Author: Press Room

Medsafe has approved weight loss drug Wegovy for use in New Zealand.Wegovy, a semiglutide prescription injection developed by Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals, acts to regulate appetite by increasing feelings of fullness and reducing cravings for food.Medsafe, which is New Zealand’s regulatory for medicines, previously approved the use of Ozempic for the purpose of treating type 2 diabetes.”Wegovy has been approved by Medsafe for use in weight loss,” a spokesperson said.”The decision to supply Wegovy in New Zealand sits with the company, Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals.”A Novo Nordisk spokesperson said the decision by MedSafe was “great news”.Approval for the popular medication said to…

An increase in the ACC levy is likely to mean a small reduction in employees’ pay in the next pay period.From April 1, the levy increased from $1.60 per $100 to $1.67.That means someone who earns $2000 a week before tax would have their levy increase from $32 to $33.40.The amount has risen steadily over the years, from $1.39 per $100 in the year to March 31, 2022.It will rise to $1.75 next year and $1.83 the year after.John Cuthbertson, of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, said it should make a small difference to most people.”From April 1, the…

New Zealand exporters face hundreds of millions of dollars of tariffs on goods sent to the US as President Trump carried through with his trade charges. The US will impose a base tariff of 10 percent on all foreign imports, with rates between 20 and 50 percent for countries judged to have major tariffs on US goods. They including tariffs of 34% on China and 20% on the European Union. New Zealand exports were worth about $9-billion last year, meaning theoretically New Zealand exporters will be penalised about $900 million. A US chart says New Zealand imposes 20 percent on…

A haka group from Keebra Park State High School in Gold Coast, Australia, will perform at this year’s Polyfest festival for the first time.Te Puna Mataatahi arrived in the country earlier this week ahead of their performance on the Māori stage on Thursday. Featuring 25 students, teacher and haka tutor Dean Harawira said the trip is a first on several accounts for most of them.”Ko te tuatahitanga tēnei mō rātou ki te rere ki runga i te waka rererangi, ki te noho ki runga i te marae, a, ki te tū ki runga i te ātamira hei whakataetae kapa haka…

ADVERTISEMENTBelgium and the Netherlands registered the highest job vacancy rates among EU countries in the last three months of 2024, with 4.1% of jobs in their labour markets currently unfilled, according to the latest Eurostat figures.Austria followed these two countries at 3.6%.On the other hand, Bulgaria, Poland, and Romania had the lowest rates for job openings, all at 0.7%, with Spain following at 0.9%. When comparing this quarter to the same quarter of the previous year, the job vacancy rate increased in four EU countries, remained stable in six, and decreased in 17 EU countries.  The largest increases were observed in Denmark,…

Orthopaedic surgeon Dr Perry Turner always thought he would retire at Nelson Hospital but he’s recently quit as the overwhelming workload became too much.He’s now doing only private practice. He said he didn’t want to leave, but he felt like he had to. “I’m 52. I honestly feel like I’m the best surgeon I’ve ever been and I’m leaving the public hospital for my own health.”Turner said the number of patients had climbed while the number of doctors hadn’t. Senior doctors like him covered both planned procedures and emergencies, but he said it wasn’t working.”I was the sole spine surgeon…

ADVERTISEMENTGreece will spend €25 billion over the next decade to adapt its military to evolving high-tech warfare technologies, officials have said.Defence Minister Nikos Dendias told parliament the overhaul will be built around a planned air defence system called “Achilles Shield,” primarily aimed at addressing tensions with neighbouring Turkey.The two NATO members have long-standing disputes over boundaries in the Aegean Sea and eastern Mediterranean that have brought them close to war several times in recent decades.Dendias said Greece plans to shift from traditional defence systems to a high-tech, networked strategy centreed on mobile, AI-powered missile systems, drone technologies, and advanced command units,…

Police are investigating an unexplained death in the Wellington suburb of Northland.The person was found deceased at an address on Tuesday morning.Detective inspector Nick Pritchard said the investigation team have been conducting enquiries door-to-door in the Northland area and speaking to witnesses and people known to the victim.”A scene guard will remain in place at the property over the coming days.”Pritchard added members of the community could expect to see a “continued police presence in the area” while inquiries into the circumstances of the death continue.”If you have any information that could assist Police, please contact us via 105, either…

ADVERTISEMENTPoland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said that his centrist political party has been the target of a cyberattack.In a post on social media platform X, Tusk said that available evidence suggested the attack had “eastern” origins, thought to be a reference to Russia or Belarus.Tusk said his Civic Platform party’s computer system was targeted, ahead of next month’s presidential election.”Foreign interference in elections begins,” Tusk said in his online post.Jan Grabiec, the head of Tusk’s office, told the Polish state news agency PAP that the cyberattack consisted of an attempt to take control of computers of employees of the…

Three Members of Parliament from Te Pāti Māori have been given another chance to turn up to a Privileges Committee hearing into their participation in a haka during the first reading of the Treaty Principles Bill.The Privileges Committee, chaired by senior National Minister Judith Collins, met today to consider the conduct of the MPs who joined in with the haka during proceedings in Parliament.However, three of the MPs at the centre of the inquiry, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, Rawiri Waititi, and Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke didn’t turn up to the hearing.The Te Pāti Māori MPs have claimed they were being denied natural justice, and…