Author: Press Room

By Farah Hancock and Mary Argue of RNZ  Animal advocates are calling for a halt to future government funding of octopus aquaculture research, saying farming the wild, solitary creatures is an “atrocious idea”. In 2022, $1 million in taxpayer dollars was awarded to a three-year research project by the University of Auckland aimed at improving knowledge surrounding the rearing and feeding of the larvae of a native octopus species. Raising octopus larvae in captivity was described as a “bottleneck” to the viability of commercial aquaculture in the university’s proposal to secure the funding. Animals Aotearoa’s Jennifer Dutton said farming octopus…

A man who was a facilitator on a website which hosted “unspeakable” computer-generated child sexual abuse images has been jailed. Warning: Some may find details in this story upsetting. Helplines are provided with the article.Donald James Sarratt, 35, was sentenced to five-and-a-half years’ imprisonment after being found guilty of possessing objectionable material relating to children and knowingly making and/or copying objectionable material relating to the sexual exploitation of children.A forensic examination of his electronic devices also uncovered child sexual abuse images of real children.He was identified in the wake of Operation Dark Orchid, which began in 2022 following a referral…

A real estate agent has been busy fielding inquiries about Lewis Cottage over the past two weeks, almost as busy as life in the two-room dwelling with a family of 17. Tall Poppy Real Estate owner Andrew Berryman said the property was on the market for just two weeks, during which time it received nine offers before deadline. “This has been my busiest-ever listing in nearly 10 years of real estate. “Over 120 Tall Poppy digital leads have been received, there were 38 email inquiries from other websites, there were 15,070 unique website views and 26 groups viewed the property.”…

Finance Minister Nicola Willis will deliver her second Budget tomorrow, but hundreds of millions in spending initiatives have already been earmarked.Ministers have been busy revealing parts of their plans in the lead-up to May 22, giving Kiwis a preview of where priorities lie for the coming year and beyond.These pre-Budget announcements reach across education, health and other programmes that the Government want showcased before the big day itself. The announcements to date don’t cover the potential cuts that may be required or other potentially larger initiatives that may still be revealed tomorrow. Follow live coverage of the Budget on 1News.co.nz…

An apprentice who is keen to learn and “actually listens” has been named New Zealand’s best young panelbeater. On Sunday, Lachlan Chatfield won the coveted Golden Hammer Award in Wellington. He was named New Zealand’s top panelbeating apprentice at the 2025 Collision Repair Association’s Apprentice of the Year Awards. Now fully qualified, Mr Chatfield, who is employed fulltime at Harrow Motor Body Works, said the win was “unexpected”. “I feel good, I didn’t see it coming at all … it was a shock when I found out.” As part of the award, Mr Chatfield flew to Auckland last year with…

George Wendt, an actor with an everyman charm who played the affable, beer-loving barfly Norm on the hit 1980s TV comedy Cheers and later crafted a stage career that took him to Broadway in Art, Hairspray and Elf, has died. He was 76.Wendt’s family said he died early Tuesday morning, peacefully in his sleep while at home, according to the publicity firm The Agency Group.”George was a doting family man, a well-loved friend and confidant to all of those lucky enough to have known him,” the family said in a statement. “He will be missed forever.” The family has requested…

Some Christchurch City Council staff are being forced out of their office for around three weeks after a council engineer raised concerns about the seismic performance of part of the building.The six-storey annex, which connects to the north facade of Te Hononga Civic Offices on Worchester Blvd, was built in 2009.Engineers had advised the council it may be required to bring the annex to a “higher standard”.A detailed engineering assessment was underway and expected to be completed in three weeks.Christchurch City Council chief executive Mary Richardson said it was taking a “precautionary approach” and that safety was paramount.”As a result,…

A woman living with stage four bowel cancer says the cost of her 30 rounds of chemotherapy dwarfs the expense of an early intervention.Dozens of protesters were at Parliament today calling for a lowering of the age of eligibility for free bowel screening tests to 45.Jackie Robertson said it was time for the government to make a commitment to saving the lives, with the rate of bowel cancer amongst New Zealanders growing.Health Minister Simeon Brown and Associate Health David Seymour spoke with the protesters on Parliament’s lawn, many of whom said they were survivors or currently fighting cancer.Brown reiterated his…

ADVERTISEMENTThe European Union has agreed to provide emergency funds to help keep Radio Free Europe afloat after the Trump administration stopped grants to the pro-democracy media outlet, accusing it of promoting a news agenda with a liberal bias.Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty started broadcasting during the Cold War.Its programs are aired in 27 languages in 23 countries across Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East.Its lawyers have been fighting the administration’s decision in court.EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc’s foreign ministers had agreed to a €5.5 million contract to “support the vital work of Radio Free Europe.”The “short-term…

Silver Fern Farms says its focus on emissions reduction is driven by what its customers and markets want. “It’s not about the Paris Climate Accord or domestic methane targets. It’s wholeheartedly driven by the markets you need to be in,” chief executive Dan Boulton told shareholders attending yesterday’s annual meeting of Silver Fern Farms Co-operative in Dunedin. Many high-value customers were addressing their own emissions reduction targets while many farmers were also implementing changes on farm to improve efficiencies and reduce emissions. Some might call it woke, but the company’s view was that given New Zealand farmers’ track record of…