Author: Press Room
The Government is moving ahead with its long-signalled plan to re-establish polytechnics merged under Labour into the super-institute Te Pūkenga.Vocational Education Minister Penny Simmonds confirmed 10 polytechnics are returning to “regional governance” as part of the government’s plan to build a vocational education system that’s “locally led, regionally responsive and future-focused”.Labour combined 16 polytechnics and nine workplace training providers at the beginning of 2023.The coalition government moved quickly when it came to power, agreeing as part of its 100-day plan to begin the process of disestablishing the mega institute.The announcement comes after listening to “extensive industry feedback” Simmonds said, and…
“Not that I’m thinking of dying tomorrow or anything,” said 79-year-old Helen Gregory, who would be killed in her home in the Wellington suburb of Khandallah the following day.The audio comes from a phone call to her bank, made on the evening of January 23, 2024.It was played to the High Court on Monday, where her daughter Julia DeLuney is charged with her murder. The trial is now in its fourth week.The court previously heard that DeLuney invested a large sum of money on her mother’s behalf into cryptocurrency, which she had been trading in for years.In an email sent…
ADVERTISEMENTEU trade ministers meet in Brussels on Monday after US President Donald Trump declared 30% tariffs on the EU will start 1 August, meanwhile German leaders joined other European leaders on Sunday advising a calm approach to the continuing trade negotiations.The ministers will meet to discuss trade with the US and China during the first of a two-day Foreign Affairs Council convening in the Belgian capital.On Saturday, US President Donald Trump posted a new set of letters to his social media platform Truth Social, making the 30% declaration in respect of the EU and Mexico, a move that could cause…
By Maia de la Baume and Shona Murray Published on 14/07/2025 – 6:30 GMT+2ADVERTISEMENTThe EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas is set to offer an exhaustive list of 10 possibilities for the EU to respond to Israel’s action in Gaza during a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels this week, but EU diplomats told Euronews there’s little appetite across the EU to take any action against Tel Aviv.Kallas’ 10 options include suspending visa free travel and blocking imports from the Jewish settlements in response to Israel’s breach of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, according to a document issued by Kallas’s office seen…
Firefighters have extinguished an early morning blaze that engulfed a church building at Saint Mary’s Catholic School in Auckland’s Avondale.Fire and Emergency (FENZ) responded to reports of the building fire at about 4.15am, with seven crews attending the scene on Great North Rd.The aftermath of the fire at Saint Mary’s Catholic School (Source: 1News)The single-level church building, measuring 30 metres by 15 metres, was well involved in fire when crews arrived, a FENZ spokesperson said. James Van Schie, Auckland Catholic Diocese general manager, told 1News that the fire was “absolutely devastating” for the Parish community.”The extent of this fire is…
New Zealand’s official low-risk drinking guidelines are outdated and “understate the health risks” of alcohol, according to Health New Zealand documents.Efforts to update the guidelines were halted after alcohol lobbyists complained to Ministry of Health general manager Ross Bell.Bell, who works within the ministry’s Public Health Agency, says he intervened to clear up confusion about whether Health NZ or the Ministry of Health should manage the guidelines.He said the ministry would manage them now, but that work was on hold while it considered its priorities.Documents released to RNZ under the Official Information Act show why Health NZ considered updating the…
Police are appealing for information following an assault on the Mosgiel motorway off-ramp in Otago last month.One person received moderate injuries after a road rage assault on Wednesday, 25 June at around 4.00pm. It occurred on the off-ramp leading to the Quarry Rd roundabout. The morning’s headlines in 90 seconds, including a fire at an Auckland chapel, new plan for international students, and a first time Wimbledon winner. (Source: 1News)”While our investigation into the circumstances of the incident are ongoing, Police would like to hear from anyone who may have witnessed what happened.” Police would also like to hear from…
More people are getting on their bikes in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, with numbers up year-on-year.But researchers and council staff say there is untapped demand from those who do not have bikes, or the confidence to ride them.Christchurch City Council’s transport planning manager Jacob Bradbury says the post-quake rebuild gave the city a chance to become more bikeable for the many people who say safety is their biggest concern.He said there had been 40% growth since 2017.Last year the city’s cycle counters recorded only a small small bump of just under 1% on the previous year, however one cycle counter…
She knew the ocean better than most, but the mountains were unfamiliar territory. After 26-year-old marine biologist Wednesday Davis died on Mt Ruapehu last year, family and friends say they endured months without an explanation. A year on, they’re still desperate to find out how she ended up climbing in dangerous conditions she was not prepared for. RNZ’s Katie Todd reports.Wednesday Davis was a fastidious planner. She was always up for trying something new, but did her research first, according to family and close friends. Her father, Paul Davis, and stepmother, Sarah Hall, said she filled boxes with certificates, scrupulously…
A “plague of hoons” on motorbikes riding illegally in Tauranga parks has neighbours fed up and worried about people’s safety after near misses.Buddy Mikaere lives in Gate Pā and said the bikes had been ridden in Kōpūrererua Valley most days since the start of the year.The entrances to the wetland were clearly marked “No Motorbikes”, but these signs were ignored, he said.He was “really worried” about walkers and cyclists through the valley because he’d seen them forced off the tracks by motorbikes.“There is a plague of hoons on motorbikes tearing up the grass verges and doing wheelies on the gravel…