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National's Chris Luxon was set to make an impression at Auckland’s NorthWest mall.

Between declining a hairdresser's offer to moisturise his head, pulling off a man’s beanie without asking and getting a blue stain on his suit at Little Lab- it was a memorable day on the campaign trail.

ZB chief political reporter Aaron Dahmen says it was a mix of entertaining and weird- making for perfect campaign fodder.

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Hamilton authorities are ditching the lawnmower in parts of the city for the betterment of the planet.

The City Council has launched a no-mow trial for 13 green spaces- aiming to increase biodiversity and reduce the carbon emissions created by mowing.

Hamilton Council Park Services Manager Duncan MacDougall says they won't be letting everything overgrow.

"Not the whole park will be mown like this- the boundaries around trees and those sorts of things will still be maintained as they are now, there'll just be sections set aside."

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Environment Canterbury's worried swells may delay the rescue of a fishing boat beached off the coast of Canterbury's Shell Bay.

The vessel, which ran aground on Sunday, had about 10,000 litres of diesel and 400 litres of hydraulic oil onboard.

Images show the vessel on rocks, spilling oil near an endangered penguin colony.

Environment Canterbury Commander Emma Parr says crews are battling two metre swells and king tides - which are forecast to worsen.

"We are concerned for those wildlife, they are high risk and sensitive. We're preparing for an oiled wildlife response."

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National denies their new welfare policy will put more children into poverty.

The party wants a traffic light-style scheme, which sanctions beneficiaries who don't meet their Jobseeker obligations.

A third breach could see benefit reductions, mandatory work experience, and someone's money managed by WINZ.

Labour argues the policy would increase child poverty, but National's Louise Upston says it'll be better for beneficiaries' kids.

"We want to see more families, more households in work, because we know that children in a household where a parent is working will, in the long term, be far better off."

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There's growing speculation that Labour could eventually introduce a wealth tax.

In a leaked video, Labour's Wellington Central candidate Ibrahim Omer tells a meeting that the party hasn't given up on the policy.

Hipkins has pushed back against these claims and plans to discuss Omer's comments with him.

ZB Political Editor Jason Walls says Hipkins has made it clear that he's not introducing a wealth tax- but other Labour candidates are feeling the pressure ahead of the election. 

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Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has announced his resignation.

He'd called a sudden press conference in Melbourne this afternoon.

Andrews has been in the job nearly a decade, and famously steered the Australian state through the pandemic with tough measures.

Australian correspondent Murray Olds says Andrews led a complicated and divisive political legacy over the last 10 years.

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Former world number one Caroline Wozniacki will return to her eighth ASB Classic with a new appreciation for the sport.

The 2018 Australian Open champion recently made the round of 16 at the US Open after three years out for the birth of her two children.

Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains what we can expect from this grand return.

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Kids as young as 12 are leaving the classroom in search of work.

Taupō Pathways For Youth Employment has been receiving calls from parents asking to help find work for their young children.

Truancy services are working with thousands of kids as young as six who have been un-enrolled from school.

Brendon Crompton of re-enrolment service Blue Light says the children can have complex issues keeping them away from school.

"Emergency housing- kids get moved from one place to another with their families. The case worker tells them they'll only be there for a month, so the parents don't want to go through the effort of enrolling them."

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Dozens of officers from London's Metropolitan Police have handed in their firearms over the weekend.

This comes as a Met officer was charged with murder for fatally shooting an unarmed black man.

UK correspondent Gavin Grey says the British Ministry of Defence is offering to volunteer their services to support the police in London- in specific circumstances.

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Both Labour and National took a dive in the latest Newshub-Reid Research poll.

The National Party has lost nearly 2 points of support, taking it to just over 39 percent - and with ACT on 8.8, it needs New Zealand First to govern.

NZME business commentator Fran O'Sullivan explains what this could mean for the election.

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