Author: Press Room

A man has been arrested after a brawl north of Morrinsville that started when a person confronted a group in a vehicle doing burnouts. Police were called to Tahuna-Ohinewai Road in Tahuna when a fight broke out at about 7.20pm on Wednesday after a person confronted a group of three men in a vehicle doing burnouts. The person was assaulted, police said, and other members of the public attempted to step in. Detective Sergeant Ben Norman said a resident from a nearby property tried to intervene, but was also assaulted by the alleged offenders. In all, six people were injured…

Matariki isn’t just about stars, it’s about reconnecting to the environment says Che Wilson, leading expert on Puanga and iwi spokesperson for this year’s national Matariki celebration.The theme this year is Matariki mā Puanga (Matariki and Puanga) recognising the regional differences in marking the Māori new year.He joined astronomer and chief Matariki advisor Dr Rangi Mātāmua on Breakfast this morning to talk about tomorrow’s dawn ceremony event, hosted by Ngāti Rangi iwi.Speaking from Tirorangi Marae, located between Ohakune and Waiouru, the pair were up before the crack of dawn sighting the stars.“We saw Puanga rise first, then Matariki came up,”…

A man has been arrested after armed police closed a section of road in Auckland’s Mount Roskill in response to an ongoing family harm incident this afternoon.Police said no one was injured during the incident.Earlier, cordons were in place on White Swan Rd, between Ellis Ave and Richardson Rd, at around 12.45pm on Thursday.In a statement earlier this afternoon, police said they were attempting to engage with an individual in a nearby residence.”The community can be reassured the matter is contained, and there is no wider risk.”Further updates will follow when information is available.”

Lanes were blocked this morning after a truck’s trailer tipped on the Waikato Expressway, south of Hamilton. Emergency services were called to the crash, south of Cambridge Road, Tamahere, at around 11.20am. One northbound and one southbound lane were blocked due to the crash. Photos from the scene showed the truck’s trailer lying on its side, blocking an entire lane.Part of the median barrier appeared to have been knocked over during the crash.”No injuries have been reported at this stage,” police said. Motorists were asked to avoid the area if possible. “Traffic management is on route and emergency services are…

A Chiefs rugby fans (Source: Getty)Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate said Chiefs fans are “disappointed” at the news cowbells would be banned at the Super Rugby final between the Crusaders and Chiefs this Saturday, but it wouldn’t stop them making a din. Yesterday, it was announced cowbells would be banned from the final. Cowbells are synonymous with Waikato rugby, which fans of the region have long used to show support.Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate. (Source: 1News)“The Chiefs cowbell is in their DNA, and we’ve been shaking this thing forever,” said Southgate.“I can understand if the Crusaders are a bit rattled, but not…

Relief is on the way for Kiwis struggling with insomnia and treatment-resistant depression, with Medsafe approving the sale of over-the-counter melatonin and the prescription of medicinal psilocybin.Melatonin – used to treat insomnia and jet lag – would be available for purchase in pharmacies without a prescription in due course.The medicine has previously been tightly restricted in New Zealand. Currently, only a handful of melatonin products were approved for people aged over 55. “Many New Zealanders have asked me why people can buy melatonin overseas but they can’t buy it from their local pharmacy. Medsafe has assessed this and decided there’s…

Foodstuffs says it will take time to determine when a fire-ravaged Auckland CBD supermarket may reopen, as they grapple with the “confronting scene” inside. Fire crews completed thermal imaging of New World Victoria Park this morning, confirming no remaining hot spots before handing the building back to the owners.The fire broke out shortly after 11am yesterday, and black smoke could be seen billowing from as far away as the North Shore. At its peak, around 80 firefighters from 23 trucks across the region, and support personnel, were at the scene.The morning’s headlines in 90 seconds, including Auckland’s supermarket fire, Trump’s…

A drone will be deployed by police in central Christchurch tomorrow as part of the ongoing search for missing woman Elisabeth ‘Lis’ Nicholls. Nicholls, 79, was last seen at the Chateau on the Park in Riccarton on the evening of Wednesday, June 4.The drone will be flying over the Riccarton and Hagley Park areas between 8am and midday on Thursday. Police and Nicholls’ family were desperate to locate her, a statement from police said today.Searchers and police have gone door to door, reviewed CCTV footage, and made extensive enquiries “but we have not been able to find Lis”, Detective Sergeant…

There were more than 160,000 people off work due to injuries last year who had to be supported by ACC, new data shows — and it came at a cost of $2.5 billion.ACC has released data showing the accidents and injuries it dealt with last year.It said there were 162,571 people who required financial support because of injury. They were paid more than 18 million days of weekly compensation.In total, ACC accepted two million injury claims from 1.6 million people in the year, which cost $7b in total. Of that, $4.4b went to rehabilitation expenses.In 2004, the cost was less…

Carterton District Council will trial a greener approach when it comes to disposing sludge from its wastewater ponds.At a Policy and Projects committee meeting on Wednesday, councillors endorsed a trial to compost the waste, which could stand to make the council money, if successful.Council infrastructure services manager Johannes Ferreira said disposing of wastewater sludge was a challenge facing many councils across New Zealand.Wastewater treatment plants used stabilisation ponds, or oxidation ponds, to treat wastewater.Over time, bio-solids build up in the bottom of these ponds as sludge – a byproduct of the treatment process.The sludge must be periodically removed, or it…