Author: Press Room

Police are investigating a suspicious house fire in Nelson that left one person seriously injured last night.Detective Sergeant Ian Langride said emergency services received reports of the fire on Konini St at around 9.50pm.Fire and Emergency NZ responded with six crews and extinguished the fire shortly after midnight on Thursday.St John said it responded with one rapid response vehicle and one ambulance.”One patient, in a serious condition, was transported to Nelson Hospital,” a St John spokesperson said.Langridge said a scene guard remained in place at the address today.”Police are following positive lines of inquiry as to what happened.”Fire and Emergency…

Ahead of the Budget’s release at 2pm, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Finance Minister Nicola Willis have enjoyed some fresh baking made by one of her children.It continues a pre-Budget tradition of the Prime Minister and Finance Minister celebrating Budget Day before it is officially announced to the public.On Facebook earlier today, Willis said the cookies were baked by her daughter.Follow live coverage of the Budget on 1News.co.nz and TVNZ1’s Q+A Special from 2pm.Historically, each government has had their own take on the yearly tradition, and for Willis and Luxon, this marks the second year the occasion is being celebrated…

Singapore Airlines will add 46 more return flights to its Christchurch route from late November. From November 24 until February 12, 2026, the move will add up to 23,000 extra seats on flights to Singapore across the peak summer season, driven by continued demand from South Island travellers and international visitors. The extra flights will increase to four per week, up from three last summer. The expanded service will operate in addition to the year-round daily flights, with up to 11 weekly return services. There will be up to 5500 seats available each week between Christchurch and Singapore. Alongside the extra…

A homicide investigation has been launched north of Kaikohe, in Northland, after a man with “critical injuries” died at a property. Northland CIB Detective Inspector Rhys Johnston said a man arrived outside the Kaikohe Police Station around 8.30pm on Wednesday. “After speaking with this man, police went to a Waikerikeri Rd property where a male was found with critical injuries.”The man was provided urgent medical attention but sadly died at the scene,” Johnston said. An investigation in its “very early stages” was underway into the circumstances of what happened.”We are continuing to speak to the man who visited the police…

Napier fisherman Steve Dean says he’ll be driving the long way along the beach to his usual fishing spot, despite what he perceives as a threat of a $400 fine.His access has now been blocked by wooden barriers erected by Napier City Council along Marine Parade, from the National Aquarium of NZ to the pump track.”The council is treating us like sheep. We pay a s***load of rates and then they tell us where we can and can’t go. Now they have locked us out.”He said he understood why the council was preventing vehicle access to the beach but “there…

Comedian Dai Henwood says he is “gutted” at having to cancel upcoming shows amid his ongoing battle with cancer. The 47-year-old who had regular appearances on comedy shows including 7Days, Have You Been Paying Attention and Taskmaster, revealed in 2023 he had been diagnosed with incurable bowel cancer in 2020 and had been undergoing radiation treatment ever since.In a post to his Facebook page, Henwood and comedy management Notorious announced remaining shows on his tour of Aotearoa were cancelled. “After some recent changes in treatment, and some new challenges being presented, we have taken the decision to cancel the remaining…

ADVERTISEMENTTelegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov has alleged that France’s intelligence chief asked him to “silence” Romanian conservative voices by banning them from his messaging app ahead of Sunday’s presidential run-off, triggering a wave of disinformation online.Durov made the claims on social media the morning after Nicușor Dan, a pro-European independent candidate, beat his conservative opponent George Simion to the Romanian presidency in a tense runoff vote.Simion has since requested that the Romanian Constitutional Court annul the second-round result, citing “irrefutable evidence” of meddling from France, Moldova and others. Durov has said he would be willing to “testify” in favour…

Reefton business people are urging DOC not to scrap a $10 million road to an historic goldmine that is set to become a visitor drawcard.The winding metal road to the old Globe Hill mine site in the Victoria Forest Park was built by Oceana Gold in 2006 to access its open-cast operation.As part of its concession agreement with DOC, the company was bound to restore the site, build new walking and cycling tracks and close the road.Ten years after mining ended, the restoration project — praised by DOC as world class — was almost complete.But locals wanted the road to…

By Shona Murray & Jesse Dimich-Louvet Published on 21/05/2025 – 14:29 GMT+2•Updated 18:46ADVERTISEMENTEU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič says EU standards on agriculture and food are “not up for negotiation”. In an interview with Euronews, Šefčovič has called for a fair and balanced deal with the United States amid a framework of tariff negotiations.US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick — the main interlocutor of Commissioner Šefčovič — last month criticised EU regulations preventing some US-made meat and chicken from entering the European market due to the use of hormones deemed unsafe by Brussels. “The European Union won’t take chicken from America. They won’t take lobsters from America.…

A long-time Bay of Islands resident says ratepayers could face a hefty bill to save part of Waitangi’s waterfront from disappearing into the sea – a problem that could have been averted with a few hours’ work when he first raised the alarm almost a year ago.Ross Robertson, of Paihia, said a roughly 100-metre stretch of waterfront from the Waitangi roundabout toward Te Tii Marae had receded by up to six metres in places, exposing stormwater pipes, and undermining trees and benches.The eroded bank was now just a few metres from Te Karuwha Parade, Waitangi’s waterfront road.Robertson said the erosion…