Author: Press Room

Small communities around the Tasman region are itching to finally see the speed limit reductions that a Government rule delayed.Tasman District Council is currently re-consulting on changes that would primarily lower the speed limits on high-risk rural roads and around several rural schools.The proposed speeds were largely in line with a suite of reductions that were adopted by the council last year before they were invalidated by then-transport minister Simeon Brown’s new rule for setting speed limits.NgātīmotiLower speeds have been sought in the rural village of Ngātīmoti for more than a decade and some residents are becoming increasingly frustrated with…

A strong 5.3 earthquake has rocked the lower North Island, centred 10 kilometres east of Eketāhuna in the Tararua district.Geonet said it struck at 11.26pm on Tuesday and was 35 kilometres deep.Within half an hour more than 23,000 people had provided reports of experiencing it to Geonet.While most were in the central and lower North Island, it was felt as far away as the South Island.People from Eketāhuna, Masterton and Dannevirke posting on social media described a scary experience.”Man that was scary as hell,” wrote one poster on social media.”Dogs freaked out and stuff all over my kitchen floor,” wrote…

Most online users don’t read privacy statements and prefer to focus on managing their own data security on the internet. ADVERTISEMENTThe vast majority of internet users (64%) in the EU don’t bother reading privacy statements before providing personal data.Nonetheless, 73% of people have taken action to manage their online security at least once in three months, says Eurostat.Which EU nations are the most careful about their online privacy?The highest percentages of people protecting their data were reported in the Netherlands (91.85%), Finland (90.83%), the Czech Republic (81.42%) and Denmark (80.61%).The countries least interested in managing data protection in the EU…

Donald Trump’s repeated threat to take control of Greenland one way or another has aroused a sense of alarm across Europe. ADVERTISEMENTThe European Union is hardening its official line against Donald Trump’s threat to take control of Greenland – using military force if necessary – following new comments that leave no doubt as to the seriousness of the American president’s expansionist intention.”I think we’re going to have it,” Trump said over the weekend.”I don’t really know what claim Denmark has to it, but it would be a very unfriendly act if they didn’t allow that to happen because it’s for…

Questions have been raised about whether an Auckland-based business owner is suitable to run a tavern at the other end of the country. An on-licence and off-licence renewal application for the St Kilda Tavern, in South Dunedin, has been opposed by police, the medical officer of health and a licensing inspector. The premises were first opened in 1873, had been continuously licensed since opening as a hotel and had been a tavern since 1970, a report to Dunedin’s district licensing committee said. In his report, medical officer of health delegate Aaron Whipp said the applicant company’s sole director, Darshpreet Singh,…

Persistence has paid off for a Taranaki couple who won $8.3 million in last week’s Powerball First Division Lotto draw using the same “special set of numbers” they had played for close to two decades.The couple, who wished to remain anonymous, said the win was “absolutely incredible”.”We picked the numbers together a long time ago and have been playing them ever since,” the woman said.She was about to clean her car on Thursday when she heard on the radio that a MyLotto player from Taranaki had won.,”I was on my way out the door when I heard the news and…

For more than 60 years, Europe has led a global trend towards legal access to abortion. Fears of a reversal of this trend have led to the campaign “My Choice, My Voice”, a citizens’ initiative calling for action from the European Commission. ADVERTISEMENTThe Commission is obliged to formally respond to the initiative’s demand for a proposal to “ensure that all EU citizens, regardless of nationality or residence, have access to safe and legal abortion services”, as the petition exceeded the legal threshold of 1 million signatures collected from more than seven member states, in this case 15 member states were covered.In the EU, almost…

Police Commissioner Richard Chambers has released a restructuring proposal, which includes reducing the number of roles at the highest-ranking levels by 17.A consultation document, sent to affected staff today, proposed consolidating a number of roles and responsibilities, including the disestablishment of 37 executive and support service positions and the creation of 20 new positions.In a statement, Chambers said he clearly signalled his intent to restructure the current police executive when he was appointed Commissioner in November.”My goal is to ensure our executive structure is fit-for-purpose, provides strong, clear leadership to the frontline, and delivers on the priorities I have set.”Consultation…

“Gaza belongs to the Palestinian and the people living in Gaza,” José Manuel Albares Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs told Euronews’ Europe Conversation, reacting to recent comments by Donald Trump. ADVERTISEMENTGaza belongs to the Palestinians, who must remain there, Spain’s foreign minister told Euronews’ Europe Conversation, pushing back against recent remarks by US President Donald Trump.The US President called to “clean out” the Gaza Strip and to move its inhabitants to Jordan and Egypt, which both countries strongly rejected. Trump’s idea runs counter to US foreign policy to date, which has so far favoured a two-state solution, also supported by…

Google has confirmed it will display both Gulf of America and Gulf of Mexico to countries outside the US and Mexico within Google Maps.In the US, Google said users would see the name of the gulf change once the US government’s Geographic Names Information System was updated.In Mexico, Google Maps would continue to display Gulf of Mexico as the official name, according to reporting by Reuters.Last week, US president Donald Trump signed an order to rename the Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America. The change left mapmakers pondering, and there were questions on how the order would be reflected…