Good Things Are Happening
Signs of Hope In Aotearoa
🌿 Good News Aotearoa – Edition 24th July 2025
This week in New Zealand, the winds of progress, pride and people-powered change are blowing strong. From rugby fields to restored wetlands, from space law to four-day weeks, here’s your essential dose of hope, heart and homegrown brilliance.
🏉 All Blacks - Stronger Than Ever and Better for the Battle
On a crisp night in Hamilton, the All Blacks wrapped up a commanding 3–0 test series win over France, but it wasn’t easy. The final scoreline of 29–19 doesn’t tell the whole story. Down at halftime and facing a fiery French outfit known for their flair and unpredictability, New Zealand’s finest had to dig deep.
Coach Scott Robertson, always candid, praised his squad’s adaptability. “They brought a different shape than we’ve seen before,” he said. “And we’re better for it.” That’s classic Kiwi grit, learning under pressure and rising to the challenge.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing. Caleb Clarke’s series was cut short by an ankle injury, but in true All Blacks fashion, the next man up stepped in seamlessly. Among the standouts? Brodie McAlister, who scored a try on debut. Barrett brothers did what Barrett brothers do, bring calm and class when it’s needed most.
The series wasn’t just a win. It was a workshop in growth under fire. And the class of 2025 came out the better for it.
🚀 Watch This Space - New Laws Protect Kiwi Satellites
Over in Parliament this week, the stars aligned for New Zealand’s growing space sector - literally.
On 23 July, the Outer Space and High-Altitude Activities Amendment Bill passed into law. It might not have made the 6 o’clock news, but it’s a big deal. The new law tightens up licensing, security vetting and oversight of satellite-tracking operations here at home. Why? Because some foreign entities have been, let’s say, creatively vague about who’s really behind their facilities.
Minister Judith Collins said it plainly - “We want space activity to be safe, secure and responsible.” With more satellites launched every year, New Zealand is fast becoming a trusted hub for high-tech space operations. This law ensures we stay that way, future-focused, security-conscious and proudly sovereign.
🌊 From Creek to Community - Te Wai o Pareira Finds Its Voice
West Auckland has a quiet hero in the form of Rivercare Group Te Wai o Pareira, a community powerhouse restoring the once-neglected Henderson Creek.
Backed by renewed sponsorship from The Trusts, this coalition of volunteers, iwi, ecologists and schoolkids is turning muddy waterways into ecological taonga. They’ve planted over 2,000 native trees, tackled invasive weeds, monitored water quality and even helped install safety signage at local swim spots.
What makes this special isn’t just the mahi, it’s the how. The group blends mātauranga Māori with scientific method. It’s not just about restoration, but reconnection. People to place, knowledge to action.
If you ever wondered what happens when locals take the lead, look no further than the banks of this west Auckland awa.
🐦 Ōmokoroa - One Woman’s Crusade for a Pest-Free Paradise
Jacquie Ashton isn’t a household name, yet. But in the Bay of Plenty, she’s the force behind Pest-Free Ōmokoroa, a grassroots conservation effort that’s quietly changing the landscape.
Alongside hapū Pirirākau and a dedicated crew of volunteers, Jacquie’s work involves trapping pests, baiting tracks, planting natives and monitoring birds. It’s muddy, rewarding, often invisible work, but it’s paying off.
This week, she was recognised with a regional Environmental Leadership Award. Locals say it best - “She’s transformed not just the land, but our community,” said supporter Leonie Johnsen.
When conservation is woven into daily life, it becomes something bigger. In Jacquie’s case, it’s a legacy.
📚 Yesterday’s Headlines, Tomorrow’s Taonga
In an era of endless scrolls and auto-deleting snaps, one group is doing the opposite. Preserving Local History and Educational Trust is digitising regional newspapers from as far back as 1840.
Working with libraries, researchers and local museums, they’re uploading the stories, ads, photos and editorials of generations past to keep them accessible for future whānau. It’s not just nostalgia - it’s identity.
You can now search everything from small-town sports results in 1932 to editorials on rural droughts in the 1970s, all part of a massive effort to make Aotearoa’s community memory searchable, shareable, and secure.
As the Trust puts it, “We’re not just preserving paper, we’re preserving people’s lives.”
🧠 The 4‑Day Week Isn’t a Fantasy - It’s Working
Need a reason to smile on a Thursday? How about this - Kiwi businesses participating in a new global study have proven that the four-day week isn’t just possible, it’s better.
Part of a major international trial covering 141 organisations (including several in Aotearoa), the study found that moving to a 32-hour week with no pay cut led to -
less burnout
better sleep
more job satisfaction
and steady productivity
Backed by local academic Paula O’Kane from Otago University and published in Nature Human Behaviour, the research shows what many workers have long suspected, when people are well-rested and respected, they give their best.
The four-day week isn’t just a perk. It’s a productivity revolution with a human heart.
🧡 One Big Week. Many Good Things.
This week reminded us that good news isn’t just found in scorelines or speeches, it lives in muddy gumboots, digitised archives, office culture shifts and community planting days.
So wherever you are - in the office, on the whenua, or curled up with a cuppa, know that hope is alive and well in Aotearoa. And next week? There’s more where that came from.