Author: Press Room
Wellington City Council is installing motion-activated cameras after a spate of vandalism which appeared to target mountain bikers on Matairangi Mt Victoria.The council said over the last few days, logs, stumps and other obstacles had been placed on several mountain bike priority trails in locations where they could cause serious injury if hit by a mountain biker.Wellington City Council parks and open spaces manager Bradley Schroder said police had been notified of the vandalism and cameras which would be installed, adjacent to the bike trails with the aim of identifying the culprits.Schroder said timber had been fastened to trees at…
The New Zealand Defence Force is continuing to provide training to the Armed Forces of Ukraine in counter explosive ordnance measures and drone warfare – over three and a half years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began.The Defence Force said under Operation Tīeke, up to 100 personnel across land, maritime and air are deployed to the UK and Europe to deliver training.Personnel also undertake command and liaison roles at multinational headquarters.The Defence Force said it has been working with partners to deliver core soldiering skills in the UK and is also offering specialist skills training throughout Europe.New Zealand joint…
The demolition of the Gordon Wilson Flats will begin later this month, expected to be the end of a long-running saga over the derelict “eyesore” ex-public housing units. Victoria University today confirmed a contractor was about to be appointed, with work anticipated to begin this month. Chief operating officer Tina Wakefield said: “There is significant work ahead to ensure that the demolition will be carried out with the utmost care, beginning with site preparation work in the coming weeks.”We recognise and understand that demolition work may be disruptive for our neighbours, and we are fully committed to keeping them informed…
Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri has secured a revised $3 billion contract with the US Navy, including approximately $1 billion in compensation, after the original 2020 agreement for 10 frigates was scaled back to just two vessels. The rescheduling, announced on 26 November, came ahead of Monday’s EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting of defence ministers in Brussels, where military support for Ukraine and defence readiness will be discussed. Under the revised deal, two Constellation-class frigates already under construction will be completed, but four additional units previously commissioned will be discontinued. The remaining vessels will be replaced by smaller ships for amphibious operations,…
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has labelled the conduct of Labour MPs “unbecoming” after a fiery Scrutiny Week appearance which saw accusations of name-calling and conspiracy-thinking.Under questioning in the meeting, Willis also confirmed the government had no intention of buying offshore carbon credits to meet the 2030 Paris agreement as part of a “performative awards ceremony” even if that meant it would breach its commitment.Christmas cheer? From the meeting’s outset, the exchanges were heated. Labour’s finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds asked Willis to explain why she claimed infrastructure spending was increasing despite that not being the case in the most recent financial…
Published on 02/12/2025 – 9:29 GMT+1 Europeans need to have their own peace plan for Ukraine and stop waiting on the Americans to take all the initiative, European Commissioner for Defence Andrius Kubilius told Euronews’ Europe Today programme on Tuesday. “We need perhaps to overcome some kind of our mental problems that usually we’re awaiting when some plans will come from Washington,” Kubilius said. “It would be very good for us to have our own plan and then you know to compare with (the) American plan to see what is good, what we want to discuss,” he added. “I think…
The Te Whare Toi o Heretaunga Hastings Art Gallery is backing a controversial exhibition that encourages people to walk over a New Zealand flag, despite a councillor saying it “feels so wrong”.Māori artist Diane Prince’s installation Flagging the Future was hastily removed from the Suter Art Gallery Te Aratoi o Whakatū in Nelson earlier this year for what the gallery described as staff safety reasons following abuse and complaints.The controversial installation includes a New Zealand flag laid on the floor, inviting people to “please walk on me”.Prince’s exhibit at the Hastings District Council-owned gallery also includes weaving, drawings, paintings, a…
By euronews Published on 02/12/2025 – 7:39 GMT+1 •Updated 7:53 Another day, another attempt to end the war in Ukraine, now entering its fourth winter. As the US piles pressure on the country to make concessions, the French president rolled out the red carpet for President Zelenskyy and his wife Olena Zelenska. As they move on to Ireland today, concern is rising that Ukraine will be forced into a bad deal. For an update, we are joined on set by Euronews’ Ukraine correspondent Sasha Vakulina and Euronews’ EU editor Maria Tadeo. Also on set, we will be joined by Andrius Kubilius,…
The mother of a girl who ate a mouldy school meal said she is now unwell.Christchurch parents were horrified after their children ate a contaminated meal from the Government’s free school lunches programme.The School Lunch Collective told RNZ it was investigating a “food quality issue” after mouldy mince was served up to students at Haeata Community Campus on Monday.The Collective represents Compass Group, which was contracted to provide government-funded lunches for the Christchurch school.The school, which had students from Years 1 to 13, said a teacher noticed Monday’s lunch was off after they had been distributed to a number of…
A man has been charged after allegedly stealing from an Auckland jewellery store – by swallowing a pendant worth more than $30,000. Police were called to the store in central Auckland around 3.30pm on Friday, Inspector Grae Anderson told 1News.”A man inside the store had allegedly picked up a pendant and swallowed it,” he said. The pendant was a limited-edition Fabergé James Bond Octopussy Egg worth $33,585, according to court documents seen by RNZ. The locket – a nod to the 1983 film featuring the fictional Secret Service spy – featured an 18k yellow gold and green guilloché enamel Fabergé…