Author: Press Room

The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) is decelerating plans to automatically revert 16 sections of state highway to their previous higher speed limits following community “feedback”. The new land transport rule, campaigned on before the election by National, ordered sections of state highways classified as urban connectors and with lowered speed limits since January 1, 2020, to automatically return to their previous higher speed limits by July 1 this year. It applied to 38 sections of highway. Automatic speed limit increases on some sections of state highways will now be subject to formal reviews after outcry from communities who had…

The European Commission’s ReArm Europe proposal aims to see member states unleash up to €800 billion in defence spending over the next four years. ADVERTISEMENTThe European Commission’s highly-anticipated White Paper on Defence plans for member states to start pouring hundreds of billions of euros into the sector before the end of the year but largely fails to outline innovative and common financing opportunities.The White Paper, released on Wednesday, broadly rehashes the Commission’s ReArm Europe proposal unveiled two weeks ago that could see member states mobilise up to €800 billion for defence over the next four years by notably, pooling orders…

A 35-year-old man has been charged after allegedly stealing highly sought after Pokémon cards worth more than $2200 from a store in Taupō. In a statement, a police spokesperson said officers were called to a reported break-in at a store on Tūwharetoa St shortly before 10pm yesterday. “The offender smashed a glass panel to gain entry and placed Pokémon trading cards, worth more than $2200, into bags.”A member of the public saw the suspicious activity and — prepared for trouble — called police while taking video of a suspect walking away.” Tūwharetoa St in Taupō pictured on Google Maps. (Source:…

The TAB offered a $150 million deal to the government in a bid to secure a lucrative online casino licence, according to documents obtained by RNZ.The government is auctioning off 15 online casino licences as it regulates online gambling for the first time and local operators fear they’ll end up in the hands of foreign owned multinationals and eat into their market share.The TAB, which is a statutory entity, is barred from offering online casino gambling under current laws.It wrote to ministers requesting a law change, saying its viability was under threat if it continued to be locked out of…

A Nelson commercial fisher with a history of rule breaches has been fined $34,000 after he failed to continuously operate a device which transmitted his location while fishing.Under regulation, commercial fishers are required to carry and use geospatial position reporting devices to transmit data to the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) showing a vessel’s location and enabling Fisheries NZ to compare data with the vessel’s catch reports.61-year-old Campbell McManaway was sentenced in the Nelson District Court on two charges following a successful prosecution by MPI.The commercial fishing vessel Cando, skippered by McManaway, went on a trip to dive for kina…

Foreign Minister Winston Peters said he was “seriously pleased” with how his meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio went.Peters has been in Washington DC this week, meeting with Democrat and Republican lawmakers, as well as various players from the Trump administration.It comes as the President’s trade war and threats of tariffs, alongside his hardline approach to defence and attempts to find an end to the war in Ukraine, have upended the international order.Emerging from his meeting with Rubio today, Peters told reporters he was “very pleased” with the outcome.“We came here to listen to the new administration and…

Italy, France, and Spain are the EU countries with the highest number of candidates in the past five years. ADVERTISEMENTThe Blue Book Traineeship programme welcomed 9,562 trainees between 2020 and 2025.Over the past five years, the European Commission hired more female trainees than male trainees across the European Union.That’s according to data shared by the Secretariat General of the European Commission via a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.The Blue Book Traineeship programme is a five-month paid internship offered by the Commission, occurring twice a year – in March and October. It provides graduates with the opportunity to gain experience in…

The Postal Workers Union is slamming NZ Post for its failure to remove Hawke’s Bay post boxes that have been sitting dormant for months.Hawke’s Bay Today reported on six NZ Post boxes across Hastings and Havelock North that are slated for removal, but are poorly sign-posted, with the public continuing to post mail for collection.It reported on one woman who had just completed a free bowel screening test provided by Health NZ, and posted it in one of these boxes.Two weeks later she saw the post box was overflowing and realised her test had never been sent.Co-president of the Postal…

Destabilisation is not only about getting money anymore. It’s also about helping ideologically oriented states to reach their goals, Europol Director Catherine De Bolle tells Radio Schuman. ADVERTISEMENT“In fact, the system is training itself and you don’t need 200 people anymore to send all the mails,” says Europol’s Executive Director Catherine De Bolle, regarding the adoption of AI in organized criminal activities, “The AI system is even more accurate than the human letter, so you do not really find the mistakes anymore.” Europol also noted a growing cooperation between organised crime groups and foreign actors aiming to destabilise the EU. As…

A dog has been rescued after a yacht sunk on its mooring near Lyttelton during a storm overnight.The 12.5m yacht sunk in Cass Bay.Environment Canterbury said a blue heeler dog named Buddy was onboard and has been safely returned to his owner.There is diesel and other oils onboard, but the council said “no significant loss” of oil or fluid had been observed.”Debris has been observed in the surrounding bays and will be collected by our staff today, as possible.”Anyone who finds debris is asked not to touch it and to call 0800 765 588.MetService recorded close to 100mm of rain…