Author: Press Room

The leader of a Wairarapa hapū, who wants to close a public paper road over their land, says they will consider lodging a claim with the Waitangi Tribunal if a council bylaw supporting the closure doesn’t pass.The proposed bylaw to shut the road on the southernmost tip of the North Island has triggered backlash, with the Wairarapa District Council receiving 3500 submissions on it.Ngati Hinewaka chairperson Haami Te Whaiti is not surprised at the response.“I’m not surprised,” he said, “because the right of passage over our land is something they think they’re entitled to because it’s been happening for a…

Christchurch company CProPainterPlaster has collapsed owing Inland Revenue an estimated unpaid tax value of over $1 million. The business working in the house construction industry went into liquidation under an application filed by the IRD at the Christchurch High Court on July 10 with the New Zealand Insolvency and Trustee Service appointed as liquidator. In the first liquidators report released on August 15 the cause was understood to be a failure to account for taxation. The liquidator was working to establish communication with sole director and shareholder, Christopher Pabaira, to obtain the company’s financial statements and position. CProPainterPlaster is estimated…

New research on Rangitoto is helping scientists plan for what might happen if Auckland’s biggest volcano erupts.University of Auckland researchers have discovered that the hardened magma below Rangitoto is still warm 600 years after it formed.The report was led by PhD student Alutsyah Luthfian and assisted by associate geophysics professor Mila Adam.”We found signs of a hidden hydrothermal system beneath Rangitoto that was unknown for us,” Adam said.”We were measuring natural electric signals in the subsurface and they showed us a specific pattern that tells us there are circulating waters. The only way this could be happening is if the…

It’s known as the Olympics of motorcycling, the International Six Days of Enduro.And this week, four young South Island riders are set to make history, becoming the youngest New Zealand team ever to line up in the Junior Trophy which has the world’s best under 23 riders.The gruelling endurance event has been running for more than a century. Nearly two decades ago, Taupō hosted the competition but this time the spotlight is on Bergamo, Italy, where riders will face brutal summer heat and unforgiving terrain.The Kiwi juniors Jonty Richards, Blake Affleck, Dylan Huddleston and Thomas Easton have been training over…

A flight between Auckland and Blenheim has had to divert to New Plymouth this afternoon after a system alert forced a landing.Air New Zealand chief safety officer Nathan McGraw said pilots on flight NZ5509 noticed an “aircraft system indication” during the flight.The plane landed safely at about 12.38pm with emergency services on standby as a precaution.”Our maintenance team will now inspect the aircraft, before it can return to service, and we are working to get customers on to their final destinations as quickly as possible.”

Rotorua Lakes Council’s local election candidates have mixed views on the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in campaigning and whether it risks undermining the qualities voters expect from them.It comes as one expert compares the nature of such content with junk food as it becomes increasingly prolific.This will be Rotorua’s first local elections since ChatGPT launched.Dr Bronwyn Isaacs, a University of Waikato anthropology lecturer specialising in the cultural politics of AI, said she had observed a rise in generative-AI use in political content.Its affordability, ease of access and the ability to manage the pressure for a high volume of…

A polytech project has grown into a full-fledged commercial venture with potato-based ice cream now being churned out in Dunedin.The starchy sweet treat was soon to be scooped out at popular ice cream parlour Patti’s and Cream.Agria potatoes soaked in water was the start of culinary arts student Emily Gilbert’s ice cream, complete with dairy-free dark chocolate and sugar.“The name of the brand is Mud, which is milk plus spud,” she told 1News.New Zealand produces around half-a-million tonnes of potatoes per year and potato milk is a big deal overseas, sold in supermarkets for people needing low FODMAP foods for…

After close to seven months at sea, Royal New Zealand Navy frigate HMNZS Te Kaha returned to Devonport Naval Base this morning to a hero’s welcome, greeted by hundreds of emotional friends and whānau.The ship’s 193-day deployment included operations with Combined Task Force 150 (CTF 150), a multinational coalition focused on maritime security in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Indian Ocean. Led by New Zealand for part of the year, the task force disrupted transnational criminal and terrorist networks operating in key shipping lanes.One of the most significant achievements of Te Kaha’s deployment was its support in the…

Fishpond may offer supermarket-beating grocery prices, but it’s unlikely to make a dent in the sector’s competition, Consumer NZ says.Fishpond has been promoting its “online pantry” offers, which sell Milo snack bars for $4.49 for six, a pack of Tim Tams for $2.99 a litre of Boring oat milk for $3.79 and a tin of Watties pears for $2.59, among other grocery items.By comparison, Woolworths has the Milo bars for $4.99, Tim Tams for $5.49, Boring oat milk for $4.40 and Watties pears for $3.50.Consumer NZ chief executive Jon Duffy said Fishpond had been making a play for the grocery…

Al Brown has pledged to review every item made by Hikurangi Home Cookery, a small-town, family-owned bakery 20 minutes’ drive north of Whangārei.The highest score so far, nine and a half out of 10, went to a raspberry tea bun Brown nicknamed “the razza” and described as an “absolute piece of brilliance”.A cream-filled puff pastry topped with pink icing called a Napoleon – which Brown dubbed a “down and dirty” Kiwi version of the French mille-feuille – scored eight and a half, as did a classic mince pie.The bacon and egg slice scored a more modest six and a half…