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18 Oct 2026

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BrightHR links with Xero Payroll to cut SME errors
Manual payroll checks are a growing liability for Australian SMEs, with the new link meant to reduce underpayments, audits and back-pay orders.

Copper thieves target North Canterbury irrigators, causing $130,000 in losses
Police have linked 12 thefts across North Canterbury as farmers recommission irrigation systems for the warmer months.

Northland teacher David Cowan jailed for indecent acts against three girls
David Cowan's reputation unravelled after three victims disclosed historical sexual abuse, leading to him being jailed for more than five years.

‘Red flag’ over Auckland flat, but real estate complaint still dismissed
The case involved a self-contained flat promoted as a source of rental income.

Police believe missing Christchurch father is dead, as they search multiple sites
Multiple search warrants have been executed across Christchurch as police say their inquiries suggest missing 21-year-old father Braydon Hepworth is no longer alive.

National promises random drug testing for jobseeker beneficiaries
The party says it wants to make sure jobseekers are "ready for work".

Missing Christchurch man Braydon Hepworth 'no longer alive', police say
Police say there are people in the community who know what happened to the 21-year-old.

OpenAI says teen ChatGPT use limited but research finds it an 'unacceptable risk'
The research found that important guardrails for teens using ChatGPT often failed.

What does Amazon know about you? The answer is buried in your account info
We all know companies profile us. But understanding that abstractly is one thing. Reading the words “has flat buttocks” in your Amazon account is very much another. If you’re not on Threads, this discovery is one of the latest viral posts. A woman stumbled upon this assumption while in her Amazon...

Former Black Cap Shane Bond dumped after just one season in charge
Bond was axed from his two-year deal with Birmingham Phoenix following a seven-match losing streak in The Hundred.

Jon Rahm quits LIV Golf as circuit fights bankruptcy
Two-time major champion opts out of ‘LIV 2.0’, leaving the struggling league facing a uncertain future without Saudi backing.

Most firms run AI agents without proper security tools
Most enterprises are deploying AI agents in production without dedicated security controls, leaving a 40-to-1 gap between adoption and readiness.

Winston Peters says late-term abortion ‘shades’ into ‘murder and assassination’
Peters was speaking to Family First founder Bob McCoskrie on a podcast released yesterday when the topic of abortion was raised.

Rabuka plays down coalition tensions over Fiji referendum date
Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka is downplaying tensions within his coalition over his unilateral decision to announce the date for the country's first-ever referendum ahead of an upcoming election.

Political donations tracker: Liz Dotcom among flurry of new political donors
Kim Dotcom previously gave millions of dollars to a failed political party - now his wife is putting cash into a different party.

National promises random drug testing for beneficiaries
The party has announced a new five-point plan it says will strengthen the “expectations for those who remain on Jobseeker long term”.

Liner launches AI API to cut model costs by over 50%
Developers could lower large language model bills by more than 50% as routing software picks cheaper systems for each request.

The Surface Laptop Ultra is an AI monster with a laptop problem
Microsoft’s new Surface Laptop Ultra is powered by a Mediatek CPU and Nvidia’s powerful RTX Spark SoC, which is mainly designed to run local AI models on the user’s lap. Five competing laptops—from Dell, HP, MSI and more—will offer additional options. Microsoft is banking on near-future AI developers and enthusiasts running...

Indefinite ban on taking sea life from large parts of Auckland and Coromandel coastlines
The ban follows community tensions over collecting taking sea life.