Author: Press Room
Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum will be closed to the public this weekend after testing positive for asbestos.Dust was found following heritage work investigations last month in Te Marae Ātea Māori Court and the Pacific Galleries, a spokesperson for the museum said this evening, and it had tested positive for static asbestos. The galleries would be closed “as a precautionary measure to prepare the spaces for asbestos cleaning and removal”. The grand foyer will also close after subsequent swab testing in the area came back positive for asbestos. “Given the grand foyer is a primary evacuation route, its…
ADVERTISEMENTAs he travelled to Paris and Warsaw on Wednesday for his first official foreign trip, the new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz did not arrive in the favourable position he had hoped for.The CDU party leader wanted to send a strong message to his partners. However, it took him two rounds of voting on Tuesday to be confirmed as head of government, a first in German political history since World War II. As a result, Merz had to deal with a domestic crisis right before he met with his French and Polish counterparts.The initial stumble is likely to weigh heavily on…
Air New Zealand has revealed it will suspend its Christchurch to Gold Coast service over the coming summer due to a number of factors.The flights would be on pause between November 2025 and March 2026.Currently, the national carrier flies non-stop two to three days a week between Christchurch and Coolangatta Airport.Chief commercial officer Jeremy O’Brien told 1News the airline had made the “difficult decision to introduce a seasonal suspension on its Christchurch to Gold Coast services”.He said it had been influenced by “ongoing demand and market conditions, along with our wide fleet constraints”.”We need to make careful decisions about where…
ADVERTISEMENTGeorge Simion is a self-described Euro-realist with differing views on Ukraine. Yet he’s not fallen to any kind of anti-Ukrainian sentiment, he says. It’s patriotism and protecting the interests of the Romanian minority living there, plain and simple.And to prove that point, in his mind there is no doubt over who’s to blame for the war in Ukraine, or who can be the peacemaker.”Our position towards the Russian war is very clear. It’s a Russian war against Ukraine, against all international treaties, and our hopes and prayers go towards a peaceful solution of the Trump administration in this region because…
An 11-year-old boy has stitches after he was attacked by a pair of roaming dogs in south Auckland on Monday.Meanwhile, a local dog owner said she’s having nightmares after her ageing pooch was assaulted by another dog the very same day.Residents in Māngere Bridge are becoming increasingly concerned as unsupervised and aggressive dogs roam the streets.It seemed like a regular Monday afternoon when local mum Amie Clough watched her son ride off on his bike.Then the phone rang.”Literally, he’d just left the house two minutes and I get a phone call from a random number saying I’m with your son…
A Deaf tradie whose teacher was willing to learn to sign while he was an apprentice has now had the confidence to start his own business.This New Zealand Sign Language Week he’s hoping his story will encourage other Deaf Kiwis to believe they can do the same. Sitting down with 1News, with an NZSL interpreter at hand, Gino Haynes explained: “To start with, it was quite difficult. There was a lot to read and a lot to learn and a lot to set up.” The hurdles of building a client base and arranging jobs complicated further when those hiring you…
ADVERTISEMENTAs is tradition after a new pope is elected, Pope Leo XIV presided over his first eucharistic celebration as pontiff on Friday morning in the Sistine Chapel with the cardinal electors in attendance.Wearing black shoes and a pastoral cross made for Pope Benedict XVI and also used by Pope Francis, the former Cardinal Robert Prevost addressed his fellows the day after the end of the conclave that elected him.”You have called me to carry a cross”: these are the first words, spoken in English, of Pope Leo XIV, in the homily outlining his pontificate. “I will begin with a few…
Mt Hutt has announced its ski season will open early this year.It will open on May 31, the first time in 16 years it has been able to do so in Autumn. The team on the ground are now grooming slopes and frantically assembling staff to be ready for the new start date to the season.“It has been tough for the last four to five years, as we have been reliant on snowmaking. We haven’t seen anything like this for the last four or five years,” said NZSki’s James McKenzie.It would only open on weekends for the first couple of…
ADVERTISEMENTA broad coalition of democratic nations has endorsed the formation of a special tribunal to prosecute the crime of aggression against Ukraine, a powerful symbolic gesture marking Europe Day that is set to face formidable challenges to fulfill its mission.The political approval, which consolidates more than two years of behind-the-scenes work between legal advisors, was sealed on Friday afternoon during a visit by foreign affairs ministers to Lviv, the largest city in western Ukraine.The occasion gathered envoys from almost 40 European and non-European nations, together with representatives from the EU institutions and the Council of Europe. Ukraine’s prime minister, Denys…
The Pay Equity Amendment Bill has passed through all stages in Parliament, after being rushed through under urgency.The controversial legislation raises the threshold for proving work has been historically undervalued when making a pay equity claim.Opponents say it will make it harder for women in female dominated industries to make a claim.Workplace Relations Minister Brooke van Velden announced the move on Tuesday morning.The legislation passed about 7.45pm last night, with the support of government parties.Workplace Relations Minister Brooke van Velden spoke to Breakfast about the changes. (Source: Breakfast)All opposition parties opposed it.Thirty-three current claims – representing thousands of workers -…