Author: Press Room

A Lower Hutt man who has lost a staggering 154kg in two years is now seeking removal surgery for excess skin.Eli Moon, 34, began his life-saving health journey in August 2023, after a major health scare with heart failure.”I had been struggling with my weight all my life, just kind of chronic overeating, and my heart began to understandably cut out,” he said.”It got to the point where I basically spent a month in hospital very sick, and since then I’ve turned my life around, eating well and a lot of exercise.”At the time of his health scare, Moon weighed…

There are “serious concerns” for a man reported missing in the Thames area earlier this week. Batch owners, hunters, trampers, and campers are being asked to keep an eye out for 35-year-old Jared, who was last seen on the morning of Sunday, August 24, leaving his home on Waiomu Valley Road.”Jared was heading towards the Coromandel, but he never returned home,” police said. Jared was reported missing on Tuesday. He was thought to be driving a black 2018 Mitsubishi Triton with the licence plate LKK544.”Police and Jared’s family have serious concerns for his welfare and would like to find him…

The morning’s headlines in 90 seconds, including a school shooting shocks America, why housing could be the most affordable it’s been in years, and the mystery around a painting stolen by the Nazis. A person has opened fire on a Catholic school in the US, killing at least two children. Loud bangs have been heard during the search for sovereign citizen and alleged police shooter Dezi Freeman in Australia. New data says housing is at its most affordable level in years. The country’s largest bank has slashed some home loan rates. ADVERTISEMENTPolice have raided a home in Argentina, searching for…

Rotorua Lakes Council has approved a bundle of new bylaws aimed at improving tidiness and safety in the city centre, after a debate over who should pay to collect abandoned shopping trolleys.The decision at Wednesday’s council meeting followed a review of inner-city safety policies and bylaws.The new bylaws covered unsafe begging at street lights, building veranda safety, dangerous buildings and a waste bylaw.Consultation found substantial public support for all four amendments, which was mirrored in chambers at the meeting, the last before October’s local elections.All but one bylaw passed without contest.Discarded supermarket trolleys in Rotorua. (Source: Local Democracy Reporting)Under the…

He’s a champion for wellbeing in business and former semifinalist in the New Zealander of the Year. Business editor Sally Rae talks to former professional rugby player Craig Hudson about why he has got involved with Dunedin-based startup Givenwell.   When illness prematurely ended Craig Hudson’s professional rugby career at 23, it signalled the beginning of his wellness journey. Quite a few twists and turns later and Mr Hudson recently joined Dunedin-based startup Givenwell as chief customer officer to help scale its impact in workplace wellbeing. Meeting Givenwell’s founder Jonny Mirkin last year was a pivotal moment; Mr Mirkin’s passion for wellbeing was…

A boatie has been convicted and fined after his vessel capsized and rolled while trying to cross the Raglan bar in poor conditions, trapping himself and his wife under the boat.Jaswant Chand, who owned the boat, had attempted to cross a sandspit at the southern end of the Raglan bar to go fishing with his wife and son aboard. Conditions were described as being “hazardous” on the day of the incident.The boat capsized, trapping Chand and his wife underneath. He managed to push his wife free before he became trapped himself, needing to be rescued by surf lifesavers. The vessel…

ADVERTISEMENT Beijing’s relationship with Moscow will be at the forefront of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) summit in China this weekend. As Russian strikes continue to rain down on Ukraine and European calls for further sanctions on the Kremlin grow, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin will attend the event in the Chinese city of Tianjin with around 20 other world leaders. The meeting will include representatives from the 10 European and Asian member states of the SCO, a body which styles itself as an alternative to the US-led world order. It comprises China, Russia, India, Pakistan, Iran, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan…

An Auckland man has been jailed for more than two years after admitting to possessing and sharing videos and images depicting the sexual abuse of children as young as 18 months.Warning: This article includes details that may be distressing to some readers.An investigation into 38-year-old Karl Dallison was launched by the Department of Internal Affairs’ digital child exploitation team when he became a person of interest in an international law enforcement agency operation. Several addresses linked to Dallison were searched, leading to the seizure of several electronic devices containing 6263 images of sexual exploitation, including the abuse of children. Some…

Published on 29/08/2025 – 17:17 GMT+2 ADVERTISEMENT There is “broad support” among member states to extend the EU’s mission to train Ukrainian soldiers to sites in the war-torn country following a ceasefire, Kaja Kallas said on Friday. The EU’s high representative told reporters after a meeting of the bloc’s defence ministers in Copenhagen, Denmark, that she “welcome(s)” this broad support to extend the mandate of the EU Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine (EUMAM Ukraine). Some 80,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been trained in various sites across Europe by EU armed forces since it was launched in November 2022. Changing…

Popular Wellington brew bar Fortune Favours has announced it will be closing its doors at the end of this week after eight years in business. In a post to social media last night, its owners said the Leeds Street pub would permanently close on Sunday, August 31.They said the closure was caused by the cost-of-living crisis, which had “proven too difficult for us to navigate”. A popular Wellington bar’s closure is another victim of the prevailing economic headwinds.  (Source: 1News)”We’re 20% down on last year, which was already 25% down on the year before. “This is not sustainable.”The brew bar’s…