Author: Press Room

Melissa Jenner likens building an AI product to dealing with a hyperactive toddler. Just like a tantrum-throwing tot, it required very clear instructions, but AI itself was not as scary nor as complicated as many people thought. “It’s just software, right. It’s a tool … you’ve still got to have humans in the loop,” the Queenstown businesswoman said. Ms Jenner has spent eight years building a data-driven learning platform called Actvo and recently moved into the United States market, starting in Denver, Colorado. New Zealand companies were losing about $50 billion a year to “sleepwalker employees” — staff who turned…

A vehicle has fallen down a bank and reportedly caught fire in Northland this afternoon.Police said the single vehicle crash occurred on Whangārei Heads Road in Tamaterau.Road diversions were in place on Mackesy Rd and Owhiwa Rd.Motorists were advised to avoid the area, as road closures may be in place for “some time”, according to police.(Source: Supplied)Near the scene, Cherrie Parker told 1News of a “huge bang and the smell of smoke”.”There were a few loud explosions and the smell of burning rubber. Traffic is stopped and the road is blocked.”She said the fire appeared to have since been put…

A tourist took an ill-advised stroll to an island on the east coast of Auckland yesterday – only to discover the incoming tide had closed off his return trip.Senior Sergeant Garry Larsen of the Auckland Marine Rescue Centre said police were called last night after a man was caught out by the tide after walking from Pine Harbour to Motukaraka Island.Officers found the international visitor’s vehicle in the carpark, while police helicopter Eagle searched areas around the island.”The crew quickly advised they had found a man lying down on the top of a concrete structure,” Larsen said.The man was picked…

ACT and New Zealand First have both raised concerns about the government’s Gene Tech bill – despite supporting changes included in a select committee report.All parties that raised concerns agreed New Zealand’s laws and regulations governing gene technology needed to be modernised, but disagreed over what the final bill should look like.NZ First confirmed to RNZ that the party supported the changes present in the Select Committee report but it would not support the bill into law without further major changes.”New Zealand has a pre-eminent position in markets as a ‘GE Free Nation’ and this should not be traded lightly,”…

An electric Auckland Transport bus has crashed spectacularly into a New Lynn bus and train station this afternoon – with concerns over smoke coming from batteries on the vehicle.An Auckland Transport spokesperson told 1News emergency services were on scene following the crash.”We are working with emergency services to make the area safe.”Fire and Emergency New Zealand said it was called to a bus crashing into the New Lynn Station at 4.45pm.”We have two crews in attendance – one from Glen Eden and one from Avondale. We are monitoring the batteries, which are smoking.”A witness at the scene told 1News they…

The public is going colder on Christopher Luxon and Chris Hipkins’ leadership, with the approval rating for both the major party leaders taking a dive in the latest 1News/Verian poll.However, there are no major swings in their parties’ results, with the coalition retaining its hold on power.If an election were to be held today, the poll indicates the right bloc of National, ACT and New Zealand First would have 63 seats, enough to form a government. Leaders of the National and Labour parties are failing to gel with the voting public according to the latest 1News Verian poll.  (Source: 1News)The…

Party leaders have put their own spin on the latest 1News Verian poll, which found steady support for most parties but falling favourability for Christopher Luxon and Chris Hipkins.The coalition would hold 63 seats if an election were held today, enough to form a government over the left bloc’s 60 seats, according to tonight’s poll.Meanwhile, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s approval rating fell to -14, his lowest while holding the top office, while Hipkins dropped to +1, his worst result since the 2023 election. The poll of 1014 eligible voters was conducted between October 4 and 8.Leaders of the National and…

While rates rises have been blamed for at least 31 regions ditching their mayors, Whakatāne has opted for a mayor more welcoming of nice-to-have projects.“The nice-to-haves probably add a few dollars to the rates bill at the end of the year,” said mayor-elect Nandor Tanczos.“They’re not the things that are driving rates increases. I don’t believe in sucking all the money out of everything that make our place worth living in.”Despite two mayoral candidates advocating to rein-in council spending, the previous mayor Victor Luca and newcomer to council Philip Jacobs, Tanczos is looking safe as mayor-elect.With only special votes still…

ADVERTISEMENT Italy tops the EU ranking when it comes to cannabis consumption among young people, with more than one in five (21.5%) consuming it in the past year. It’s followed by Croatia, with 20.3%, and Spain with 19.4%, according to the latest European Drug Report by the European Union Drugs Agency. The smallest shares of young people consuming the drug were found in Portugal at 4.9%, Greece at 4.5%, and Hungary at 3.4%. Young men are typically twice as likely to report consuming cannabis as women. Cannabis remains by far the most commonly consumed illicit drug in Europe. The cannabis…

The Government’s mandating of structured literacy is transforming the reading achievement of new entrants nationwide, Education Minister Erica Stanford says.Structured literacy and the new English curriculum have been in place since Term 1 in primary schools across the country.New entrants are tested with a phonics check after 20 weeks at school, where children are asked to read aloud from a list of 40 words with the expectation the child should be able to correctly decode and sound out words.Watch Stanford speak at the post-Cabinet media conference live.Stanford said Term 3 phonics data showed that 58% were at or above expectations,…