How to cut your mortgage interest bill in half
Only 1.4 percent of mortgage holders were behind on their payments, the same levels as previously. Photo: fantasista/123RF More than 40 percent of people with home loans are paying more than the minimum required, which can save them significant amounts of money over the life of their loans. Data from the NZ Banking Association shows […]
How to Clean Your Vinyl Records (2026): Vacuum, Ultrasonic, Solution, Brush
With the ultrasonic cleaning machine, you don’t need to vacuum out the grime for each record you clean, because the machine shakes all the gunk off for you. It collects at the bottom of the basin, so you just need to make sure it all gets dumped out when you empty the liquid from the […]
Money tips from ‘Māori Millionaire’ founder: How to get out of survival mode
Te Kahukura Boynton says the challenges might be real, but when we can get a good focus on the problems we need to tackle, we can become good at solutions. Photo: Supplied by Te Kahukura Boynton Te Kahukura Boynton of Māori Millionaire is on a mission to bridge the wealth gap by shining a light […]
Hide, find water: Ex-airmen detail how to survive being shot down
By Ulysse Bellier, AFP US Air Force specialist marshals a C-130J Super Hercules at the Saipan International Airport, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. 28 November 2018 Photo: AFP / StockTrek Images As American forces race against time and Iran’s military to locate an aviator reportedly shot down Friday (all times local), a former Air […]
Daylight saving 2026: When it ends, why we observe it and how to change the time on your phone
Go back, not forward on 5 April. Photo: 123rf Enjoy your evening walks while you can – daylight saving will soon come to an end for another year, which means we all get an extra hour of sleep. But when do the clocks switch over? Why do we observe daylight saving? And how do you […]
Wondering if you need that dental treatment? Here’s what to ask and how to get a second opinion
First published on Composite fillings are the most common type used today, made from a strong mix of resin and fine glass particles. Photo: RNZ Analysis – If the dental bill has ever made you gulp, you’re far from alone. Around three in 10 Australian adults say they avoid or delay dental care due to […]
Energy crisis: How to max your fuel efficiency when driving
Photo: RNZ / Quin Tauetau Explainer – With the Iran war leaving supply chains choked off, pain at the pump is rising, but you still need to drive. How can you get the most out of your tank? Here’s some options. The price of 91 petrol has now heading towards $4 a litre in some […]
Slicing pizza using a digger: How to win the national digger operator title
Steven George of Whangarei won the 2026 edition of the New Zealand National Excavator Operator Competition. Photo: Supplied A Northland contractor has retained his national digger operator crown by successfully slicing a pizza with his excavator. Whangarei’s Steven George also used the excavator to pour a cup of tea and play a super-sized game of […]
How to catch and move the country’s tiniest bird
If you want to catch a tiny bird and move it to a new home, you need expert help and your car’s aircon on. Overheating is a threat to the rifleman. And buzzing cicadas can get in the way of finding them in the first place as a group rounding up riflemen at the Wainuiomata […]
Polls are snapshots, not predictions: How to read them critically this election year
With New Zealand’s election approaching, how much can we learn from opinion polls? Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone With nine months to go, how much can opinion polls tell us about the general election on 7 November? Short answer: not much. Based solely on polls, no one could have predicted the past three elections this […]