Author: Press Room

A Tauranga waterfront neighbourhood resident plagued by burnouts and public drug use says new safety changes will have a positive impact.The issues were ruining Harbour Dr in Ōtūmoetai, local homeowner Matt McHardy said.McHardy said drug use and dealing happened in cars parked on the grass verge across from homes, at all times of day.Up to six cars would park up and pass what he believed were drugs between the vehicles, he said.He said there were also issues with cars speeding and doing skids and burnouts on the road and grass berm.”This is a pattern of behaviour that’s been happening up…

Newly released documents lay bare the Government’s alarm and “dismay”, after being blindsided by the United States’ sudden tariff hike on New Zealand exports in August.That’s despite Trade Minister Todd McClay’s public insistence at the time that the new 15% rate was “not surprising” and did not come as a blindside.Correspondence, released to RNZ under the Official Information Act, shows a scramble inside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) and Beehive to respond to the “deeply disappointing development”.Trump drops F-bomb when questioned by White House reporter – watch on TVNZ+Officials described the rate increase as an “unwelcome surprise”,…

The patron of a unit at Auckland’s Starship Hospital that treats abused children says it is making a fresh start.Staff alleged bullying at the Te Puaruruhau unit, and one worker who quit said the ructions eroded the service for children.Dame Naida Glavish said she was aware of the past problems but was in regular meetings as the unit rebuilds.”It’s working extremely well right now and I have no concerns whatsover,” she told RNZ.Iwi Ngāti Whātua, that partners with Starship, would mark the fresh start with a cleansing karakia at the unit soon.”The energy fields, the mauri, that are in the…

Passengers at Auckland Airport were forced to evacuate this morning after a fire alarm, leading to long queues. Fire and Emergency New Zealand said it received an alarm activation from the domestic terminal, which was found to be caused by cooking at 7.43am. Two firetrucks, along with Auckland Airport Emergency Services, responded.Crowds cleared out of the terminal and gathered outside as crews assessed the scene. FENZ confirmed it was a false alarm, and the terminal had since been reopened. A 1News staffer who was at the airport at the time said queues for security screening stretched “basically the length of…

A school principal says one of his classes had numbers cut by half after a gastroenteritis outbreak at a Canterbury campground.Six children were hospitalised, 10 people were sick, and 37 others were probably sick from E.coli contaminated water at Hanmer Springs Forest Camp last month.Water regulator Taumata Arowai has described the E.coli contamination as “the worst case scenario” and said the camp’s drinking water supply was the likely source of the illness.St Martin’s principal Andrew Mouat said around 120 year five and six students attended camp in the second to last week of last term.The school noticed more children than…

Almost 200 parents applied for the long-term parent visa in the two weeks after it was launched.The parent boost visa offers parents of New Zealand citizens and residents a stay of up to five years in New Zealand.A total of 198 applications came in during the first fortnight, and four of them were approved in principle.”While it does not provide a pathway to residence, it offers a meaningful way for families to spend extended time together,” said Immigration New Zealand visas director Jock Gilray. “Sponsorship and insurance are required.”The Government expects between 2000-10,000 applications per year, with a model based…

Firefighters have extinguished a blaze near Whangārei overnight after a reportedly stolen car was found alight. Police said emergency services received reports of a stolen vehicle on fire on Cemetery Rd, in Maungatapere at around 11.20pm on Friday. The car was reportedly stolen. (Source: 1News)A Fire and Emergency New Zealand crew from Whangārei responded, and found the hybrid vehicle well alight on arrival. Firefighters extinguished the blaze around 1am, and police also attended. A member of the public told 1News the fire “could’ve spread” as the car was “surrounded by reasonably dry hay”.

A person has died and two others are in hospital after a boat overturned in Port Waikato this morning. Emergency services received reports of three people in the water at Lake Puketi at around 7.15am. In an update this afternoon, police confirmed one person had died after being airlifted to hospital.Surf Life Saving New Zealand said it responded to a vessel that had capsized in the water with lifeguards from Surf Life Saving Kariaotahi and Sunset Beach Lifeguard Service. Hato Hone St John told 1News responded with three helicopters, one ambulance, one rapid response unit, and one manager. Three people…

ADVERTISEMENT Polish border guard officers discovered a tunnel connecting the Belarusian side of the border with Poland on Friday. Warsaw’s Minister of Interior and Administration Marcin Kierwiński provided information about the revealed tunnel in a post on social media platform X. “Officers of the [Podlaskie Border Guard – ed.] discovered a tunnel under the barrier on the Polish-Belarusian border. The tunnel started and ended about 20 meters from the border on the side. Thanks to advanced electronic systems on the barrier, the Polish-Belarusian border is effectively protected!” wrote the head of the Ministry of Interior and Administration. This is the…

Nearly half the special votes cast in Auckland’s local body elections have been discarded.More than 10,000 special votes were received, delaying the final results by one day until Saturday afternoon — one week after voting ended.Auckland Council said 4162 special votes were deemed invalid, due to incorrect or missing declaration details, or outdated enrolment details.In total, 350,677 votes were returned from just 29.3% of enrolled Aucklanders. In 2022’s election, voter turnout was 35.5%.Five new councillors out of 20 would join the region’s governing body, alongside returning mayor Wayne Brown, who retained his position by more than 100,000 votes.Victoria Short, who…