Author: Press Room

There are calls for greater action to make it easier for people with disabilities to access financial services in New Zealand. A report released by Westpac today found the disabled community encountered a range of physical and intellectual barriers on a daily basis while trying to access financial services. Denise Hoffman’s daughter Melissa has Down syndrome, autism, and low vision. She told 1News that because her daughter is unable to access a bank account on her own, she needed to take charge of finances. “Melissa has absolutely no capacity or understanding of Eftpos cards. She doesn’t read or write,” Hoffman…

A five-month-old baby has been discharged from hospital as police continue to investigate how he sustained serious head injuries in Northland last month.Police said the infant was initially presented at Dargaville Hospital with serious head injuries on December 28.The baby was flown to Whangārei Hospital and later transferred to Starship Hospital in Auckland, said Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Shane Pilmer.”It’s pleasing the baby boy has since made a recovery and has been able to be discharged from hospital.”Police were focusing on the events of December 28 and what led to his injuries, he said.Pilmer said it was “concerning” for investigators…

By Susan Edmunds of RNZ New Zealanders listed more than $115 billion worth of residential property for sale in 2024, and some of them are still waiting to find buyers. Data from realestate.co.nz shows that the value of the property listed for sale lifted 19.4% year-on-year. There were more than 110,000 new residential listings year-on-year, up 19,000 from the previous year. Real Estate Institute data indicates there were just under 70,000 sales in the year. The average asking price was consistent, down just 0.3% year-on-year. Wellington had the biggest increase in new listings, with 8132 coming onto the market, up…

Six people have been injured – two critically – following a crash this afternoon which has closed part of State Highway 6 / Winton Lorneville Highway.A police spokesperson told 1News they were called to the collision involving two vehicles around 5.40pm.Two people have been critically injured, while four others have sustained serious injuries, according to a St John spokesperson.Three people have been taken to Kew Hospital in a serious condition.Three others have been airlifted to Dunedin Hospital, with two in a critical condition and one in a serious condition. St John said they were alerted to the crash at 5.41pm…

Yesterday, Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán boasted about Donald Trump’s presidency in the US, which he said would trigger a new right-wing surge in Europe. ADVERTISEMENTToday Radio Schuman digs into current relations between Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and the newly re-elected US president Donald Trump with Gabor Tanacz, Euronews correspondent in Budapest.Orbán was been an early supporter of Trump, and the two leaders met last month at Mar-a-Lago. Although Trump once mistakenly confused Orbán with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, he has described Orbán as “one of the strongest leaders anywhere in the world.”Many officials in Brussels anticipate that…

A thief has stolen a bunch of cookies, complete with the jar, from a shop in Auckland — likely without realising the cookies were for display and made of plastic.CCTV footage from the Moustache Milk & Cookie Bar on Cavendish Drive in Auckland’s Manukau showed the sweet-toothed swiper crouching down to creep into the store, grabbing the caramilk-labelled display jar from the counter and making their escape.Chief cookie officer Deanna Yang told 1News a staff member was just pulling some fresh cookies out of the oven when the theft took place between 6pm and 6.30pm on January 18.”You could see…

One person has died and another has been critically injured after a two-vehicle crash near New Plymouth this afternoon.Police said the crash on Egmont Rd in Hillsborough was reported just after 2pm.”Despite the best efforts of emergency services, the person died while being transported to hospital,” a spokesperson said.”The road remains closed while the serious crash unit conduct a scene examination. Diversions are in place.”St John said it responded to the crash with two ambulances, one rapid response unit, two operations managers, and one helicopter.One patient is being airlifted to Waikato Hospital in a critical condition.

An Auckland food producer and manager have been fined a total of $16,500 after failing to keep food production records.Soma & Sons Limited, which trades as Tasty Foods, and 34-year-old manager Bhavesh Soma were sentenced in the Auckland District Court on two charges under the Food Act, following a prosecution by New Zealand Food Safety.According to Ministry for Primary Industries, all food businesses must have and follow a plan to manage any potential food safety risk to consumers, and the records must be kept for a minimum of four years.NZ Food Safety deputy director-general Vincent Arbuckle said Soma & Sons…

Mautohe Cathedral Cove has received hundreds of visitors daily since the walking track to the famous beach was reinstated late last year. The walking track leading to the Coromandel beach was damaged in the summer of 2022-2023 when weather events like Cyclone Gabrielle caused significant slips – rendering it unusable. Visitors were still able to access the beach, but only by water. Since the track’s reopening, the Department of Conversation (DOC) has seen “hundreds” of people visit the beach daily. DOC said Boxing Day and January 2 were the busiest days, with visitor numbers peaking at more than 800 people.…

A trainee electrician has been fined $10,000 after a property owner received an electric shock from a live wire left exposed. Bradley Carl Payne was sentenced in the New Plymouth District Court over the incident in March 2022. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment said Payne had agreed to deliver a shipping container to a residential property in Taranaki and would provide a certificate of compliance after completing electrical work on it. The electrical work involved installing and connecting conductors and fittings to the power supply. Although a trainee, Payne carried out the work unsupervised, which was illegal. A…