Author: Press Room

This summer looks set to continue to be wetter and windier than usual.A change in air flow patterns means there will be mixed weather through to March.In NIWA’s seasonal climate outlook from January through to March, a La Niña watch will also remain in place.La Niña refers to a cooling of the tropical Pacific Ocean and the subsequent shift in global weather patterns, including a strengthening of moist easterly winds blowing towards New Zealand and a subsequent increase in cloud development and rain over the longitudes.It is only the second time in 75 years that a La Niña onset has…

The South Caucasus country has previously floated the idea of joining the bloc as part of a general shift toward the West. ADVERTISEMENTArmenia’s government officially endorsed a draft bill on Thursday, initiating its process to joining the European Union, according to domestic media. The bill will now be presented to the country’s parliament. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan warned on Thursday that the public should not expect rapid accession into the EU, underlining that it would first need approval via a referendum. The day before the cabinet backed the bill, Armenia’s Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan announced the country could sign…

Declining student rolls in Wellington is causing concern for some, with 78% of schools in the capital having fewer students than they did in 2019.Rolleston College near Christchurch has nearly tripled student numbers since 2019, with the school in urgent need of more space.In 2019, the school had 695 students. This year, the school will have enough staff to teach 1966 students.”I think the biggest contributing factor is the fact that Rolleston is a fantastic place to live – as is all of Selwyn – and with more green space being developed into housing that’s affordable with great facilities, it…

The city of Dresden was the site of some of the most devastating bombing campaigns of the Second World War. ADVERTISEMENTSome 10,000 people were evacuated from the German city of Dresden on Thursday after the discovery of a bomb dating from the Second World War.The device was discovered on Wednesday during the demolition of the Carola Bridge near the historic centre. Authorities decided to defuse it on-site and emergency accommodation was set up to host those who had to leave their homes.The 250-kilogram unexploded bomb may have been part of the infamous 1945 Bombing of Dresden, in which British and…

“What’s in a name?” wrote William Shakespeare at the end of the 16th century in the play Romeo and Juliet.Four hundred years later, the answer to that question is A LOT.Modern-day parents obsess over their child’s name more than previous generations, according to baby-naming consultant Sonya Prior, AKA TikTok’s BBNamer.”I think people now are looking at it as more of a reflection or almost like bestowing a really special name onto their child.”Prior’s comments come after the Ministry of Internal Affairs released its annual list of top baby names for 2024. Noah came in as the top boy’s name for…

Parliament’s justice select committee has decided to reopen submissions on the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill after some people trying to submit online encountered problems with the website. People reported issues with putting through their submissions online before the deadline at 11.59pm on Tuesday. MPs on the Justice Committee met at 9am today and unanimously decided that the ability for the public to make submissions would reopen until 1pm on January 14. Anyone who emailed a submission to the committee between Monday and Thursday morning — because they couldn’t do it on the website — would have the…

Bowel Cancer New Zealand says Te Whatu Ora is reintroducing the postcode lottery for healthcare, after it paused regular surveillance colonoscopies for people in Manawatū-Whanganui.The preventative checks have been instrumental in helping to improve the outcomes of those at risk of bowel cancer – the second deadliest cancer in New Zealand.More than 800 patients in Manawatū-Whanganui are affected. They received a letter last month saying their regular check-ups would be on hold until further notice because the system is at capacity.Among them is Malcolm Mulholland, a well-known patient advocate from Palmerston North who suffers from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and…

A person has died following a water incident in Mount Maunganui this morning.Emergency services were notified just before 8.20am after a person was pulled unresponsive from the water at Pilot Bay Beach.”Despite the best efforts to revive the person, they died at the scene,” a police spokesperson said.”Inquiries are ongoing, and a formal identification process is underway.”St John said it attended the incident but referred further inquiries to police.

After 18 months, governments have yet to agree on when a new class of genetically modified crops can be treated as equivalent to conventional strains, and whether producers should be granted monopoly rights through patents. ADVERTISEMENTWarsaw is looking to move forward a stalled proposal to remove a new generation of gene-edited plants from the stringent EU licensing and traceability requirements applied to conventional genetically modified organisms (GMO), leaked documents show.The European Commission proposed in July 2023 that crops created using ‘new genomic techniques’ (NGT) should be excluded from strict regulation under the 2001 GMO Regulation, but governments have been unable…

While residents in Napier and Hastings are being asked to conserve water under Level 2 restrictions this summer, there is unlikely to be any disruption to water bottling operations in Hawke’s Bay.The region is home to nine consents that allow water to be taken for bottling.In total, the plants are authorised to take roughly 4 million cubic metres of water from aquifers in Hawke’s Bay each year (3,990,969.14 m/3 per year to be specific).That’s the equivalent of 1600 Olympic-sized swimming pools, if they choose to take the maximum amount, although many don’t.Napier’s total urban water consumption for the year from…