Author: Press Room

A new surfer statue could soon be riding into town at Colac Bay/Ōraka — but it won’t be cheap.The small Southland township is staring down the barrel of a potential $140,000 bill to replace its existing structure, which towers over the entrance in decaying glory.Built in 1999, the surfer has not weathered the storm well and has been the subject of funding requests for years.The district council gave money for maintenance between 2001 and 2004 but declined requests in 2008 and 2019. It then approved a loan of $35,000 as part of its 2022/23 annual plan.Assessments and community feedback had…

By Susan Edmunds of RNZ New Zealand ticketing and event listing business Eventfinda has sold to Ticketek. Eventfinda chief executive James McGlinn said the deal would bring Ticketek and Eventfinda together and allow the Ticketek group to service a “really important segment of the live event ecosystem with Eventfinda’s agile self-service ticketing platform”. He said Eventfinda had been providing that to venues and organisers for the better part of 20 years. “With ticketing flexibility and white label functionality that has really resonated with that part of the market. “Ticketek has a world-class system that operates at the part of the…

Kiwi Rabbitohs forward Brandon Smith has reportedly been charged with supplying drugs and betting offences in Australia.Smith was initially questioned at Gold Coast Airport by police on August 9 as he arrived to play against the Titans. At the time, he was released without charge.But a Queensland Police spokesperson today confirmed to the Daily Mail that a 29-year-old had since been issued with a summons for both charges of supplying dangerous drugs and using or disclosing inside knowledge for betting.”The man is expected to appear in the Southport Magistrates Court on September 18.”Investigations by detectives from the Organised Crime Gangs…

TVNZ has scored exclusive rights to broadcast the world’s largest sporting event – next year’s Fifa World Cup.All 104 football matches will be screened, including the New Zealand All Whites’ first appearance at the tournament since 2010.Viewers will be able to watch some matches free-to-air on TVNZ 1, or fans can purchase a one-off event pass on TVNZ+ for “comprehensive and uninterrupted coverage of all matches, replays and highlights”.The event pass is the first time TVNZ has charged viewers for content and has been described as a “gamechanger”, enabling the broadcaster to competitively bid for and acquire more sports rights.The…

NZ Post services to the United States should resume within weeks, as it figures its way through the Trump administration’s tariffs. The postal service had temporarily suspended parcel services to the US because of confusion caused by the tariff regime. This also included American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. Jared Hancock,  NZ Post’s general manager of Export and International Solutions, told RNZ’s Morning Report programme today the process was complex because the tariffs rate would depend on the origin of the goods. “So this falls to the sender to actually determine where the goods are manufactured.” NZ Post…

A search has resumed this morning after a mayday call from a vessel in Cook Strait last night.Police said the call was made around 10pm, with a report several people were on board a boat that was in trouble around three nautical miles from Karori Rock.”Boats from police, Coastguard Wellington, CentrePort, Wellington Airport Fire and Rescue, and the Interislander searched the area until 2.30am, but no debris was found,” police said in a statement.A Kiwirail spokesperson told 1News the Kaiārahi ferry responded to a mayday call at around 10.20pm last night that a vessel was taking on water. “Kaiārahi was…

Legendary New Zealand film and television producer John Barnett has died.The Screen Production and Development Association confirmed Barnett died on Sunday night.He began his career in 1973 and ran the country’s largest production company, South Pacific Pictures, from 1992 to 2015.Barnett’s current company, Endeavour Ventures, develops feature films and international TV series.He was a producer or executive producer on four of the country’s 10 top-grossing films: Footrot Flats, Whale Rider, Sione’s Wedding, and Once Were Warriors sequel What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?Barnett was made a companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to film and television…

A newborn baby that died of sepsis received appropriate care despite missed opportunities by clinicians, the Health and Disability Commissioner says.The baby boy died three days after he was born in 2018.His parents had raised concerns about his breathing before his death and were told it was likely due to a build-up of mucus.Deputy Health and Disability Commissioner Rose Wall said the baby had a known risk of infection and was placed under clinical observation for 24 hours after his birth, with medical staff initially documenting his observations as normal.Deputy Health and Disability Commissioner, Rose Wall (Source: Health & Disability…

By Mary Argue of RNZ  Homeowners are sounding the alarm about a construction company who they say took tens of thousands of dollars before its director disappeared. RNZ has spoken to six of Enzed Construction’s former clients who said they were cutting their losses after paying money upfront for work that was done poorly, or not at all. Documents shared with RNZ show payments to Enzed Construction and its director Hemi Arapeta Tiopira – known as James – exceed $60,000. Dealings with the company earlier this year – in Wellington, Lower Hutt and Waipukurau – had led to police reports, Dispute…

Vomit up the walls, buckets of faeces on the lawn and surfaces covered in damp and mould – that is what many students are confronted with when they move into their North Dunedin flats.The local students association calls the area a “slum” and says some landlords do not even bother checking if a property is habitable before they hand the keys over to the next set of tenants.Students have told RNZ’s Checkpoint the state of their accommodation has been having serious effects on their physical and mental health and their studies.’There was dirt all throughout the house’As she prepared for…