Author: Press Room

Wellington mayoral candidate Ray Chung says he regrets writing an email with third-hand claims about incumbent Mayor Tory Whanau, but believes the email’s release was an attempt to discredit him and his campaign.Chung sent an email, seen by RNZ, to three fellow councillors in early 2023 recounting a story he’d been told by his neighbour about the neighbour’s son allegedly having a sexual encounter with the mayor.The email surfaced last week. Whanau rejected the contents of the email and said it was false and contained a “malicious and sexist” rumour.In a video statement on social media Chung said the email…

A person has died after a concrete truck hit a house in Auckland’s Remuera this morning.Emergency services were called to a property on Rangitoto Avenue just after 9am on Monday.WorkSafe confirmed the death of a worker in a statement to 1News.”WorkSafe extends its sympathy to the whānau, friends, and colleagues of the worker who died after an incident in Remuera, Auckland this morning,” a spokesperson said.”Initial information indicates the incident was construction related, but our investigators will be at the scene today to gather evidence and understand the circumstances.”Damage to the side of the house in Auckland’s Remuera. (Source: 1News)St…

ADVERTISEMENTUS President Donald Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a “productive” meeting on Monday, the Ukrainian leader said, as anticipation grew over a major announcement Trump said he would make on Monday. Kellogg and Zelenskyy discussed what the US and Ukraine could “practically do”, including “strengthening Ukraine’s air defence, joint production, and procurement of defence weapons in collaboration with Europe,” as Ukraine continues to defend itself from Russia’s all-out war, now in its fourth year.The meeting comes after Trump teased a “major statement” on Russia on Sunday night ahead of a…

Whanganui’s average rates increase of 2.2% for the year ahead is the lowest in the country.Mayor Andrew Tripe says the low figure is the envy of the country and the payoff in a sustained drive to adjust how the council operates.”[It] didn’t happen by accident – it’s the result of a deliberate strategy to keep costs under control,” Tripe said.”Many of the savings are structural and will flow through to future years. We expect there will be opportunities to reduce the 2026/27 rates increase as well.”In a survey by Local Democracy Reporting on average rates for 2025/26 throughout the country,…

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is back from his holiday and is updating media after Cabinet met earlier today.Recent developments include:Labour on Sunday confirmed MP Peeni Henare will contest the by-election for the Tāmaki Makaurau seat, competing against Oriini Kaipara, who was named as Te Pāti Māori’s candidate on Friday. Erica Stanford, both Minister of Education and of Immigration, unveiled an ambitious plan to double the economic contribution of New Zealand’s international education sector to $7.2 billion by 2034, up from $3.6 billion last year.A group of industry bodies and independent energy retailers launched a campaign calling for an overhaul of…

Published on 14/07/2025 – 12:13 GMT+2•Updated 12:21ADVERTISEMENTA major shake-up in how the EU manages farming subsidies appears to be underway with the European Commission planning to unify delivery of its two largest budget items—cohesion funds and agricultural subsidies—under a single channel, according to a leaked draft of the EU’s next long-term budget seen by Euronews.Crucially, the proposal would eliminate the CAP’s “second pillar”, which currently funds rural development programmes. These programmes support agro-environmental initiatives, farm investments, and the development of rural communities.“The new framework guarantees coherence by integrating the CAP interventions from the current two-funds structure under one single umbrella.…

There will be no top New Zealand Government representation at the Cook Islands Constitution celebrations in three weeks’ time, showing a continuation of the serious rift between the two countries. The Cook Islands is marking 60 years in free association with New Zealand on August 4 but 1News understands neither Prime Minister Christopher Luxon or Foreign Minister Winston Peters will be attending. The breakdown in relationship remains in limbo after the Cook Islands signed a number of controversial deals with China earlier this year without consulting New Zealand which it is required to do under a constitutional arrangement. There is…

Published on 14/07/2025 – 11:25 GMT+2ADVERTISEMENTA 20-year-old inmate who escaped from a detention facility near Lyon by hiding inside a fellow detainee’s luggage has been arrested three days after his prison break, French authorities confirmed on Monday.The man, identified as Elyazid A, originally from Mayotte, was apprehended around 6 am Monday in a basement in Sathonay-Camp, a small town north of Lyon, according to the Lyon public prosecutor’s office. He had been on the run since last Friday, when he evaded guards at Lyon-Corbas prison. No shots were fired and no one was injured during the arrest, which was carried out…

WARNING: This story mentions trauma and suicide.Explainer – Birth is supposed to be a beautiful and powerful thing, right? Well, not always.For some, birth can be distressing, upsetting and traumatic – known to many as birth trauma.But what is birth trauma exactly? Who does it affect? And what can be done about it?At the beginning of Birth Trauma Awareness Week (July 14-20), here’s what you need to know.What is birth trauma?Birth trauma is any physical or psychological injury related to birth, with the perinatal and postnatal period often included under the umbrella term.Perinatal is the time before, during and just…

A new report has shed light on the potential origins of a partially excavated waka in the Chatham Islands.The report concluded the waka was of pre-European construction and likely from a time before significant cultural separation between Aotearoa and the Pacific.But questions around the exact age and size of the waka remain, and experts recommend the Chatham Island community be properly resourced to uncover the vast majority of the waka that remains buried in the sand.The report, He Waka Tipua, was prepared in May 2025 by an expert panel: Professor Sir Derek Lardelli, Kiwa Hammond, Heemi Eruera, Dr Kahutoi Te…