Author: Press Room

The country’s cyber agency is alerting tens of thousands of New Zealanders that their device has been infected with malicious software.The National Cyber Security Centre was sending emails to around 26,000 email addresses on Wednesday warning about the malware Lumma Stealer, which was designed to steal sensitive information like email addresses and passwords.Some of the stolen passwords were connected to government agency systems and bank accounts.The cyber security centre’s chief operating officer, Michael Jagusch, said it was the first time the agency had contacted so many people.”We have worked with New Zealand government agencies and financial institutions to help protect…

Published on 10/12/2025 – 20:30 GMT+1 In this special edition, from the Ateneo of Madrid – an emblematic institution in the heart of the Spanish capital – we are joined by the former Member of the European Parliament for more than two decades for the European People’s Party and former Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel García-Margallo, and the current member of Congress for the Catalan Socialist Party, José Zaragoza. Both take part in a high-level political showdown analysing the multiple fronts facing Pedro Sánchez’s government. What happens now that Junts has broken the alliance with the Socialists? “This…

Two Whanganui women say what should’ve been a dream fishing trip ended up being a nightmare – one they don’t want anyone else to have to go through.Patsy Deverall and Selah Weingott, 70 and 69 at the time, booked a trip with South Taranaki Fishing Charters in January 2022.Crossing the infamous Pātea bar, the women were thrown into the air and landed heavily on the deck, both suffering serious injuries.Weingott broke her nose and fractured a shoulder, which ultimately required reconstructive surgery, while Deverall injured her back.Maritime New Zealand prosecuted South Taranaki Fishing Charters for offences under the Health and…

A Waikato police officer on holiday in the UK has been praised for intervening after protesters smeared custard on the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London.Senior Constable Mark Strongman – who has been in the police for over 29 years – was visiting the tourist attraction on Saturday morning with his wife and family when four people defaced the display case holding the Imperial State Crown.Strongman said he heard a commotion going on ahead of him, before seeing that a substance -reported to have been custard and fruit crumble – had been thrown all over a display case.Four people…

Nelson Tasman’s approach to cat control is well aligned with the Government’s move to add feral cats to its Predator Free list, council representatives say.The region changed several local cat rules last year, including new cats needing to be microchipped, desexed, and registered on the New Zealand Companion Animal Register.Last month, Conservation Minister Tama Potaka announced feral cats would be added to the Predator Free 2050 strategy, saying it would help protect native wildlife.“We know people want their local reserves, beaches and bush tracks to be full of birds, not predators.”The Government decision came a year after the Nelson and…

Revenues from the sale of weapons and military services by the world’s biggest arms companies have reached a record high due to rising geopolitical tensions. They increased by 5.9% to $679 billion (€583 billion) in 2024 — the highest figure ever recorded, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). The rise in the total arms revenues was mostly due to overall increases in the arms revenues of companies based in Europe and the United States. At least 65% of European arms companies in the top 100 were expanding production capacity in some form in 2024. Excluding Russia, the…

A pendant swallowed by a man during an alleged theft at an Auckland jewellery store made headlines around the world and raised the question how exactly it was “recovered”.Police were called at 3.30pm last Friday to the store where a man was accused of picking up a Fabergé James Bond Octopussy Egg pendant and swallowing it.On Saturday, Inspector Grae Anderson told RNZ the man underwent a medical assessment at the time of his arrest and the item was back in their possession.But what internal journey did the pendant take beginning in an opportune robber’s mouth, to being safely recovered?University of…

European lawmakers agreed on Tuesday to delay the application of the bloc’s carbon tax on buildings and road transport until 2028, one year later than the European Commission initially proposed. Households and businesses using fossil fuels for heating and transport will likely see higher bills once the new version of the European Union’s emissions trading system (ETS), or carbon market, comes into full effect. Under the new arrangement, fuel suppliers, rather than end consumers such as households or car users, will be asked to monitor and report their emissions. The Commission argues that the prices set by the carbon market…

The Department of Conservation says it is “disappointed” in the theft of a significant macrocarpa bench, the second such incident in as many weeks. In a post online, the Department of Conservation said the substantial macrocarpa bench had been stolen from the Oparara Valley – a 14km point-to-point trail in the Kahurangi National Park on the West Coast. “The seat was installed a couple of years ago as part of work to improve the visitor infrastructure in the Oparara,” it said. “We are keen to see it returned, or any reports of where it might be.” The stolen macrocarpa bench.…

The European Commission today proposed a new raft of “simplifications” of environmental legislation that will lower standards and monitoring of industrial emissions and water protection – a move that reflects the sheer pressure the Commission has come under on many fronts. The EU’s executive claims that the measures are a response to the concerns of businesses and public administrators, who have complained that excessive red tape is hampering their ability to compete. The upshot is that at least 25% of environmental administrative requirements for private sector companies are expected to be axed by 2029. Under the EU’s so-called “environmental omnibus”,…