2026 World of WearableArt show runs from 17 September to 4 October at TSB Arena. Tickets are available now through the official World of WearableArt website.

The central library reopened over the weekend in Te Ngākau Civic Square, with Mayor Andrew Little cutting the ribbon during an official ceremony on Saturday.

More than 21,600 people visited across the opening weekend, with queues stretching into the square.

A 300-strong massed choir, made up of eight local groups, performed Te Matapi’i, a piece by Wellington composer Briar Prastiti, with voices carrying throughout the building.

Visitors took part in tours, exhibitions and live performances including jazz, taonga pūoro, waiata and storytelling.

Gisella Carr, head of creative capital, said the reopening was a significant milestone for the city.

“This has been built for every Wellingtonian, from zero to 100, so to see the joy on their faces as they returned to their library was a special moment,” she said.

More than 11,500 items were issued over the weekend, alongside 552 new memberships and 468 previously inactive members returning.

Jennifer Parker, manager libraries and community spaces, said the building was quickly embraced.

“Kids and adults filled every nook and cranny of the building, from quiet corners with a book to groups meeting, talking and working together,” she said.

Outside, crowds also gathered in the upgraded Te Ngākau Civic Square, which includes new seating, landscaping, play areas and water features.

The redevelopment brings together the central library, Nōku te Ao Capital E and Wellington City Archives into one site, with galleries, makerspaces, heritage collections, recording facilities and community spaces.

Wellington City Council chief operating officer James Roberts said the reopening was part of wider efforts to revitalise the central city, with City Gallery set to reopen in October 2026 and Te Whare Whakarauika Town Hall in February 2027.

Te Matapihi ki te Ao Nui is open daily from 9am to 7pm on weekdays and 9.30am to 5pm on weekends.

About 20 members of the college’s Service and Integrity Committee took part in the effort on March 30, working across the cathedral grounds with brooms, dustpans and cleaning equipment.

The initiative reflects the school’s motto, “Sectare Fidem”, with staff saying students are encouraged to live out their values through practical service as well as academic work.

Parish priest Patrick Bridgman thanked the group for their contribution, saying it was meaningful to see young people giving their time to support the wider Wellington community.

The clean-up is part of a broader programme of outreach led by the committee. In recent weeks, students have also volunteered at Te Ō Newtown Kindergarten, assisting with maintenance, and supported the St Peter Claver Fair in Island Bay.

Organisers say they are continuing to seek new opportunities for students to get involved in community service projects across the city.

The Blue Messengers, a four-piece combo, won a Gold award at the National Youth Jazz Competition in Tauranga, held earlier this week. The group was competing against 60 student bands from across New Zealand.

The band features Abilio Fernandes on alto saxophone and piano, Lorenzo di Maio on guitar, JC Historillo on drums, and Zach Breen on bass.

Judges commended the group’s strong debut at the competition, describing them as “a great band” who “started with a bang” in their first appearance.

They also praised the musicians’ individual commitment and cohesion as a group, noting their ability to stay rhythmically in sync and their progression toward a professional standard.

“The band is on the path to excellence. Keep it up, nothing but praise from us,” the judges said.

The achievement highlights the strength of the college’s music programme and the growing profile of student jazz in the Wellington region.

A recording of the band’s performance has been shared online, with The Blue Messengers appearing partway through the competition livestream.