Author: Press Room

In the pouring rain, construction started on State Highway 1 Ōtaki to North of Levin today.The four-lane highway – the northernmost section of the Wellington Northern Corridor – will span 24 kilometres when the project is set to be completed in 2029.Prime Minister Christopher Luxon was wearing Red Band gumboots, while Transport Minister Chris Bishop donned brown leather shoes as they turned the sod on the project.Ō2NL is crucial infrastructure, as Horowhenua Mayor Bernie Wanden pointed out, because the district is experiencing significant population growth.”We have long been undervalued and underappreciated, but this project is changing that,” Wanden said.”The last…

Published on 23/09/2025 – 16:47 GMT+2 ADVERTISEMENT Implementation of EU deforestation rules will be delayed for a second time, to December 2026, the European Commission announced on Tuesday, citing technical issues in the IT system dealing with the submission of due diligence statements by affected businesses. Environment Commissioner Jessika Roswall revealed the postponement of the EU’s anti-deforestation law by one year in a letter sent on Tuesday to lawmakers in the European Parliament and the European Council, claiming the IT system wouldn’t be able to handle the flow of information coming from economic operators that would arrive from 1 January…

Two bronze Labrador sculptures will be placed in downtown Invercargill, despite strong arguments against their new home.A notice of motion from departing Invercargill mayor Nobby Clark was approved with a narrow 7 – 6 vote at the final council meeting of the term on Tuesday.It means the sculptures, created with public money by Invercargill Public Art Trail Charitable Trust, will be installed at Esk St near other installations paying homage to the natural environment.Mana whenua representative Evelyn Cook said there were other places where the statues would fit, but not next to a weka, birds’ eggs, flounder/pātiki, kina or pāua.Kina…

Published on 23/09/2025 – 15:59 GMT+2 ADVERTISEMENT The EU is managing to “stabilise its relations with the US”, European Council President António Costa told journalists in a group interview in New York during the UN General Assembly. Costa touched on US reaffirmation of its commitment to NATO and Ukraine, and the trade deal struck between the EU and the US. “The 27 member states remain united in our relatiosn with the US,” said the Council president, noting that in January, “a lot of people were concerned about the risk of the United States’ withdrawal from NATO.” In June, Trump raised…

An Ashburton kite maker is in a race against time as he hopes to set a Guinness World Record for creating the world’s largest kite.Peter Lynn has been designing and building giant kites since the 1970s, but last year he was diagnosed with terminal cancer.Seven of his kites have been recognised as the biggest internationally – but now he’s looking for one more world title.One of kite maker Peter Lynn’s creations. (Source: 1News)His largest kite measures 1250sqm – and come February next year, he’ll be applying for the Guinness World Record.And time is of the essence. Last year, he and…

Published on 23/09/2025 – 13:15 GMT+2 •Updated 13:56 ADVERTISEMENT US President Donald Trump is seeking to impose his agenda and political programme on Europeans, according to a report published Tuesday by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR). According to the study’s author, Pawel Zerka, the US leader is utilising various channels to reorient the transatlantic relationship along the lines of his conservative values and discourse on freedom of expression. These are not all political disputes, but the visible part of a “culture war”, according to Zerka. “I don’t think anyone will question the fact that this administration is trying…

The SPCA is urging pet owners to reach out for help, after a litter of puppies was abandoned at its Nelson centre.Manager Amy Sturkenboom arrived at work on Friday to find four dogs were left in a cage on the property with an apology note written on a jumper tied to the outside.”I’m sorry I couldn’t shoot them. Forgive me,” it read.Figures from the SPCA show the number of animals surrendered to centres around the country increased by more than a third between 2023 and 2024, from 886 up to 1200.The puppies were left in a cage with a note…

Each year, thousands of hospital workers are assaulted on the job and new figures obtained by RNZ show a 30% rise in attacks in just two years.In the 12 months to June, 7777 assaults on Health NZ hospital staff were reported, but one frontline worker says the number could be even higher, as many workers don’t bother reporting incidents.However, Health NZ says it’s strengthened reporting procedures, and hospital security.Assaults ‘accepted part of workplace’NZ Nurses Organisation delegate Tracy Chisholm, who works at Waikato Hospital, told RNZ from what she’d seen, many assaults went unreported.”Finding the time to report an assault is…

The Meningitis Foundation is calling for urgent action after two people died from meningococcal meningitis in recent weeks.There were five confirmed cases of the illness over the past five weeks, including two deaths – the most recent occurring over the weekend. Foundation chairman Gerard Rushton said in a statement that the cluster of cases was a stark reminder of how devastating and fast-moving meningococcal disease could be.“The loss of three lives in such a short time is utterly heartbreaking. Every case of meningococcal disease is a tragedy but knowing that some of these deaths could have been prevented with wider…

Analysis: Welcome back to New York, Mr Peters. The country you visit this week is remarkably different to the one you visited last time we met. Leaders week at the United Nations is often a bit of a yawn-fest – a whole lot of politicking, yes, but ultimately the decision making made in that glass-covered 1940s building on 1st Ave feels like it has little impact on the lives on the people it says it represents. This year, however, feels very different – and the officials who work behind the scenes tell me they feel that way too. The laundry…