Author: Press Room

“No one argues that you shouldn’t operate within a budget in a public organisation, but this is something you plan for and implement throughout the year. “This type of last minute, ‘Oh we’re a bit short, we have to do this,’ is classic poor management – and to do that in a hospital setting is just frankly irresponsible.” Campbell said it was unclear where the pressure to save money was coming from. “Unless it means that the government has now imposed some further restrictions on spending that weren’t there before, in which case it sheets home directly to the Minister of Health…

Russia launched 21 missiles allegedly targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure, according to Ukraine’s air force. ADVERTISEMENTUkraine’s air force said Russia launched 34 missiles against Ukraine overnight and 21 were shot down by Ukrainian air defences.Russia said its air defence systems had intercepted more than 60 Ukrainian drones over the southern Krasnodar region.In a post on Telegram, Minister of Energy Herman Halushchenko said energy facilities in Dnipropetrovsk in the south of the country and Ivano-Frankivsk and Lviv in the west had been attacked and that an engineer was injured.Private energy operator DTEK said four of its thermal power plants were damaged and …

Twenty-three boats were caught fishing in a protected area near Tauranga over the summer period — prompting the Bay of Plenty Regional Council to issue a reminder to skippers of the rules.Three offshore reefs surrounding Motiti Island have been protected since August 2021 after the council was instructed by the Environment Court to better look after the area.Regulatory compliance manager Matt Harrex said settled weather meant the regional council was able to conduct more regular patrols of the area.”While most of the interactions were first time occurrences, it was particularly disappointing to see two commercial charter boat operators fishing within…

There were two separate clusters of volcanoes in the Northland region – one around Whangārei and one through the Kaikohe and Bay of Islands area. Anyone driving out of Whangārei, through Kamo, would see “several little scoria cones, just like Mt Eden” – those were volcanoes, Leonard said. In Auckland’s south, the Pukekohe area had also seen “a lot of volcanism”, he said. “The beautiful soils there for growing vegetables are all volcanic. “That’s where it used to be [active] before Auckland and for some reason it migrated slowly up to Auckland.” Coromandel was also volcanic, but the field was now “basically extinct” as…

It is a big weekend ahead for a Western Southland town — adding to this year’s Anzac commemorations with a special anniversary of its own.Riverton Rugby Club is 150 years old.”Not too many clubs have made 150 years,” said Riverton Rugby Club’s David Cleaver.Fittingly, the seaside settlement has been remembering players and members associated with the club — who traded the field for the trenches in both World Wars.Jubilee organiser Murray Heath told 1News, “it was just a no-brainer to have this on Anzac weekend — to commemorate those who have been with us who have been to WWI and…

Wairarapa police are asking the public to get in touch if they’ve “suffered any property damage” following reports of “loud bangs” overnight. Officers received multiple calls about the noise in different suburbs of Masterton, a police spokesperson said on Saturday. The first call was made just after 3am from a property on South Rd in Solway, while the last call was made about 7:30am from a property in Lansdowne. “Initial information suggests a vehicle was also possibly in the area,” the spokesperson said. “Wairarapa Police are keen to hear from anyone who has suffered any property damage as we make…

The owners of the Shotover Jet have apologised “unreservedly” after their boats disrupted an Anzac Day service in Queenstown yesterday morning.Locals gathered on the Edith Cavell Bridge to commemorate those who have served but were disturbed by the sound of the tourist boats operating on the river below.Several attendees took to social media to blast the company for continuing to run boats while the ceremony took place.”Totally disrespectful, they should know better,” one commenter said.“We apologise unreservedly for the disturbance our boats created during today’s Anzac ceremony on the Edith Cavell bridge,” said Donald Boyer, business manager – Tumu Pākihi,…

A child is dead after a serious crash involving a vehicle in a driveway south of Auckland. Police were notified of the accident on Karaka Road at around 3:35pm on Saturday. They say the child died at the scene. “A section of Karaka Road is closed and enquiries are underway to determine what has occurred,” a police spokesperson said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with the family involved, and we are ensuring there is support available for them at this difficult time.” This crash comes just days after another child was killed in a serious driveway crash. Their death involved a vehicle…

After years of disuse, New Zealand’s National War Memorial will be restored with a multimillion-dollar earthquake strengthening project for the Carillon finally green-lit.The towering Carillon in Wellington’s War Memorial Park has been closed for the past four years due to fears of collapse in a significant earthquake, a major risk given the capital sat on a number of fault-lines.The 50m tall art deco tower was built in 1932 and was one of the most beautiful buildings in Wellington’s skyline.It housed 74 bronze bells, which weighed from just a few kilograms to several tonnes.The massive musical instrument used to be played…

“I actually spoke to him, and I said to him, ‘mate, there’s that many f**king cameras in here, the police are going to be here within two minutes’,” Molloy recalled to Newshub.   He told the man: “‘My advice to you would be to put that f**king thing away and get out of here as fast as you can’, and he just calmly put it down his pants and walked out the front.”  The former Auckland mayoral contender believed it was gang-related.  “Based on comments of the person with the gun was making towards the person who was – let’s describe…