Author: Press Room

Tourism is the main economic engine of the islands, but it has also priced locals out of the property market, and it is damaging the environment too. ADVERTISEMENTAround 30,000 people took to the streets of the different cities and towns of the archipelago on Sunday under the banner “The Canary Islands have a limit.”In 2023 over 16 million tourists visited and it’s likely that number will be higher when 2024 is over. Tourists spent more than 20 billion euros in 2023, but it comes at a price.And whilst the protesters concede that tourism provides crucial jobs, they say most of…

Public Service Minister Nicola Willis recently announced that the government wanted to see more public servants come into their place of work each day, and is taking steps to make this expectation clear to its chief executives. “Updated guidance for the public service will make clear that working from home is not an entitlement and must be agreed and monitored”. The focus in some recent media articles is that this move is intended to return workers to the CBD, bringing a much-needed boost to the hospitality industry. However, the minister also stated, there are good reasons why employees have traditionally…

The Lotto Powerball jackpot has grown to $30 million after no tickets won this evening.The winning numbers were: 02, 15, 20, 21, 26, 30, bonus ball 05, and Powerball 01.However, one player from Auckland will be celebrating after winning $1 million with Lotto First Division. The winning ticket was sold on MyLotto. Strike Four has also rolled over to next Wednesday’s draw, where the prize will be $500,000.

Emergency services flocked to Sydney Airport following a “security incident” on board an Air New Zealand flight on Saturday.Flight NZ247 landed in Sydney from Wellington with 154 passengers and crew onboard around 5.40pm (7.40pm NZDT). The plane was grounded on the tarmac while emergency services assessed the situation. Air New Zealand’s chief operational integrity and safety officer, captain David Morgan, told 1News in a statement “a security incident” was reported on flight NZ247 from Wellington to Sydney. “Standard security protocols were followed. Emergency services assessed the aircraft after it landed and passengers were able to disembark. “Due to this incident,…

The felling of a large stand of mature gum trees next to Kerikeri’s town centre appears to be on hold after concerns were raised that kiwi could be living in the area.Work had been due to start in mid-October to cut down a roughly 24-hectare block of trees known as the Bing Property, bordered by the town centre, Kerikeri River and the Heritage Bypass.The trees are mostly 90-year-old eucalypts and redwoods, forming the town’s distinctive skyline, with some natives in the understorey.The land is zoned residential and no permission is required to fell the trees.The Department of Conservation has confirmed,…

A person has been seriously injured in a shooting in the southern Auckland suburb of Wiri.A spokesperson for Hato Hone St John told 1News it was called to an incident at 1.08am, sending an ambulance and a rapid response vehicle.”We transported one person with serious injuries to Middlemore Hospital.”In a statement, police said an investigation was underway after “a firearms incident”.”Police were called about 1am to Felicia Place, after a report of a disorder incident involving two groups of people.”Shots were reportedly fired, and one of the groups left in a vehicle.”Police said one person had minor injuries and was…

As councils around the country grapple with ever-tighter budgets and larger increases in rates, Nelson Mayor Nick Smith says it’s time to consider moving to four-year terms. Speaking to Q+A, the former local government minister and now-mayor said New Zealand’s three-year terms were unusual internationally. Smith previously spent 31 years as a National MP, with multiple stints as a Cabinet minister.He said: “When everybody’s looking for more efficiency because things are financially tight, I don’t think the public appreciates the cost of putting the bureaucracy of councils into standby mode during those three or four months as you approach an…

It’s the sign of a mature relationship that New Zealand’s High Commissioner to Canberra has no qualms recommending Kiwis become Australian citizens.And increasingly, they are doing so: either translating long residencies in Australia to becoming citizens, or taking that leap to move from New Zealand in search of economic opportunity.New Zealand has almost always bled citizens to Australia, a core function of the asymmetric relationship between the allies.The opportunity was formalised in 1973 with the Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement allowing citizens to visit, live and work on both sides of the ditch.However, a 2001 change made many Kiwi migrants ineligible for…

Russian air defences shot down more than 100 Ukrainian drones on Sunday over Russia’s western regions, Moscow officials said. ADVERTISEMENTThe Russian Defence Ministry said 110 drones were destroyed in the overnight barrage against seven Russian regions. Many targeted Russia’s border region of Kursk, where 43 drones were reportedly shot down.Social media footage appeared to show air defences at work over the city of Dzerzhinsk in the Nizhny Novgorod region, close to a factory producing explosives.Local Gov. Gleb Nikitin wrote on social media on Sunday that four fighters had been injured repelling a drone attack over Dzerzhinsk’s industrial zone, but did…

Two people have been injured, one seriously, after a car crashed into a house in the west-central Auckland suburb of Avondale this morning.Police confirmed to 1News they were called to a single-vehicle crash on Nacton Lane, reported at 10.30am.”The vehicle appears to have collided with a house,” a spokesperson said. “One person has been seriously injured.”St John said it responded with two ambulances, one rapid response unit and one manager.”Our crews assessed and treated one patient in a moderate condition and one patient in a serious condition who were both transported to Auckland City Hospital,” a spokesperson said.A 1News reporter…