March 2026 — The Month in Summary

March 2026 was defined by war, weather, and historic milestones. The US-Israel air campaign against Iran entered its 30th day with more than 2,000 dead and three million displaced, as Yemen’s Houthis joined the conflict and a diplomatic push led by Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia struggled to find traction. Closer to home, Northland declared a state of emergency after two months of rain fell in 24 hours, forcing 500 evacuations and sending the Awanui River to its highest level since 1958. New Zealand’s economists sounded a stagflation alarm as unemployment climbed to a decade high of 5.4 per cent. In Bharat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made history as India’s longest-serving elected head of government at 8,931 cumulative days in office, while India’s private sector slowed to its weakest pace since 2022 as the Middle East conflict disrupted trade and pushed oil prices higher. Technology’s biggest story was the arrest of Supermicro’s co-founder over a $2.5 billion Nvidia chip smuggling plot — the largest US export enforcement action in years. Aotearoa’s Indian community celebrated Holi and Sri Rama Navami, India defended the T20 World Cup title in Ahmedabad, and Bollywood’s Dhurandhar 2 crossed Rs 1,255 crore in eleven days at the global box office.