Author: Press Room

A woman has been charged with arson following a blaze that destroyed a former mental health facility near Hokitika last month.Emergency services responded to multiple reports of a large fire in the Seaview Terraces area, north of the West Coast township around 7am on August 10.At its peak, seven fire trucks, two water tankers, and several support vehicles from six brigades were at the scene of the blaze.It took firefighters the better part of two days to put out the blaze and for a scene examination to take place.A 42-year-old Hokitika woman was arrested on Wednesday when police executed a…

A south Auckland community has pleaded with a licensing board not to approve the opening of a new bottle shop in their neighbourhood “for the sake of our rangatahi”.SSB 2024 Limited has made an application to the District Licensing Committee to operate a new off-licence bottle shop at 70 Russell Rd, Manurewa.The site is the old Black Bull Liquor Manurewa which failed to re-establish a licence twice, the most recent last year. It has been closed since 2023.It is situated close to 16 early childhood centres and three schools — the closest, Manurewa Intermediate, is directly next door.There are also…

Six Mongrel Mob members have been sentenced following a “spree of violent crimes” in Southland three years ago as an internal gang feud spilled out onto the streets.In January 2022, the area began experiencing a slew of violent offending that spanned several months, including drive-by shootings and violent assaults that left people critically injured.Among the incidents were a drive-by shooting in Centre St, Invercargill in January 2022; attacks in February and in April last year, resulting in seriously injured people being dropped off at Gore Hospital; and a drive-by shooting on Elizabeth St, Invercargill in June 2022.Operation Pakari – an…

Health Minister Simeon Brown said he is confident Dunedin Hospital’s rebuild will finally be delivered on time and within budget.During a visit to the city on Friday, Brown confirmed CPB Contractors as the lead contractor for the new inpatient building.The project has faced years of setbacks and cost overruns, dating back to when Sir John Key was prime minister.Construction began under the former Labour government but was delayed, and was again paused while the current coalition reviewed the scope and costs.Work restarted in July this year.The inpatient building, once expected to be finished by 2028, is now due to accept…

Climate Change Minister Simon Watts repeatedly adamantly denied any plan to remove the Climate Change Commission’s role in advising on emissions reduction plans, only for his office to two days later confirm the Government was considering exactly that.1News can reveal the Government was weighing up whether to remove the Climate Change Commission’s role in advising on emissions reduction plans — a move the Green Party says would undermine independent scrutiny of climate policy.The proposal was part of a broader review of the Climate Change Response Act, which requires the Climate Change Commission to provide independent expert advice on the Government’s…

The daughter of one of New Zealand’s most prolific photographers is honouring her mother’s contribution to the art world with a special exhibition.‘Washday at the Pa, A Survey’ is the first of what will be annual exhibitions of Ans Westra’s works in a historic old bank on Wellington’s Courtenay Pl.Directly below the bank chamber is the vault, which has been the home for Westra’s work and archive since her death in 2023.Westra’s daughter, Lisa van Hulst, told 1News she was an eccentric person, so it was nice to be able to keep part of that personality alive.”It’s really comforting to…

James McGoram is so desperate for life-saving medical treatment, he has been forced to quit New Zealand and move to Australia.The outgoing Rare Disorders New Zealand chairman told 1News that while he loves Aotearoa, “living here is quite literally killing me”.McGoram was diagnosed with Fabry disease in 2010. It’s a rare genetic disease that can affect many parts of the body, including the kidneys, heart, brain, and skin.While there’s no cure, treatments are available overseas to slow degeneration from the disease and improve patients’ quality of life.“It has been a very tough decision for my family to uproot ourselves from…

Eleven people have been arrested and a cache of firearms and drugs have been seized in a police crackdown this week on an alleged international drug-smuggling ring across Auckland and Waikato. The arrests follow Operation Mexted, a joint five-month investigation by the National Organised Crime Group and New Zealand Customs into an alleged transnational organised criminal cell involved in the smuggling of controlled drugs into the country.Three US nationals were among those arrested.The operation netted five firearms, $915,335 in cash, 791g of methamphetamine, 18g of cocaine, and 54g of cannabis.The first phase of the operation began in late June when…

Thousands of tamariki are now on a waitlist to get into kōhanga reo as the demand for full-immersion education soars. The Kōhanga Reo National Trust says it’s been severely underfunded for years and can’t grow if that doesn’t change. Te Kōhanga Reo o Upokoiri ki Ōmahu in Hawke’s Bay has reopened three years after Cyclone Gabrielle hit the region, causing widespread flooding and devastation.Located in one of the worst-hit communities, Ōmahu, 10 kilometres north-west of Hastings, their buildings were severely damaged, forcing it to close its doors. This week, they welcomed the return of tamariki to its newly refurbished premises.Esmae…

A building insurance expert says the government’s plans to shake up the building and construction sector will remove the already inadequate protections in place for homeowners and lead to more of them footing large bills for shonky building. Gill Higgins reports. More misery for homeowners? – Watch this story on TVNZ+. “More misery for homeowners.” That’s the stark warning from building insurance expert Duncan Colebrook as the government pushes ahead with its shake up of the building industry. The goals sound positive: speed up building consents, and stop councils – and ratepayers – from footing huge bills, as seen during…