Author: Press Room

Some residents of Spring Creek, north of Blenheim, have been asked to evacuate their homes from 6am tomorrow morning as a heavy rain warning is in place for the Marlborough region.An active front has been sweeping across parts of the central North Island and South Island, bringing heavy rain, thunderstorms, gales and possible flooding, MetService says. The area is under an orange Heavy Rain Warning which started at 9am this morning and ran until 6pm on Friday.Up to 150mm to 250mm of rain was forecast with peak rates of 20 to 30mm an hour or more by late on Thursday.A…

Published on 27/06/2025 – 2:17 GMT+2ADVERTISEMENTPrisoners of war (POWs) were welcomed back in Ukraine as part of a swap deal with Russia and were greeted by waiting relatives.The release, carried out under the Istanbul agreements, included wounded troops and soldiers with health issues, as well as several defenders under the age of 25.Many of the freed servicemembers had spent more than three years in Russian captivity, with a significant number taken prisoners during the 2022 defence of Mariupol.Hundreds of families of POWs and missing Ukrainian servicemen gathered near the hospital hoping to find their loved ones or information about them…

Broadcaster Paul Henry has been appointed to the board of TVNZ. The announcement was made by Media and Communications Minister Paul Goldsmith this morning. Henry was a former host of Breakfast and left the network in 2010. “Mr Henry has spent nearly his entire career involved in the broadcasting industry, producing news, current affairs, and entertainment programming both here in New Zealand and overseas,” Goldsmith said this morning. “He was integral in the establishment of the successful multi-platform Paul Henry breakfast show, established and sold a radio station in the Wairarapa, and was heavily involved in the launch of the…

Te Pāti Māori MP Takutai Tarsh Kemp has died. Kemp revealed in July last year that she was battling kidney disease, and announced plans to take a six-week break from Parliament to focus on her recovery.The 50-year-old had been on dialysis as she battled the disease. She was on a waiting list for a replacement kidney and her death came as a surprise to those close to her.The party released a statement on Thursday morning, saying it was “heartbroken” to confirm news of the death of “our sister” in the early hours of this morning. Her death will trigger a…

Published on 26/06/2025 – 19:03 GMT+2ADVERTISEMENTAt Thursday’s EU summit in Brussels, European leaders discussed the possibility of overhauling the WTO’s institutional framework, including its stalled dispute resolution mechanisms, to better reflect the current global trade landscape.“The WTO hasn’t worked for years,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in a press conference following the summit, referencing persistent dysfunction under both the Trump and Biden administrations.Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented leaders with different options of trade deals, labelling as the most attractive a closer cooperation between the EU and members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), a…

Ella Yelich O’Connor, aka Lorde, has gone on a ride in and out of “various existential crises” in the lead up to the release of her new album.But this week, the Auckland born musician told RNZ she was finally at peace. Nervous, but at peace. She shared her fourth album, Virgin, in full with audiences in New York on Monday night. On Wednesday evening, Kiwi fans got their first listen at parties around the country and on midnight Friday, it dropped around the world.”I had the sense last night that I’ve kind of left it all on the field, as…

Details of how the police investigation into the death of Wellington woman Helen Gregory began to shift from accidental death to murder have been revealed to a jury.Julia DeLuney is accused of murdering her 79-year-old mother, Helen Gregory, at her Khandallah home in January 2024. She has pleaded not guilty to the charge.One detective told the High Court at Wellington on Wednesday that he locked down the scene when he saw the amount of blood around the house.Under cross-examination by defence lawyer Quentin Duff, Detective Luke Hensley said that when he was called in, the death was not being treated…

Parliament has unanimously passed legislation that will ensure the courts cannot issue a permanent name suppression order for an adult convicted of a sexual offence, unless the victim agrees to it.The Victims of Sexual Violence Bill had its third reading late on Wednesday night.It also amends the law so that children under the age of 12 will not be able to be questioned about whether they consented to sex.The Justice Minister, Paul Goldsmith, said this made it crystal clear children could not consent to abuse.The law further closes what Goldsmith said was a legislative gap, by ensuring the victims of…

Anna Wintour is stepping down as Vogue editor-in-chief but will retain editorial control over the storied magazine.The longtime Vogue powerhouse told staff on Thursday (local time) she’s seeking a head of editorial content to handle more of the day-to-day operations. But she’s holding on to plenty of power to keep her a force at the magazine that built her reputation in fashion.”And it goes without saying,” she joked, “that I plan to remain Vogue’s tennis and theatre editor in perpetuity.”Wintour will remain chief content officer for Condé Nast and global editorial director of Vogue. The news shook the fashion world…

Eighteen people have been arrested — with 64kg of methamphetamine and 3.4kg of cocaine seized — following a police and Customs joint investigation into drug smuggling at Auckland Airport.Ten of those arrested worked at Auckland Airport, including nine baggage handlers.The investigation, dubbed Operation Matata, was launched after a man was arrested outside an East Tamaki address with 25kg of methamphetamine allegedly discovered in his vehicle.Detectives from the National Organised Crime Group and counterparts at Customs then uncovered a wider group, organising and carrying out the smuggling of Class A drugs at Auckland Airport.Police and Customs conducted nearly two dozen search…