Author: Press Room

A range of imported frozen anchovies has been recalled due to the presence of a marine biotoxin.The affected US products were branded SeaWave anchovies and sold in 10kg packs at a small number of supermarkets and specialty stores.Food Safety’s Acting Deputy Director-General Claire McDonald said: “Testing of the product has found the presence of domoic acid, a neurotoxin produced by certain algae that can cause amnesic shellfish poisoning in humans.“These products should not be eaten. You can return them to the place of purchase for a refund. If that’s not possible, throw it out.”Frozen anchovies. (Source: Supplied)Food Safety advised that…

Dunedin robotics company Scott Technology Ltd is prioritising support and protection for the family of an employee who was killed in a “tragic” accident at the facility on Thursday. A Scott Technology spokeswoman confirmed a serious accident had occurred, and one person died. “We are deeply saddened by this tragic event, and our thoughts are with the individual’s family, friends, and colleagues during this difficult time. “Our priority is supporting and protecting the family. “We are working with police and other authorities to establish the circumstances of this tragic accident. “Out of respect for the family and friends, we ask…

Thousands of Aucklanders with Northland holiday home properties are able to vote in Te Tai Tokerau’s October local elections.This is allowed under legislation underpinning New Zealand local government voting.A person who lives in one council area but owns a property in another can vote in that extra property’s local elections too, as long as they’re first on the national electoral roll.Holiday properties at Northland’s Mangawhai and areas such as the Bay of Islands, Tutukākā and Doubtless Bay are popular with Aucklanders.A person who owns an Auckland property and has a holiday home at Mangawhai can effectively vote for a mayor…

Auckland Airport has made the top 50 in a global ranking of airports based on customer satisfaction.The country’s biggest airport has ranked 46th in the UK-based airline and airport review website Skytrax’s 2025 awards.Its annual survey evaluates passenger experience from check-in and security to shopping and boarding.Topping the rankings for the 13th year in a row was Singapore’s Changi Airport.Auckland Airport was the third highest ranked airport in the Australasia-Pacific region behind Melbourne and Brisbane.The airport also came in fourth among airports handling 10-20 million passengers annually.Auckland Airport chief customer officer Scott Tasker said the airport had made several changes…

The All Blacks’ test against France in July could feature a bumper beer tent in the Octagon, the city council hopes. The match is expected to sell out, drawing a crowd of about 29,000, including about 18,000 visitors from outside the city. In order to cope with the influx of visitors, the council is proposing an “entertainment hub” for the Octagon, which would run from noon to 7pm on Saturday, July 5, the day of the test. “Major events regularly attract over 15,000 out-of-town visitors, creating a vibrant city atmosphere. “However, by noon, cafes, bars and restaurants often reach full…

Just hours after the 2021 Tokyo Olympics ended, elite Kiwi cyclist Olivia Podmore was found dead in a suspected suicide at her Cambridge home. Six months of harrowing coronial hearings have revealed the disturbing truth about her treatment within New Zealand’s national cycling organisation. RNZ sports correspondent Dana Johannsen followed every day of the inquest.As she wheeled her way out of the pits of Rio’s Barra Velodrome moments before her Olympic debut, Olivia Podmore’s coach leaned in and delivered one last unsettling barb: “Don’t crash, don’t f***ing crash.”The coach had refused to roll the young sprint cyclist up to the…

More than a century after his death at Gallipoli, the name of a young sergeant has finally been added to the war memorial in Auckland’s Devonport.Sergeant Alan Wallace’s name had been left off until now because he enlisted overseas. He has now been formally honoured following a decades-long push by his family, just in time for Anzac Day.Around 2770 New Zealanders died during the eight-month campaign on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Türkiye, about a fifth of those who fought there.Thousands of Kiwi soldiers were honoured on memorials across New Zealand for their sacrifices in the Dardanelles, but some who enlisted…

ADVERTISEMENTAlthough expected, Trump’s executive order on “unleashing” America’s offshore critical minerals and resources means the US is poised to extend the global scramble for critical minerals like lithium and rare earth metals to the high seas, while the majority of countries are still negotiating rules on how to ensure mining is done safely and without potentially massive environmental destruction.“The United States faces unprecedented economic and national security challenges in securing reliable supplies of critical minerals independent of foreign adversary control,” runs the preamble to the president’s 139th executive order since taking office in January. China is specifically named later in…

On Boxing Day in 2023, journalist and author Naomi Arnold left Bluff and spent the next nine months walking the 3000km length of New Zealand. In this extract from her book about the journey, Northbound, she describes a long day and a scary night.Photos: Naomi Arnold (not included in the book)I walked my longest-ever day, more than 40km, on the flat between Lake Ōhau Lodge and Twizel. It was hot, dusty, dry, windy. Around 10am a pack of grim-looking young southbound women strode past, strung out along the lakeside trail. When I stopped to eat some beef jerky, another southbound…

ADVERTISEMENTJust hours before a meeting in Washington with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Rachel Reeves, the UK’s Chancellor of the Exchequer – the finance minister – said that the UK’s trade relationship with the EU remained a higher priority than its economic ties with the United States.“I understand why there’s so much focus on our trading relationship with the US but actually our trading relationship with Europe is arguably even more important,” Reeves told reporters in Washington, adding: “Because they’re our nearest neighbours and trading partners.”US president Donald Trump imposed 10% tariffs on UK exports on “Liberation Day”, the day he…