Author: Press Room

A man has been charged after allegedly placing three puppies into a bag and punching them near an Auckland train station on Sunday.Police said they were called to the scene near Parnell Train Station just before 7pm yesterday by members of the public, who reported seeing a man making threats to seriously harm the puppies in his possession, Senior Sergeant Dave Plunkett said.”Camera operators tracking the incident on CCTV reportedly saw the man put the puppies into a bag and punch them.”Shortly after, police intercepted the man on Cheshire St and arrested him.The puppies were taken to the Auckland City…

A gastropub north of Auckland has lost its right to sell alcohol after renewal applications for both its on and off licences were rejected by a district licensing committee.The District Licensing Committee (DLC) released its decision on September 19, declining off and on licence renewals for Parāoa Brewing Company at Whangaparāoa Rd, Stanmore Bay.Residents Richard and Vivan Field strongly opposed the renewals, complaining of the noise at night, particularly from live bands and events.At a hearing in August, the couple said they had complained to the owners for years and had spent $8000 to soundproof their home.”We shouldn’t have to…

The Government has announced an overhaul to the classification of earthquake-prone buildings, introducing a new system that will see thousands of buildings moved out of the regime. Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk revealed the “refocus” of the system for earthquake-prone buildings alongside Prime Minister Christopher Luxon at an announcement in Wellington this afternoon. The previously teased changes to the rules would “reduce repair costs and reinvigorate communities,” Penk said in his announcement, suggesting the new system would save more than $8 billion that would otherwise be spent on demolition and remediation.Under the changes, existing New Building Standard (NBS) percentage…

A new case of measles has been found in Queenstown.The case has no known links to the four cases in Northland.The new case is likely linked to overseas travel and is currently in isolation, Heath NZ says.Possible exposure locations and close contacts are still being identified.High school production a location of interest in Northland casesThere are four cases of measles in Northland.While they are no longer infectious people are being urged to monitor for symptoms such as a fever, cough, runny nose, sore eyes and rash.A new location of interest has been identified as the Kerikeri High School “Monsters” production…

Bad Bunny will bring his Latin trap and reggaeton swagger to the NFL’s biggest stage next year: The Grammy winner will headline the Apple Music Super Bowl halftime show in Northern California.The NFL, Apple Music and Roc Nation announced today that Bad Bunny will lead the halftime festivities from Levi’s Stadium on February 8 in Santa Clara, California.The Puerto Rican superstar’s selection comes amid another career-defining run: He’s fresh off a historic Puerto Rico residency this month that drew more than half a million fans and is leading all nominees at the Latin Grammys in November. He has become one…

A New Zealand–led medical trial is being hailed as a global breakthrough, with doctors saying the findings could rewrite asthma care guidelines worldwide.The landmark study, published in The Lancet, involved 360 children aged 5–15 across New Zealand.It found that a single 2-in-1 inhaler, already prescribed for adults, reduced childhood asthma attacks by nearly half compared to the widely-used salbutamol treatment.For 10-year-old Harriett Linforth-Hall, who took part in the trial, the difference was life-changing.“The only after-school activity I ever had was swimming and I couldn’t run around usually without having to take at least three puffs of my inhaler,” she said.“It…

More than 3500 rivers, lakes and estuaries across Aotearoa are under pressure, with new data showing widespread faecal contamination and poor water quality — especially in areas of intensive land use.The findings come from the Land, Air, Water Aotearoa (LAWA) project, which today released updated water quality results to mark World Rivers Day. For the first time, New Zealanders can explore 20-year trends in freshwater health at around 1200 sites, thanks to long-term monitoring by regional and unitary councils.The data shows two-thirds of monitored river sites and half of groundwater bores are affected by E. coli contamination, while two-thirds of…

By Susan Edmunds of RNZ Workers First Union says it has had to take on a number of retail chain stores over employees’ rights to have a drink bottle at work – and it says if supermarket checkout operators aren’t being allowed drink bottles it will tackle that too. A Reddit post at the weekend claimed New World checkout operators were not being allowed drink bottles while they worked. Foodstuffs, which operates the New World and Pak’nSave brands, have been approached for comment. The supermarkets were operated by individual owner-operators. Rudd Hughes, Workers First Union deputy secretary said the Foodstuffs…

With many charities struggling to make ends meet, a Nelson man came up with a whacky way to do just that by riding 86km on ride-on lawnmowers. The Molesworth Rampage is in its second year after raising $68,000 in 2024 for the Nelson Tasman Hospice and Nelson Cancer Society Tasman. Dozens of riders and their decorated ride-on lawnmowers drove from the Molesworth Station through to Hanmer Springs. It’s the brain child of Nelson business man Stuart Newport who came up with the idea one Sunday afternoon in his garage. “It’s like a bunch of big kids really,” he said. “I…

More than 500 digital billboards across New Zealand will now display MetService’s real-time warning information, alongside safety messaging from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), during severe weather events.MetService sales manager Kathryn Blackmore said New Zealanders already received information about severe weather warnings through MetService’s app and website, as well as through radio, TV and social media – and digital billboards were another way to get that messaging across to the general public.”The digital billboards will help increase people’s awareness of our severe weather warnings and the messaging from NEMA means people have the information they need to stay safe,”…