Your News of Zealand: the Economic Benefit of Legalising Weed and a Kiwi Athlete is Kidnapped in Rio

Bill English Doesn't Care That Legal Marijuana Could Make the Government $150 Million a Year
A Treasury report has revealed the legalisation of marijuana would save $400 million on drug prohibition enforcement as well as generate an extra $150 million in tax revenue. Nelson lawyer Sue Grey requested informal notes from the Treasury via the Official Information Act in hopes marijuana would become an election issue. Not only did Treasury not that drug reform "isn't a particularly radical idea," it also revealed there are no clear negative impacts associated with drug reform. Despite several politicians openly advocating legalisation, Financial Minister Bill English has issued a firm "no" to decriminalised marijuana in New Zealand.

Kiwi Athlete Kidnapped in Rio and Forced to Withdraw Cash
New Zealand sportsman Jason Lee was kidnapped yesterday by people dressed as Policia Militiar and driven to multiple ATMs to withdraw a large sum as a bribe to avoid arrest. Lee, who has been living in Rio for the past 10 months to pursue Jiu-Jitsu training full-time, expressed his worries on Facebook for the safety of tourists travelling to Rio for the Olympics beginning next week. "I'm not sure what's more depressing, the fact this stuff is happening to foreigners so close to the Olympic Games or the fact that Brazilians have to live in a society that enables this absolute bullshit on a daily basis. This place is well and truly f***ked in every sense of the word imaginable."

Northland Thieves Have Stolen Roughly $500k Worth of Beehives
A Northland company is offering a $20,000 reward after one million of their bees were stolen from Topuni forest last week. CEO of Apiculture New Zealand, Daniel Paul said although beehive theft is no easy feat, it's happening with increasing regularity. "You're going to need to know what you're doing, you're going to have to have some sort of experience of bees to start. They're probably doing it at night, when the bees are asleep anyway." Paul said a theft of this degree could equate to a loss of roughly half a million dollars for owners Watson and Son Ltd, with one hive producing 40kgs of honey a year. The value of the honey export industry has doubled in the past four years, with top grade honey now fetching $80-$100 a kilogram. Daniel Paul said Apiculture NZ will work with police to find out what solutions can be put in place to prevent future theft.

Environment Minister Nick Smith Has Admitted to Accidentally Gargling Paint Stripper
In his campaign for better labelling of hazardous substances, Nick Smith confessed he once confused paint stripper left in his bathroom by a tradesman for mouth wash. The poison injured his vocal chords and burned his throat. "We need people to be careful not to casually leave chemicals around and not to store them in unlabelled containers," said the environment minister. Smith did admit there had been "good progress" made recently—new figures show a 40 per cent drop in the number of children hospitalised with substance injuries—but maintains small children are still extremely vulnerable.

Gang Member Wants to Rid His Unhealthy Lifestyle of Fatty Food
Anaru 'Fats' Moke, member of the notorious Mongrel Mob has embarked on a journey to lose weight after a shock diabetes test suggested he may not make it to his children's 21st birthdays. Moke's blood sugar level, which should be below eight, was sitting around 20.2. His doctor said if 'Fats' continued this way the impending reality would be limb amputation. "If we can do something with [Fats] now, we're more likely to save his life rather than waiting ten years down the track when I'm trying to amputate his legs or something." The mobster has just completed a six week course in healthy living and has already seen vast improvements. "I just want to live…watch my mokos grow up, play rugby league…I just want to be there for them. Simple as that."

And in case you missed it, this is what's been going on at VICE New Zealand.

We Asked New Zealand's Millennial Millionaire How to Get Rich
"Don't waste your energy worrying about making ripples." At 21, Jamie Beaton runs an international tutoring business and is already knocking on the door of New Zealand's rich list.

Soon You'll Need $1 Million to Buy a House
As the price of a bog standard house in Auckland nears one million bucks and the flow-on effect pushes prices up around the country, politicians are under increasing pressure to make homes more affordable.

Miss June Explore the Real Life Anxiety of Being in a Band
Annabel Liddell shines a light on the hidden fears behind the Auckland band's new single Anxiety on Repeat. "I couldn't touch a guitar, my mental health was just shot-to-shit."

VICE Writers Talk Politics With Their Parents
Old people are voting more than young people in New Zealand. To find out how this enrolment gap could affect outcomes for young people, we asked VICE writers and their parents to explore local issues through a generational lens.

Why Rich New Zealanders Can No Longer Hide Wealth From Their Exes
We spoke to the Auckland lawyer who won big in the Supreme Court and created a precedent which will make it harder for money-hogging spouses to hide their wealth away in trusts after a split.

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