Author: Press Room

Queenstown Lakes District Council will hear submissions this week about a proposal to open a McDonald’s in Wānaka.The fast food giant is seeking consent to open a 455sq metre restaurant at the Wānaka-Luggate Highway, with a drive-thru operating 24/7.However, some locals are pushing back.RNZ reported that 366 submissions were made: 339 against the proposal and 21 in support. Six wanted changes to the plan.Sophie Ward from Wastebusters and Plastic Free Wānaka told Breakfast this morning that the key concern was environmental.”[The] McDonald’s business model really relies on single-use packaging and this creates a lot of litter and waste,” she said.McDonald’s…

Several delegates stressed the significance of having reached an agreement and making progress in “difficult geopolitical times”. ADVERTISEMENTLike many before it, the 29th edition of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change needed extra time for an overall agreement to be reached.In the early hours of Sunday, exhausted delegates in Baku finally reached a compromise on the most crucial issue of COP29: a new climate financing framework. The UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell called it an “insurance policy for humanity”, adding that “like any insurance policy, it only works if premiums are paid in full and on time.…

Cher was stunned when she obtained a copy of her birth certificate and realised her name had been incorrectly registered as Cheryl.The 78-year-old singer was raised as Cherilyn Sarkisian, but in 1979, she applied for a copy of her birth certificate so she could officially change her moniker to reflect the one she used as a performer – and discovered she had actually been registered as Cheryl.In an extract from her book Cher: The Memoir, Part One seen by People magazine, she wrote: “I believed Cherilyn was my name until the day years later when I decided to legally change…

A new survey shows the numbers of teens taking up vaping is dropping — but advocates say older students are falling through the gaps.The Asthma and Respiratory Foundation has surveyed nearly 11,000 intermediate and high school students about vaping.The survey shows that on a given week this year, 12% of young people aged 10 to 18 vaped, down from 27% in 2021.The Foundation’s chief executive Letitia Harding said that it showed regulation and education have had an impact — but the number of young people vaping was not zero yet, and younger students were still being exposed. About 3.7% of…

A team of police detectives have travelled to Australia to gather new information as part of the ongoing reinvestigation of the murder of Arthur Easton nearly four decades ago.Easton, 52 at the time of his death, was murdered 39 years ago on October 13, 1985 at his home in Auckland’s Papakura.Police said a male intruder entered the home and that Easton and his two teenage sons confronted him, leading to a “violent altercation” and ultimately Easton’s death.Detective Inspector Warrick Adkin said police had received around 20 calls and emails with information relating to the case since the announcement of the…

The meeting in Beirut comes days after four Italian soldiers were injured after two rockets exploded at a UNIFIL base in Shama, apparently fired by Hezbollah or one of its affiliate groups. ADVERTISEMENTThe EU Foreign Policy chief Josep Borrell has said UN peacekeepers stationed in southern Lebanon have the “strong support” of the bloc after meeting their commander in Beirut.Borrell held talks with UNFIL’s Head of Mission and Force Commander Lieutenant General Aroldo Lázaro during his visit to the Lebanese capital on Sunday.That meeting comes days after four Italian soldiers were injured after two rockets exploded at a UNIFIL base…

With a combined NZ$460 million in worldwide ticket sales, Wicked and Gladiator II breathed fresh life into a box office that has struggled lately.Jon M Chu’s lavish big-budget musical Wicked, starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, debuted with $194 million in the US and $280 million globally for Universal Pictures, according to studio estimates. That made it the third-biggest US opening weekend of the year, behind only Deadpool & Wolverine and Inside Out 2. It’s also a record for a Broadway musical adaptation.Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II, a sequel to his 2000 best picture-winning original, launched with $94.6 million in ticket…

An animal rescue group is looking to set up a hub in south Auckland to help reduce strays and rehome older cats in the area.9 Lives Orphanage presented their need to the Manurewa Local Board, asking for support to establish a cat rescue centre.Roxanne Mason said the hub would benefit local strays and domesticated cats, and would educate, rehome and offer support services.The group was currently operating from a volunteer’s home.”We would also like the centre to be housing for older cats, a designated place because older cats are hard to rehome,” Mason said.She had some in her house last…

A woman was critically injured in a workplace incident in Auckland’s Māngere last night.St John said it responded to Verissimo Dr at around 10.37pm with two rapid response vehicles, one ambulance and one operations manager.”One patient in a critical condition was transported by ambulance to Auckland City Hospital,” a spokesperson said.The Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust said its rapid response vehicle critical care paramedic crew were tasked to Māngere to assist a female patient in her 20s involved in an accident at a warehouse.WorkSafe has been notified and is making initial inquiries, a spokesperson said.

The Reserve Bank is expected to cut the official cash rate (OCR) by 50 basis points this week, but there’s a warning to borrowers not to get their hopes up about big retail rate falls when it happens. It is the last update to the OCR for the year, and a “frontloaded” cut of 50bps is expected by most economists. Most then think the bank will shift to 25bps cuts from February next year. Most forecasts have the OCR eventually dropping to around 3%, with retail rates in the 5% to 5.5% range. But forecasters are urging borrowers not to…