Author: Press Room

The Green Party is asking the Speaker of the House and Prime Minister to reprimand Government ministers over comments made about migrants.New Zealand First Minister Shane Jones yelled “Send the Mexicans home” during a debate on Christopher Luxon’s statement yesterday.New Zealand First leader Winston Peters also made comments about migrants as he was heckled by Green MPs Lawrence Xu-Nan and Francisco Hernandez.”I know they’re laughing. The Greens are laughing at that because they find that comical; they find that comical.”The very people who are here on the very refuge that we give to them have come here with their ideas,…

Home loan borrowers stand to save hundreds of dollars a month this year when their loans roll off higher fixed terms on to new, lower rates.In the next six months, about half of all fixed-rate mortgages come up for repricing.Westpac senior economist Satish Ranchhod said that for borrowers who last fixed a home loan up to two years ago, they could have a drop in interest rate of 100 basis points or more when they refixed.It would only be people coming off a three-year or longer fix who rolled onto a higher rate.Ranchhod said the drop in interest costs for…

Sky customers who find they regularly cannot watch TV as they expect should be able to request a refund, one consumer watchdog says.And it says the television operator should be offering discounts proactively while it deals with its service problems.Sky has been beset with problems as a dying satellite disrupted its transmission, and customers complained about technicians not turning up to their homes for scheduled visits.The network told the NZX this week that it was undertaking an “accelerated migration plan” to move from its current Optus D2 satellite to a new satellite by May.”The accelerated programme was initiated upon advice…

A search is continuing for a man who went missing from Auckland’s Piha Beach, after the group they were with became caught in a rip yesterday afternoon. The man remained missing as of 3pm, according to an update from Surf Life Saving. A spokesperson said lifeguards “understand” that the missing man cannot swim.Today’s shoreline search for the man was being carried out around the Lion Rock, South Piha and Blue Pool areas, police said. They added that the Eagle helicopter “would also conduct an aerial search where possible” around the popular west Auckland beach.An Auckland Coastguard air patrol plane had…

The Government has revealed speed limits on 38 sections of the state highway network will increase, while it will consult on potentially lifting the limits on a further 49 sections.The first increase – on part of State Highway 2 in Wairarapa – will come into force tonight.Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Transport Minister Chris Bishop unveiled consultation plans for significant parts of the state highway network this morning, while other stretches of road will see speeds rise without a new round of feedback.Bishop also revealed plans for speed limits to rise tonight on part of SH2 in Wairarapa, which will…

Dunedin City Council says it is confident an outbreak of avian botulism which has killed 1200 birds at the Waikouaiti wastewater treatment plant north of Dunedin is contained.The council said it is working closely with Otago Fish and Game, MPI, the Department of Conservation and Otago Regional Council to respond to the outbreak, first identified on January 21.While unrelated to avian influenza, the council told 1News earlier this week it was being treated a “significant animal welfare issue”.Deceased birds are now being recovered and buried to stop the spread and chain infection in and around the plant’s oxidation ponds, it…

Lower Hutt’s Popeyes chicken is proving to be so popular among the community that it has had to bring in traffic management to prevent long queues from spilling onto the road.But not everyone is onboard. So far the Hutt City Council has received two complaints from the public and one official has raised concerns about public safety caused by traffic disruptions.The restaurant is so popular that when it opened its Lower Hutt outlet earlier this month, customers were queueing from as early 3am, and the queues did not stop there.These customers explained why they were in the queue.”We’re big fried…

A tongue-in-cheek Dunedin campaign is targeting professionals sick of big city living and offering a higher quality life in the South. Enterprise Dunedin’s new ‘Dunedin Works Better’ campaign offers Dunedin as a solution to professionals from Auckland, Wellington and Queenstown who are tired of spending their salaries on rent, lives stuck in traffic and on the edge of burnout. The campaign suggests the Dunedin lifestyle gives more time to take the dog out for a walk and play with children before dinner. Dunedin City Council Economic Development Committee chairman Andrew Wiley said Dunedin was fast becoming a hub for entrepreneurs,…

Finance Minister Nicola Willis has revealed the date of this year’s Budget, teasing “bold steps” which will be “squarely focused” on economic growth.Budget 2025, now christened by Willis as “the Growth Budget”, will be held on May 22, and “go beyond the traditional Budget focus on spending and savings initiatives,” she said. Amid falling interest rates, the Government has seized on “growth” as a key message going into its second full year in power — with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon using his first speech back in Parliament yesterday to lay out what he called a “growth agenda”.Willis said today: “Budget…

Aleksandar Vučić says he will invite everyone for consultations regarding the formation of a new government. ADVERTISEMENTSerbian President Aleksandar Vučić says that Prime Minister Miloš Vučević’s resignation on Tuesday could lead to an early parliamentary election or to the ruling majority trying to form a new government.Speaking at a news conference hours after Vučević resigned, Vučić said that the decision would be made within the next 10 days. He has rejected an opposition request for a transitional government and warned that Serbia’s stability has been shaken.”Serbia will preserve stability, Serbia will preserve peace,” Vučić told journalists in Belgrade.”Rage is mounting…