Author: Press Room

The asbestos-filled and abandoned Fitz student bar in Palmerston North was burning, black smoke billowing on Thursday, around the same time that work safety experts were nutting out submissions on a Government move they warn will erode controls around the dangerous substance.”We don’t want a watered-down system,” said Helina Stil, president of the Demolition and Asbestos Association. “We told them [WorkSafe].”The Fitz fire was out just after midnight but several nearby schools kept children home on Friday, and were testing for any asbestos fibres that might have been released into the wind, and settled aroundabout.A text alert sent out widely…

A linesman working to repair Southland’s stricken power network following severe weather says the past week has been “apocalyptic”.Around 2200 customers are still without power following a freak storm on October 23, which threw the region into a state of emergency.PowerNet distribution team leader Rob Wylie is one of those leading the charge to fix that, and said the situation was like nothing he’d seen previously.“I’ve worked with a lot of guys in various depots that have been here a lot longer than I have, and they’re the same. I don’t think anyone in the company has seen sort of…

An “extensive” outage in the Far North district has left thousands of people without power this afternoon. A spokesperson for Top Energy told 1News the cause of the widespread outage was a fault on the 33 kV line to Mt Pokaka, near Kerikeri, after a tree fell on the power line. “Staff remain on site at our Kaikohe substation, and it appears the primary protection didn’t operate as expected, so backup protection tripped the station, causing a wider outage.”We will continue to check the equipment at the substation to confirm there has not been any damage arising from the station…

A person has died after a vehicle went into the Waipā River in Waikato this afternoon. Emergency services were called to the scene near Te Pahu Rd in Whatawhata around 5.15pm.”Sadly, after the vehicle was removed, one person was located deceased,” police said.”The road remains closed while the serious crash unit conducts a scene examination.”Motorists have been advised to avoid the area and expect delays.

The co-owner of a South Dunedin pub who failed to disclose his convictions has vowed to sell his stake in the business if it means its liquor licences are granted. But the city’s chief licensing inspector says this “ultimatum or leverage” is all the more reason not to grant the licences. On-licence and off-licence applications for the St Kilda Tavern were heard by Dunedin’s district licensing committee on Thursday before a packed public gallery. The applications by JV Bars Ltd were opposed by police, the medical officer of heath delegate and the chief licensing inspector. Police questioned the suitability of…

More than 100 police officers are under investigation after 30,000 alcohol breath tests were “falsely or erroneously recorded”, RNZ revealed.Acting Deputy Commissioner Michael Johnson said the numbers are “incredibly disappointing and concerning”.About 120 police officers now faced “further scrutiny under a disciplinary process which is underway”.RNZ has seen a memo that was sent to staff earlier this month on behalf of Johnson.The memo said, after evaluating data in August 2025, the Intelligence and Performance team within the National Road Policing Centre identified “an anomaly in data relating to breath testing activity”.”From the audit which covered over 4.6 million breath tests…

Published on 31/10/2025 – 18:57 GMT+1 •Updated 19:27 Moldova is committed to joining the European Union but the country needs “sustained engagement” and “clarity” from the bloc to make progress towards integration, Moldovan president Maia Sandu has told Euronews. Since negotiations were formally opened with the EU in June 2024, Moldova “has shown determination and delivered on its commitments,” Sandu said in an emailed statement. “What we need now is sustained engagement and clarity from the EU to keep enlargement as a strategic priority and to maintain the momentum for those who deliver.” Sandu will lay out her expectations of…

It is a special year for Patersons. The multi-disciplinary land development and civil company marks 125 years since its beginnings as a two-man surveying practice in Dunedin. Appropriately, the firm — which delivers engineering, surveying and planning services throughout the South Island — is bringing its staff to the city for its Christmas function. Already the year has seen wider acknowledgement for Patersons which won the 2025 Consulting Surveyors of New Zealand (CSNZ) Business Excellence Award. Presented at the Survey and Spatial New Zealand conference in Christchurch, the award acknowledged a standout business that “leads the profession through exceptional people…

Northbank Rd northwest of Blenheim has officially reopened to two-lane traffic, nearly four months after it was buried by a huge slip.The road was opened to two lanes under a reduced speed of 30km/h on Friday, just in time for Marlborough Anniversary Weekend.Marlborough Roads transport recovery manager Steve Murrin said it was satisfying to be able to remove the traffic lights.“This week crews completed work on stabilising the slip including hydroseeding and removing the last of the material that was still sitting on Northbank Rd,” he said.“This has been a complex site with 28,536 cubic metres of material removed from…

Mt Cook Alpine Salmon chief executive (left) and board chairman Sir Bill English at last month’s board meeting. PHOTO: SUPPLIED Mt Cook Alpine Salmon has reported its strongest ever financial results including record sales of $55 million. Chief executive David Cole said the results reflected the success of the company’s long-term growth strategy. It had expanded tenfold over the past decade, from an annual turnover of less than $5m. Provisional ebitda of $14.1m was up from $5.3m last year and, while net earnings were still being finalised, a “very healthy” net profit after tax was expected, he said. Last month,…