1809 days ago

Air NZ offers direct Queenstown-Australia flights ahead of travel bubble date

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from Otago News

Air New Zealand has started offering bookings for direct flights from Queenstown to Australia from April 19, ahead of a confirmed date for a trans-Tasman travel bubble.

The airline has been operating flights from Queenstown to Sydney, but including a stop-over in Auckland, with the cheapest price of $417. From April 19, the non-stop flight will cost between $690 and $986.

Flights from Queenstown to Melbourne were being offered on Air New Zealand’s website from April 19 for between $656 and $916.

The date of the trans-Tasman bubble will be announced by Cabinet on April 6, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday afternoon.

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More messages from your neighbours
4 days ago

Poll: If we want to reduce speeding, what do you think actually changes driver behaviour? 🛻🚨🚓

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

In the Post's article on speeding penalties, the question is asked whether speeding fines are truly about road safety, or are they just a way to boost revenue for the Crown?

What do you think? Should speeding motorists receive speeding fines or demerit points?

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If we want to reduce speeding, what do you think actually changes driver behaviour? 🛻🚨🚓
  • 38.2% The sting of a fine (Money talks!)
    38.2% Complete
  • 61.8% The threat of demerit points (Nobody wants to lose their license!)
    61.8% Complete
749 votes
10 days ago

Some Choice News!

Kia pai from Sharing the Good Stuff

DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.

Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.

For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.

Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?

We hope this brings a smile!

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11 days ago

Share your favourite main crop potato recipe and win a copy of our mag!

William Hansby Reporter from NZ Gardener & Get Growing

Love potatoes? We will give away free copies of the May 2026 issue to readers whose potato recipes are used in our magazine. To be in the running, make sure you email your family's favourite way to enjoy potatoes: mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, by March 1, 2026.

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