Author: Press Room

A school principal says one of his classes had numbers cut by half after a gastroenteritis outbreak at a Canterbury campground.Six children were hospitalised, 10 people were sick, and 37 others were probably sick from E.coli contaminated water at Hanmer Springs Forest Camp last month.Water regulator Taumata Arowai has described the E.coli contamination as “the worst case scenario” and said the camp’s drinking water supply was the likely source of the illness.St Martin’s principal Andrew Mouat said around 120 year five and six students attended camp in the second to last week of last term.The school noticed more children than…

Almost 200 parents applied for the long-term parent visa in the two weeks after it was launched.The parent boost visa offers parents of New Zealand citizens and residents a stay of up to five years in New Zealand.A total of 198 applications came in during the first fortnight, and four of them were approved in principle.”While it does not provide a pathway to residence, it offers a meaningful way for families to spend extended time together,” said Immigration New Zealand visas director Jock Gilray. “Sponsorship and insurance are required.”The Government expects between 2000-10,000 applications per year, with a model based…

Firefighters have extinguished a blaze near Whangārei overnight after a reportedly stolen car was found alight. Police said emergency services received reports of a stolen vehicle on fire on Cemetery Rd, in Maungatapere at around 11.20pm on Friday. The car was reportedly stolen. (Source: 1News)A Fire and Emergency New Zealand crew from Whangārei responded, and found the hybrid vehicle well alight on arrival. Firefighters extinguished the blaze around 1am, and police also attended. A member of the public told 1News the fire “could’ve spread” as the car was “surrounded by reasonably dry hay”.

A person has died and two others are in hospital after a boat overturned in Port Waikato this morning. Emergency services received reports of three people in the water at Lake Puketi at around 7.15am. In an update this afternoon, police confirmed one person had died after being airlifted to hospital.Surf Life Saving New Zealand said it responded to a vessel that had capsized in the water with lifeguards from Surf Life Saving Kariaotahi and Sunset Beach Lifeguard Service. Hato Hone St John told 1News responded with three helicopters, one ambulance, one rapid response unit, and one manager. Three people…

ADVERTISEMENT Polish border guard officers discovered a tunnel connecting the Belarusian side of the border with Poland on Friday. Warsaw’s Minister of Interior and Administration Marcin Kierwiński provided information about the revealed tunnel in a post on social media platform X. “Officers of the [Podlaskie Border Guard – ed.] discovered a tunnel under the barrier on the Polish-Belarusian border. The tunnel started and ended about 20 meters from the border on the side. Thanks to advanced electronic systems on the barrier, the Polish-Belarusian border is effectively protected!” wrote the head of the Ministry of Interior and Administration. This is the…

Nearly half the special votes cast in Auckland’s local body elections have been discarded.More than 10,000 special votes were received, delaying the final results by one day until Saturday afternoon — one week after voting ended.Auckland Council said 4162 special votes were deemed invalid, due to incorrect or missing declaration details, or outdated enrolment details.In total, 350,677 votes were returned from just 29.3% of enrolled Aucklanders. In 2022’s election, voter turnout was 35.5%.Five new councillors out of 20 would join the region’s governing body, alongside returning mayor Wayne Brown, who retained his position by more than 100,000 votes.Victoria Short, who…

One person has died following a two-vehicle crash in Feilding this afternoon. Police were called to the scene on Halcombe Rd, near Mt Taylor Drive at around 2.30pm. St John told 1News it had sent one ambulance, one helicopter and one rapid response unit to the scene. Cordons and diversions remained in place as the Serious Crash Unit examine the scene.”Motorists should continue to avoid the area,” a police spokesperson said.

A motorcyclist has died in hospital following injuries sustained in a serious crash earlier this month in Ngāruawāhia. Emergency services were called to the crash between a car and a motorcycle on River Rd about 7am on October 1. Police confirmed the rider, 59-year-old Ngāruawāhia man Craig Read, died last weekend after being taken to Waikato Hospital with critical injuries. “Our thoughts remain with his family and loved ones,” a police spokesperson said. The circumstances of the crash remained under investigation.

Months after the Government pledged to cut red tape and speed up access to new agricultural products, farmers say little has changed with vital tools still tied up in a lengthy approval process.Growers across Auckland’s Pukekohe said they were running out of options to keep crops healthy and pest-free, as delays continue at New Zealand’s Environmental Protection Authority (EPA).”It’s been quite a slow, laborious process to get new products through the EPA,” said Pukekohe grower Simon Wilcox, whose family company supplies potatoes to major retailers.Back in February, ministers accepted 16 recommendations designed to halve approval times, cut costs, and speed…

CCTV has captured the moment a tradie tackled an alleged petrol station robber to the ground on the Gold Coast. The offender, dressed in dark clothes, can be seen marching toward the till at Hope Energy service station on Brisbane Road in Biggera Waters shortly after 5am yesterday (local time). They allegedly demanded cash and cigarettes from the store attendant, and told people to put their hands in the air, 9News reports. Two tradespeople dressed in neon yellow high-vis shirts initially moved out of the way of the person, before one of the men closest to the counter grabbed the…