Author: Press Room

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 -…

Karen Edwards has seen some sights among the donations offered to The Koha Shop in Kaikohe.Men’s underwear with a hole in the crotch. Stained women’s underwear. Tea towels covered what looks to be paint.”We receive donations, sort them and provide them for a koha. Household items, clothing, anything that helps people in need and our community. It’s worked really well the last four years that we’ve operated. However, our biggest job is sorting through the amount of rubbish that comes in the donations or is dumped on us outside of hours.”She says the shop has gone from paying rubbish dump…

ADVERTISEMENTAlmost two weeks since a massive blackout paralysed the Iberian Peninsula, unfounded claims and conspiracy theories continue to run rampant online.These are fuelled by the lack of official confirmation as to the cause of the outage, which the Spanish government says will take “three to six months” to determine. Both the governments in Madrid and Lisbon are conducting their own investigations, while an independent probe will also be led by an expert panel at European level.The Spanish grid operator, Red Eléctrica, has signalled the likely cause to be two consecutive “disconnection events,” barely 1.5 seconds apart, in energy generation plants in…

Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says the government is planning to increase ventilation requirements in new homes, to address the problem of sweltering townhouses.Auckland homeowners have complained of 30 degree Celsius temperatures overnight and huge air-conditioning bills because of over-sunny and poorly ventilated buildings.Penk said changes were needed to avoid people being “cooked alive in their own house”.Meanwhile, the Minister has pulled back from wanting to repeal recent upgrades to energy efficiency requirements.The government is now proposing relaxing some aspects of the home efficiency standard, known as H1, as well as improving ventilation to keep homes cooler.The minister told…

Drugs and $45,000 in cash were found during a Queenstown drugs bust yesterday morning, leading to a man’s arrest. Officers searched a property in Queenstown following an investigation into the distribution of illicit drugs in the community. A 39-year-old man was arrested and charged.It’s alleged “varying amounts” of drugs were discovered at the property, including ketamine, cocaine, MDMA, LSD, cannabis, and psilocybin.Digital scales and $45,000 in cash were also found. The arrested man would be set to appear in the Queenstown District Court on May 12, charged with offers to supply LSD, offers to supply psilocybin, possession of cocaine, and…

A community board’s decision to close a heavily-used recycling facility in Raetihi is back on the table after a public outcry.The decision could be quashed this week following a recommendation for the Waimarino-Waiouru Community Board to revoke a resolution to disestablish the Raetihi Recycling Station.At a meeting in October last year, the community board also approved replacing the station with a trailer collecting recycling for an hour once a week for two months and then, for the following four months, once a fortnight.The new recommendation comes in a report from Ruapehu District Council managers to be considered by the community…