Author: Press Room

A “taste of summer” is on the way, particularly for those who live in eastern parts of the country, according to the latest forecast.Temperatures could exceed 30C as New Zealand heads into the weekend thanks to an Australian heatwave being pushed across the Tasman.The state of Victoria was already experiencing temperatures “between six and 16C above average for early November”, ABC News reported, as officials enacted a statewide total fire ban.”For Victoria, we’ll see temperatures into the mid to high 30s, even potentially pushing up towards 40C for northern Victoria,” Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Jonathan How said.”And then for New…

Rotorua residents are “battle-weary” from emergency housing hearings, a lobby group lawyer says.A three-day hearing began on Tuesday for submissions on whether the Government should be able to extend seven emergency housing motel consents by a year.Independent commissioner David Hill will consider the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development’s applications to keep seven emergency housing motels operating in Rotorua for up to another year after 13 motel resource consents granted in 2022 expire in December.All but one of the 37 submitters oppose the applications.The bulk of the first day centred on the ministry’s evidence, which included how it believed issues…

About 200 sushi lovers lined the street in South Dunedin yesterday to welcome a national chain’s first store to the city. The queue stretched along Andersons Bay Rd yesterday for the opening of St Pierres, at the corner of Andersons Bay and Bay View Rds. The store marks the first time the family-run sushi chain has opened a location in Dunedin in its 40-year history. Staff from Timaru, Ashburton, Christchurch and Invercargill stores had come to the city to assist with the opening. Greeting the queue, St Pierres co-founder Nick Katsoulis said he had been waiting a long time to…

Liam Payne’s death investigation has reportedly sparked raids on the homes of two hotel employees and a “friend” of the tragic singer.The 31-year-old former One Direction star fell to his death on October 16 from the balcony of his room at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, and it is now said police investigating his shock passing in Argentina have stepped up their probe into his passing.Law enforcement sources have told TMZ raids on two hotel workers were carried out on Tuesday night (local time), with the outlet also claiming lockers of the staffers at the hotel where Liam…

New Zealand currently has no laws that specifically address stalking, meaning victims must use other legal provisions to try and protect themselves.But after much campaigning, including an open letter to Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith and a petition signed by more than 20,000 people earlier this year, the Government has promised to fill that legislative gap.1News’ Opinion and Explainers Editor Anna Murray spoke to University of Auckland associate professor of law Carrie Leonetti about how victims of stalking are treated now and why New Zealand needs a better legal framework for tackling a crime many people will experience in their lifetime.What…

What does a Donald Trump victory in the US election mean for New Zealand’s economy? Experts say the 78-year-old Republican’s protectionist policies could have far-reaching consequences – particularly in heavily trade-dependent nations such as our own. Trump has proposed tariffs of up to 20% on all imported goods, which would include major New Zealand exports like beef – and even larger ones targeted at countries he sees as economic adversaries, such as Mexico and China. “If it applied to New Zealand exports, it would be quite serious,” New Zealand International Business Forum executive director Stephen Jacobi told RNZ’s Morning Report programme earlier…

A motorcyclist has died following a crash on Fox Glacier Highway yesterday afternoon.In a statement, police said officers were called to the single vehicle crash involving a motorbike around 2.15pm yesterday. “Sadly the rider died at the scene,” a police spokesperson said. The Serious Crash Unit attended and inquiries into the circumstances of the crash were ongoing, police said. The Fox Glacier Highway has since reopened.

By Susan Edmunds of RNZ First-home buyers are paying less and probably getting bigger houses this year than their counterparts in recent years have been able to buy. New data from Corelogic shows the median price paid by first-home buyers has fallen in recent years from $715,000 in 2022 to $695,000 last year and $685,000 over the first nine months of this year. But at the same time, the proportion of purchases that were standalone houses was up to 73 percent, compared with 70 percent in 2023. Corelogic chief property economist Kelvin Davidson said that signalled first-home buyers were getting “good…

Chinese workers say they have been cheated out of thousands of dollars and are still waiting for promised full-time jobs more than a year after authorities began investigating their employer.At least 100 workers had accredited employer work visas (AEWV) with Prolink NZ Ltd, but some have remained jobless, while others were not working enough hours to get by.Many claim to have paid service fees to Cook Huang — a licensed immigration advisor and owner of the Auckland immigration company Everlast Consultancy 2013 Corporation Ltd — who voluntarily surrendered his licence in September and is now before the Immigration Advisers Complaints…

Firefighters were called to 32 firework-related incidents across the country yesterday, following a dry evening of Guy Fawke’s celebrations.A Fire and Emergency spokesperson told 1News it responded to 32 fireworks-related incidents nationally, as of 6am today.One of those incidents occurred in Auckland’s Stanmore Bay, where fire crews were called to a shed fire shortly before 9.30pm last night.Two fire trucks were deployed to the scene from Silverdale and Manly, and extinguished the fire by 10.17pm.Fire and Emergency crews responded to the shed fire in Auckland’s Stanmore Bay shortly before 9.30pm. (Source: Jayden Murdie Photography)Crews confirmed the incident involved fireworks.Yesterday, a…