Author: Press Room

Trail builders are three weeks away from opening the newest section of the Mountains to Sea – Ngā Ara Tūhono Great Ride cycle trail.When complete, the 29.4km Te Hangāruru Cycle Trail will deliver the infamous “missing link” in a multi-day adventure ride, starting on the volcanic slopes of Mt Ruapehu and ending at the Tasman Sea in Whanganui.Iwi collective Te Korowai o Wainuiārua is working with the Ruapehu District Council and other stakeholders in the central North Island to build the trail connecting Waimarino (formerly National Park village) to Horopito, and eventually to Pōkākā.Trail manager Lynley Twyman said construction of…

By Euronews with AP Published on 30/05/2025 – 23:11 GMT+2ADVERTISEMENTPoland’s two presidential candidates held their last election campaigns on Friday ahead of a runoff vote on Sunday. It will follow a first round on May 18, in which Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski won more than 31% of the vote and Karol Nawrocki, a conservative historian, earned nearly 30%. Eleven other candidates were eliminated. In the seaside city of Gdansk, Trzaskowski referenced the city’s role in the Solidarity movement while addressing supporters. “We all remember the shipyard workers who said, ‘enough fear, enough lies, enough contempt.’ Today, once again, we must stand together,” he said. “For you,…

Loretta Swit, who won two Emmy Awards playing Major Margaret Houlihan, the demanding head nurse of a behind-the-lines surgical unit during the Korean War on the pioneering hit TV series M.A.S.H., has died. She was 87.Publicist Harlan Boll says Swit died Saturday at her home in New York City, likely from natural causes.Swit and Alan Alda were the longest-serving cast members on M.A.S.H., which was based on Robert Altman’s 1970 film, which was itself based on a novel by Richard Hooker, the pseudonym of H. Richard Hornberger.The CBS show aired for 11 years from 1972 to 1983, revolving around life…

Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence says the body of the latest New Zealander killed in its war remains missing.As 1News reported exclusively on Thursday, Shan-Le Kearns was recently killed in Ukraine. However, it remained unclear whether his family will be able to say a proper goodbye.Today, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon described Kearns’ death as an “absolute tragedy”, but couldn’t say what, if anything, could be done to bring him home.Shan-Le Kearns. (Source: Supplied)“We haven’t had official confirmation from the Ukranian authorities so it’s not appropriate for me to comment too much further,” said Luxon.While his remains were still believed to be…

Businessman   Never far away from controversy, Sir Robert Jones was a mass of contradictions. A wildly outspoken man who fiercely guarded his privacy, a man who was an active participant in public life but was a prolific giver behind the scenes, a tycoon with a state house neighbourhood background, Robert Edward Jones was a complex but fascinating man who regularly defied the public perception of him, Born in Lower Hutt into a poor but talented family (novelist Lloyd Jones is a sibling), Jones was a foundation pupil of Naenae College and one of just 10 of that intake to…

A pipe carrying treated wastewater has failed in Raglan.A member of the public notified Waikato District Council this morning that the pipe was exposed at the point where it exits the dunes into Raglan Harbour.  “Watercare responded promptly and identified the failure at a bend in the pipe,” the council said.”The treated discharge has eroded the surrounding sand dune back to the point where the remaining pipe is exposed.(Source: Waikato District Council)”It is currently unclear exactly when the failure occurred, but the last known discharge was during the outgoing tide last night.”All discharge flows are paused, and the area is…

At an Institute of Directors-organised informal lunch for women in governance this week, Dunedin’s Rachel McLauchlan spoke about her governance career and offered advice for aspiring directors. Business editor Sally Rae was there. Being asked to join a board is a privilege and aspiring directors need to understand it is a huge responsibility that must be taken seriously, Rachel McLauchlan says. Since returning to Dunedin 14 years ago after a decade working in London, Ms McLauchlan has developed a strong interest in governance across various sectors including property, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), manufacturing, technology and education. Responsibility for board decisions sat with everyone. “It’s…

Almost 400 pieces and boulders of pounamu illegally taken from the Jackson River have been recovered, following a tipoff from a member of the public.In a statement, police said Inspector Tracey Wharehoka was notified by Te Rūnanga o Makaawhio, representing the local hapū Ngāi Māhaki, that a vehicle had been seen heading up the river on May 28.It appeared the occupants were collecting pounamu, police said.A 1kg piece of raw pounamu could fetch $100.Public fossicking for pounamu was only allowed only on beaches. Rivers were able to be fossicked by Ngāi Tahu members, but only with a permit from their…

What started as a small hustle on the side of her wine-making business has grown to be the main focus for Bannockburn’s Debra Cruickshank. Business editor Sally Rae pays her a visit. She is the undisputed Queen of Port. Not only in her adopted home town of Bannockburn but now also nationally as New Zealand’s largest producer of port. Debra Cruickshank is a force of nature; the one-woman show behind Tannacrieff Wines, producing port with a smile in the heart of Central Otago. Behind the smile has also been much pain, with an eventual diagnosis of the chronic inflammatory bowel condition…

Police are planning to respond to “anti-social road user gatherings” expected to take place across the country over the King’s Birthday weekend.It said the plans were in place to “help ensure safety for all”.On King’s Birthday weekend last year, a Levin boy racer event took place where a spectator being struck by the back of a car doing burnouts. The person was flung into the air before landing heavily on the road. Another person was knocked over by a car that mounted a footpath. Video from the event shows onlookers being wiped out by cars driving dangerously. (Source: 1News)A local…