Author: Press Room
Food prices have increased 4.4% in the 12 months to May, according to the latest numbers from Stats NZ.That’s up from 3.7% in the 12 months to April. The May increase was primarily driven by the meat, poultry and fish food group, up 5.4%, and the grocery food group, up 5.2%.Butter, milk and cheese drove the increase in the grocery food group. Stats NZ said the average price of milk was up 15.1%, butter 51.2%, and cheese 30.1%.Stats NZ prices and deflators spokesperson Nicola Growden said the cost of a 500 gram block of butter is “nearly twice as expensive…
Road damage repairs from extreme weather events almost two years ago is almost complete in south Auckland.In 2023, heavy rain on Auckland’s Anniversary Day weekend and Cyclone Gabrielle caused severe flooding, and more than 2000 slips were reported to Auckland Transport on local roads, across the region.In the south, 30 complex slips needed repairing: nine minor (less than $250,000 to repair) and 21 major (more than $250,000 to repair).In a statement, Auckland Transport (AT) said their flood recovery team has repaired 83% of the slips.AT road asset maintenance and renewals general manager Alan Wallace said 25 slips have been fixed,…
While they have been derided by many sectors of the public as dangerous, for one RunIt competitor, the phenomenon is putting clothes on the backs of his young children.Champ Betham was the winner in the second night of trials in Auckland, taking home $20,000 and earning a spot on the plane to Dubai for the inaugural event in the Middle East.The Christchurch man said the win has “helped massively” with financial burdens.”We got to pay off some debts and stock up the fridges and the cupboards, food for our little ones, especially with the economy and stuff like that here…
A fire at an Auckland supermarket has now been contained but crews will remain on scene overnight to extinguish it.Fire and Emergency NZ said crews were alerted to the fire at New World Victoria Park in Freemans Bay at 11.18am on Tuesday after a fire alarm was activated. The fire broke out at the supermarket in Freeman’s Bay shortly after 11am. (Source: 1News)By 2pm, 20 trucks and support vehicles from stations across the region were at the scene, with further resources still responding. Around 80 firefighters were responding at the height of the blaze. Three aerial trucks from Auckland were…
By Sertac Aktan with EBU Published on 17/06/2025 – 9:01 GMT+2ADVERTISEMENTPortugal’s police force, the National Republican Guard (GNR), began nationwide inspections on Monday after the deadline passed for mandatory land clearing intended to prevent wildfires.Landowners had until Sunday to clear undergrowth near properties, a deadline that was previously extended due to rainy weather. On the ground, GNR officers explained the specific regulations to property owners.An officer from the GNR’s Environmental Protection Unit in Coruche, Felizardo, pointed out an infraction: “In this case, the grass is a bit taller than the prescribed limits, and therefore, fuel management should have been carried out within 50…
An Auckland business owner has described current sick leave entitlements “manifestly unfair”, adding it is a significant burden in tough economic times. In 2021 minimum paid sick leave for workers went from five to 10 days regardless of how often a person works. The government has confirmed it is changing the law to a pro-rata system, or proportional leave, where sick day allowances will be different for part and full-time workers depending on how many hours or days they work. The exact detail is yet to be decided. Kathy Aspden, who owns an entertainment business said her sick leave costs have…
RNZ has opened a voluntary redundancy scheme for staff, weeks after the Government announced it would slash the broadcaster’s budget by almost $5 million annually.Chief executive Paul Thompson confirmed the move, saying he knew the move would be “unsettling” for people working in his organisation.”I can confirm that RNZ has opened a voluntary redundancy scheme,” he said.”Applications for voluntary redundancy will be considered against the need to retain necessary skills, knowledge and experience within teams or critical risk areas. “Any discussion around leaving an organisation, even if this is voluntary, is unsettling for the people involved and out of respect…
Cyclists will be able to bring their bikes on some buses travelling across Auckland’s Harbour Bridge as a trial of interior bike racks expands.Fifteen double-decker buses on the NX1 bus route – around a third of the fleet – will be fitted with a bike rack inside the bus.The trial will run for a year from July. It follows a pilot in November last year where two types of internal bike racks were testing on double-decker NX1 buses.Auckland Transport (AT) said allowing bikes on buses provided a “consistent service” for passengers using rapid transit services, as bikes can already be…
By Malek Fouda with AP Published on 17/06/2025 – 7:10 GMT+2ADVERTISEMENTA Russian missile and drone attack on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv overnight on Tuesday killed at least 14 people and wounded more than three dozen others, according to Ukrainian officials.The attack is the latest in a series of mass drone and missile attacks on Kyiv. It came at a time when world leaders convened at the Group of Seven – or G7 – meeting in Canada, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to attend.Ukraine’s Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko told reporters at the scene that a US citizen was among those killed in…
Police are appealing for witnesses to an alleged hit-and-run at a pedestrian crossing in Rotorua that left a sight- and hearing-impaired man in a critical condition over the weekend.The motorcyclist allegedly overtook a stationary vehicle and struck the 24-year-old pedestrian as he crossed Edmund Rd in Mangakakahi at around 2.15pm on Sunday.Police said the rider then performed a U-turn, rode back towards the crossing, and fled the scene without stopping or checking on the victim.St John said two ambulances, one rapid response unit, and one helicopter responded to the incident.”Our crews assessed and treated one patient who was airlifted to…