Author: Press Room

Kaipara District Council has today in a secret vote backed an election process complaint letter from outgoing mayor Craig Jepson.The decision was made at an emergency council meeting called by Jepson and held this morning after it was abandoned last night when it became “unruly”.Jepson had sought council backing for an election process complaint he wanted to forward to the Department of Internal Affairs.He said the primary objective of the meeting was to investigate whether Kaipara had an “honest and above board” election.Today’s council decision to back Jepson‘s complaint was made in a narrow 5:3 vote.Outgoing councillor Eryn Wilson-Collins said…

ADVERTISEMENT Around three-quarters of adults in 10 EU countries believe that large companies with 250 or more employees should be held accountable for human rights and environmental harms in their supply chains, a new Ipsos poll shows. Respondents in Sweden and Spain appear to hold this view particularly strongly. The survey, commissioned by Global Witness and Amnesty International and conducted by Ipsos, interviewed 10,861 people across Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Spain, and Sweden. It follows negotiations to review the Corporate Sustainability and Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), a landmark EU bill that holds companies accountable for…

A global watchdog has reported a 400% rise in AI-generated child sexual abuse material in just six months – prompting warnings that New Zealand is struggling to keep up with the rapidly evolving technology.The UK-based Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), which monitors and removes child sexual abuse material from the internet, says new AI tools have made it easier than ever to create explicit and realistic imagery.“It’s moving faster than we’ve ever seen before,” IWF spokesperson Chris Hughes told 1News.Unlike the dark web, experts said the material was now spreading across mainstream social media, chat forums, and search platforms – meaning…

Published on 17/10/2025 – 10:14 GMT+2 ADVERTISEMENT An explosive device detonated under the car of one of Italy’s leading investigative journalists that was parked outside his home, prompting condemnation on Friday from Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and others. Report, the investigative series on Italy’s state-run RAI3, said the explosion overnight destroyed the car of Sigfrido Ranucci and damaged a second family car and the house next to it in Pomezia, south of Rome. It said the blast was so powerful that it could have killed anyone passing by but that no one was injured in the explosion. Police, firefighters, forensic…

Encountered by many New Zealanders at airports, coffee shops or grandparents homes, Reader’s Digest New Zealand has announced it will stop publishing a printed edition after 75 years.Reader’s Digest NZ will now only be available online, with the Covid-19 pandemic blamed for the demise of the printed version.Sheron White, the general manager of publish and sales for Asia Pacific Reader’s Digest confirmed to RNZ’s Checkpoint the print edition had been discontinued.”We tried everything to keep it going but it just wasn’t feasible anymore,” White said.Reader’s Digest first took off in the United States and spread across the world, including New…

ADVERTISEMENT Uzbekistan’s President, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, will pay an official visit to Brussels on 24 October 2025, marking a significant step forward in relations with the European Union. During the visit, Uzbekistan and the EU are expected to sign the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA), a comprehensive framework that defines future collaboration across five strategic areas, including political dialogue, trade, security, and sustainable development. The agreement underscores both sides’ commitment to continued reforms, economic modernization, and global cooperation, while setting the stage for further initiatives such as the upcoming EU–Central Asia Investment Forum in Tashkent this November. In his congratulatory…

New data from TradeMe shows job listings surged 13 percent last quarter, signalling a potential rebound in the job market – especially in the South Island. Total job listings nationally are still 0.8 percent lower than a year ago. TradeMe Jobs head Nicole Williams said the South Island was powering ahead and leading the job recovery. “The strong listing growth in regions like Southland – up a huge 25.1 percent – Otago – up 7.1 percent – and Canterbury – up 6.1 percent – is offsetting the quieter markets in our two biggest cities.” Canterbury hit a record number of job listings…

The morning’s headlines in 90 seconds, including a former Prime Minister dies, coroner says teen had been huffing nitrous oxide before a fatal crash, NRL clamps down on possible R360 defectors. Former Prime Minister Jim Bolger has died. A coroner says an unlicenced driver was under the influence of nitrous oxide when she crashed, killing herself and four others. Police want CCTV footage from the area around a fatal house in Auckland. The NRL says any players and agents linked to a breakaway rugby union competition will be banned for 10 years.

Are you wasting money on your credit card?Centrix data shows 2.36 million active consumer credit cards in this country – but if you own one of them, there are a few ways you might be losing out.Here are some expert tips on managing your card and getting the most out of it.Use a low-rate card or transfer your balance, if you have credit card debtThere’s no point having a credit card that offers lots of rewards and perks, if it means you face a higher interest bill each month.Reserve Bank data shows the average interest rate being paid by people…

Two people were killed and three people were badly injured in a two-vehicle crash in Waikato yesterday evening, prompting a plea from police for witnesses to any “unusual or poor driving behaviour” in the area. Emergency services were called to the intersection of State Highway 1 and Horahora Road in Piarere, south of Matamata, at around 7.50pm. Two people were killed in the crash.St John said two other people were airlifted to Waikato Hospital in a critical condition. One person was taken to hospital by ambulance in a serious condition.This morning, police made a plea for anyone who witnessed, or…