Author: Press Room

MetService says thunderstorms are sparking along an active frontal band of rain as it quickly pushes northwards across the North Island this morning. The forecaster observed 482 lightning strikes in the vicinity of the front during a three-hour window from 4am to 7am.”These thunderstorms may produce brief heavy rain and strong wind gusts of 90 to 110 km/h. A low risk associated with the front extends over Coromandel Peninsula and the eastern ranges of Bay of Plenty,” MetService said on its website. In a post online, it said Auckland and Northland had been upgraded to a moderate risk of experiencing…

Construction teams will swell to 150 contractors on Fonterra’s new $150 million ultra-high temperature cream plant at Southland’s Edendale site in coming months. The first UHT products are expected to roll off the line next August, with the co-operative cashing in on demand from Asia for foodservice products such as Anchor whipping cream. Lower South Island operations general manager Andrew Johns said the Edendale investment was about meeting demand from growing markets and building for the future. The plant will initially process more than 50million litres of UHT cream a year, with the ability to go beyond 100million litres by…

The 47-year-old man allegedly at the centre of a more than three hour standoff with police yesterday in Auckland’s Flat Bush has been formally charged. Yesterday, the man allegedly shot a firearm at police just after 9.30am while officers were conducting inquiries at a property on Chapel Road.One officer was injured and taken to hospital with minor injuries, and was discharged a few hours later.Superintendent Shanan Gray said the man refused to exit the property at a Salvation Army housing complex despite multiple attempts to engage with him.Nearby residents were then evacuated, schools were sent into lockdown, and some flights…

Te Pāti Māori president John Tamihere is batting away questions about the party’s leadership after a former ally accused the party of operating like a “dictatorship”.Arriving at Parliament on Tuesday morning, Tamihere told reporters the party would not answer “claims and allegations” and was focused on Tāmaki Makaurau this week, with new MP Oriini Kaipara set to be sworn in.John Tamihere says the party is focused on a reset after the election of new MP Oriini Kaipara. (Source: 1News)Toitū te Tiriti spokesperson Eru Kapa-Kingi last week raised concerns about the party’s leadership style, saying it was “problematic” and “effectively a…

The minimum number of days NZ Post is required to deliver mail for both urban and rural areas has been lowered. Approved by the Government, the changes to the Postal Deed of Understanding (the Deed) between the Crown and New Zealand Post aimed to make the service sustainable as its use among Kiwis declined. Under the approved changes, NZ Post had a minimum obligation to deliver mail two days a week for urban areas (down from three), PO Boxes (down from five) and private bags.The minimum delivery frequency for rural areas dropped from five days a week to three. The…

The race to fill the two vacant Deputy Commissioner of police roles has narrowed down to four candidates, with interviews expected to be carried out this week, RNZ understands.After the initial shock at Deputy Commissioner Jevon McSkimming’s resignation in May, one of the questions that emerged was who would replace him.Then, in July Deputy Commissioner Tania Kura announced her retirement after 37 years in police, leaving both deputy commissioner roles vacant.RNZ understands there are four people left in the mix for the positions.Three of the contenders have already been widely speculated – acting Deputy Commissioners Jill Rogers and Mike Johnson,…

National’s Nicola Willis has implored Green co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick to “call the dogs off” and tell activists to stop protesting outside MPs’ homes after a window was smashed at Winston Peters’ house.The Greens have condemned the attack but say government ministers need to “look in the mirror” themselves.A 29-year-old man has since been arrested and will appear in Auckland District Court on Friday, charged with burglary.A shattered window of Winston Peters’ house in Auckland. (Source: 1News)Revealed: Content of note left at Winston Peters’ home after vandalism – Watch on TVNZ+On her way into a caucus meeting at Parliament on Tuesday,…

ADVERTISEMENT The European Union is considering a proposal that could potentially restrict the movements of Russian diplomats across the bloc’s territory, according to a document added to the latest round of sanctions and seen by Euronews. The plan would concern members of Russia’s diplomatic and consular missions, including administrative and technical staff as well as family members. If approved, it would establish an obligation for Russian envoys to notify their intention to travel to or transit through another member state beyond their host nation. The notification should be issued “at least 24 hours” before arrival, the document says, and lay…

Six Mongrel Mob members and associates are before the courts after a brawl in Palmerston North in August. Police were called to Main Street after receiving multiple reports of a mass brawl at a hotel around midnight on August 8. Earlier that evening, an R18 event was held at the premises and was attended by a large number of Mongrel Mob members and associates from areas nearby including Palmerston North and Hawke’s Bay.Acting Detective Sergeant Richard How said police believed a disagreement over missing property between a member of the public and a gang member occurred.”This altercation shortly escalated to…

More than 300 people are required to resit their practical driving tests following allegations Auckland Vehicle Testing New Zealand (VTNZ) officers accepted payments to pass applicants.Five driver testing officers (DTOs) at the Highbrook branch in Auckland have been sacked and their testing officer endorsements have been suspended pending the outcome of an investigation by NZTA.”NZTA has been informed by VTNZ that the DTOs had allegedly been accepting payments to pass people taking practical driver tests since 2023,” a NZ Transport Agency spokesperson confirmed to 1News in a statement.”Potentially fraudulent activity has been referred to police for investigation.”The site is currently…