Author: Press Room

A major new report is warning that more than a thousand seaside homes could suffer significant damage from extreme weather by 2060.And hundreds of thousands of homes worth an estimated $180 billion are in flood-prone areas, according to Our Marine Environment 2025 from the Ministry for the Environment and Stats NZ.The fourth and latest stocktake draws together peer-reviewed research, government reports, mātauranga Māori and official statistics.The report said climate change and human activity is putting increasing pressure on the oceans and coasts, affecting communities, industries and ecosystems.Among its findings are that New Zealand’s oceans are warming faster than the global…

A fire truck has broken down after being called to a blaze at a house under construction in Auckland’s Herne Bay this evening.Fire crews were called to the scene on Sarsfield St at 5.40pm, a Fire and Emergency NZ spokesperson told 1News. The fire was on the first level of the 30m x 30m structure.Three trucks were in attendance, down from four at the peak of the fire, the spokesperson said. The blaze has been contained. Crews from Auckland, Parnell and Takapuna attended.Firefighters at the scene of a fire involving a house under construction in Auckland’s Herne Bay. (Source: 1News)However,…

A vagabond sheep that grew a Shrek-like fleece is looking for a new home after being rescued from the Central Otago wilderness.Four SPCA staff took about three hours to catch the 80kg ewe, who is now called Millie, after a member of the public spotted her near Millers Flat in late September.Animal welfare inspector Alana Cowper said Millie was roaming in a scrub patch near the Clutha River, having likely separated from her mob.”Because of how woolly she was, if she got anywhere near that water, it was going to be a big problem so our plan was sort of…

Published on 09/10/2025 – 14:44 GMT+2 •Updated 15:00 ADVERTISEMENT The European Commission launched a probe on Thursday after several media reports alleged that the Hungarian secret services were trying to recruit EU employees in Brussels as informants. The agents, who reportedly posed as diplomats of the Hungarian Permanent Representation to the EU in Brussels, are said to have targeted Hungarian staff at the European Commission, where sensitive files related to the country were prepared and discussed. The Commission said it took the allegations seriously and that it does its utmost to protect its staff and information from illicit intelligence-gathering activities.…

The number of new rental listings are now up 18% on year, according to new data from Realestate.co.nz.Hawke’s Bay, which was up 87% stood out amongst the regions along with the central North Island (71.9%), Marlborough (71.4%), and Nelson & Bays (70.3%).The total number of rental stock across the country is up 23.6% on September last year – and has jumped from 6555 properties to 8224 properties.Realestate.co.nz said this increase in numbers has been most noticeable in the West Coast (133.3%), Hawke’s Bay (108.9%), Wellington (105.9%) and Wairarapa (100%) regions.The fresh data follows the trend of the number of rentals…

Gold is on a tear. Prices have surged 50% in 2025 alone, marking the metal’s biggest rally since the 1970s.But with prices now trading at US$4000 (NZ$6900) an ounce, is this the result of solid fundamentals or just fear of missing out?The answer, it seems, is a mix of both.Fund manager Amova said central banks have been steady buyers of physical gold for years, typically holding it alongside foreign currency bonds as part of their reserves.Some central banks may also be diversifying away from the US dollar and other fiat currencies.The freezing of Russia’s currency reserves in European banks following…

BNZ and Kiwibank have followed other major banks in lowering variable mortgage rates following yesterday’s major OCR cut. Yesterday the Reserve Bank chose to slash the Official Cash Rate by 50 basis points – down to 2.5% – while also signalling it would be “open” to further cuts in the medium-term.Following the decision, the country’s largest bank, ANZ, made changes to some of its variable rates alongside Westpac, which also made changes to one of its fixed-rate options. ASB also made cuts.Today, BNZ announced it would drop its standard variable rate loans from 6.29% to 5.99%. Fifty point cut after…

ADVERTISEMENT Ursula von der Leyen has survived two back-to-back motions of censure against her European Commission as centrist parties moved in sync to back her presidency. The motions, filed by the far-right and the far-left groups in the European Parliament, were debated on Monday evening and voted on Thursday at noon. The simultaneous bids lacked a realistic chance to succeed and failed, by a considerable margin, to reach the necessary double majority to pass. The text filed by the Patriots for Europe (PfE) received 378 votes against, 179 votes in favour and 37 abstentions, while the corresponding move by The…

The morning’s headlines in 90 seconds, including the activist who doxxed Winston Peters says she has regrets, a man is charged over LA’s Palisades fire, and Dolly Parton denies she’s dying. Acacia O’Connor denied sharing the Foreign Affairs Minister’s address but did tell Breakfast she had regrets. An Auckland fire truck broke down en route to a fire.A man is charged over the huge Palisades fire in LA in January. Rental numbers are up year on year in many parts of the country. ADVERTISEMENTDolly Parton has released a video denying she’s dying, amid concerns over her health.

ADVERTISEMENT Europe has welcomed the announcement overnight on Thursday that Israel and Hamas have signed off on the first phase of a peace plan championed by US President Donald Trump. However, many leaders stressed that this must be the premise for a two-state solution, which Israel’s leadership believes is a red line. “This agreement must mark the end of the war and the beginning of a political solution based on the two-state solution,” French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X on Thursday morning. “France stands ready to contribute to this goal. We will discuss it this afternoon in Paris with…