Author: Press Room

Te Whatu Ora is recommencing a small number of surveillance colonoscopies at Palmerston North Hospital from next month, after pausing the check-ups because the system is at capacity.Forty-five patients who have been waiting the longest for the procedure will receive them over three Saturday sessions from February 1.”These sessions will continue to increase as our recruitment, and other activity to increase our capacity, progresses. This includes working with other districts in our region to access any surplus capacity in their systems and maximising the available outsourcing options,” Te Whatu Ora group director operations MidCentral Sarah Fenwick said.In December, 852 MidCentral…

Police are investigating after a worker was threatened and assaulted following an aggravated robbery at a Whangārei petrol station early this morning. Just after midnight, two allegedly stolen vehicles arrived on the forecourt of the store on Kamo Rd in Kensington.The store was closed at the time, but a staff member was operating the night pay window.A group of people exited the vehicles and “smashed the glass door to gain entry to the store”, Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Shane Pilmer said.”Once inside, the staff member was subjected to threats and was assaulted by some of the offenders.”The group then took…

In a speech before the European Parliament, Donald Tusk called for a major boost in Europe’s defence spending and a “critical review” of the Green Deal. ADVERTISEMENT”Europe was, is and will always be great,” Donald Tusk declared on Wednesday as he made a passionate plea for ramping up military spending to ensure the continent can defend itself against its adversaries without relying on America’s security umbrella.”If Europe is to survive, it must be armed,” the Polish prime minister told the European Parliament in a wide-ranging address with a heavy focus on security matters.”This is not our choice. I am not…

Police have named a two-year-old boy killed in a crash south of Auckland earlier this month. Emergency services were called to the intersection of Walters Rd and Blackbridge Rd in Karaka on January 4 after reports that a car had hit a bank.”One of the occupants sadly could not be revived by first responders and died at the scene, while the other was transported to hospital in a serious condition,” police said at the time.Authorities have today named the crash victim as Zion Barbarich from Pukekohe. “Police extend our condolences to the family and loved ones of those involved. Inquiries…

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke in Paris of the challenge posed by US President Donald Trump. ADVERTISEMENTFrench President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met on Wednesday in Paris, where they emphasised Europe’s strength and unity in the face of tarriff threats from US President Donald Trump.During a joint press conference before their working lunch at the Elysee Palace, Macron said it was a critical moment for France and Germany to take a leading role and ensure that Europe was capable of defending its interests while maintaining transatlantic ties. “Now that the new administration…

The Body Shop used to operate at the entrance to the Golden Centre Mall in Dunedin. The lease was not renewed last year and the site has been vacated. PHOTO: STEPHEN JAQUIERY Beauty brand The Body Shop’s New Zealand business has appointed voluntary administrators. It comes after its United Kingdom parent company was placed into administration in February last year, with its international assets largely sold — but the sale excluded the New Zealand business. Administrators Daniel Stoneman and Neale Jackson of Calibre Partners said a buyer has not been found for the New Zealand business, leading to the appointment…

Homeowners in New Zealand’s largest city must wait at least another four months for updated capital valuations (CVs) from Auckland Council because of amendments required at the highest level.The Valuer-General delayed the CVs, which were due in October last year, asking the council to amend some of its data which was being done now and expected by May this year.CoreLogic head of research Nick Goodall said CVs set the property value every three years to help set rates, which was apportioned for each property across the city.He said it was unlikely a property’s CV would change so much in three…

The Bay of Biscay, stretching from the tip of Brittany, in western France, to the north of Spain, is a major fishing zone in the Atlantic Ocean. It’s also home to around 200,000 dolphins. ADVERTISEMENTThe increased number of strandings in the past years, many of which had traces of accidental catches by fishing nets, raises concern among scientists and environmentalists.  Last year, the French government imposed a month-long ban on fishing boats over 8 meters long, to protect dolphins and other marine mammals from accidental entanglement in fishing nets. The measure, now backed by the European Union, was repeated this winter, forcing…

Defence Minister Judith Collins says more investment is needed for New Zealand’s military to counter escalating geopolitical and regional threats.The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) strategic plan, which will cover the next 15 years, will be released soon and is expected to reflect the growing security challenges facing the region. Ahead of the report’s release, Collins told 1News the world was changing and that Kiwis couldn’t afford to think nobody could harm New Zealand.She said: “We have an enormous economic zone – the ninth largest in the world. “We have enormous resource wealth in this country. All these sorts of…

The far-right Alternative for Germany received its largest-ever financial donation of €1.5 million on Wednesday, bringing the question to the fore: how do parties in Germany typically fund their campaigns? ADVERTISEMENTOn Wednesday, the far-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD) received its largest-ever donation of €1.5 million as the country gears up for elections on 23 February. The donor, Winfried Stöcker, is a multimillionaire medical entrepreneur who was fined in 2021 for organising an illegal vaccination campaign in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic using a jab he developed himself. The donation represents the most significant influx of funds the AfD…