Author: Press Room

One person has died following a serious crash between a car and a cyclist in Haumoana this morning — taking the preliminary Easter road toll to two.Police were called to Mill Rd in Hawke’s Bay following a crash between a car and a cyclist shortly after 10.30am. “Despite best efforts by emergency services, one person died at the scene,” a police spokesperson said. The road remained closed while a scene examination was conducted.A diversion was in place via Tukituki Rd and Waimarama Rd. Motorists were advised to plan ahead and expect delays.While not yet confirmed, the death would be included…

Police have issued an amber alert for a 16-year-old missing in New Plymouth. Police said Inara Caldwell left her house on Mangroei Rd, New Plymouth yesterday at about 1.30pm. A police spokesperson said Inara has autism, and described her as having dark hair and brown eyes.Coupled with the incoming weather warnings, lack of adequate clothing and unfamiliarity of the area, “police have serious concerns for Inaras safety” and wish to ensure she is safe. She was last seen leaving on foot wearing a backpack, a grey t-shirt, black track pants, black high top converse shoes and black headphones. Anyone with…

Intense thunderstorms and heavy downpours which “developed intensity quickly” overnight caused localised flooding across some parts of Auckland. It follows days of heavy rain and strong winds across the North Island due to ex-Cyclone Tam.MetService meteorologist Alec Holden told 1News that this morning’s thunderstorms and downpours caused localised flooding across the region, particularly from Albany to Mount Roskill which experienced the most rain. “Those were the areas that saw the worst of that thunderstorms, and they saw between 55mm to 110mm [of rain] overnight and the surrounding suburbs caught between 30mm to 50mm.” Cars and homes were surrounded by floodwaters…

Firefighters have extinguished a large blaze in a three-storey apartment block in West Auckland overnight. Fire and Emergency New Zealand manager Michael Anderson told 1News fire crews were called to the three-storey residential apartment block near Stephen Avenue in Henderson, shortly before 8.30pm yesterday. He said the fire was on the second and third floors. Fire crews were called to the three-storey residential apartment block near Stephen Avenue in Henderson. (Source: 1News)”The fire was escalated to third alarm, and at it’s peak we had 12 appliances in attendance including two specialist ladder trucks,” he said. Anderson said there were no…

A Civil Defence centre was set up in Auckland overnight after intense thunderstorms and a heavy downpour caused localised flooding. It follows days of heavy rain and strong winds across the North Island due to ex-Cyclone Tam.Yesterday MetService lifted all watches and warnings in place for Auckland, but had previously said thunderstorms and rain could continue into early Saturday morning. MetService meteorologist Alec Holden told 1News that this morning’s thunderstorms and downpours caused localised flooding across the region, particularly from Albany to Mount Roskill which experienced the most rain. “Those were the areas that saw the worst of that thunderstorms,…

Poor planning for emergencies could lead to fines under a proposed legal overhaul.Councils, petrol, power and gas companies, ports and airports, rail and roading providers and even broadcasters would be liable as lifeline utilities, if a long list of possible changes goes through. There were also plans to add IT services such as cloud software providers, waste management and grocery retailers to the list of lifeline organisations.The change was partly a response to the inquiry into Cyclone Gabrielle and Cyclone Hale.Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell told 1News he wanted the Emergency Management Bill to bring “world-class, world-leading legislation”.The…

Since taking up the reins as chairman of Dunedin City Holdings Ltd, Tim Loan has had a lot on his plate.  The failed sale of Aurora Energy, a review of Forsyth Barr Stadium and the return of international flights – he tells Tim Scott about it all.    Tim Loan admits it has been ‘‘quite a busy year’’ since he took office – but that appears to be putting it lightly. The return of international flights was announced after a more than four-year wait, the Taieri Gorge train service reopened and the more than $1 billion projected sale of the Dunedin…

Scott Technology has posted a stable net profit after tax of $4.3 million for the six months ending February 28. In an announcement to the NZX this week, the company said revenue of $122m was down 14% from $141 in the prior comparable period (pcp). Operating ebitda of $12.2m was down 27% from $16.6m, while operating cash flow of $14.5m was up from $7.7m. Net debt reduced 35% to $13.2m while directors declared a dividend of 3c per share unimputed, down from 5c per share in the pcp. The company said the revenue decline was driven by a challenging economic…

ADVERTISEMENTJust days before Easter, severe weather continues to batter Italy. On Thursday, the north-west was hit by strong winds, heavy rain and hail, leading to flooding in several cities and significant damage, particularly to infrastructure.The transport sector has been hit hardest, with serious disruption to traffic and some areas cut off due to road and motorway closures.In the early hours of Friday, the storm began moving towards the north-east and central regions of the country. The worst-affected areas include Piedmont, Lombardy and Veneto.The Civil Protection Department has issued a red alert for Friday 18 April in Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna due…

A 12-year-old Samoan boy has died in Auckland after contracting dengue fever.Samoan media confirmed Misiafa Lene died last Sunday, a day after he was flown from Samoa to the Starship Children’s Hospital in Auckland.The young boy’s father Louis Lene expressed his heartbreak in a post on Facebook where hundreds of commenters offered support.Dengue fever is spread by mosquitos in tropical climates, and can cause symptoms like sudden high fever, intensely sore joints and muscles, pain behind the eyes and a rash.There is an outbreak of the viral infection ongoing in Samoa, Fiji and Tonga.The Director-General of Health Aiono Dr Alec…