Author: Press Room

New Zealand’s most popular baby names for 2024 have been revealed today.For girls, the top name given to newborns in 2024 was Isla, with 190 babies sharing the name. It marks the third time in five years Isla has topped the list for girls. Also in the top 10 list for girls were Amelia, Charlotte, Lily, Isabella, Olivia, Hazel, Harper, Mia, and Mila. For boys, the top name was Noah for the second consecutive year, and the fourth year in a row the name was in the top two.Oliver, Leo, George, Jack, Luca, Theodore, Elijah, Theo, and Arthur rounded out…

It’s “likely” anyone unable to submit their feedback on the Treaty Principles Bill by Tuesday will get another chance to do so, the chair of Parliament’s justice committee James Meager says.Pressure was mounting to extend the deadline for public submissions, after technical problems with Parliament’s website prevented many people from giving feedback.RNZ has confirmed the justice select committee will meet at 9am Thursday to make a decision on late submissions.”Likely anybody who was unable to make a submission yesterday due to website issues will have the opportunity to do so but I can’t pre-empt the Committee’s decisions,” Meager said.Technical problems…

There has been a whale stranding at Farewell Spit in Golden Bay, with a refloating attempt to be made this afternoon. According to the Department of Conservation, 10 pilot whales stranded last night.Eight were found alive this morning.”We aim to refloat the surviving eight at high tide on Wednesday afternoon,” DOC Takaka Operations Manager Ross Trotter said. “We have plenty of volunteers to help keep the whales cool so do not need people to come and help at this stage. Conditions are cool with some rain which is good for the stranded whales.”The whales are showing signs of having been…

Police are appealing for anyone who might have seen any suspicious activity the night a man arrived at an Auckland police station with a child’s body in a car to come forward.On Monday, a 37-year-old man appeared in court charged with murder after arriving at the Manukau Police Station at about 1am with the deceased child.Acting Detective Inspector Veronica McPherson said police were not seeking anyone else in connection to the child’s death, but called on potential witnesses to come forward.”We would like to hear from anyone who witnessed any suspicious activity around the Waiouru Road area in Highbrook and…

A week after Russian gas stopped flowing through Ukraine, the European Commission maintains there is no threat to security of supply despite data showing a steep drop in reserves as temperatures fall across much of the bloc. ADVERTISEMENTThe EU executive has dismissed the suggestion that the latest figures for gas storage levels across Europe raise the spectre of imminent shortages a week after imports of Russian gas via Ukraine ended almost three years since the Kremlin launched its undeclared war on the country.Gas stopped flowing through Soviet Union-era pipelines on New Year’s Day upon the expiry of a five-year transit…

“Only time will tell” if Rotorua’s introduction of separate food and organic rubbish collection bins will work, one resident says.Rotorua Lakes Council announced on Monday it will introduce weekly food and green waste kerbside collection from July 2026, while its general rubbish collection will reduce to one fortnightly pick-up.Some locals have expressed concerns about general waste moving from weekly to fortnightly collection, while others support the effort to send less waste to landfill.The 80-litre bin will join the 140-litre general waste bin, 240-litre recycling bin and glass crate.The bins will be serviced by Smart Environmental, which signed a nine-year contract…

As the EU’s demand for critical raw materials such as lithium is unmet, the EU is signing agreements with like-minded Latin American countries to bridge the gap. ADVERTISEMENTAfter Russia’s war on Ukraine prompted Europe to recognise its dependence on Moscow for gas supplies, growing geopolitical uncertainty has also forced the EU to reconsider where it sources the raw materials needed for its energy transition.  Although the EU’s overall demand is not fully met, a few member states still produce critical raw materials. France produces 76% of hafnium used in the EU, while Belgium produces 59% of arsenic, Finland produces 38% of…

A serious two-vehicle crash that has reportedly injured five people has closed part of State Highway 1 in South Waikato this morning.In a statement, police said emergency services were alerted to the crash at Pairere, about 5.30am. “Five people are reported to have serious injuries,” a police spokesperson said. State Highway 1 is blocked between Horahora Road and Paparamu Road and traffic management is being arranged.Fire and Emergency told 1News it received a call about a vehicle collision, and arrived to find three people trapped in one vehicle. Crews from Putaruru and Tirau were working to extract them from the…

The head of Austrian far-right Freedom Party, Herbert Kickl, invited the conservative Austrian People’s Party to coalition talks after being tasked with forming a government. ADVERTISEMENTAustrian far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) leader Herbert Kickl extended an olive branch to the conservative Austria’s People Party (ÖVP) on Tuesday, inviting them to coalition talks.His comments come after Austrian President Alexander van der Bellen gave him the green light to attempt to form a ruling coalition. Though the two parties have a history of clashing heads, Kickl said during a press conference that he would officially extend the invitation once his party’s leadership approved the…

In this episode, we focus on a directive on unpaid internships that aims to end the exploitation of around 1.5 million young Europeans. ADVERTISEMENTThere are more than three million trainees in the EU working on temporary contracts and almost half of them are unpaid. The European Commission proposed a new type of “quality internship” in March 2024 that would offer fair pay, pension protection and equal access for vulnerable groups.However, the 27 EU governments failed to reach a consensus on the proposal in December and it will come under negotiation again in 2025. The EU cannot impose legally binding legislation banning unpaid internships, as this is…