Author: Press Room

The public is going colder on Christopher Luxon and Chris Hipkins’ leadership, with the approval rating for both the major party leaders taking a dive in the latest 1News/Verian poll.However, there are no major swings in their parties’ results, with the coalition retaining its hold on power.If an election were to be held today, the poll indicates the right bloc of National, ACT and New Zealand First would have 63 seats, enough to form a government. Leaders of the National and Labour parties are failing to gel with the voting public according to the latest 1News Verian poll.  (Source: 1News)The…

Party leaders have put their own spin on the latest 1News Verian poll, which found steady support for most parties but falling favourability for Christopher Luxon and Chris Hipkins.The coalition would hold 63 seats if an election were held today, enough to form a government over the left bloc’s 60 seats, according to tonight’s poll.Meanwhile, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s approval rating fell to -14, his lowest while holding the top office, while Hipkins dropped to +1, his worst result since the 2023 election. The poll of 1014 eligible voters was conducted between October 4 and 8.Leaders of the National and…

While rates rises have been blamed for at least 31 regions ditching their mayors, Whakatāne has opted for a mayor more welcoming of nice-to-have projects.“The nice-to-haves probably add a few dollars to the rates bill at the end of the year,” said mayor-elect Nandor Tanczos.“They’re not the things that are driving rates increases. I don’t believe in sucking all the money out of everything that make our place worth living in.”Despite two mayoral candidates advocating to rein-in council spending, the previous mayor Victor Luca and newcomer to council Philip Jacobs, Tanczos is looking safe as mayor-elect.With only special votes still…

ADVERTISEMENT Italy tops the EU ranking when it comes to cannabis consumption among young people, with more than one in five (21.5%) consuming it in the past year. It’s followed by Croatia, with 20.3%, and Spain with 19.4%, according to the latest European Drug Report by the European Union Drugs Agency. The smallest shares of young people consuming the drug were found in Portugal at 4.9%, Greece at 4.5%, and Hungary at 3.4%. Young men are typically twice as likely to report consuming cannabis as women. Cannabis remains by far the most commonly consumed illicit drug in Europe. The cannabis…

The Government’s mandating of structured literacy is transforming the reading achievement of new entrants nationwide, Education Minister Erica Stanford says.Structured literacy and the new English curriculum have been in place since Term 1 in primary schools across the country.New entrants are tested with a phonics check after 20 weeks at school, where children are asked to read aloud from a list of 40 words with the expectation the child should be able to correctly decode and sound out words.Watch Stanford speak at the post-Cabinet media conference live.Stanford said Term 3 phonics data showed that 58% were at or above expectations,…

Scientists fear the Government’s decision to weaken New Zealand’s methane reduction target signals a broader retreat from climate action — including an intent to back away from our international commitments, and ultimately cause more warming.The coalition confirmed yesterday it would cut the 2050 target for biogenic methane — mostly from agriculture — from a 24-47% reduction below 2017 levels to just 14-24%.It also ruled out any future methane levy or tax, delayed by two years its required response to the Climate Change Commission’s advice to strengthen climate targets, and said the changes would be pushed through under urgency within two…

Police say investigations are underway after a driver was killed following a police pursuit in Whāngarei at the weekend.Northland District Commander, Superintendent Matt Srhoj, said officers saw a car travelling at high speed along Dave Culham Dr at 11.15pm on Saturday.”The police unit responded and the red and blue lights were activated on Riverside Dr,” he said. “The exact response will form part of the critical investigation.”The car crashed on Memorial Dr and the officers gave first aid, but the driver – who was alone in the vehicle – died at the scene.Matt Srhoj said several investigations were underway to…

ADVERTISEMENT Recent Russian pounding of Ukraine’s energy grid will pose a “new challenge” for the country this winter, the President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Odile Renaud-Basso, has told Euronews. Ukraine is facing its fourth winter since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. In the months running up to the start of the country’s heating season, the EBRD was working with Ukraine’s state-run oil and gas company Naftogaz to ensure that Ukraine has sufficient gas storage to cover the winter. However, these efforts have been thwarted in recent weeks, as Russia is scaling up…

Thousands of people have had money deducted from their bank accounts in recent months as Inland Revenue steps up its efforts to collect the tax it is owed.IR spokesperson Rowan McArthur said it had sent out 16,500 notices about planned bank deductions since mid-June, 25% more than for the whole of last year.”We are targeting customers who have repeatedly not engaged with IR; and those where information we have indicates there may be funds in their bank account(s) that could be deducted from to pay off existing tax debt.”He said IR was also working to get instalment payment plans in…

Throughout Waikato and Bay of Plenty, councils are rolling out their summer road maintenance programmes.Resurfacing of roads was like a new coat of paint on the roof of a home – it kept the water out and protected the base of the road, stopping potholes from forming.For most local roads, this would mean a spray of chip seal, despite people seeming to have a clear preference for asphalt roads.Here’s a sample of opinions from people in the centre of Hamilton:”It just makes it easier for the cars.””It’s smoother and chips ruin your car.””It’s just nice and smooth, and I like…