Author: Press Room
Firefighters battled a large vegetation fire, fanned by strong winds, west of Christchurch overnight — with efforts continuing this morning.Fire and Emergency NZ said the fire north of West Melton was reported around 9pm yesterday.A Fire and Emergency (FENZ) spokesperson said people who were evacuated have since been able to return home.This morning, FENZ assistant district commander Steve Kennedy confirmed the fire started in the Waimakariri riverbed.”[It] spread pretty quickly with the wind behind it last night,” he said. “By the time we contained the fire, it had burnt through around about 134 hectares.”I believe around about 30 residents were…
Two men have been arrested after three police officers were assaulted at a breath screening checkpoint in Dunedin yesterday.Police said the incident occurred on Brighton Rd in Green Island where officers were carrying out breath screening tests at around 4.15pm.One vehicle evaded the checkpoint, with the driver allegedly refusing the roadside test and then refusing to go with an officer for an evidential test.The second occupant of the vehicle joined in as the driver began to argue with the officer.An altercation ensued with one officer suffering an injured shoulder and two others receiving moderate head injuries.Police said three officers came…
Every year, thousands of young Kiwis undertake one of the most dangerous activities they’ll ever do for the first time: getting behind the wheel.Rangatahi are at high risk in those critical early days, both as drivers and passengers, and are over-represented in road trauma data.When things go wrong on the road, the outcomes not only impact the youth involved, but the families and wider communities around them too.That’s why Road Safety Education Limited (RSE) runs New Zealand’s leading national road safety programme RYDA with support from Toyota NZ to educate secondary school students on road safety through single-day workshops.This year,…
Robin Williams would always give money to those in need.The Mrs Doubtfire star — who took his own life in 2014 at the age of 63 after years of battling with depression — always made the effort to help whoever he could with whatever they needed, according to his son Zak.Zak, 41, — whose mother is Robin’s first wife Valerie Velardi — told People: “When I was a little kid and we’d be walking in San Francisco where I grew up, he would stop, talk to someone on the street — a homeless person — say, ‘Hey boss, what can…
Auckland’s ferry fleet will be joined by a high-speed electric hydrofoiling vessel early next year.The new boat, a Vessev VS-9, will carry tour groups on the Hauraki Gulf as part of Fullers’ fleet starting January 29, 2025.After a trial period carrying eight passengers at a time, the electric VS-9 will be able to carry 10 passengers at a top speed of 30 knots (55km/h).”It opens up an entirely new way of travelling,” Fullers360 chief executive Mike Horne said in a statement.”[It is] one that is not only immensely enjoyable but is efficient and plays a key role in reducing emissions.”We…
Kiwis hoping to roll out the barbecue as the weather warms are being advised to give their outdoor grill a thorough clean to avoid a “cooking disaster”.Consumer New Zealand’s James le Page told Breakfast that cleaning and maintaining the outdoor grill was “a very good way” to avoid starting fires or enduring bad-tasting barbecue.He shared some of his top tips to keep your barbecue in the best shape possible:Crank the heat before turning it offBefore turning the barbecue off after using it, le Page cranked the temperature up to burn off any bits of food or fat.”Just before I turn…
A boat has been reduced to a scattering of debris after it broke free of its moorings in rough conditions in Wellington harbour last night.The boat was blown into rocks in front of Wellington Airport – in Evans Bay – just after 8pm.Harbourmaster Grant Nalder said gusts in the harbour reached up to 115km an hour.He said no one was aboard the vessel and he was in discussions with the owner over the clean up of the wreckage.rnz.co.nz
Firefighters battled a large vegetation fire, fanned by strong winds, west of Christchurch overnight — with efforts to resume this morning.Fire and Emergency NZ said the fire north of West Melton was reported around 9pm yesterday.A Fire and Emergency (FENZ) spokesperson told 1News this morning that about 50 homes were evacuated overnight – however, those people have since been able to return home.”Four helicopters will begin operation with monsoon buckets at first light — at which point, we will get a better and more accurate picture of the fire’s size,” FENZ said.In an update at 5.50am, a spokesperson said: “Firefighters…
A dramatic drop in demand has pushed EV prices to nearly half of what they were at the start of this year.This has been good news for customers but not for businesses — dealers have had an oversupply of EVs as sales slowed.New EV owner Ross McDougall told 1News prices earlier this year were beyond his budget.”Once the price stepped down, it actually stated to make a lot of financial sense.”Reporter Sam Olley looks at the three reasons why and how long the cost cutting will last. (Source: 1News)This time last year, more than 17,000 new battery powered EVs had…
It has now been more than two years since New Zealand’s whistleblowing legislation was revamped in the Protected Disclosures (Protection of Whistleblowers) Act 2022. Some pundits predicted an increase in whistleblowing disclosures, and from a mixture of anecdotes, media articles, public reporting and legal cases they appear to have been right. In June, the chief ombudsman reported a 58% increase in protected disclosures and related inquiries in 2023-24 compared with what he received in 2022-23. The revised Act was intended to better enable the disclosure and timely investigation of serious wrongdoing in or by an organisation, and to protect people…