Author: Press Room

This week, workers on State Highway 43 in the Central North Island completed the final seal of the road, making it the final stretch of state highway to be tar-sealed.”Watching that last bit of tar seal go down was really emotional for me,” site traffic management worker Raylene Quinn said.(Source: 1News)Now, all of New Zealand’s official state highways are now sealed. It’s except for a section of gravel on SH38 north of Wairoa however, as the stretch of road is classified as a special purpose road and managed by the council – making it a grey area. The completed sealing…

Police are investigating after a bar on Auckland’s North Shore was robbed overnight by two offenders allegedly armed with guns demanding cash. Police were called to the Lake Road premises in Hauraki at about midnight. Police said two people allegedly entered the bar armed with guns and demanded cash before fleeing on electric scooters.There were no injuries reported. “A scene examination will be undertaken this morning, and enquiries to locate the parties involved are ongoing.”

Police say a training facility for new recruits in Auckland will open this year.Police Commissioner Richard Chambers said the extra training facility, alongside the Police College in Porirua, was a step towards delivering on a target of 500 extra officers.He made the announcement before running in Auckland’s Round the Bays run on Sunday morning.”Having a training wing open in Auckland is an important part of our plan,” he said. “We know that being away from home for 20 weeks has been a deterrent for many people wanting to join police.”Police had been working to reduce the time between applying for…

A person was found with critical injuries in Hamilton following a report of “a group of people fighting” in the early hours of this morning. Police were called to Insoll Ave in Enderley at around 2.40am. One person was found with critical injuries and taken to hospital, where they remain in a “critical but stable condition”. “Enquiries are ongoing into the circumstances of the incident and to locate all those involved.”Assault in Palmerston NorthIn Palmerston North yesterday, a man was taken to hospital with critical injuries following a serious assault. The man was found injured at an address in Clovera.…

New Zealand artists are being told to “keep an eye on Temu” to make sure their work is not being duplicated and sold on the giant online shopping platform.A copy of New Zealand artist Giselle Clarkson’s “Fish Species of New Zealand” poster was being sold on Temu this week for $7.44.It is for sale in the endemicworld gallery in Ponsonby for $59.Owner of endemicworld Elliot Alexander said it was an ongoing problem.”It’s a continuation of something that’s always been around, but the speed of that is going to change so rapidly.”People buying art needed to be aware and make sure…

Former Prime Minister and SIS minister Helen Clark has questioned New Zealand’s continued involvement in the Five Eyes intelligence network, describing it as “out of control”.It comes amid traditional allies and partners of the United States showing increased concern about how long-standing relationships are being handled by President Donald Trump. In an interview with Q+A, Clark said the Five Eyes had strayed beyond its original brief of being merely a coordinating group for intelligence agencies in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, and New Zealand. “There’s been some talk in the media that Trump might want to evict Canada from it……

Ukrainian soldiers say there needs to be compromises on both the US and Ukraine’s parts to bring about a possible end to the war. ADVERTISEMENTSoldiers of the 92nd Assault Brigade of Ukraine reflected on Saturday on the public spat between US President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a day prior.A soldier nicknamed “Edo” told the Associated Press that “many politicians don’t even know what’s happening her, which is why conflicts like the one that happened yesterday arise”.Edo says that everyone should do their part, soldiers should only focus on fighting, and politicians should travel and negotiate to ensure…

Residents who were evacuated from Waipoua will begin to return home from tonight after a large vegetation fire was contained, Fire and Emergency NZ says.It also confirmed that New Zealand’s largest known living kauri tree, Tāne Mahuta, was safe.The fire remains 91 hectares in size with a 5.8km perimeter.Incident Commander Phil Larcombe said an “extensive firefighting effort” over the last five days had contained the blaze.”Today’s objective is to keep it that way.”Ninety-six firefighters and heavy machinery were targeting hot spots, which overnight thermal imaging showed had dropped in temperature.Larcombe said the goal was to go “big and hard” over…

Hundreds of car enthusiasts descended on Christchurch this weekend, with police out in droves to make sure all the extra cars didn’t cause mayhem on the city’s streets.The Chrome Expression session runs between February 28 and March 2 at the Euromarque Motorsport Park and purports to be the country’s “biggest and baddest horsepower festival”.A strong police presence was felt across the Garden City on Friday night with officers monitoring impromptu car meets and conducting roadside checks.One large gathering on Moorhouse Ave was broken up as police descended with lights and sirens, ensuring no illegal activity could take place.Sergeant Ben Rutherford…

European officials continue to express their solidarity with Ukraine after a highly tense meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy in the White House escalated into a shouting match. ADVERTISEMENTThe last day of February 2025 will be remembered, very likely for decades to come following Friday’s shocking debacle in the Oval Office, as US President Donald Trump and VP JD Vance, berated Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a highly anticipated meeting.What started out as a calm and normal meeting later escalated with Vance accusing Zelenskyy of being ungrateful and disrespectful to the United States, as Zelenskyy urged the US to continue standing by…