Author: Press Room

Published on 29/06/2025 – 17:21 GMT+2ADVERTISEMENTEurope is celebrating its flag:Twelve golden stars, explicitly, and in contrast to some national flags, not representing member states or units but “the ideals of unity, solidarity and harmony among the peoples of Europe”, how the European Commission website puts it.In 1983, towards the tail end of its first legislature as a directly elected law-making body, the European Parliament decided to adopt it as the symbol of what we now know as the EU but was then still known as the European Communities.Two years later, the European Council, the representatives of the then ten member…

Flooded communities in the Nelson-Tasman region remain cut off tonight as the full extent of the clean-up becomes clearer across the top of the South Island.Farmland in Tapawera, 75 kilometres southwest of Nelson, was still submerged following the torrential rain across the region, with a boil water notice in place, and a warning to treat all water as contaminated.The rain has eased for now, and roads are slowly beginning to reopen.Flattened fences with heavy debris show the power of the water which rushed onto one Tapawera farm.Its owner, Dion McGaveston, said he has never seen anything like it.”It was raging…

A Māori family returns to a small North Island town after living in London in the bilingual and slightly supernatural TV show Dead Ahead.Writer and co-creator Scotty Cotter (Tainui, Fiji, Scottish) hopes the show will deliver plenty of laughs and also some insight into the Māori belief that our tūpuna (ancestors) walk “right next to us”.”It’s not seeing them, but having a sense of them there – that is what I really wanted to touch on – keeping them near us and keeping us connected with them,” he tells Saturday Morning.Scotty Cotter as school principal Matua Kare in the new…

People who assault on-duty police officers, firefighters, paramedics, or prison officers would face longer prison sentences under new criminal offences announced by the Government today.Under the proposed legislation, an existing provision for assaulting police would be expanded to cover paramedics, firefighters and prison officers with a maximum sentence of up to three years’ imprisonment.Those who assault with intent to injure will face up to five years, while those who injure with intent could receive up to seven years — an offence that will also trigger the Three Strikes regime, requiring mandatory minimum sentences.Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith said first responders ran…

The sister of a missing Waikato 17-year-old says it’s out-of-character for Whetu Bennett to run away without keeping in contact with whānau.Janet Jones said she was distraught at her “baby sister’s” disappearance from outside an Auckland mall at midday on Tuesday.Whetu grew up in Te Awamutu and had been living with her mother in Morrinsville before moving to Auckland three weeks ago with her 28-year-old boyfriend.Speaking to RNZ from Auckland on Sunday, where the family was gathering to search for Whetu, Jones said the couple had been in a relationship for more than two years.”They were going to start a…

More KiwiSaver schemes allow investors to choose their own investments – but should you do it?This week, Sharesies expanded its ‘self select’ KiwiSaver option to include US shares and exchange-traded funds. Members can now add more than 150 New Zealand and US investments to their KiwiSaver portfolios, alongside ‘base funds’.Up to half a KiwiSaver member’s plan can be allocated to their own investment picks, with a maximum of 5% in each pick.To varying degrees, Craigs Investment Partners, NZ Funds, Nikko, InvestNow, Kernel and KiwiWRAP also allow investors to select where their money goes.Sharesies super and funds general manager Matt McPherson…

Rail Minister Winston Peters has confirmed a Māori land block south of Whangārei will not be acquired by the Government to build the Marsden Point Rail Link project. The 80-acre area is one of the last plots of Māori freehold land in the Parawhau hapū rohe and is owned by the Kopuwaiwaha Block 2B2 Trust.Chairperson Mere Kepa told 1News earlier this month she had long feared it would be compulsorily acquired under the Public Works Act to build the project.The 19km spur would connect Northport at Marsden Point to the national rail network. In a statement, earlier this month, KiwiRail…

Politicians promising to slash and reduce council rates are touting a “fantasy” given the reality of local government finances, says Hamilton City’s outgoing mayor.Councils across the country are facing mounting pressure from ratepayers demanding lower bills amid cost of living pressure. Double-digit rate hikes in the past several years have been blamed on rising costs and underinvestment in infrastructure. Panellists on Q+A’s local elections special this week suggested that councils were facing real financial pressure.Paula Southgate, who has been Hamilton’s mayor for the past six years, said she believed candidates pledging zero rate rises or to go further and cut…

The daughter of a New Plymouth councillor is claiming a victory of sorts, after facing a hefty fine and a years-long battle with the council over who was responsible for a massive pōhutukawa outside her home.Lines company Powerco has sent in contractors to remove the 15 metre-tall pōhutukawa at no cost, after it had grown through powerlines on Ballance St.Alana Brough, who is the daughter of first-term councillor Max Brough, was overjoyed and baked for the contractors, who were bringing down the tree in the rain.”The tree’s coming down, whoohoo,” she said. “I had a phone call from Powerco to…

Abilities Group employees left “heartbroken” when their factory went up in flames on Auckland’s North Shore two months ago are finally back to doing what they love. The fire tore through the charities’ recycling depot building in Wairau Valley shortly before 5.30pm on April 24, prompting beaches to close and leaving the workers without jobs, income or purpose. At the time, Abilities Group managing director Peter Fraher said the fire destroyed critical equipment and spaces essential to daily operations, and “the impact on the team has been immense”.”Abilities is more than a workplace — it’s a supportive environment where disabled…