Author: Press Room
Two pou whenua have been vandalised along the Abel Tasman Coast Track since Saturday — one defaced with a hammer and another covered with paint.The Department of Conservation (DOC) said two separate pou whenua were vandalised, one at Medlands Beach and another further along at Marahau. Pou whenua are carved posts that are used to mark out boundaries or places of significance to Māori. The vandalism of the first pou whenua was reported on Saturday while the second was reported this morning.DOC acting operations director Phil Crawford said it was “hard to believe” someone would vandalise cultural pieces along a…
The role, which holds significant powers in areas such as foreign policy and national security, is limited by Moldovan law to two consecutive four-year terms. ADVERTISEMENTMaia Sandu was sworn in for her second term as President of the Republic of Moldova in a formal joint session of the parliament and Constitutional Court in the capital Chișinău on Tuesday.After taking the oath, Sandu expressed her gratitude to the people for their trust as she accepted the new mandate “with humility and determination”.Reflecting on her first term, she acknowledged the multiple crises faced but emphasised “the determination and courage of Moldovans to…
One person has died after a vehicle crashed into a house in New Plymouth this morning.Police received a report of a vehicle colliding with a house on Riversdale Dr, Merrilands, at around 9.15am.”Sadly, the single occupant of the vehicle died at the scene,” a spokesperson said.St John responded with three ambulances, a rapid response vehicle and an operations manager.”One person has been taken to Taranaki Base Hospital in a moderate condition.” Police confirmed this person was an occupant of the address.”The road is closed while the serious crash unit examines the scene.”Motorists are advised to take an alternate route and…
Ukraine’s resistance, bolstered by US support, weakens Russia’s military, contributing to the fall of the al-Assad regime, Zelenskyy’s advisor argues. ADVERTISEMENTJust weeks ago, Syrian rebels succeeded in overthrowing Bashar al-Assad’s regime, putting an end to a 13-year-long war. The long-standing ruler of Syria fled to Moscow, where President Vladimir Putin granted him asylum, marking a clear sign of Russia’s diminishing influence in the region. The offensive was, among others, initiated by the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). Its leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, previously known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani who was once the head of an al-Qaeda offshoot in Syria, now…
No more spreadsheets, no more “docs”, no more written warnings from your boss.Work’s out for summer and most of us just want competently written page-turners to chill with in between swims at the beach, or under a tree, or from the camp chair.We’re not talking necessarily the best, weightiest, or fanciest-looking books of the year, we’re talking something you can appreciate while operating on the most basic levels of brain function. They have to be compelling, but not too dark. Ideally, they give you something to talk about, but they don’t give you nightmares.Here’s what Aotearoa’s top bookworms recommend adding…
A man has been arrested and charged with murder in relation to the fatal shooting of Albert Enoka in Lower Hutt earlier this month.Police received reports a person had been shot outside a house on Seddon St around 3.15pm on December 10.Albert Enoka, 39, died at the scene and a homicide investigation was launched.Information was sought about the movements of a black Mercedes during police inquiries.This morning, a 28-year-old was arrested without incident after Hutt Valley and Wairarapa police executed search warrants in the Wairarapa area.Detective Senior Sergeant Stephen Williamson said police were pleased to have made an arrest and…
“The best Christmas present ever” — that’s how a Whangārei hapū is describing a court decision quashing consents for a housing development on land they say has huge significance to Māori.On Thursday, the Environment Court released its findings into an appeal by Ngāti Kahu o Torongare against council consents for a 93-lot subdivision on the flanks of Onoke Pā, in the suburb of Te Kamo.The judges’ ruling was critical of council decision-making and failures to protect the land, saying it was “one of the clearest cases we have seen of an inappropriate site being listed for development where it contains…
A woman has died after drowning at a beach in the Far North this afternoon.Police say they were called to Waimamaku Beach, just south of Ōmāpere, around 1.20pm.The woman was pulled from the water and brought to shore where CPR was performed. “Sadly, she was unable to be revived,” a police spokesperson said.The woman’s death would be referred to the coroner.The Department of Conservation has warned the coast at Waimamaku could be “challenging” for swimmers.”Be aware that the beach is a challenging place for swimming and can be dangerous,” the department advised on its website. “There are rough seas, strong…
ANZ Bank has confirmed it has fixed an outage to its online banking services that caused disruption for thousands of customers for four hours, a day out from Christmas Day.An ANZ spokesperson said a system outage between 10.30am and 2.30pm on Tuesday caused “intermittent issues” for people logging into its goMoney app and internet banking services.”All other services, including debit and credit cards, PayWave, EFTPOS, ATMs and payment processing continued to work normally and were not impacted.”The outage has now been resolved, however some customers may have still experienced slight issues as the backlog was cleared.”We apologise to our customers…
A historic secret passage connecting the Vatican with Rome’s Castel Sant’Angelo has reopened to the public on Monday. ADVERTISEMENTThe famous Passetto di Borgo which dates back to the 6th century served as an escape route for popes in the past.Visitors of the iconic Italian capital were allowed to walk along the fortified walkways that was famously used back in 1527 during the Sack of Rome. Pope Clement VII evaded imperial forces via the corridor, seeking refuge in the nearby, heavily fortified Castel Sant’Angelo.The passage features two levels, an open-air outdoors walkway that showcases breathtaking panoramic views of Rome. There’s also…