Author: Press Room

Graham Norton tells Hilary Barry about his audition with Peter Jackson, and how he keeps up the belly laughs and the A-list lineups on his enduring eponymous show. Somewhere buried deep in Sir Peter Jackson’s archive, chat show host Graham Norton believes there’s an audition tape with his name on it. “I think basically anyone who had an equity card in the UK got seen.” It was the late 90’s, and Sir Peter was casting for a little movie project called The Lord of the Rings.Norton auditioned for the part of Samwise Gamgee. If you’ve seen the films you’ll know…

The morning’s headlines in 90 seconds, including people missing after a house fire, a leading voice for conservation dies, and the new chubby champ of the internet. Two people are missing after a huge house fire in east Auckland. Dame Jane Goodall has died, aged 91. The Red Cross has stopped operating in Gaza City, saying it’s too dangerous. The White Ferns and Black Caps have both lost to Australia. Fat Bear Week has crowned a brand new champion.

ADVERTISEMENT European leaders concluded two days of back-to-back summits in Copenhagen that were marked by the obstructions of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, whose vetoes have hindered collective support for Ukraine and challenged unity at a precarious time when Russia ramps up its bombardment and the United States steps away. Despite pleas from other heads of state and government, Orbán flat-out refused to lift his veto on Ukraine’s membership bid to join the European Union, which has also prevented Moldova from advancing in the negotiations. Enlargement is entirely dependent on unanimity. An attempt by European Council President António Costa to…

Carpet maker Bremworth has struck a deal to sell its business to the world’s largest flooring manufacturer and owner of rival Godfrey Hirst. The listed company yesterday told the NZX it had entered an agreement with Mohawk Industries. Mohawk proposes via its subsidiary, Floorscape Limited, to buy 100% of its shares. This would deliver Bremworth shareholders an estimated range of $1.05 to $1.15 per share — a premium of up to 85% on the closing price before the announcement of the share takeover bid. A cash payment from Floorscape of 75c per share is included and a share buyback and…

The Warriors have apologised and removed a social media video after being called out by British media, which accused the team of mocking a woman’s stammer. The short clip, used by multiple sports social media pages around the world, showed influencer and advocate for people with stammers Jessie Yendle struggling to pronounce a word before transitioning to game highlights. German football club Borussia Dortmund and triathlon organiser Ironman also posted similar videos. The videos were part of the “unexpected edit” trend on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, where an unrelated clip is played before a surprise transition into a player’s…

Te Pāti Māori have been accused of operating a “dictatorship model” as Toitū Te Tiriti, one of its closest allies, cuts ties with the party.The comments came from the organisation’s spokesperson Eru Kapa-Kingi who said the movement is taking steps to no longer be politically aligned with Te Pāti Māori.”This was supposed to be a kaupapa for everyone, a kaupapa that leaves no one behind.” He said assumptions of political alignment had created problems, while recent controversies in Te Pāti Māori highlighted why Toitū Te Tiriti needed to draw a clear line.Kapa-Kingi, one of the lead organisers of the Toitū…

Residents at one of Rotorua’s pensioner housing blocks say they will not be signing new tenancy agreements until they receive assurances over rental fee increases.It comes amid confusion and anger regarding Rotorua Lakes Council’s new partnership with Ka Puta Ka Ora Emerge Aotearoa.The community housing organisation will take over property management responsibilities for the council-provided 152 housing units across six blocks in Ngongotahā, Fenton Park, Glenholme and Westbrook. The council will remain the landlord.Last August, Rotorua councillors unanimously voted to seek community housing providers for pensioner housing.The move was aimed at reducing the cost to the general ratepayer and improving…

A man is facing charges after allegedly attempting to smuggle 3.5kg of methamphetamine inside a cooking pot in his suitcase. The 59-year-old man arrived at Auckland Airport on a flight from China on September 27, where Customs officers questioned the man and conducted a baggage search. An x-ray revealed inconsistencies around the lining of a cooking pot that was in his suitcase. An x-ray revealed inconsistencies around the lining of a cooking pot that was in his suitcase. (Source: NZ Customs)Customs officers drilled into the bottom of the pot, uncovering a white crystal substance that tested positive for methamphetamine.Auckland Airport…

Rakaia’s iconic salmon sculpture will be restored to its former glory for almost $300,000.The need for a refurbishment was signalled to the Ashburton District Council in June last year when a structural and maintenance assessment showed the 12-metre-high statue needed a lot of work.Councillors voted to spend up to $297,000 from the Reserves Contribution Reserve for the refurbishment.The vote was a 6-3 split, which didn’t include a vote from Mayor Neil Brown, who had voiced his support for the project.”It’s iconic.”It’s been there for 30-odd years and puts Rakaia on the map.”I think Rakaia would be disappointed if it disappeared.”Brown…

ADVERTISEMENT Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán launched a new scathing attack against the majority of EU leaders over the plans to counter Russian incursions into member states’ airspaces, as discussed at the EU summit in Copenhagen on Wednesday. On his arrival at the European Political Community gathering in Copenhagen on Thursday, Orbán announced that “the EU has decided to go to war” and that at Wednesday’s informal EU summit, they presented their war strategy on how to defeat the Russians, which he labelled as “horrifying”. He referred to the EU leaders’ decision to give “broad support” to proposals to ramp…