Ben Strang

Some personal news: I am excited to be joining global news agency AFP next week as a correspondent covering Australia and the Pacific. So much happening in the world right now- AFP journalists are there on the ground reporting.

@Penny_kins @JamesMeagerMP @cjsbishop @Kieran_McAnulty @NZParliament @MaxBentleyTowle @mark_geenty @J_Blades_ @LukeRMalpass @AdamPearse13 That's a good shout actually. What would we say about allegations of media bias?

@BenJStrang @JamesMeagerMP @cjsbishop @Kieran_McAnulty @NZParliament @MaxBentleyTowle @mark_geenty @J_Blades_ @LukeRMalpass @AdamPearse13 Is Jimmy Ellingham umpiring?

Huge game this weekend. Rumour has it @JamesMeagerMP has roped in some tidy ring-ins. We'll have to be on top of our game... Sunday, 1.30pm, Basin Reserve @cjsbishop @Kieran_McAnulty @NZParliament

New achievement unlocked: Managed to drive through the Mt Vic tunnel without hearing one car horn. Bliss.

Perfect start to a new rugby season. A scrum within 30 seconds.

🇳🇿 Landslides plough into a home and a campsite in rain-swept northern New Zealand, killing at least two people and leaving others missing under tonnes of mud. ➡️ u.afp.com/SBdv

Didn't get to see him breakdancing with the All Blacks, but Scott Robertson has certainly thrown the team into a headspin...

All Blacks review: Ardie Savea future in doubt as NZ Rugby faces player revolt via ⁦@liamnapiernz⁩ nzherald.co.nz/sport/rugby/al…

Huge fan of every single story about extreme heat featuring a photo of either Oriental or Days Bay in Wellington, where there is no extreme heat.

New Zealand's critically endangered flightless parrot, the kakapo, has started breeding for the first time in four years u.afp.com/SXgH

Might be the last we see of Snicko...

21, 28, 0, 15, 29, 4, 2, 34, 27, 42 Ben Duckett's Ashes scores look like lottery numbers.

Strong looking @Blackcaps squad picked for the T20 World Cup. Big focus on spin, which makes sense when three of four pool matches are at Chepauk. Do think Tim Robinson is unlucky not to be there. france24.com/en/live-news/2…

🏏 Run-machine Travis Head hit a swashbuckling 163 and Steve Smith a composed unbeaten 129 as Australia built a 134-run lead over England to seize control on day three of the fifth and final Ashes Test on Tuesday. ➡️ u.afp.com/SXoi

The only possible audio accompaniment to a wicket that tops the pantheon of daftness... #WhyDidHeDoThat?

It's no real surprise, is it, that the world has turned to shit since they stopped making Girl Guide biscuits back in 2019.

President Donald Trump said Saturday that US forces had captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro after launching a "large scale strike" on the South American country. Trump added that he would give a news conference at 11:00 am (1600 GMT). jacarandafm.com/news/news/vene…

Two things I absolutely love from our news websites... - Spicy headlines that happen to be from March 2025 and are in a "best of" series, but you only find out after you click - News outlets telling you in the headline how they saved the day... "X happened, until we intervened"

Love to know how many of the dismissals, or balls in general, would have hit the stumps. Even a couple of the bowled dismissals were drag ons. Baffling how these teams have forgotten how to leave. Can’t blame the pitch for horrendous batting.

Were England over or under prepared for this one?