Author: Press Room

ADVERTISEMENT More than €4 million of EU funds wrongly spent by the European Parliament’s far-right group Identity and Democracy (ID) during the previous term should be repaid by the Patriots for Europe (PfE) group, according to an opinion drafted by the Parliament’s Committee on Budgetary Control (CONT) and set to be voted on Thursday. The ID group, which included France’s Rassemblement National and Italy’s The League, wrongly spent at least € 4 333 635.78 of EU funds between 2019 and 2024, according to Parliament’s financial services (DG FINS). The suspected irregularities were first flagged in February and led the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO)…

Air New Zealand and Air Chathams have confirmed potential partnership talks a day after the Government announced a “one-off” lifeline to rescue New Zealand’s struggling regional aviation network.Cabinet said it had approved funding for digital upgrades to allow for small regional carriers to integrate booking systems with the platforms of larger airlines.Known as “interlining”, the upgrades could allow passengers to book a single itinerary and flights on different airlines, including the major carriers.”Book a flight from, say, Whakatāne to Los Angeles through the Air New Zealand website and receive one ticket on an interlined journey,” Air Chathams CEO Duane Emeny…

A high-powered laser will be scanning the skies above Invercargill as part of a major international weather study aimed at improving forecasting and climate modelling in the Southern Hemisphere.Launching tomorrow, the goSouth-2 project is a joint venture between German and New Zealand institutions.Based near Invercargill Airport, Germany’s Meteorological Institute of the University of Leipzig has been brought together with the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS), alongside New Zealand’s MetService, the University of Canterbury and The Air Quality Collective.The project uses ground-based laser and radar systems to study how clouds form and evolve in response to tiny airborne particles known…

A major insurance company has hit pause on new home insurance policies in parts of Canterbury. AA Insurance has reached the maximum value of properties it can insure for seismic risk, meaning it cannot offer new home insurance to properties located in two postcodes – 7608 in Lincoln and 7615 in Rolleston. AA head of underwriting Dee Naidu said it had put a cap on the amount of risk it could take on to ensure it can serve its existing customers. “Limiting new policies in high-risk areas is never something we do lightly. It’s a necessary step to honour our…

The final batch of speed limit reductions has been approved in Tasman, signalling the end of a tumultuous process that goes back to 2022.The district has 1168 local roads that collectively stretch across 1681km, from Golden Bay to Richmond.No roads had speed limit increases, and state highways in the region were unaffected.Once all the speed limit changes were implemented, 149 roads would have reductions that affect 262km of road.That equated to almost 12.8% of Tasman’s roads, or about 15.6% of the entire network.All but two of the district’s 37 schools would have speed limits – including variable speed limits –…

Swedish furniture giant IKEA has revealed its first New Zealand store will open on December 4. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon attended the announcement in Auckland today and took part in a guided tour for an exclusive first look inside the 34,000sq m store with media and other stakeholders. Auckland Council advised IKEA to avoid opening on public holidays, Fridays, weekends, Black Friday or Boxing Day. In July this year, the retailer said it was on track to open at Sylvia Park Shopping Centre in the Auckland suburb of Mt Wellington later this year, and had already employed 85 of the 500…

When scientists cracked the human genome in 2003 – sequencing the entire genetic code of a human being – many expected it would unlock the secrets of disease. But genetics explained only about 10% of the risk. The other 90% lies in the environment – and diet plays a huge part, writes David Benton.Worldwide, poor diet is linked to around one in five deaths among adults aged 25 years or older. In Europe, it accounts for nearly half of all cardiovascular deaths.But despite decades of advice about cutting fat, salt or sugar, obesity and diet-related illness have continued to rise.…

You’re driving up a suburban street when the road narrows with cars parked on both sides, leaving just enough space for one vehicle to pass through at a time.Up ahead, another driver is coming from the opposite direction. You both slow down, unsure who should move first. There’s no signage, no lane markings, and no obvious rule. So, who gives way?It’s a familiar squeeze, and one that’s happening more often as housing intensifies and streets grow busier.But according to NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA), the New Zealand Road Code or the Land Transport Act doesn’t offer a definitive answer.”In…

Education Minister Erica Stanford has criticised NCEA for allowing students to “get credits for having a part time job, or participating in a group activity, or filling in forms”. With the Government currently consulting on their proposal to scrap it, Re: News asked current and former high school students what they think about New Zealand’s secondary school qualification and its flexibility. Watch what the students had to say about NCEA on TVNZ+Passing NCEA Level 3 with credits from McDonald’s Re: News spoke to a 19-year-old school leaver, who only passed NCEA Level 3 because he got credits from his part-time…

Two years ago, Steve Davies went on a full day motorbike ride around the lower North Island with some mates – and was lucky to survive a serious crash.It was raining, conditions were difficult, and Davies was the tail-end Charlie with six bikes ahead of him as they headed towards Hunterville on the rural back roads.After coming around a left-hand corner, he could see a patch of slippery tar bleed ahead, he tried to avoid the worst of it, but his bike slid from underneath him.Davies could see a patch of slippery tar bleed ahead, he tried to avoid the…