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What you need to know
What you need to know headlines with summaries.
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What is the disease forcing Celine Dion to cancel her shows?
Explainer - Celine Dion has cancelled some upcoming shows after revealing she has a rare illness called stiff person syndrome. What is it and is there a cure? Here's what you need to know.
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Recession: What you need to know
25 Nov 2022Explainer - Reserve Bank governor Adrian Orr says it's the price New Zealanders will have to pay to get inflation under control - but what exactly is a recession and what could it mean for you? Audio
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The OCR: What you need to know
23 Nov 2022Explainer - The Reserve Bank is expected to raise the official cash rate (OCR) by its largest margin ever today, and economists say it could rise further still. Audio
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Resident visa categories reopen: What you need to know
13 Oct 2022The government has reintroduced two visas that have been on hold for years. Here's what you need to know.
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Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Day: What you need to know
26 Sep 2022Today is New Zealand's official Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Day public holiday, with a wide range of events planned and closures around the motu to honour Her Majesty. Audio
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Mask mandates: How have other countries fared after dropping requirements?
12 Sep 2022With mask mandates dropping around the world as the pandemic appears to enter a new phase, what we can learn from countries that have already left masks behind? Here's what you need to know.
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Local body elections: Boosting the youth vote and a councillor's baptism of fire
5 Sep 2022Explainer - Local body elections are round the corner but should we give 16-year-olds voting rights to lift low participation rates?
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Local body elections are looming - how to vote and why they matter
3 Sep 2022Explainer - Local body elections are a big yawn to many but having a say in who runs our cities and towns is important. RNZ has some pointers that might spur you on to vote.
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Gaurav Sharma's fallout with Labour
25 Aug 2022The build-up to the expulsion of former Labour Party MP Gaurav Sharma started in early August. Here's how it unfolded.
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Cost of living payment: What you need to know
3 Aug 2022The government's cost of living payment has seen eligible New Zealanders receive a welcome bump to their finances this week, but who is eligible and how can people make sure they get their cash? RNZ…
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Emissions Trading Scheme: What you need to know
20 Jul 2022The Emissions Trading Scheme is one of the most important drivers of the changes needed to have any hope of avoiding the catastrophic impacts of climate change.
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Explainer: Can we still avoid Covid-19 and is there any point trying?
9 Jun 2022With new Covid-19 case numbers down, many may be asking if there's any point keeping up precautions to avoid the virus, particularly those who haven't caught it yet. Here's what you need to know.
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Three waters Part II: What you need to know
28 May 2022Explainer - The government is forging ahead with revised water system reform despite criticisms. So what's changed? RNZ is here to clear it all up.
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Australia-New Zealand refugee resettlement deal: What you need to know
7 Apr 2022Explainer - What is the Australia New Zealand refugee resettlement deal and why has it been agreed after nearly a decade? RNZ is here to clear it all up.
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RNZ-TVNZ public media shake-up: What you need to know
25 Mar 2022Explainer - What's the government doing with RNZ and TVNZ - and why? RNZ is here to clear it all up. Audio
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Measuring and reporting Covid-19 deaths: What you need to know
25 Mar 2022With so many Covid-19 deaths being recorded, how are they measured and reported? And how will the coming weeks look in terms of reported deaths? RNZ is here to clear it all up.
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The Covid-19 Deltacron variant: What you need to know
24 Mar 2022Explainer - There's a new Covid-19 variant making headlines around the world - Deltacron. Whatever you may think about that name, it's exactly what it sounds like - a combination of the Delta and…
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The BA.2 Omicron subvariant: What you need to know
17 Mar 2022Earlier this week the Director General of Health said nearly 80 percent of sequenced Covid-19 cases are BA.2. What impact will it have on the current outbreak and will a new vaccine be necessary?
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NFTs: Gimmicky status symbol or tech revolution zeitgeist?
13 Mar 2022It's one of the biggest buzz words online these days: NFTs. Are they a gimmicky, expensive status symbol or are they a starting point for a technological revolution? RNZ is here to clear it all up.
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Why are global dairy prices so high? Here's what you need to know
Recently, global dairy prices hit a record high, as did Fonterra's forecast farmgate milk price. So what's going on? RNZ is here to clear it up.
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Inflation forecast to go even higher: What you need to know
ANZ has warned that it expects inflation will hit 7.4 percent in the second quarter, but it wasn't long ago that news it had reached 5.9 percent set alarm bells ringing. Here's what you need to know. Video
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Omicron phase three: What you need to know
24 Feb 2022Explainer - The government has announced the country is moving to phase three - but what does that mean? RNZ is here to clear it all up.
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Covid-19 face masks: What you need to know
27 Jan 2022Explainer - Under the red setting of the traffic light system, many New Zealanders will have to adapt to stricter rules around the use of face masks, RNZ is here to clear it all up.
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Covid-19 vaccination for children: What you need to know
13 Jan 2022Explainer - With the roll out of Pfizer's paediatric Covid-19 vaccine for children beginning next week, RNZ helps parents and caregivers answer some of the basic questions they might have.
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