Author: Press Room

Samoa’s Prime Minister says the wreck of the HMNZS Manawauni vessel can stay exactly where it sank after being presented with options regarding the vessel’s future. The Royal New Zealand Navy ship ran aground with 75 people on board whilst conducting a hydrographic survey of a reef last October. All those on board managed to be rescued safely.The ship has remained off the coast near Upolu, Samoa since then. Containers and fuel aboard the ship were recovered, but the vessel was not removed. Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa told 1News her cabinet were presented with a list of options regarding…

ADVERTISEMENTThousands of devotees flocked to the Himalayan town of Dharamshala, India, on Sunday to celebrate the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism who has been living in exile since escaping Chinese authority in Tibet in 1959.Many devotees included hundreds of red-robed monks and nuns who braved incessant rain to see him.“When I look back on my life, I see that I have not wasted it at all,” the Dalai Lama said. “I live my life in the service of other sentient beings,” he added. Dressed in a traditional robe and a flowing yellow wrap, the Dalai Lama…

Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has left the door open to introducing more mandatory or minimum sentences for crimes — as he defended the latest suite of policies from the Government’s law and order crackdown.The minister said the four announcements made this week – including new coward punch laws, increased penalties for assaults on first responders, fines for shoplifting, and trespass law changes — sent “a very clear and consistent message.”Goldsmith, a senior National MP, sat down with Q+A for a wide-ranging interview this morning, across his ministerial portfolios. He was pressed about the Government’s capping of sentencing discounts at 40%.…

A man has died after a “hunting incident” on Stewart Island yesterday, police say. Police were told of the incident, near Lords River, at about 12pm Saturday.”A search and rescue team was deployed to the island via helicopter, and located the man deceased,” Detective Sergeant Mark McCloy said. “Investigations are underway, which include speaking to those who were in the area at the time. The coroner has been advised.”The remote Stewart Island/Rakiura is located 30km south of the South Island across the Foveaux Strait, and attracts hunters from across the country.

An Air New Zealand flight with hydraulic issues has landed safely at Auckland Airport.Fire and Emergency were called to be on stand-by just after 12pm today.Crews from the airport, Mount Wellington and Papakura attended.Auckland Airport confirmed it was flight ANZ538 from Christchurch to Auckland.Air New Zealand chief operating officer Alex Marren said the crew reported the issue during the flight.”As a precaution and in line with standard operating procedures, emergency services were on standby at Auckland Airport. The aircraft landed safely and our maintenance team will now inspect the aircraft before it can return to service,” she said.rnz.co.nz

A woman has been charged with arson following a fire at a church in the Christchurch suburb of New Brighton this afternoon.Emergency services were called to the address on Atlantis St around 2.30pm.Fire and Emergency New Zealand told 1News it initially sent three trucks to the “obvious” fire, before calling two more trucks to the scene. Firefighters from Anzac, Christchurch City and Woolston worked to bring the blaze under control.The 35-year-old woman expected to appear in the Christchurch District Court tomorrow. Shorty after 3pm, a FENZ spokesperson said the fire — which had affected one room in the single-storey building…

Five people have been rescued by Coastguard volunteers after experiencing problems crossing a bar at Motunau beach in North Canterbury yesterday. Police were alerted to the vessel in difficulty by a person on Motunau beach, about an hour north of Kaiapoi, around 5pm on Saturday. At about 8pm, the Coastguard received a “mayday” distress call from the vessel. The boat was hit by a large wave, throwing its fuel tanks overboard and leaving it anchored around 400m offshore in rocky conditions between Motunau Island and Motunau bar. One person was thrown overboard, and pulled back onboard safely. At approximately 8.45pm,…

Firefighters have contained a blaze which broke out at an apartment building that was still under construction in Auckland’s Māngere today. At 12.30pm, Fire and Emergency New Zealand were called to the block of flats under construction on Hain Ave. 1News footage from the scene showed black smoke billowing out of the apartments as fire crews battled the blaze. Approximately half the units on the section were ablaze, with the exact number not confirmed. Fire and Emergency New Zealand were called to the block of flats on Hain Avenue shortly after midday. (Source: 1News)At its peak, eleven fire crews worked…

Lifewise chief executive Haehaetu Barrett told Q+A’s Maiki Sherman that extensive homelessness is now becoming a new normal, particularly among those who are either living on the streets or sleeping in their cars. “It has unfortunately become the look for Aotearoa, and not just in Tāmaki, Rotorua, Wellington, who hit the spotlight,” said Barrett.”Last week we were contacted from the North Shore [of Auckland] Never in ten years has the city Lifewise been contacted from the North Shore that there was visible homelessness. So this tells us that the numbers aren’t just central city anymore.”She added that various policies aimed…

“Enough is enough,” says Niria Wainui-Teepa, after being continuously woken up by idling trucks in the middle of the night.He was one of the 155 members of the rural Whatatutu Mangatū community, about 45km from Gisborne, that signed a petition presented to the Gisborne District Council this week calling for action on the noisy, night-time trucks and damage to the roads.”No way do our grandkids not get to sleep,” said Wainui-Teepa, trustee and Chairperson of Te Wainui Marae Charitable Trust.The petition notes noise disturbances from 1:30am, speeding trucks, and damage to the provincial roads, including potholes.It suggests a ban on…