Author: Press Room

ADVERTISEMENT When Ursula von der Leyen delivered her annual State of the European Union speech earlier this month, she set the tone from the minute she took the stage. “Europe must fight for its place in a world in which many major powers are either ambivalent or openly hostile to Europe,” she told lawmakers in Strasbourg. “A world of imperial ambitions and imperial wars. A world in which dependencies are ruthlessly weaponised. And it is for all of these reasons that a new Europe must emerge.” A week later, Mario Draghi, the former prime minister of Italy and author of…

Health NZ will deliver an extra 75,000 diagnostic procedures this year – including scans, heart tests and colonoscopies – using public and private providers, under a $65 million programme announced by Health Minister Simeon Brown.The funding has been sourced from “efficiencies found in the outsourcing baselines across all four regions of Health New Zealand”, with the balance coming from a pool set aside to support the delivery of the Government’s key health targets, Brown said on Thursday.”It is estimated that approximately 40,000 New Zealanders are waiting longer than they should for the tests they need. Long waits not only cause…

A new report says Auckland’s Eden Park Stadium could almost triple its annual economic boost to the city if it hosted the 12 concerts it’s currently allowed to.The stadium’s planning rules allow just 12 concerts a year, but the rules are more flexible for sports.The Government announced earlier this month it will investigate whether the rules are too restrictive.The independent Auckland University report analysed events held at the grounds during the 2023-2024 financial year, including three large concerts and a number of sports games.It said the stadium created more than $37 million of annual GDP benefits to Auckland.”Put simply, it…

Police have shared footage of a driver speeding through the Auckland CBD moments before their vehicle crashed into a stationary police car and hit a pole this morning. Three people were injured – one seriously – in the crash which took place on Victoria St near the intersection of Albert St around 5.40am. The footage showed the red vehicle blowing through the red lights on Victoria St outside the TVNZ office at high speed, weaving between traffic, and driving on the wrong side of the road. At one point, a pedestrian waiting at a crossing had to step back as…

A Southland dairy farm and its owner have lost an appeal against $215,000 in penalties imposed last year by the Employment Relations Authority over the exploitation of vulnerable workers.In July this year, the business and owner was also hit with an additional $15,000 in penalties over being found to have obstructed employment authority investigations.During the original investigation last April, Rural Practice Limited and its owner, Reza Abdul-Jabbar, was found to have breached multiple minimum employment standards involving three workers who arrived from Indonesia to work on the farm between December 2017 and February 2022.The breaches included failing to pay workers…

By Craig McCulloch of RNZ  The government has reopened applications for oil and gas exploration across New Zealand for the first time since a 2018 ban, with a new, faster route for awarding permits. Industry leaders hailed the move as vital for energy security, but the Green Party condemned it as a sign the coalition cares little for the climate crisis. From today, companies can apply for new prospecting and exploration permits anywhere – not just onshore Taranaki. In a statement, Resources Minister Shane Jones said a new “open market” pathway would allow firms to apply at any time for…

Dame Jacinda Ardern was just the second head of state in world history to become a mother in office, but the feelings of guilt and ambivalence explored in her new book will be familiar to many juggling parenthood with a career. Katie Pickles offers an adult take on Mum’s Busy Work. Jacinda Ardern’s second book released within four months, following her memoir, is a simple children’s story. Its title – Mum’s Busy Work – appears to still hold true, then, despite her no longer being prime minister.Dedicated to her daughter Neve (the narrator of this tale), the “busy work” in…

By Susan Edmunds of RNZ  Someone is going to have to pay to keep the country’s finances in order while the population ages – but who and how need to be decided soon. That’s the message economists say the Treasury has delivered clearly with its latest long-term fiscal statement. It outlines the pressure an ageing population will put on finances including from the cost of NZ Super and healthcare. It suggests some solutions that could be unpalatable if they were introduced on their own. Stabilising debt, the report said, would require an increase in the average tax rate on labour…

Public toilets can be a “microbial soup” and the truth is the seat is the least of your worries. Molecular biologist Lotti Tajouri explains the risks of public toilets and how to keep yourself safe when using them. If you’re a parent or have a chronic health condition that needs quick or frequent trips to the bathroom, you’ve probably mapped out the half-decent public toilets in your area.But sometimes, you don’t have a choice and have to use a toilet that looks like it hasn’t been cleaned in weeks. Do you brave it and sit on the seat?What if it…

The Government yesterday announced a sweeping overhaul of employment leave legislation, including changes to how annual and sick leave is calculated.Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden announced on Tuesday that the Holidays Act would be repealed and replaced with a new Employment Leave Act.The changes aim to simplify leave entitlements by tying them directly to hours worked, allowing leave to accrue from day one, and introducing a single calculation method for all types of leave. Casual employees would also see their leave compensation increase from 8% to 12.5%, among other changes.Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden. (Source:…