Author: Press Room

Children, pets and the effects of alcohol were the most common excuses given by New Zealanders needing a new passport over the past year.With the cost of new passports going up this month – above $1000 if an urgent, out of hours replacement is needed – not keeping a passport safe has become more expensive than ever.However, between May 2024 and April 2025, a total of 12,236 passports were reported as lost, numbers provided to 1News by the Department of Internal Affairs show. A further 6745 were reported damaged.The department, responsible for issuing the little black books, said it had…

The former partner of a man who committed two killings more than two decades apart says he should not have been released from a mental health facility five days before he killed again.She says there was a “massive” failure by the mental health system, both in protecting him, but also the wider community.”It failed him, it failed everybody twice.”RNZ earlier revealed the man — who was made a special patient under the Mental Health Act after his first killing — was recently found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity for a second time after killing someone he believed…

By Susan Edmunds of RNZ  With Budget 2025 set to be delivered on Thursday, you are going to hear a lot about government spending this week. But how does it actually work? Where does the money come from, and where does it go? The government pulls in money in a few different ways. Tax revenue is the big one. The government brings in about $120 billion in tax revenue every year. For the 2025 financial year, that was about $22,613 per person. It gets another $7833 per person from ‘‘other income’’ from things such as ACC levies, the emissions trading…

The Government will spend more than $600 million to upgrade the country’s rail network as part of this year’s Budget.The funding includes $461m to maintain and improve freight rail, and more than $140m to replace and upgrade metropolitan rail in Auckland and Wellington.Transport Minister Chris Bishop said rail services had been made less reliable by a backlog of overdue upgrades.Transport Minister Chris Bishop. (Source: rnz.co.nz)”Metro rail investment in Auckland and Wellington will improve the level of service for passengers by addressing overdue and critical renewals work. The poor state of our metro networks has flow-on impacts for performance.”For example, temporary…

Interislander ferry operator KiwiRail says with the Aratere gone, passengers may need to travel on less popular sailings or be more flexible with dates. But it says there will be no price-gouging or considerable increases to ticket prices. The Aratere Interislander ferry will retire by the end of August, meaning cuts to both passenger and freight capacity. The Aratere is the only ship that carries rail wagons, but cannot use the Picton or Wellington wharfs as they are being upgraded for two new ferries arriving in 2029. A temporary wharf would have cost $120 million. The ship can hold 650 passengers, 230…

Winston Peters has hit back and argued with a heckler who derailed a media stand-up in the capital this morning.Minister for Rail Peters was speaking to reporters about new rail funding while at Wellington Railway Station, alongside Minister of Transport Chris Bishop, when he was interrupted.The heckler could be heard saying, “a load of bollocks, Winston”. Peters replied: “Who said bollocks? You look like you look like bollocks mate. Go look in the mirror, sunshine.” The exchange then quickly descended into a yelling match between the pair, with Peters telling the man to “naff off”.A man arguing with Winston Peters…

By Susan Edmunds of RNZ  If you’ve been trying to save for a house deposit, or otherwise trying to get your financial life in order, you might have heard the advice: Give up the takeaway coffee, cut back on the avocado on toast and stop brunching. But is that really all it takes to get to your goals? RNZ has crunched the numbers and it turns out that if you give up a daily takeaway coffee, you might save enough money for a house deposit. But it could take 30 years. These numbers aren’t intended to be anything but a…

Tenancy investigators will visit a selection of student rentals in Dunedin this week to check they are up to standard. The Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment (MBIE) Tenancy Compliance and Investigations Team (TCIT) would identify any breaches of the Residential Tenancies Act 1986 and prompt action by landlords found not to be in compliance.Acting TCIT national manager Clare Lyons-Montgomery said landlords must provide warm, safe, and dry homes.”Young people are a priority population for our team, as they can be vulnerable and unaware of their rights because they are new to renting.”Landlords have obligations and responsibilities under the Act…

Former prime minister Dame Jacinda Ardern has spoken about the power of humility that comes with “imposter syndrome”, the importance of international cooperation, and the dangers of isolationism in her address at Yale University’s graduation ceremony.Ardern’s speech also covered the challenges faced during her leadership and the multiple crises the world faces today – from wars, climate change, to a “decreasing regard” for civil rights and human rights – “including the right to be who you are”.Her speech was met with applause and cheers from graduates at various points, including when she spoke about New Zealand’s ban of semi-automatic weapons…

The Central Otago District Council has awarded the $14.7 million tender to design and construct Cromwell’s new water treatment plant and borefield upgrades to New Zealand-owned and based Apex Water. Council capital projects programme manager Patrick Keenan said the project was a significant step forward in ensuring the growing Cromwell community would have a sustainable and secure water supply. Construction was due to begin shortly with the work concentrated near the Alpha Street playgrounds, waterfront and McNab Rd. “It is exciting to get to the next stage of this project and start delivering tangible progress,” he said. This would be…