Author: Press Room

Shifa Ahmed was 15 when she lost her mother in the Christchurch terror attack. The now 21-year-old, who is featured in an episode of the new series Ahi Wānanga, shares what grief was like as a teen, what she wished she knew then and the positive influence it later had on her life.Ahmed was in school when she saw news articles of a mosque shooting in her city — the mosque her parents went to.She immediately wondered if her father, Farid, who’s in a wheelchair, was able to get out.“My mother wasn’t really in mind because I was like, ‘Oh…

By Susan Edmunds of RNZ One property investor says there is pain for some investors in the rental market as listings reach record numbers. Trade Me Property says the number of homes available for rent has reached a level not seen in more than 10 years. There were 41 percent more rental listings in March than in the corresponding month last year, the highest number since 2014. “I think there’s there’s quite a few contributing factors at the moment,” said Trade Me Property customer director Gavin Lloyd. “We’ve got a lot of new build properties that have come to market…

A delegation of New Zealand businesses will be heading to Eastern Europe in the hopes of benefiting from the uncertainty over US tariffs.Next month, 20 Kiwi businesses will be travelling to the capital cities of Warsaw, Poland; Prague, in the Czech Republic; Budapest, in Hungary; and Bucharest, Romania. Among the delegation is Christchurch company Merino Softwear, which specialises in turning wool into new textiles and products.”What’s the point going to the same countries all the time?” company co-founder Brent Gregory told 1News.”This is a new opportunity and they are hungry.”He continued: “I actually think Eastern Europe has been totally underestimated.”Gregory…

ADVERTISEMENTPreparations have begun for the funeral of the late Pope Francis, who will be buried at St. Mary Major Basilica in Rome.The death of a pope triggers a series of meticulously planned rites and traditions that unfold long before the conclave to choose his successor begins. These solemn events start with the official confirmation of his death, followed by the public viewing of his body, allowing the faithful to offer their final respects. Last year, Pope Francis reformed the rites to be used for his funeral, aiming to align with modern theological and pastoral practices, while honouring and upholding the…

By Susan Edmunds of RNZ  An Auckland homeowner says he and his family have been left with a damaged roof and destroyed ceilings that will cost up to $40,000 to fix because of “reckless” activity by roofing platform RoofBuddy. RoofBuddy connects homeowners with roofers and is is fronted by Art Green, who appeared on television’s New Zealand version of The Bachelor.  But Ed Waaka said he was still trying to pick up the pieces from the work done on his property in Auckland. He said the problem started in 2024 when he was connected, via RoofBuddy, with Life Time Roofing to apply…

Some Auckland residents living in the flood-prone suburb of Wesley are frustrated at the lack of warning from authorities about the Easter Friday storm.Auckland Council and MetService have been under fire for failing to issue weather alerts and warnings before the Friday night storm that saw streets and garages flooded, power outages and two people trapped in cars by floodwaters.Auckland Emergency Management (AEM) confirmed central suburbs like Mount Roskill and Sandringham recorded more than 100mm of rain during the thunderstorms.MetService issued a yellow thunderstorm watch alert just after midnight on Saturday, as heavy rain flooded parts of the city, and…

Former professors of a PhD student slain in an Auckland bus stop attack have described him as “soft-spoken, polite, and enthusiastic”.Kyle Whorrall was attacked at a bus stop on St Johns Road in Meadowbank on Saturday night. He was taken to hospital but later died from his injuries.Douglas Yanega of the University of California, Riverside, said he taught Whorrall as an undergraduate.”I interacted with Kyle while he was an undergrad, during field classes, and museum work. He was soft-spoken, polite, and enthusiastic, which is fairly typical for an entomology student,” he said.”It was clear, however, that he was keen to…

Otago continues to be one of the strongest performing regions in the country on the back of the tourism recovery and an improving agricultural outlook, the latest Westpac regional confidence survey says. Those strengthening rural sector conditions boded well for rural earnings and were also helping boost sentiment in related industries, while the continuing recovery in international tourist numbers helped support spending in Queenstown. In contrast to other regions, there had been a strong lift in new dwelling consents over the past years. However, it was a “mixed bag” with some retailers in the region reporting spending had been weaker…

Police Minister Mark Mitchell’s office has apologised to Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke after reposting a reel on Instagram that falsely claimed the Te Pāti Māori MP’s ancestors came from China and “were yellow Vikings”.When contacted by 1News about the repost, a spokesperson for the Minister said it was “an honest mistake”.They said the views in the post did not represent the views of Mitchell or the staff member who reposted the reel.Mitchell’s office has apologised to Maipi-Clarke for what occurred.A screenshot of an Instagram reel falsely claiming Te Pāti Māori MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke’s ancestors came from China and were “yellow Vikings”. (Source:…

Otago continues to be one of the strongest performing regions in the country on the back of the tourism recovery and an improving agricultural outlook, the latest Westpac regional confidence survey says. Those strengthening rural sector conditions boded well for rural earnings and were also helping boost sentiment in related industries, while the continuing recovery in international tourist numbers helped support spending in Queenstown. In contrast to other regions, there had been a strong lift in new dwelling consents over the past years. However, it was a “mixed bag” with some retailers in the region reporting spending had been weaker…