Author: Press Room

Published on 08/08/2025 – 12:43 GMT+2 •Updated 13:31 ADVERTISEMENT The EU’s landmark Media Freedom Act (EMFA) entered into force Friday, with the aim of providing better protection for the press and making media ownership more transparent. The law also aims to limit the use of spyware against journalists, enhance the transparency of state advertising, and strengthen the independence of public media. The new rules also increase protection for journalists and for their sources. Social media platforms should also refrain from arbitrarily deleting or restricting content from independent media under the new regime. The law was drafted by the European Commission and…

There’s been another milestone in Auckland’s City Rail Link with people from outside the project allowed on an underground test run for the first time.Prime Minister Christopher Luxon was aboard along with senior ministers, city leaders and other officials.The train journey started at the revamped Maungawhau Station and headed into a tunnel to arrive at Waitematā or Britomart Station.”We were just saying it’s a bit like Star Trek, warp speed up there the way the tunnel is lit,” Luxon said after standing with the driver.City Rail Link’s first test train. (Source: rnz.co.nz)Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown stayed seated and chatting with…

Published on 08/08/2025 – 12:47 GMT+2 ADVERTISEMENT A new citizens’ initiative is now collecting signatures to reverse what campaigners call a “passenger-hostile” EU proposal — one they say would cost air travellers across Europe money, time, and rights.  “After over a decade of legislative impasse, EU governments are worsening the rights of EU passengers, and we intend to enable Europeans to speak out and against this,” professor Alberto Alemanno, founder of The Good Lobby and one of the petition’s organisers, told Euronews.  While such an initiative doesn’t force the Commission to draft new laws, it does require a formal response within…

A Christchurch zoo found to have substandard animal welfare procedures has work to do to restore its damaged reputation, leaders say.After a six-month pause, Orana Wildlife Park will resume taking new animals, following a review prompted by whistleblowers’ animal welfare concerns and allegations of a toxic culture.The Zoo and Aquarium Association Australasia (ZAA) commissioned an independent investigation into the allegations of poor animal welfare aired on 1News, while the Orana Wildlife Trust Board asked agency Culture by Design to assess the park’s workplace culture.The final report released in December suggested improvements to animal welfare processes, organisational systems, health and safety,…

Christchurch’s embattled Orana Wildlife Park has today confirmed it has maintained its animal welfare accreditation after meeting all requirements set by the Zoo and Aquarium Association of Australasia.A temporary pause on incoming animal transfers from other zoos was put in place in December following a major investigation into its animal welfare procedures and culture. The pause was lifted today following a scheduled six-month review by the association.Issues at the zoo were first raised by a 1News investigation into the park involving 20 current and former Orana staff raised concerns about the way staff – and animals – were treated.The whistleblowers…

A magnitude 3.8 earthquake has rattled the area around Whanganui this afternoon.Geonet said the quake struck around 10km southeast of Whanganui at 4.07pm at a depth of 24km.It described the shaking as “light”. However, more than 700 reports were lodged with Geonet within 10 minutes from people who felt it.The shaking was reportedly felt as far north as Ohakune and as far east as Palmerston North.”That was a good one”, one resident wrote on social media.”Yes, I think I jumped as much as the house did,” wrote another.

A series of cold fronts are set to sweep across New Zealand as the weekend approaches, bringing heavy rain, snow, and strong wind to parts of the country.Heavy rain watches are in force for the headwaters of Otago and Canterbury, as well as for northwest Tasman.MetService said rainfall could approach warning criteria within 15km east of the Southern Alps’ Main Divide.Rain began to fall in the far south on Thursday and was expected to spread northward into the evening.Snow was being forecast around many of the country’s mountain ranges, with levels down to 800m in the North Island and as…

Iwi Māori partnership boards (IMPBs) from across the country are making a unified stand against proposed policy changes they say will reduce their statutory role in the health system.The fifteen boards are meeting in New Plymouth for the first time since the first reading of the Healthy Futures (Pae Ora) Amendment Bill.They say their monitoring powers are critical to ensuring health services are accountable to Māori communities and responsive to local needs.The hui aims to “build a unified national voice” in response to the proposed changes, according to host IMPB Te Punanga Ora. They refer to Article 2 of Te…

One of New Zealand’s largest fertiliser plants may need to temporarily shut down due to a scarcity of affordable gas supplies.Taranaki farmer- and grower-owned cooperative Ballance Agri-Nutrients will be forced to shut its Kapuni plant for up to four months – potentially leading to job losses – if it’s unable to secure an affordable gas supply by next month, it said in a statement today.The plant produced approximately one-third – or 260,000 tonnes – of New Zealand’s urea for use as nitrogen-rich fertiliser each year.Ballance CEO Kelvin Wickham said the company was planning for a range of eventualities and keeping…

A detective leading the investigation into a crash that killed a 12-year-old Northland girl and seriously injured two of her siblings says it was a totally avoidable tragedy.Detective Senior Sergeant Chris Fouhy, of the Far North CIB, said a car carrying a family of seven rolled several times into a bank after being T-boned at an intersection in Kaikohe about 12.45pm on Wednesday.The family was travelling along Hillcrest Rd while the other vehicle was coming down the hill on Orrs Rd.He said two youths in the other car fled on foot but were found nearby soon afterwards.A spokesperson for St…