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Special tax change for fossil fuel companies was proposed ahead of Budget
Ministers opted to instead set money aside for stakes in new gas fields instead.

Audrey Young: Crash and burn – Chris Hipkins gets the pip over ram raids
OPINION: Are the Herald's 'Tory owners' suppressing crime coverage? Er, no.

ACC crackdown: Insurer commits to 'ambitious' targets to cut claims growth
State insurer eyes people receiving long-term compo.

Letters: Do politicians know how bad our rural roads are?
OPINION: Seymour is a little fish in this big ocean, who knows how to swim with the tide.

'Tears of frustration': Amputees call for overhaul of NZ limb service amid delays
Some amputees face weeks of pain with ill-fitting or defective limbs.

SOE pay ranked: Brown calls in officials as CEO pay climbs despite underperformance
One executive of a company partly owned by the Government took home $3.8m in a year.

Editorial: The Garden Bird Survey is crucial for NZ's birdlife conservation
OPINION: Last year's survey showed increasing trends for tūī and pīwakawaka.

Simon Wilson: David Seymour has made a mess of almost everything he's touched
OPINION: If Seymour was serious about getting things done, he'd have a different record.

Asterisks, footnotes and claims of 'weasel words': Inside the battle for region's housing future
The plan is years in the making, but now it's reached a cross-council 'standoff'.

Battle for fiscal hole unit ends as Act and NZ First block Nicola Willis’ proposal
After nine years of trying, attempts to create a costings unit ended this week.

New visa: Why Ministers were warned over migrant numbers, health system impact
One model presented to ministers showed a potential surge of up to 15,000 migrants.

Richard Prebble: How Fiji's path to equality could guide NZ reforms
OPINION: Fiji's 2013 Constitution ended the race-based electoral system.

Council confirms cost of new parking system after Ombudsman intervenes
The council initially refused to reveal the cost, citing commercial sensitivity.

Construction of the new Auckland Surf Park
The multi-million dollar project is under way at Dairy Flat. Video / AW Holdings

Could a lab blunder replace 1080 poison and solve NZ’s rabbit plague?
A non-deadly alternative to 1080 is being developed which leaves pests sterile.

Opinion: Our obsession with parking on footpaths is getting worse
OPINION: It's not just inconsiderate, it's illegal, and there's no excuse.

NZ’s largest taxpayers revealed - does big business play fair?
Thirteen companies each pay more than $100m in annual income taxes.

Two sisters started a club rugby team to honour their late parents - and won the title
On The Up: 'We just hugged and cried and knew our parents would be proud.'

Editorial: Referee abuse is a threat to all of sport
OPINION: Officials are crucial, often overlooked and vital for community sports.

Editorial: Referee abuse is a threat to all of sport
OPINION: Officials are crucial, often overlooked and vital for community sports.

Daron Parton’s cartoons: July 1 - 31
Our cartoonist Daron Parton shares his view on current events.

Motel generation ends: Just 24 families in region still using them for emergency housing
It's made finding accommodation cheaper, but some single people are 'sleeping on streets'.

Patrick Reynolds: What is a good model for Queen St?
OPINION: The busiest part of Queen St is now the car-free Te Komititanga Square.

Peters opens door to part-privatisation of ferries, but doesn't want to walk through it
Cabinet has agreed to explore part-privatisation once the ferries arrive.

FBI sting: Kiwi gang member to face years in US prison, then 70 charges in NZ
Shane Ngakuru, 45, was a key distributor of ANOM network photos secretly controlled by FBI

Editorial: Balancing US alliance and global peace
OPINION: America celebrates its 249th birthday this week.

Letters: July may be the perfect month to go sober
OPINION: Perhaps the police Eagle helicopter could use Ali and Anna's new helipad.

'I was in tears': Girls speak about being targeted by NZ predator posing as child online
The girls were targeted by a Wellington man posing as an 11-year-old girl online.

Watch: Girls speak about being targeted by online predator posing as a child
The sisters and their mother spoke to Michael Morrah to raise awareness about the dangers of social media. Video / Michael Morrah / Mike Scott

Tech Insider: Consumer NZ wants 3G phone refund; Council on Amazon site pause
Plus: Government names AI advisory panel. AWS NZ exec flips to opposition.

‘Utter garbage, lies’: Hobson’s Pledge and National’s 'wokest' minister clash over Treaty in schools
The minister says the claim is "based on complete and utter rubbish".

Watch: First look inside City Rail Link’s unique new Te Waihorotiu Station
'No other train station in the world will look like this,' says CRL CEO Patrick Brockie.

High-profile Tauranga retail site sold for $18.6m to local investors
The site houses Noel Leeming, Animates, Elite Fitness, and Chemist Warehouse.

Napier Port industrial action ends as pay agreement reached for workers
'We can now focus on running a port rather than fighting each other.'

'Not much': $7200 fine for landlords breaching healthy homes standards too low
'Purpose not to deliver healthy homes but to set minimum standards for habitability.'

'I'm not ashamed': Rape complainant who later had relationship with cop goes public
The IPCA has reopened an inquiry into a complaint against the Christchurch detective.

Oranga Tamariki service provider 'struggling' with funding cuts
The agency said it understood it was hard for organisations to see their funding reduced.

Golden 16-metre Buddhist statue set to ‘tower above’ horrified community
Auckland Council art 'loophole' horrifies neighbours as giant golden statue takes shape.

'Bad advice': Hipkins reflects on Labour's Rotorua housing challenges
Hipkins said Labour's next campaign will focus on jobs, health, and homes.

Editorial: 'What's your poison?' Dry July a lone voice in the swill
OPINION: Dry July's low buy-in highlights our aversion to moderation.

Letters: Watching Question Time is like a bad comedy show; Trump is no champion for peace
OPINION: Will more schools named after historical figures change names, a reader ponders.

What’s the market mood at the midpoint?
OPINON: It has been a big six months and there's plenty more to come.

Kiwi athletes urged to watch what they wear - or risk falling foul of drug testers
Athletes are warned to avoid wearing others' sports gear to prevent contamination.

Melatonin is going to be everywhere. Why aren’t sleep specialists happy about it?
The chances of building up a reliance on melatonin or sleeping pills were high.

Pensioner speaks out after charge dropped in Ponsonby CEO road rage case
The 74yo claims he was attacked after their cars 'bumped' on the Northern Motorway.

Ranfurly Shield-winning prop retires at 28 due to 'head knocks'
Joel Hintz's proudest moment was lifting the Log o' Wood as his side arrived in Napier.