Author: Press Room

New Zealand will not be recognising Palestinian statehood at this time, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced at the United Nations in New York.“With a war raging, Hamas still in place, and no clarity on next steps, we do not think that time is now,” he said in his address to the UN General Assembly.“We desperately want diplomacy to succeed, and we believe it is those countries with leverage who are most likely to achieve a breakthrough. That would show global leadership,” said Peters.Peters’ musical analogy as he announces Palestinian statehood stance – watch on TVNZ+He also announced a further…

Police in Northland are seeking information on a vehicle believed to be connected to a fire in Whangārei earlier this week. Emergency services were called to the fire at an address on Raumanga Valley Road in Raumanga at around 6.20am on Wednesday. Police said all five occupants were asleep when a couch on the front deck was “deliberately” set alight. They were evacuated safely, and no injuries were reported. Sergeant Shane Pilmer said witnesses described seeing a white or silver-coloured vehicle around the time of the fire.”We are interested in hearing from anyone who may have seen this white or…

A New Zealander helping deliver aid in Ukraine says swarms of drones have changed the war beyond recognition, and humanitarian workers are increasingly targets.Tenby Powell – founder of charity Kiwi KARE – returned to Ukraine in July, and what he found was a completely different war.”Almost unrecognisable. And unrecognisable because of the proliferation of drones. It’s just been an exponential increase in drone activity,” Powell said.”While it was present to a degree late last year, now they’re everywhere – and often in swarms.”He said the drones carried “many kilograms of high explosives” and as a result could inflict “incredible damage”.Their…

An event at the University of Canterbury has raised more than $85,000 for men’s mental health.The 72-hour “runathon” – called Run72 – was held on the campus from Tuesday to Friday.It is the fifth year that the organiser Lads Without Labels has hosted the event. The not-for-profit charity’s co-president Oscar Bloom said it was the biggest one yet.”It was record-breakingly large,” he said. “Every year Run72 has gotten bigger, and this year was no exception.”More than 3000 people took part in the event, with a collective 75,000km ran – “which said a lot about our community, and our kaupapa, and…

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is expected to speak to media after Foreign Minister Winston Peters announced New Zealand’s position not to recognise a Palestinian state at this time.Speaking from the UN General Assembly in New York, Peters said: “With a war raging, Hamas still in place, and no clarity on next steps, we do not think that time is now”.The decision breaks with many of New Zealand’s closest allies, including Australia and the United Kingdom, as well as a majority of UN member states who now recognise Palestinian statehood.A much smaller number of other partners, including Japan, Korea, Singapore, and…

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has defended his Government’s decision to not recognise a Palestinian state at this time after criticism from the Opposition.Earlier today, Foreign Minister Winston Peters made the announcement New Zealand would not yet recognise a Palestinian state during a speech at the United Nations in New York.He also announced a further $10m in aid to international humanitarian agencies to deliver emergency supplies to Gaza.The move puts New Zealand at odds with several close allies, including Australia and the United Kingdom, which have recently shifted toward recognising Palestinian statehood.Prime Minister Christopher Luxon spoke to reporters in Auckland this…

Otago have locked up the Ranfurly Shield for the season, beating North Harbour 41-26 in Dunedin.North Harbour mounted a sterling challenge in the first half, but Otago dominated the exchanges in the second and were able to hold a late rally from the northerners.It was Otago’s seventh win from nine NPC matches this season, and they are at the top of the points ladder, although that would change if Canterbury beat Northland tomorrow.It was another lively match for the shield, which has had five holders this season.Otago wasted little time their class on the contest, when fullback Sam Gilbert broke…

Former Prime Minister Helen Clark has described New Zealand’s stance on Palestinian statehood as “disappointing”. In his United Nations address, Winston Peters said New Zealand would not be recognising Palestinian statehood at this time, citing several reasons, including that in the government’s view the criteria for statehood criteria hadn’t been met. He condemned the actions of both Hamas and Israel. Helen Clark spoke to 1News in New York following the foreign minister’s address. “I’m very disappointed at the statement,” she said. “Disappointed at the substance because New Zealand is really being left well behind other countries we would normally associate…

Workers at Carter Holt Harvey’s Tokoroa plywood plant will hear early in the week if they still have a job.The future of the factory has been up in the air for the last two weeks, but an announcement is expected on Tuesday morning.On September the 15th, Carter Holt Harvey announced it had begun consulting on closing the plant and importing plywood from overseas.That would result in the loss of up to 119 full-time jobs.The proposed closure followed OJI Fibre Solutions cutting 130 jobs and closing the country’s last paper-making machine at nearby Kinleith in June this year, with one local…

A Tauranga manufacturing company fears it could be forced to close its doors if the Government does not relax English language requirements for skilled workers.The warning comes after the Government announced a new business investor visa, which requires a much lower level of English than the skilled migrant category.GammInCo People and Culture Manager Melanie Hartwell told 1News the business relied heavily on migrant workers including Brazilian CNC machinist Ivan Inthurn — whose job is considered critical to operations.“I go every week for school and study. I go for church, for jiu-jitsu — good for me to practice my English. But…