Author: Press Room

McLean’s Mansion — one of the country’s largest wooden buildings, a 53 room, 2200sq/m Jacobean behemoth — is back on the market.The elaborate homestead served as a home for one of Canterbury’s richest men, Allan McLean, and later, for his housekeeper, a hostel for dental nurses, a resthome and a vocational training school. It was then condemned for post-earthquake demolition and later saved from the wreckers ball, becoming the site of an ambitious restoration project, latterly backed by former rich lister, art patron and convicted sex offender James Wallace.In a statement, Wallace, who was released from prison in December 2023…

ADVERTISEMENT”The longer Russia wages war, the tougher our response,” High Representative Kaja Kallas declared this week after foreign ministers of the European Union formally adopted a new round of sanctions against Russia for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.The measures blacklisted 189 vessels belonging to Moscow’s so-called “shadow fleet”, bringing the total number of ships under restrictions to almost 350.The following day, Poland made a startling announcement.”A Russian ship from the ‘shadow fleet’ under sanctions was performing suspicious manoeuvres near the power cable connecting Poland and Sweden,” Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote on social media.”After effective intervention by our military, the…

A submission to change the Bay of Islands town of Russell’s name to the traditional Māori name of Kororāreka has been declined. More than 1800 submissions were received — 52% in support of the name change and 48% against it.  Minister for Land Information Chris Penk said he consulted with colleagues across the Government to make his decision “given the close margin and the historical weight of the decision”. “Through that process, it became clear there was insufficient support to proceed with the proposal,” Penk said. Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa New Zealand Geographic Board publicly consulted on the proposal from the Kororāreka Marae…

Michael Mayne has been confirmed as the Football Ferns’ new head coach through to the 2027 Women’s World Cup — becoming their first New Zealand-born coach in more than 20 years.The 40-year-old has been in the role on an interim basis since former coach Jitka Klimkova quit last September due to an undisclosed employment matter, halfway through a six-year contract.Klimkova had earlier chosen to skip last year’s Paris Olympics tournament, opening the door for Mayne, who oversaw three losses in a campaign dominated by the Canadian “drone-gate” scandal.Coach Jitka Klimková. (Source: Getty)In five other international friendlies in charge, Mayne has…

Published on 24/05/2025 – 7:00 GMT+2ADVERTISEMENTIn this edition, we are joined by Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, the Irish politician, barrister, and former broadcaster who represents the Ireland South constituency in the European Parliament since July 2024, Yves Bertoncini, the French political scientist and consultant specialising in European affairs and Bruno Waterfield a seasoned British journalist based in Brussels, currently serving as the Brussels correspondent for The Times.  Reset Summit or Surrender Summit?The panel reflect on the EU/UK summit that took place last Monday in London. Called the ‘Reset Summit’ by some and the ‘Surrender Summit’ by others, a potential deal was…

A Government decision to means-and-income-test support available to children and younger people, but not alter the eligibility for NZ Super, has prompted questions from some commentators.As part of Budget 2025, the Government announced it would income-test eligibility for the Best Start payment in the first year of a child’s life.This will affect about 60,000 families who previously would have been able to access the money, before being income tested in the child’s second and third year.Teenagers who are receiving JobSeeker benefits will be assessed against a “parental assistance test” which will determine whether their parents could provide them financial support.The…

Dubbed the ‘yeah-nah Budget’ for Māori by members of the Opposition, the Government’s announcement yesterday has attracted strong criticism over the cuts made to Māori-focused initiatives and pay equity claims.While Māori education received a boost of $54 million in operational funding and an additional $50 million in capital funding to support Māori learner success, and $14 million has been allocated to Māori Wardens, Pasifika Wardens, and the Māori Women’s Welfare League, there was little else to show.But Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka told TVNZ’s Te Karere that the Budget reflects the Government’s focus on growing the economy, and investing in…

Police say gas califonts are being stolen from building sites and new builds in the north of Auckland to be sold online. A gas califont worked by heating a coil of continuously flowing water with gas. Area Prevention Manager Senior Sergeant Roger Small said Waitematā north police have noticed “an increase in the theft of these units, predominately from homes that are currently under construction”. “These homes are often easy to access as they are not yet properly secured, giving would be thieves an easy entrance.”He said the heating systems were simple to remove, and easy to on sell via…

White powder being sold as an unknown benzodiazepine in the Auckland region has been found to instead contain heroin after a sample was submitted to a drug checking clinic.High Alert issued a warning today, saying people who took the powder believing it to be a benzodiazepine were at risk of experiencing serious harm and death if taken in large doses.It said there was no information available on its prevalence outside of Auckland.”There is a concern that this powder may continue to be sold as a benzodiazepine.”It is important to never assume that what drug you have is what it has…

A blaze on the top floor of a 16-storey building in Auckland’s CBD is under control thanks to the efforts of around 60 firefighters.Emergency services were called to the blaze on Wakefield St at around 12.05pm on Friday.Fire and Emergency NZ said there were 15 fire trucks and around 60 firefighters in attendance at the peak of the fire.”Appliances from Auckland City, Parnell, Grey Lynn, Ellerslie, Mount Roskill, Onehunga, Takapuna, and an aerial appliance from Hamilton responded,” a FENZ spokesperson said.The fire was on the 16th floor, with smoke logging on the 15th floor.Police assisted with road closures and St…