Author: Press Room

A man was shot in the shoulder by police in Wellington this afternoon after allegedly threatening residents with a “large, bladed” weapon and barricading himself inside a home.The incident prompted a major armed police response, including the use of pepper spray, tasers, and a police dog, before the man was taken into custody.Police were called at around 12.35pm to Anne St in the suburb of Wadestown after a report of a man entering a house with a large, bladed weapon and attempting to steal a vehicle.When confronted by the occupants, he allegedly began damaging the property, a police spokesperson said.Officers…

Wilding pines have been rapidly multiplying in the South Island high country, with fears their spread will soon become uncontrollable.Ten species of wilding conifers, most prominent in southern Marlborough, were on track to infest vast swathes of the South Island.Their seeds could travel long distances in the wind and needed no special conditions to grow, according to the Department of Conservation website. They took over farmland, sucked up water needed for horticulture, and wiped out native diversity.South Marlborough Landscape Restoration Trust chairperson John Oswald called it the country’s “worst environmental disaster”.“There’s nothing introduced that has done as much damage as…

Auckland mayor Wayne Brown has defended a refusal to attend several local election candidates’ debates, while his most prominent challenger, councillor Kerrin Leoni, was questioned on the funding of her rates cap pledge. Both appeared on Q+A this week in separate interviews as voting’s underway in this year’s local elections. The two are the only candidates in a field of 12 running for mayor who are already voices around the council table and have emerged as frontrunners in the race.Brown, the incumbent, was first elected in 2022 and said he liked being mayor only “at times”. He defended his apparent…

Oxford University has honoured Mākereti Papakura, believed to be the first indigenous woman to study at the institution, with a posthumous degree nearly 100 years after she attended. Over 100 people from Aotearoa New Zealand flew over to attend the graduation ceremony which took place overnight in the UK. Papakura’s descendants were presented with her Master’s in Philosophy from the School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography at Oxford. Born in 1873, Papakura matriculated to the university in 1927 where she studied anthropology at the Pitt Rivers Museum. Her thesis explored the customs and practices of Te Arawa from a female…

Many recent first-home buyers are stuck with their current lenders, mortgage advisers say.The falling housing market of recent years has helped new buyers get into the market, but those who bought their homes before prices fell from their post-pandemic peak or early into the downturn have had the equity reduced significantly.That is not generally a problem, if they do not need to sell their houses and are not struggling with the mortgage, but it often means they cannot move to another lender.At the moment, banks are competing hard for new business, by offering cashback incentives of many thousands of dollars.Squirrel…

New Zealand will not be recognising Palestinian statehood at this time, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced at the United Nations in New York.“With a war raging, Hamas still in place, and no clarity on next steps, we do not think that time is now,” he said in his address to the UN General Assembly.“We desperately want diplomacy to succeed, and we believe it is those countries with leverage who are most likely to achieve a breakthrough. That would show global leadership,” said Peters.Peters’ musical analogy as he announces Palestinian statehood stance – watch on TVNZ+He also announced a further…

Police in Northland are seeking information on a vehicle believed to be connected to a fire in Whangārei earlier this week. Emergency services were called to the fire at an address on Raumanga Valley Road in Raumanga at around 6.20am on Wednesday. Police said all five occupants were asleep when a couch on the front deck was “deliberately” set alight. They were evacuated safely, and no injuries were reported. Sergeant Shane Pilmer said witnesses described seeing a white or silver-coloured vehicle around the time of the fire.”We are interested in hearing from anyone who may have seen this white or…

A New Zealander helping deliver aid in Ukraine says swarms of drones have changed the war beyond recognition, and humanitarian workers are increasingly targets.Tenby Powell – founder of charity Kiwi KARE – returned to Ukraine in July, and what he found was a completely different war.”Almost unrecognisable. And unrecognisable because of the proliferation of drones. It’s just been an exponential increase in drone activity,” Powell said.”While it was present to a degree late last year, now they’re everywhere – and often in swarms.”He said the drones carried “many kilograms of high explosives” and as a result could inflict “incredible damage”.Their…

An event at the University of Canterbury has raised more than $85,000 for men’s mental health.The 72-hour “runathon” – called Run72 – was held on the campus from Tuesday to Friday.It is the fifth year that the organiser Lads Without Labels has hosted the event. The not-for-profit charity’s co-president Oscar Bloom said it was the biggest one yet.”It was record-breakingly large,” he said. “Every year Run72 has gotten bigger, and this year was no exception.”More than 3000 people took part in the event, with a collective 75,000km ran – “which said a lot about our community, and our kaupapa, and…

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is expected to speak to media after Foreign Minister Winston Peters announced New Zealand’s position not to recognise a Palestinian state at this time.Speaking from the UN General Assembly in New York, Peters said: “With a war raging, Hamas still in place, and no clarity on next steps, we do not think that time is now”.The decision breaks with many of New Zealand’s closest allies, including Australia and the United Kingdom, as well as a majority of UN member states who now recognise Palestinian statehood.A much smaller number of other partners, including Japan, Korea, Singapore, and…