Author: Press Room

A beachside community in Auckland will finally have its first pump track after the project was approved by the local board.Motivated by his three kids, Byron Scott has tried for years to build a pump track in the Maraetai and Beachlands area.He had the expertise through his company Trail Pro and the funds, but lacked the space to bring his dreams of a 360 square metre asphalt pump track to life.Until now.At Tuesday’s meeting, the Franklin Local Board approved Constellation Park as the location for the pump track, and Trail Pro’s contribution to cover 80% of the costs.Chair Angela Fulljames…

Aucklanders’ water bills are set to increase as Watercare prepares to become financially independent and spend billions of dollars improving the city’s water services.From July 1, 2025, the price an average Auckland household pays for water and wastewater services would go up 7.2% or $7 a month.But that is lower than the 25.8% price hike Auckland Council had proposed for water rates.Some Aucklanders RNZ spoke to in the CBD felt their water bills were already too high, but most were willing to pay more if it meant better service.”In New Zealand, we don’t spend enough on infrastructure,” Paul Kennedy said.…

Jordan O’Brien has had many near-death experiences. One moment stands out – the time he came seconds from being killed by a Russian rocket.”The image [I have] is the blinding flash of light that almost killed me. I wear a piece of a rocket that almost took my life and the lives of two of my mates,” he said.”It was 2am and I was on watch, and didn’t even hear it come in. It just hit the ground. And it’s just a blinding flash of light. And then I’m lying on my back, and I come to, and I thought…

Almost half of Brits would support the creation of a European army that included the UK, apart from Reform UK voters who are sticking close to the US. ADVERTISEMENTAs talks about bolstering the European Union’s defensive capabilities and production loom, a recent YouGov survey found that around 46% of British people would support the idea of the creation of a European army that includes the UK.  Of the 7,300 adults in Great Britain who were questioned, 28% do not support the idea. The individuals who ‘strongly support’ the idea are mainly located in Scotland and Wales, while those who ‘somewhat support’…

Police, including members of the negotiation team, are responding to an “active incident” at the Murupara police station this morning which has left at least one road closed.The scene is currently contained and police are “actively engaging” with one person, a spokesperson said.”A number of staff are in attendance including the police negotiation team.”We continue to ask the public to avoid the area.”Pine Dr, between Oregon Dr and Main Rd, remains closed.More to come

Lukashenko marked three decades in power last year and his political opponents have denounced the tightly orchestrated presidential election on 26 January as a farce. ADVERTISEMENTAlexander Lukashenko has been sworn in for a seventh consecutive term as president of Belarus at a ceremony in the capital Minsk.During the ceremony, Lukashenko poked fun at those who call him ‘Europe’s last dictator’ by claiming Belarus has more democracy “than those who cast themselves as its models.””Half of the world is dreaming about our ‘dictatorship,’ the dictatorship of real business and interests of our people,” Lukashenko said in his inauguration speech at the Independence…

By Susan Edmunds of RNZ New Zealanders are coming around to the idea that now is a good time to buy a house, Trade Me says – and a lack of suitable houses is still a big concern for buyers, even with listings at a 10-year high. It has released new data that shows two-thirds of people think it is a good time, compared with 53 percent in October 2024 and 55 percent in March 2023. Spokesperson Casey Wylde said the market was changing and people were feeling more confident. She said a falling official cash rate and retail interest…

A Christchurch landlord who rented out a property where daylight was visible through gaps in the walls and ceiling has been ordered to pay more than $13,000.An investigation into the Bishopdale property, managed by Trott Dairy Limited, was launched in July 2023 after the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s (MBIE) Tenancy Compliance and Investigations Team (TCIT) received a referral from the Christchurch City Council.Upon visiting the property, investigators found “various issues”, including a detached garage that had been unlawfully converted into a residential unit.The outside of the Bishopdale property, managed by Trott Dairy Limited. (Source: Supplied)Other issues included exposed…

A Dunedin-based photo printing firm — which has counted e-commerce giant Amazon among its customers — will continue to trade while liquidators explore the possibility of selling the business. Earlier this month, Trevor and Emma Laing, of Laing Insolvency Specialists, were appointed liquidators of Accelerando Ltd, which trades as HappyMoose, by shareholder resolution. In their first report to creditors and shareholders, the liquidators said a decision was made in October last year to sell the HappyMoose business and use the proceeds to fund the international expansion of Keepers Photos Ltd, which developed a photo storage application and was wholly owned…

A new Chinese tool capable of cutting the most fortified undersea data cable has stoked fears for the spider web of fibre-optic cables that are the lifeblood of the internet.A Chinese engineering journal said the breakthrough tool, which would be deployed by a drone, is for civilian salvages. But the South China Morning Post reported that it “could shake up global maritime power dynamics”.Prime Minister Christopher Luxon mentioned the risks facing subsea cables on his visit to India last week, while not referring to the Chinese tool.”In the last few months, a new threat has emerged, with damage to critical…