Author: Press Room

The Chase host Bradley Walsh briefly halted the quiz show to deliver a surprise on-air announcement, marking a significant milestone for one of its biggest stars.In a recent episode of The Chase UK, contestants Nykia, Eilidh, Adam and Dave were hoping to outsmart one of the show’s world-best quizzers.Dave opened the game with an impressive £5,000 (NZ$11,600) in the cash builder before facing Mark ‘The Beast; Labbett in the head-to-head. Watch The Chase UK daily at 5pm on TVNZ1 and TVNZ+But before the round could begin, Walsh stopped proceedings.”We’ve got a special announcement to make,” he told viewers, revealing the…

The spur of the moment decision of a Christchurch man to buy a Lotto ticket for the first time in 10 years has left his family $18.3 million richer following Saturday’s record-breaking draw.The winning tickets were sold at New World Kawerau in Bay of Plenty, Pak’nSave Moorhouse in Christchurch and on MyLotto to a player from Auckland. The prizes were made up of $18,333,333 from Powerball First Division and $55,556 from Lotto First Division — totalling $18,388,889 each.The Christchurch winner said he planned to use the windfall to buy his family’s first home, help relatives with mortgages, and “do a…

The search for the body of a fisherman who went missing off the coast of Northland is to be “scaled back”, police said. The man was one of two people aboard a boat reported overdue on Friday night. An air and sea search of the coast off Pataua South was launched to find the 5m runabout, and on Saturday morning, a body and a vessel were found. Police, search and rescue crews, and the Navy spent yesterday searching a “large area” of sea and shoreline to no avail. Today, Detective Sergeant Paul Overton said police would scale back the search…

A finger-sized camera with a resolution that wouldn’t hold a candle to your average smartphone is selling out at official stockists across New Zealand. The Charmera — a nostalgic collaboration with Reto that nods to Kodak’s first single-use cameras of the ’80s — comes in seven colours (plus one “secret edition”) and clips onto belt loops or bags like a fashion accessory. Splendid, which specialises in analogue photography and operates out of Auckland, Wellington, and online, says it has sold out of hundreds of since September. Co-founder Sean Aickin says the craze blindsided them. “The Charmera kind of caught us…

For Kiwi metal heads, nothing else matters tonight other than metal stars Metallica, who will take the stage at Eden Park in Auckland. According to RNZ, the concert – alongside the World Indigenous Peoples’ Conference on Education, the largest academic conference the country has ever held – was expected to sell out almost every hotel room in the city. An expected 55,000 concertgoers were expected to descend on Mt Eden to see the multi-Grammy award winners when the gates open at 4.30pm. The opening acts are Suicidal Tendencies and Evanescence, which start at 5.30pm. While Metallica is made up of…

Two books by distinguished authors have been ruled out of New Zealand’s premier literary prize because their covers were generated with artificial intelligence.Elizabeth Smither’s Angel Train and Stephanie Johnson’s Obligate Carnivore, both of whom received one of the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards, were removed from contention for the $65,000 Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction in the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards.The New Zealand Book Awards Trust — which run the awards — said a bookseller suspected AI use and alerted organisers, upon which Christchurch-based publisher Quentin Wilson confirmed it.Wilson said the decision was “heartbreaking”, adding it was upsetting for…

Properties have swapped hands as Nelson City Council progresses plans for a revitalised waterfront.On Monday, the council revealed that three years ago it had quietly agreed to sell part of the 236 Haven Rd property, where the old Reliance Building stands, to Port Nelson.Last week, the short Collins St, which adjoins the Reliance Building site, was also declassified as a public road, allowing part of that land to also be sold to the port.The sales will allow the port to straighten its boundary to increase container capacity while making safety and operational improvements.As part of the property shuffle, the council…

Health New Zealand has announced 28 new staff will be added to the Nelson Hospital Emergency Department after an extension of the unit was opened earlier this month. The new roles will include senior doctors, nurses, health care assistants, allied health, psychiatric liaison, Hauora Māori, cleaners, orderlies and administration. The Emergency Department (ED) expansion will increase capacity from 23 beds to 29 and assist with bed block – when patients get stuck in the ED because a ward bed isn’t available. The head of the ED Dr Harriet Harper told 1News at the time of the opening that staffing had…

The European Union should sit on the controversial ‘Board of Peace’ pitched by US President Donald Trump in his 20-point plan for Gaza, the EU’s Commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Šuica, told Euronews on Tuesday. “If we talk about fair play, then we should have a seat on this board for sure,” Šuica, whose portfolio covers EU support to the Palestinian territories, said on Euronews’ The Europe Conversation. “We are the biggest, not only (financial) donors, but players,” she added. “We are their closest neighbours. So I think that we should have a place on this board.” The Commissioner’s call…

IKEA has unveiled a sneak peek at its New Zealand pricing ahead of its first store opening in Auckland next month.The retailer will also be giving Kiwis their first look at prices through pop-up venues in Christchurch and Wellington, showcasing a curated selection of popular items before the Sylvia Park store and online shopping launch on December 4.IKEA PS 2002 Watering can (Source: Supplied)Along with the pop-up experiences, IKEA has released a first look at its pricing. They include a FRAKTA carrier bag at $1.99 or a watering can at $4.99.Budget-conscious shoppers can find items under $20 including the $12.99…