Author: Press Room

A Christchurch resident says he had “a culture shock” during a recent visit to Kairaki Beach, witnessing what he described as “a ramshackle slum-like camp”.The resident, who LDR agreed not to name, said the behaviour of some campers and whitebaiters at the beach, near Kaiapoi, was concerning.A Waimakariri District Council spokesperson said staff were aware of the concerns and were monitoring the site alongside Environment Canterbury (ECan).”Council and ECan staff have visited Kairaki Beach several times over the last week and have spoken to about a dozen campers and several whitebaiters, who were not camping.”These numbers are in line with…

Fresh details have been revealed about FBI director Kash Patel’s secretive trip to New Zealand – including who he met, what he did and the estimated cost to taxpayers.Documents released to RNZ set out a timeline, budget and communication plan for Patel’s trip – the highest-ranking US official to visit New Zealand under Donald Trump’s second presidency so far.They show spy minister Judith Collins signed off on a $10,000 budget to cover accommodation, meals, flights and tourism activities for Patel and an official over the three-day programme.”The visit will not be publicly avowed, for security reasons, until after the Director…

ADVERTISEMENT United States President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order labelling Antifa as a “domestic terrorist organisation” in the country. In turn, posts alleging that the Netherlands has designated Antifa as a terrorist organisation gained traction, with some being viewed hundreds of thousands of times across social media. In one X post viewed more than 300,000 times, one user writes, “BREAKING: The Netherlands has now officially designated Antifa a terror group after a motion was passed. The world is cracking down on these freaks. All of Europe to follow!” Another post viewed more than 6,000 times states, “Antifa…

In the pouring rain, construction started on State Highway 1 Ōtaki to North of Levin today.The four-lane highway – the northernmost section of the Wellington Northern Corridor – will span 24 kilometres when the project is set to be completed in 2029.Prime Minister Christopher Luxon was wearing Red Band gumboots, while Transport Minister Chris Bishop donned brown leather shoes as they turned the sod on the project.Ō2NL is crucial infrastructure, as Horowhenua Mayor Bernie Wanden pointed out, because the district is experiencing significant population growth.”We have long been undervalued and underappreciated, but this project is changing that,” Wanden said.”The last…

Published on 23/09/2025 – 16:47 GMT+2 ADVERTISEMENT Implementation of EU deforestation rules will be delayed for a second time, to December 2026, the European Commission announced on Tuesday, citing technical issues in the IT system dealing with the submission of due diligence statements by affected businesses. Environment Commissioner Jessika Roswall revealed the postponement of the EU’s anti-deforestation law by one year in a letter sent on Tuesday to lawmakers in the European Parliament and the European Council, claiming the IT system wouldn’t be able to handle the flow of information coming from economic operators that would arrive from 1 January…

Two bronze Labrador sculptures will be placed in downtown Invercargill, despite strong arguments against their new home.A notice of motion from departing Invercargill mayor Nobby Clark was approved with a narrow 7 – 6 vote at the final council meeting of the term on Tuesday.It means the sculptures, created with public money by Invercargill Public Art Trail Charitable Trust, will be installed at Esk St near other installations paying homage to the natural environment.Mana whenua representative Evelyn Cook said there were other places where the statues would fit, but not next to a weka, birds’ eggs, flounder/pātiki, kina or pāua.Kina…

Published on 23/09/2025 – 15:59 GMT+2 ADVERTISEMENT The EU is managing to “stabilise its relations with the US”, European Council President António Costa told journalists in a group interview in New York during the UN General Assembly. Costa touched on US reaffirmation of its commitment to NATO and Ukraine, and the trade deal struck between the EU and the US. “The 27 member states remain united in our relatiosn with the US,” said the Council president, noting that in January, “a lot of people were concerned about the risk of the United States’ withdrawal from NATO.” In June, Trump raised…

An Ashburton kite maker is in a race against time as he hopes to set a Guinness World Record for creating the world’s largest kite.Peter Lynn has been designing and building giant kites since the 1970s, but last year he was diagnosed with terminal cancer.Seven of his kites have been recognised as the biggest internationally – but now he’s looking for one more world title.One of kite maker Peter Lynn’s creations. (Source: 1News)His largest kite measures 1250sqm – and come February next year, he’ll be applying for the Guinness World Record.And time is of the essence. Last year, he and…

Published on 23/09/2025 – 13:15 GMT+2 •Updated 13:56 ADVERTISEMENT US President Donald Trump is seeking to impose his agenda and political programme on Europeans, according to a report published Tuesday by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR). According to the study’s author, Pawel Zerka, the US leader is utilising various channels to reorient the transatlantic relationship along the lines of his conservative values and discourse on freedom of expression. These are not all political disputes, but the visible part of a “culture war”, according to Zerka. “I don’t think anyone will question the fact that this administration is trying…

The SPCA is urging pet owners to reach out for help, after a litter of puppies was abandoned at its Nelson centre.Manager Amy Sturkenboom arrived at work on Friday to find four dogs were left in a cage on the property with an apology note written on a jumper tied to the outside.”I’m sorry I couldn’t shoot them. Forgive me,” it read.Figures from the SPCA show the number of animals surrendered to centres around the country increased by more than a third between 2023 and 2024, from 886 up to 1200.The puppies were left in a cage with a note…