Author: Press Room

Wastewater will be directly discharged into the Shotover River from today, the Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) has confirmed.The council is enacting emergency powers under the Resource Management Act to pump at least 12,000 cubic metres of treated effluent into the river per day, after concerns about bird strike at the nearby airport.Problems with the water disposal area had caused ponding and an increase in the number of waterfowl flocking to the habitat.The daily discharge would be the equivalent of nearly five Olympic-sized swimming pools a day.”The use of emergency powers has been confirmed following notification by QAC [Queenstown Airport]…

By Russell Palmer of RNZ  The next steps for replacing the InterIslander ferries will be revealed by Winston Peters today, more than 15 months since the coalition scrapped its predecessor’s iReX ferry project. Peters was named the new Minister for Rail in December – a year to the day after the iRex deal was scuppered – promising a cheaper solution with ships to be in operation by 2029 when the current ageing fleet is set for retirement. In Parliament last week, he said today’s update – promised by the end of the month – would outline the type of ferries and…

Health New Zealand says it has stopped planned restructuring in three areas after cost savings were achieved.Health New Zealand interim chief human resources officer Fiona McCarthy said in a statement that change processes would stop for the National Public Health Service and the data analytics and community mental health divisions of the Planning, Funding and Outcomes Group.She said it followed voluntary redundancies, early exit processes and improved efficiency.As a result the Public Service Association will drop legal proceedings over the restructure at two of those groups.The union filed legal proceedings with the Employment Relations Authority last month saying “the proposed…

Alexander Stubb proposed 20 April as an ideal time for a deadline, citing Easter and the completion of three months in office for Trump. ADVERTISEMENTFinnish President Alexander Stubb has said he urged US President Donald Trump to set a deadline for a ceasefire in Ukraine in order to end the war, after returning from a surprise visit to Florida.Stubb made his surprise trip to the US on Saturday, when he met with Trump in Florida and discussed the strengthening of the two countries’ bilateral relations and played in a golf tournament.Speaking in London on Sunday, Stubb told Finnnish reporters that…

By Lillian Hanly of RNZ Labour is dismissing a government plan to gather information on breaking up the supermarket duopoly as “paying lip service” to their promises. But it – along with Consumer NZ – is welcoming the potential structural intervention the government may decide to make. Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis issued a Request for Information on Sunday to help determine possible regulatory and legislative changes that would support a third entrant into the grocery sector. Willis said all options were on the table to introduce more competition, including the break-up or restructuring of the two existing supermarket chains, which she…

It won’t just be a pinch and a punch for April 1, but a wave of changes affecting some Kiwis’ bank accounts will come into force as well. The beginning of April marks the dawn of a new financial year, and with it, a “modest rise” to the minimum wage, alongside benefit and student support adjustments that could impact many households.Changes to electricity transmission prices and student loans are also kicking in.1News breaks down the changes and what they might mean for you.Minimum wageThe adult minimum wage will move to $23.50 an hour — a 1.5% increase on the current…

Six senior doctors at Nelson Hospital have spoken out about their concerns staffing levels are putting patients lives in danger. The doctors say they – along with their union, the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists – have privately raised their concerns with management for months, if not years. This is the second in a two-part series by 1News’ Jessica Roden. A senior doctor at Nelson’s emergency department says “I think we’re failing our community” as staffing pressures and long wait times take a toll. Dr Andrew Munro is a specialist in emergency medicine and has worked in Nelson’s ED on…

Martin Hawes admits he has a strange relationship with retirement. He spends much of his time helping people into retirement through his writing and seminars. Previously in his career, he gave financial advice to many people to help them plan for it. But while advising on retirement — a word he does not like as he believes it has connotations of old age — might have long been a big part of his professional life, he is yet to do it himself. “For my own retirement, I am shy to the point of embarrassment. “When I boil this down, I…

The fraying social cohesion of New Zealand has been laid bare in a new report which a researcher says raises fundamental questions about the future of democracy. The report was written by economists Shamubeel Eaqub and Rosie Collins on behalf of the Helen Clark Foundation. Surveying was carried out by research firm Talbot Mills.Speaking to Q+A, Eaqub said that New Zealanders need to have a discussion about how we can respect different political views while still being cohesive as a society. “If we’re going to see increasing polarisation, we’re going to see more volatile politics, less certainty around policies, and…

As filming continued at the head of Lake Wakatipu for Brad Pitt’s next blockbuster, Philip Chandler instead headed to Dart Valley Station. There he met two men plotting another blockbuster — a world-first tourism attraction. Glenorchy has already got a great name for sustainable tourism. Think the likes of Headwaters Eco Lodge, Kinloch Lodge, The Great Glenorchy Alpine Base Camp and the head of the lake’s recent certification as an International Dark Sky Sanctuary. That reputation will now be turbocharged with The Future is Wild@The Hillocks opening in about a year’s time, now it has been issued with a resource consent. Based around a well-known cluster of conical…