Author: Press Room

David Seymour is is taking questions from the media following the regular meeting of Cabinet.The ACT leader, who took over as Deputy PM from Winston Peters this month, is in the hot seat as acting Prime Minister while Christopher Luxon is in Europe.Cabinet met today after a two-week break, which included “scrutiny week” when MPs get to grill ministers about their departments and ministries.The meeting came against the backdrop of war in the Middle East, with an RNZAF C-130 en route to the region to help evacuate Kiwis.Luxon has also been in China where he met President Xi Jinping.

ADVERTISEMENTMultiple studies have proven that raising taxes on alcohol and cigarettes contributes to cutting consumption and health risks. However, not everyone likes to be told what to do.The 2025 ‘Nanny State index’ says Lithuania is the most interventionist country in the EU when it comes to cracking down on unhealthy lifestyles through levies and bans.Lithuania on all-out war against alcoholThe Baltic nation is the only EU member state to ban alcohol sales to anyone under 20. Its legislation also tightly regulates the hours, forbidding sales before 10.00 am or after 08.00 pm (03.00 pm on Sunday). Marketing is also affected…

The Minister for Ethnic Communities says he was “appalled” by a Destiny Church march on Saturday which was neither “Kiwi, nor Christian”.Church followers marched down Auckland’s Queen St on Saturday against “foreign religions”, with leader Brian Tamaki saying the church was building a “Commonwealth crusade” to “reclaim Christian nations”.A number of flags were also set on fire but were put out before firefighters arrived.In a post to Facebook, Minister Mark Mitchell said everyone had a right to freedom of speech and protest.”That does mean, however, that New Zealanders are free to condemn behaviour that is not in keeping with our…

The chairman of a southern regional council says he is surprised by the number of available vacancies following a recent restructure.Environment Southland disestablished 51 roles and created 56 new ones in a shake-up which impacted almost a quarter of staff this year.When the proposal went live in February, a source told Local Democracy Reporting there were “lots of tears”.It has now been revealed 48 roles were yet to be filled, with the council indicating there was no rush for some.Council chairman Nicol Horrell said he was under the impression the figure was in the 20s, but didn’t think the vacancies…

ADVERTISEMENTTen young inventors have been awarded for developing technologies that advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, with top honours awarded for innovations in rare earth recycling, food preservation, and carbon capture.At a ceremony held in Reykjavík, Iceland, the European Patent Office (EPO) announced the winners of the 2025 Young Inventors Prize special prizes.This year’s selected inventors, called “Tomorrow Shapers,” were selected from more than 450 international applicants, all of whom were aged 30 and under.While ten inventors or teams received recognition from the EPO for their technologies, three received special awards — World Builders, Community Healers, and Nature Guardians —…

Kiwi holidaymakers are fond of packing exotic mementoes from their overseas trips — according to new figures revealed by the Department of Conservation.Last year, border officials confiscated 1685 pieces of coral, 1268 shells, 1034 packs of crocodile jerky and 2377 other items from endangered species.This week, the department revealed the figures with a reminder for travellers to check the rules if they planned to return to New Zealand with keepsakes from overseas, particularly the Pacific Islands, Hawai’i, or Queensland.The conservation department is the New Zealand management authority for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.The convention “monitors and controls…

Key pointsReview into scheme’s introduction finds worries about safety, and costs savings are less than thoughtUnion says underfunding means combined roles won’t workHealth NZ says the move has met its objectives.Combining the roles of cleaners and security guards into one job at two rural Waikato hospitals has left staff worried about their own safety and that of patients.And the scheme’s cost savings haven’t been as much as predicted.These are among findings in a report obtained by RNZ about the introduction of the scheme – which Health New Zealand calls integrated cleaning, attendant and security services – at Te Kuiti and…

Published on 23/06/2025 – 11:30 GMT+2•Updated 11:36ADVERTISEMENTRussian drone and missile attacks on Ukraine overnight killed at least 10 people, with seven deaths reported in the capital Kyiv, local officials said on Monday. Ukraine’s air force said Russia fired 352 drones and decoys overnight, as well as 11 ballistic missiles and five cruise missiles. The air force said it intercepted or jammed 339 drones and 15 missiles before they could reach their targets. Drones and missiles hit residential areas, hospitals and sports infrastructure in several districts across Kyiv in the early hours of Monday, emergency services said. The most severe damage was…

A woman with an intellectual disability living in supported accommodation lay dead for more than two days before staff found her, an investigation by the Health and Disability Commission has found.In a just-released decision, Deputy Health and Disability Commissioner Rose Wall said Spectrum Care Limited breached the woman’s rights by failing to ensure she was taking her anti-epilepsy medication or carry out adequate checks on her well-being.A post-mortem examination found the woman in her 30s, who died in early 2021, had not been taking her medication as prescribed.The report noted the woman (Ms A), who had suffered a traumatic brain…

Golf NZ says converting half of a prominent Auckland golf course into a stormwater reservoir would be a missed opportunity.Auckland Council was in the early stages of comparing two plans to incorporate a flood catchment into the Takapuna Golf Course, including its proposal to convert half of the course into a flood catchment and recreational area.The council’s proposal was to use the land to capture about 550,000 litres of water during a storm, reducing the flood risk to 10 hectares of homes, nearby schools and North Shore Hospital.Council was working with Takapuna Golf Club to assess the feasibility of an…