Author: Press Room

Polyfest’s 50th anniversary is lighting up Auckland’s Manukau Sports Bowl with a vibrant celebration of culture, food, and students performances this week. Local Democracy Reporting went backstage at a Diversity stage. From Tokelauan and Hawaiian items to Kiribati and Cambodian showcases, here’s what some of the students and leaders had to say.Tokelauan prideEden Enelio from McAuley High School beams backstage after performing with her school’s Tokelau group, calling it “overwhelming, but really fun”. (Source: LDR / Mary Afemata)Eden Enelio, cultural leader at McAuley High School, performed with her school’s Tokelau group.”That experience — it was overwhelming, but really fun,” she…

ADVERTISEMENTMEPs overwhelmingly backed today a proposal to delay new EU rules of corporate sustainability reporting and mandatory due diligence on the environmental and social impacts of trading partners, with the Greens joining a centrist alliance of social democrats, liberals and conservatives that they hope will strengthen the centre ground of EU politics.The ‘stop the clock’ measure proposed by the European Commission on 26 February was rushed through using an emergency legislative procedure on the grounds of an imminent threat to the competitiveness of European businesses, an issue that the president of the EU executive, Ursula von der Leyen, has made…

A Christchurch takeaway and restaurant business with sushi outlets under the Hachi Hachi brand has folded owing staff holiday pay and a hefty tax bill. The seven companies owned by Hachi Hachi founders and directors Titi Khemarangsan and Bundit Kijpalakorn were placed in voluntary liquidation on March 25. Initial liquidator reports for the businesses amounted collectively to a total estimated shortfall of $2.54 million, including $1.37m owed to Inland Revenue in income tax for employees’ wages (PAYE) and goods and service tax. This included nearly $130,000 in holiday pay owed to out-of-pocket staff. The liquidator noted Inland Revenue had begun…

A Hastings Civil Defence volunteer says she has learned a smorgasbord of skills she never would have under her own steam.Yvonne Lorkin joined the HB Civil Defence Emergency Management Group team 18 months ago and has trained in controlling the movement of people, rescuing people at ground level, operating a four-wheel drive, and recovering vehicles from rivers, to name just a few.“As a person in midlife, I’m so grateful to have the chance to learn new skills,” she said.“I feel privileged to be part of Civil Defence knowing what is expected of it and have huge respect for all team…

ADVERTISEMENTDespite repeated warnings that it would respond “firmly” and “quickly” to US tariffs, the EU is still finalising its countermeasures after Washington made good on its threats by imposing sweeping 20% tariffs on all imports from the bloc on Wednesday. “We are buying the space we need to negotiate with the Americans and we are looking at targeting our response in the most effective way possible,” an EU official said on Thursday, adding that this was being considered “both in the terms of how we impact on the US if necessary” and “in terms of saving our member states and our industry…

Parliament has unanimously agreed to allow all submissions on the Treaty Principles Bill to be added to the public record, after a last-minute motion was moved by ACT MP Todd Stephenson.Thousands of submissions were to be excluded from the record because staff did not have enough time to process them, raising concerns about cynicism when it comes to engaging with democracy.This afternoon, Stephenson sought leave to move a motion “without notice or debate”.”That the Justice Committee be authorised to table and release or return submissions on the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill, as if the bill were still…

EU presses on with digital laws despite opposition from the USADVERTISEMENTAt a time when disinformation and interference in democracies have proliferated globally, the EU’s Digital Services (DSA) and Digital Markets Acts (DMA) are designed to protect online freedom of expression and not to limit it, the European Commission Vice-President for technology and democracy has insisted in the face of US criticism.”When we look at our society or our economy in the European Union, we want to make sure that our digital environment is safe, fair, and democratic,” said Henna Virkkunen.Recently, both the DSA and DMA have faced criticism, notably from…

A 63-year-old man who died after being found injured on a street in Wellington’s Miramaris now believed to be the victim of a robbery.Around 2am on March 17, police were called after an intruder was discovered in a home on Darlington Rd.Twenty minutes later, 63-year-old Abdul Nabizadah was found with serious head injuries at the intersection of Camperdown and Totara roads.A homicide investigation was launched after Nabizadah, originally from Afghanistan, died of his injuries in hospital.Parallel investigations were launched into both incidents.Forensics at the scene of a home invasion where a resident received minor injuries in Wellington’s Miramar. (Source: 1News)A…

Five years ago, New Zealand introduced the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme which allows doctors to prescribe cannabis products to patients. But GPs have remained reluctant to prescribe it, with two thirds of doctors saying they would not prescribe it if a patient asked, according to research from Massey University. Baz Macdonald looks into the medicinal cannabis sector for Re: Investigates. Watch it on TVNZ+The number of medicinal cannabis prescriptions given out in New Zealand has risen exponentially, from around 6000 in the first year of the scheme to over 105,000 in 2023, according to Ministry of Health data. This has gone…

ADVERTISEMENTAt least seven people, including two children, have died after a boat carrying migrants from Turkey to a nearby Greek island capsized, Greece’s coast guard has said.A search and rescue operation off the northern coast of Lesbos recovered the bodies.The coast guard said 23 people have been rescued.Reporting on what appeared to be the same sinking, Turkish media said the incident was attended by the Turkish coast guard after a rubber dinghy sank in the Aegean Sea between the Turkish mainland and Lesbos.Those rescued were taken to a hospital and the search continued, the state-run Anadolu news agency said.Weather in the…