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20 Mar 2025

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Ainslie’s claim as Team NZ’s lead challenger in bitter America’s Cup row
Britain’s challenge has splintered after Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sir Ben Ainslie’s divorce, but one phenomenon could return that pits them together as rivals.

Why the Crusaders benched their five-try flyer
It’s not often the unavailability of a couple of All Blacks isn’t the biggest eyebrow raiser when eyeing a team sheet.

What is with all the roadworks in Christchurch?
A map resembling a big red splodge has caused a stir online, with some people saying the number of works going on across the city is “out of control”.

‘We don’t see the patch’: The pink-clad medics helping the Mongrel Mob boss and his gang
Bus-driving duo visit people who wouldn’t otherwise see a GP. ‘They come out of the goodness of their hearts,’ says Mob boss Chopper Dogg.

Three men charged with kidnapping at complex where homicide victim died
The men claimed they were Tyrone Munns’ cousin, before allegedly kidnapping a resident at the social housing complex where he was found dead.

Govt call for new reading, maths test system shocks principals
The Education Ministry is seeking proposals for a national system for testing Years 3-10 children in reading, writing and maths.

Plex’s lifetime subscription plan is getting a massive price hike
Hold onto your hats, Plex users: A huge Plex Pass price hike is incoming, along with big changes for Plex Media Server users who want to stream their content remotely. After holding the line in terms of price for 10 years, a lifetime Plex Pass—a subscription that offers such features as DVR functionality, media downloads, hardware video transcoding, commercial skipping, and other perks—will soon cost $249.99, more than double the current price of $119.99. Monthly and annual Plex Pass subscriptions are getting price hikes too, although their increases aren’t quite as steep as the lifetime options. Monthly Plex Passes will soon cost $6.99 a month, up from $4.99/month, while an annual Plex Pass will cost $69.99 a year, up from $39.99/year. Those price changes will go into effect April 29, 2025, a little more than a month from now. So if you want to snag a lifetime Plex Pass at the current $119.99 price, you’d better get to it. There’s more news, too, and Plex Media Server users aren’t going to like it. Once the new Plex Pass prices kick in, remote streaming of content in personal Plex media libraries won’t be free anymore. That means if you want to stream your Plex Media Server content outside your home—or, crucially, if you want to stream media from another Plex Media Server user who doesn’t have a Plex Pass—you’ll need to pay up. As part of the big change, Plex is serving up a new, cheaper way to stream personal Plex library content on remote networks. For $1.99 a month or $19.99 a year, the Remote Watch Pass will let you stream your own Plex Media Server files remotely, or stream from someone else’s Plex media library who doesn’t have their own Plex Pass or Remote Watch Pass. Of course, the Remote Watch Pass strips away other Plex Pass benefits, such as DVR functionality and downloads. The changes to remote streaming only apply to the upcoming “new experience” Plex apps, not the current (but soon to be deprecated) apps. We’re expecting Plex to make the switch to the new apps within the next few months, and Plex is reserving the right to eventually drop free remote streaming from its older apps, too. Plex also noted that the remote streaming changes apply only to “movie/TV/video” media, not to music or photos. The decision to move personal media streaming behind a paywall comes on the heels of Plex’s announcement that it was dropping “watch together” functionality from its “new experience” apps. While remote Plex Media Server streaming is going behind a paywall, a formerly paid Plex feature is about to be free. Plex’s revamped Android and iOS apps will no longer require a Plex Pass or a one-time $4.99 fee to remove playback restrictions. In its announcement, Plex said it’s hiking its prices to “keep up with rising costs” and “to ensure both Plex Pass and our support for personal media continue to thrive.” The latest changes to the Plex Pass are easily the biggest since the subscription program was rolled out 10 years ago. Among the features available with a Plex Pass subscription include using your Plex server as a DVR for over-the-air TV broadcasts, downloading Plex Media Server content for offline playback, the ability to use local hardware for HD and 4K video transcoding, ad skipping for recorded TV, real-time lyrics for tunes, and a dedicated app for monitoring your Plex server activity and performance.

Chris Wood: Oceania deserves direct entry to FIFA World Cup
The path to the World Cup has never been easier for the All Whites.

50 years of Polyfest: Meet the woman who’s been to every one
Polyfest pioneer “Mama Tupou” was there at the beginning in 1976, and is still going strong nearly 50 years later.

NZ’s sexual soul: How different cities express their sexual desires
OPINION: Our sexual character is very, very different depending on what town you’re in.

Ghosts and graveyards: On the trail of Tom Phillips
Why were police looking for fugitive father Tom Phillips in small settlements on the southern shores of Kawhia Harbour? A clue lies in a graveyard.

Applications per job ad reach new peak as hiring demand flattens
After a rise in January, job ads fell 2% in February, according a new report.

Oranga Tamariki gets 95,000 reports about possible at-risk children
"As people struggle to access primary healthcare, they show up at A&E and hospital, and those numbers spike. Similar, I have a sense, in the community, as services are harder to access, then people will revert to report of concern."

Nanoleaf’s PC bias lighting strip syncs to your screen without a camera
Nanoleaf is launching a new product called the PC Screen Mirror Lightstrip, reports The Verge, which features 75 color-changing LEDs and can be attached to the back of a computer monitor to create an immersive ambient lighting experience that also mirrors the screen’s content. The PC Screen Mirror Lightstrip connects to the computer’s USB port and doesn’t require a control box or camera. Designed for monitors up to 32 inches, the strip’s flexible, self-adhesive zigzag design makes for easy installation. It can also be customized for smaller screens by shortening it to the desired length. You can then customize colors and light animation and synchronize light with sound through the Nanoleaf app. If you pay up for a Nanoleaf Premium subscription, you also get access to advanced features like Orchestrator Mode for dynamic color palettes and animations. Nanoleaf’s PC Screen Mirror Lightstrip is currently available for pre-order at $49.99 and will ship towards the end of March.