Author: Press Room

As the Government mulls what it is going to do about NCEA level 1, a school that dropped it two years ago has no regrets.Education Minister Erica Stanford is promising an announcement shortly about the future of the secondary school qualification.Westlake Boys’ High School on Auckland’s North Shore established its own programme called ‘Elevate’ when it walked away from level 1.”We felt that having our own course meant that we could keep the students longer, headmaster Paul Fordham told Morning Report.”We had situations where students were studying NCEA level 1 and when they left for their external examinations, only had…

Published on 29/07/2025 – 18:09 GMT+2 •Updated 18:13 ADVERTISEMENT Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Tuesday the UK will recognise a Palestinian state in September unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire in Gaza and takes steps toward long-term peace. Starmer called ministers together for a rare summertime Cabinet meeting to discuss the situation in Gaza. He told them that Britain will recognise a state of Palestine before the United Nations General Assembly, “unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza, reaches a ceasefire, makes clear there will be no annexation in the West Bank,…

Environment Southland has agreed to sell a large block of land for just $1 after purchasing it six years ago for $650,000.The “Webster Block” is located near Waituna Lagoon — an area of ecological and cultural significance about half an hour from Invercargill.The regional council has agreed to offer the land to Whakamana te Waituna Charitable Trust for the nominal amount to support long-term restoration and management, a council report said.Work is commencing at the site on a “significant” reforestation project and pilot for nature credits.Covering an area of more than 48 hectares, the block was purchased by the council…

A man has died after falling from the Newmarket Viaduct on Auckland’s Southern Motorway in the early hours of this morning, shortly after being allegedly observed speeding by police.Police have launched a critical incident investigation to determine the circumstances of the incident.According to a statement from police, a stationary police car was conducting speed checks on the Southern Motorway near Greenlane just before 1am this morning when a vehicle passed at “excessive speed”.Superintendent Zane Hooper said the police unit activated its lights and started travelling in the same direction as the motorist.Camera operators also began to monitor the vehicle’s movements…

New Zealand is significantly boosting its Pacific Detection Dog Programme to counter the rising tide of methamphetamines flooding the region — much of it enroute to our shores.The canine detectors worked in a perilous environment, as proven by the unsolved murder of New Zealand trained Eto in Fiji.The programme, which sent dogs and trained handlers in Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and the Cook Islands, was funded by the New Zealand government and implemented by New Zealand Police.From 2018, New Zealand invested $3.8 million but that would be increased to $6.7 million for the next five years.Ports popular with yachts were getting…

Published on 29/07/2025 – 13:56 GMT+2 •Updated 13:57 ADVERTISEMENT A group of 40 cross-party MEPs are pressing on the European Union to suspend its trade deal with Israel and impose sanctions on the Netanyahu-led government, as an UN-backed body warns of signs of famine and widespread starvation in the Gaza Strip. In a joint statement seen exclusively by Euronews, the lawmakers call on the EU to hold the Israeli government accountable for actions that “blatantly breach the Geneva Convention and international humanitarian law.” The statement also urges Hamas to immediately release Israeli hostages still held captive in Gaza after they…

Work is now well underway to plan a home for Aotearoa’s “most significant archaeological find” in the Tasman town of Tākaka.It’s been 13 years since the 700-year-old Anaweka waka was found on Golden Bay’s west coast by a family on a picnic.The artefact is a six-metre fragment of what would have been a much longer, double-hulled, ocean-going waka.For most of the time since its discovery, the waka has been submerged in a polyethylene glycol solution in a shed, away from public view, to preserve it.But now, the waka is expected to be finished drying by the end of the year,…

ADVERTISEMENT Authorities in Poland charged a Colombian national with terror offences on Tuesday for his role in two arson attacks, allegedly carried out on behalf of Russia. “Officers of the Internal Security Agency (ABW) have determined that a 27-year-old Colombian man who acted on behalf of Russian intelligence was behind two arson attacks that occurred in Poland in May 2024,” spokesperson for the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration, Jacek Dobrzyński, said during a press conference. ABW said the 27-year-old suspect, who entered Poland from Spain, set fire to two construction supply depots in May last year, following orders from…

Roaming stock are wandering onto Tairāwhiti’s local roads and highways more than once a day on average.A Gisborne freight driver wants more to be done to address the issue after witnessing crashes and nearly hitting cows on roads with his truck.The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) has called on the region’s farmers to help prevent the animals from becoming a “road statistic”.Data from NZTA and Gisborne District Council (GDC) showed there have been more than 450 incidents of roaming stock in just over a year on the region’s local roads and state highways.Gizzy Moves owner David Connell drives across the…

For the first time, the number of patched gang members and gang prospects has surpassed 10,000 — with Police Minister Mark Mitchell acknowledging the figure is highly concerning.The number of gang members has been steadily growing in recent years. There were 9270 gang members on the National Gang List at the time of the 2023 election. As of July 10, there were 10,009 — an increase of more than 700 gang members and associates. The National Gang List counted patched members and prospects identified by state agencies.Police officer numbers are failing to keep up with the national gang member list,…