Author: Press Room

Dame Tariana Turia has died at the age of 80, her iwi says.Turia — a co-founder of the Māori Party and former Labour minister who crossed the floor over the foreshore and seabed debate — suffered a stroke earlier this week.She died at Whangaehu Marae in Whanganui overnight, according to her iwi.A spokesperson for Te Ranga Tupua said the marae would soon be open to mourners.”Whānau will be gathering at Pakaitore where Dame Tariana will lie at 1pm today. “From there, she will travel by waka to Putiki Marae, before returning home to Whangaehu at approximately 4pm,” according to a…

Police have released the names of four people killed in separate crashes in Auckland, Waikato and Balclutha last month.The crash victims died in the weeks leading up to Christmas.Police released the names of the four this morning.Anthony Nelson Botica, aged 28 of Pukekawa, died in a motorcycle crash in the early hours of December 15. The crash happened on Morrison Road, near Pōkeno in Waikato.Karaka woman Susanti Halim, 36, died following a three-vehicle crash south of Auckland, on December 18. Three others were admitted to hospital after the crash on Karaka Rd.The three-vehicle crash closed Karaka Rd on December 18.…

Police are appealing for witnesses after a driver was found dead after a crash in Auckland’s Māngere yesterday evening. Emergency services were called to the single-vehicle crash on Ihumātao Rd at about 5.36pm, but police say “the driver and sole occupant was found deceased.””The serious crash investigations unit has conducted a scene examination and is appealing for witnesses to the crash.”Ihumātao Rd was close to Auckland International Airport and south of Māngere town centre. People with information were urged to call 105, citing file number 250102/7039.

A person has died after a car plunged down a bank in Hawke’s Bay overnight.Police said in a statement they were called about 10pm to Foster Lane in Havelock North after a report of a car going down a bank.Foster Lane was a winding road in hilly terrain in the southwest of Havelock North.”One person has been located, deceased,” a police spokesperson said. “Two other people have been seriously injured.”Police said the Serious Crash Unit had examined the scene and enquiries into the circumstances of the crash were ongoing.

Rain is on the way for much of Aotearoa on Friday, with thunderstorms and hail possible in some areas.MetService said the culprit was a low pressure system moving eastwards onto New Zealand during the morning.Cooling temperatures in the upper atmosphere would bring unsettled weather to central and northern parts of the country.There was a moderate risk of thunderstorms for Waitomo, Taranaki, Horowhenua, Kāpiti Coast, western Tasman and Buller, with 10-15mm of rain per hour expected.MetService said in a tweet that it was possible those thunderstorms would bring hail.Much of the rest of the North Island had a low risk of…

The UK’s Meteorological Office said a snap of cold weather will grip the country, with large areas facing snowfall. ADVERTISEMENTA three-day weather warning was issued in the UK on Thursday as swathes of the country face ice and snow in a cold snap in the first week of the New Year. Yellow weather warnings were put in place for northeast Scotland, northwest England and Northern Ireland with people in those areas told to expect icy conditions and delays in their journeys. Most of England, southern Scotland and all of Wales were told by the Met Office to prepare for snow from Saturday…

Property values across the country dropped again during December, according to new CoreLogic numbers, but there could be signs “the floor for property values could be within reach”. Property values across New Zealand fell by -0.2% in December 2024, marking the ninth drop in the past 10 months.The latest figures from CoreLogic’s hedomic Home Value Index indicate property values across New Zealand fell by -0.2% in December 2024, marking the ninth drop in the past 10 months. The national median house value now sat at $803,624, which was 3.9% lower than a year ago and equivalent to a drop of…

Belgium became the first EU country to ban the sale of disposable vapes, while Luxembourg, Estonia, and Czechia report the highest vaping rates. ADVERTISEMENTThe rise of electronic cigarettes and vaping products has introduced a new public health challenge. While vaping rates remain relatively low in Europe overall, they are considerably higher among young people, according to the latest OECD report. Luxembourg, Estonia, and Czechia report the highest vaping rates, exceeding 10%, while Bulgaria, Austria, and Croatia have the lowest, at under 1%. In 2022, the average vaping rate for people aged 15 to 24 was 6.5%. Estonia saw the highest…

The tech billionaire repeated his criticism of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government in a string of posts claiming the UK should hold fresh elections. ADVERTISEMENTElon Musk has called for the release of far-right activist Tommy Robinson, triggering a salvo of criticism from centre-left and liberal British MPs.Musk pinned a post on X saying “Free Tommy Robinson” at the top of his profile Thursday after several posts criticising Labour Prime Minister Kier Starmer and his Minister for Safeguarding Jess Phillips over their responses to rape gangs in Rochdale and Oldham. This prompted questions about what should be done now…

Hundreds of tonnes of grain have been sent to Syria after the fall of Bashar al-Assad as part of the “Grain from Ukraine” humanitarian programme launched by the Ukrainian leader. ADVERTISEMENTUkraine will assist in stabilising the situation in Syria following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday, adding that Ukrainian grain will be provided to Syria. “We are preparing to restore diplomatic relations with Syria and cooperation in international organisations,” Zelenskyy said.“We will communicate with Europeans and the US to ensure the support is as strong as possible,” he explained in a post on Telegram.…