Author: Press Room

ANALYSIS: New Zealand’s freight system is highly vulnerable to natural disasters. Building resilience means rethinking our reliance on trucks and investing in alternatives, as Cécile L’Hermitte explains.In the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle, the driving time between Napier and Wairoa stretched from 90 minutes to over six hours, causing major supply chain delays. Retail prices rose and shoppers faced empty shelves.Natural hazards such as earthquakes and flooding can wreak havoc on Aotearoa New Zealand’s freight system. These crises can cause extensive road damage, isolating communities and creating disruptions in supply chain operations.Cyclone Gabrielle was by no means a one-off. The 2021…

A slip is blocking a south-bound section of State Highway 1 through Northland’s Brynderwyn Hills this afternoon.Police responded to reports of a slip between State Highway 12 and Artillery Rd at around 4.40pm on Sunday.”Motorists in the area are asked to drive with caution,” a police spokesperson said.NZTA advised caution due to the slip and urged motorists to follow the instructions of emergency services.The closure occurred at the usual peak time for motorists travelling southbound as Auckland and further southern holidaymakers faced the return home after what has been a wet long weekend due to ex-Cyclone Tam.The Brynderwyn Hills were…

A fire has been contained aboard a crew-only ferry sailing in Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf this afternoon.Emergency services were alerted to the engine fire aboard the Fullers ferry at around 5.30pm on Sunday.Footage captured by 1News showed emergency services at the Marine Rescue Centre at Mechanic’s Bay and the police boat Deodar heading towards the affected vessel.No passengers were on the ferry at the time of the fire, Fullers said.”Safety of crew are paramount and Coastguard has attended.”Fire & Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) said it was alerted to the incident by a 111 call at 5.28pm, reporting a fire on a…

Every Thursday night in Upper Hutt, teenagers gather at the Salvation Army to hang out.There’s no set agenda, just space to shoot hoops, chill upstairs, eat, talk, or not talk. And that’s the point.”It’s like my getaway,” one teenager said, “to get away from home and stuff.”The rules are simple: no vaping, no smoking, no drugs, and no alcohol.”I wanted to get these kids out of their bedrooms,” founder Kim Hina said. “Off the PlayStation, off their phones, that’s what’s important for mental health.”Hina started Hangout eight years ago when her daughter Lily was struggling, with a close friend of…

ADVERTISEMENTUS Vice President JD Vance met with Pope Francis at the Casa Santa Marta, where the pontiff is recovering from double pneumonia after his 38-day hospital stay.Sources at the Vatican said that Easter greetings were exchanged during the meeting, which lasted a few minutes. The meeting was a rapprochement between the Trump administration and the Vatican, after Pope Francis repeatedly criticised the US administration’s tough immigration policies.Vance’s Rome visitVance, who is visiting Rome with his family for Easter, met with senior Vatican officials on Saturday, including Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with…

Police have recovered the body of man reported missing after a bystander saw him in fall into fast-flowing water near Wairere Falls, northeast of Matamata.Police said this afternoon the man “has sadly been located deceased”.Police launched the efforts to find the man after he was seen falling into the river near Wairere Falls just before midday on Saturday.The person who saw him fall tried to help but could not reach him in time.The Paeroa Search and Rescue group joined the police Swift Water Rescue Team at the scene alongside a helicopter.The search faced challenging conditions as the country dealt with…

MetService has issued an upgraded thunderstorm warning for Auckland and Waikato this evening.An alert sent to mobiles phones warned MetService weather radar had detected severe thunderstorms near Auckland, Kumeu, Albany, Henderson, Manukau Heads, Whenuapai, Greenhithe, Coatesville, Paremoremo, Hobsonville, Massey, Te Atatu, Waitakere, Swanson, West Harbour, Glen Eden, Kelston, Ranui and North Harbour. The warning — upgraded from the all-day weather watch issued this morning — said areas of Auckland and Waikato were likely to be affected by the thunderstorms until 7.15pm Sunday evening.Earlier, MetService issued a severe thunderstorm watch for Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Waitomo and Taumarunui, following days of wild…

By Adam Burns of RNZ A recruitment firm says there is still fierce competition for jobs around the country as languishing employment openings look to bounce back. It comes as broad downsizing and cuts across the public sector continue, with unemployment creeping up to its highest rate since mid-2020. Last year, Beyond Recruitment saw its worst year of new job listings, although things were starting to improve over the early part of 2025. The company’s co-director Ben Pearson estimated job vacancies had plummeted by about 60 to 70 percent in two years. “There’s still a large amount of people out there looking…

Mount Maunganui cafes, bars and restaurants are facing an unexpected alfresco cost — with Tauranga City Council proposing to dish up an annual fee on businesses for having tables and chairs on the footpath.The proposed fee would be $100 per square metre of footpath used from July 1.Some businesses have labelled the added charge “unfair”, particularly during tough economic times.”In terms of council speak that’s a drop in a bucket in terms of any significant amount of money than can be invested into anything meaningful,” Mount Business Association’s Harris Williams told 1News.”It’s coming at a time where the economic climate…

A global trend inspired by the new Minecraft movie has taken a dangerous turn, after a fire extinguisher was let off inside a packed Melbourne cinema.The bizarre craze has fans erupt during a specific scene in the film when Jack Black’s character introduces a creature called a “chicken jockey” – a pixelated baby zombie riding a chicken.But what began as a playful online trend, with people throwing popcorn and cheering, has now escalated into full-blown cinema disruption.Footage from a Tuesday night screening shows chaos inside Ringwood’s Hoyts theatre, as smoke from a fire extinguisher fills the air and moviegoers flee…