Author: Press Room
Clouds are set to spoil the show for more Kiwis hoping to catch tomorrow’s rare partial solar eclipse at dawn — but one city might just get lucky.The eclipse would begin before sunrise and reach its peak around 7am, with the moon covering up to 70% of the sun in parts of the lower South Island. In Auckland, the coverage will be closer to 60%.However, MetService meteorologist Michael Pawley told 1News that the same weather system responsible for strong wind warnings from Stewart Island to Wellington would make it “difficult” to catch a glimpse of the celestial event.”We have high…
A man has been charged with arson after two building fires were reported within a half-hour of each other around Auckland’s Newmarket this morning.No injuries were reported at either of the fires, and police said a 36-year-old man was arrested a short time later in relation to the incidents.The first fire was at a property on Manukau Rd, Epsom at 5.26am, with firefighters called to the scene by a “fire alarm evacuation”.”On arrival, crews found a fire on the ground floor of the building. At the height of the fire a second alarm was transmitted, with six appliances attending.”Crews attended…
A boom in Antarctic tourism has seen visitor numbers surge in recent decades, prompting scientists to question whether the frozen continent can sustain the influx of adventurers perhaps drawn by “last chance tourism”.The vast majority of tourists leave on cruise ships from Tierra del Fuego in South America and cross the Drake Passage to the Antarctic Peninsula. They travel only in the Antarctic summer season, but numbers have swelled in recent decades.Over the 1994/95 season, around 8000 tourists visited the continent, while the numbers recorded for the summer of 2023/24 were just over 122,000. The general manager of Christchurch’s International…
An Auckland man with cerebral palsy says he feels “very let down by the housing system” as he struggles in emergency accommodation unfit for his needs.Kallen Neki told 1News he had been in a temporary unit since the start of the year while he waited for public housing that was wheelchair accessible.Getting through the front door on his chair was a daily challenge, and due to the size of the space he was often only able to move around the house on his knees.”There’s nothing wrong with my brain, but on the physical side there is a lot going on,…
The Health Minister has announced that $100 million allocated from Budget 2025 will be used to fund 21 local projects at hospital facilities across the country. Speaking from Auckland’s Manukau Health Park this afternoon, Simeon Brown said the money had been specifically allocated from Budget 2025 to fund the hospital upgrades, but Health New Zealand had to make business cases to decide which projects the funding would be put towards. “It’s money which is part of the budget. So the money was allocated, Health New Zealand has then been through a process, the money’s now been drawn down. So they…
A humpback whale has died after being found stuck on a sandbank at the mouth of the Waitati River, north of Dunedin on Saturday.Project Jonah, a charitable organisation dedicated to helping marine mammals, said it responded to the stranding on Sunday morning.In a post online, it said medics from the charity went to the beach to monitor the whale, alongside Department of Conservation rangers, Surf Life Saving NZ, and mana whenua Kāti Huirapa Rūnaka ki Puketeraki.”It was hoped the whale would be able to free itself on the incoming tide and during this time, we consulted with several organisations through…
Christchurch mayor Phil Mauger concedes he had been “naive” to promise below-inflation rates rises when he first ran three years ago, as he and his opponent Sara Templeton went head-to-head in a Q+A debate.The mayoral election in the country’s second-largest city has seen progressive councillor Templeton running to replace the first-term incumbent. On rates, the two frontrunners have clashed on whether Government-mandated caps on increases are appropriate.On Q+A, Mauger said he was “naive” to have pledged to keep rates rises below inflation when he ran for mayor in 2022, but was adamant voters could still trust him on the issue.”That…
A new government-funded training programme in Ōamaru is helping Pasifika factory workers future-proof their careers, as economic uncertainty continues to impact the primary industries.The free NZQA-accredited course, known as Project Fetu, was designed to upskill workers in literacy, numeracy, and digital skills — areas many have had limited access to as they headed straight into the workforce.Among the trainees is Salesi Kava, a father of six who left school to support his family after his father suffered a heart attack.Selesi Kava. (Source: 1News)”I didn’t get the opportunity to study like at Polytech or university,” he told 1News. “I had to…
Canterbury Emergency Management is urging those in the region to “prepare now” as a red strong wind warning has been issued for the area. MetService warned of destructive 150km/h gusts as severe weather threatens to batter much of the South Island and lower North from this evening. The forecaster said winds of this strength had the potential to “cause damage to powerlines and roofs with threat to life from flying items and falling trees, dangerous driving conditions and significant disruption to transport and power supply”. The active front preceded by a strong north to northwest flow would then move northeast…
Steel gates, warning signs and the start of demolition works outside a mouldy, abandoned home has brought relief to a Wellington street.Earlier this month RNZ reported a 1980s era large mouldy, abandoned home on Kabul Street in Khandallah had been decaying for years, bringing a strong smell to the area.One neighbour Paul Ash said it was attracting crime and had become almost “an industrial-sized puffball of mould spores”.The owner of the home was contacted by RNZ and acknowledged it had become an eyesore and confirmed demolition would start about September 17.Nearly two weeks on, the owner seemed to have stuck…