Author: Press Room

The ACT Party has joined the war on “woke” banks with a member’s bill to repeal legislation which requires banks and other financial institutions to submit climate disclosures.It could be set to join New Zealand First on the order paper in having a member’s bill aimed at preventing banks from denying services, with the party’s bill drawn from the ballot in February.In 2021, New Zealand was the first country in the world to pass legislation requiring big companies to reveal how much risk climate change posed to their bottom lines. ACT was the only party to oppose it at the…

Twenty-six new electric double-decker buses have been launched in West Auckland, part of the city’s desire to fully replace its diesel fleet within the next decade.On Sunday, the new double-deckers, part of a 44-strong electric bus rollout, began service on the Western Express bus line, WX1, from Westgate to the CBD. Passengers would experience a smoother and quieter ride with less external air pollution.The new electric fleet also includes buses equipped with wireless phone charging pads for passengers and protection shields for drivers. Auckland Transport (AT) fleet specification manager Edward Wright said there was a 2030 target for all buses…

It’s been a year since 23-year-old Jo last had sex.She is celibate by choice and one of two young women who sat down with Re:News to explain why they’re not interested in having sex.Watch the full video on TVNZ+ “I went through a really difficult relationship, and I felt really low self-esteem in the immediate aftermath,” she said. “To combat that, I decided on a whim that 2024 was going to be my year of celibacy, and I’ve kind of kept by that [into 2025].” She said while there are times she has enjoyed sex, on the whole, it’s not…

Have you ever wondered whether your power bill is “average”?Power bills have gone up for lots of households this month, as new lines charges and other price changes filtered through.But what you pay also depends in part on where you live.To work out what’s “normal”, RNZ looked at an example households of four people, with full insulation, using electricity to heat hot water, and a heat pump. Our exercise assumed someone was home during the day and the household did not get bundled deals.Powerswitch data indicated that this household could pay anything from $225 for a month of power in…

Controls have been lifted at an Otago poultry farm now that bird flu has been successfully stamped out at the site. Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) chief veterinary officer Dr Mary van Andel said yesterday movement controls had been lifted from Mainland Poultry’s Hillgrove Farm, near Moeraki, after the H7N6 strain of high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) detected there in December was successfully eradicated. Mainland Poultry chief executive John McKay said reaching the milestone was a “huge relief” and the company was excited to begin repopulating the farm after a long and comprehensive process to rid the site of bird…

A person was airlifted to Hospital from Waiheke Island in a “serious condition” after they reportedly fell overboard from a ferry to Auckland this morning. According to NZ Herald, the incident occurred at around 7am. The man was pulled back onto the ferry, which circled back to the island. Hato Hone St John said it was notified of a “water incident” on Ocean View Road, Oneroa, at 07.23am today. One ambulance and one helicopter responded. “One patient, in a serious condition, is being airlifted to Auckland City Hospital,” a spokesperson said. Coastguard confirmed it was aware of the situation. Police…

Business South has been called “irresponsible and short-sighted” after rejecting an invitation to join Dunedin’s carbon zero alliance amid concerns the council’s plans are too ambitious. Last year, the Dunedin City Council resolved to invite the southern business association to the Zero Carbon Alliance — a group of major Dunedin organisations working to collaboratively reduce the city’s emissions, aiming for the city to be carbon neutral by 2030. Business South chief executive Mike Collins said it declined the invitation because it would duplicate work already under way with another organisation and over questions whether the timeline was too short. The…

The government has freed up “billions” of dollars through additional public service cuts to be redeployed into “New Zealand’s most pressing priorities”.Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced at a speech to the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday morning the government is halving its operating allowance – the new money it has available to spend at the May Budget – from $2.4 billion to $1.3b.That will result in only a small number of government departments receiving additional funding this year, with Willis characterising next month’s Budget as “no lolly scramble”.”New spending initiatives are strictly limited to the most important priorities:…

Queenstown Airport is set to start the next major project in its capital development programme. Over the next 14 months, the terminal building will be extended north towards the airfield to provide 800sq m of new office and operational space for Air New Zealand, Planebiz, and the Aviation Security Service. Fitout of the new space and renovation of existing offices will then proceed in stages. The overall project is scheduled for completion early in 2027, the airport said in a statement yesterday. “This will give airline staff working behind the scenes a much better work environment, and will also improve…

The main cause of Gene Hackman’s death was heart disease, but he was also in the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s disease and likely had not eaten for a long time, according to a new autopsy report.The report documents the 95-year-old actor’s poor heart health, noting he had experienced congestive heart failure, an aortic valve replacement and an irregular heart beat. He was given a pacemaker in April 2019.Hackman’s carbon monoxide concentration was less than 5% saturation, which is within the normal range. He tested negative for the hantavirus, which is a rare but potentially fatal disease spread by infected rodent…