Author: Press Room

Where you live — rather than how sick you are — is still a major factor in how quickly you get elective surgery — or whether you get it at all, according to a new report by the government watchdog.The report, Providing equitable access to planned care, which has just been tabled in Parliament by the Auditor-General John Ryan, showed elective services in the public system were often “not equitable or timely”.People with the same level of clinical need will qualify for treatment in some districts but not in others. “As a result, a person’s ability to access treatment is,…

ADVERTISEMENTThe 27 leaders of the European Union have arrived in Brussels for what is expected to be a one-day summit with a heavy geopolitical flavour, covering the Israel-Iran conflict, the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the battered state of the transatlantic alliance in the new Donald Trump era, all of which have compounded the sense of alarm and uncertainty across capitals.Tariffs, migration, competitiveness and the 2040 target under the Green Deal are also set to make an appearance during the closed-door discussions on Thursday.The summit comes two days after Trump announced a tentative ceasefire…

The second winner of Sunday’s $30 million Powerball has come forward to claim his share of the prize, taking home $15,083,333. The winners, an Invercargill woman and Wellington man, said their win was “unbelievable” and “surreal”.The first claimant, the Invercargill woman, said she had been playing her own numbers for years. She bought her ticket from Plaza Supervalue before sitting down to watch the draw. “I always watch the draw on Saturday night and write down the numbers to check my ticket against,” she said.“When I saw I had all six numbers and the Powerball, my first thought was ‘I…

Popular British TV host Graham Norton and his infamous red chair are coming to TVNZ.The broadcaster announced today that it had secured the rights to The Graham Norton Show, which will screen on TVNZ 2 and TVNZ+ later this year.Norton’s talk show regularly features A-list celebrities and a “red chair” segment at the end where audience members share funny or embarrassing anecdotes. If the story doesn’t entertain Norton and his celebrity guests he flips them out of the chair using a lever. The show has been a mainstay on British TV since its debut in 2007.TVNZ confirmed today that it…

Tauranga funeral directors are “appalled” and “extremely disappointed” with council increases to cremation and burial fees, saying they will drive up costs for customers.Tauranga City Council is increasing most of its burial and cremation fees as of July 1.The fees are a new $200 fee for same-day cremations, a $1030 non-resident burial fee for anyone from outside of Tauranga to be buried in a Tauranga cemetery, a new $293 fee for families who want to fill part of a grave themselves, and increasing the public holiday surcharge to $1000.The council would also remove the 10% discount for funeral homes that…

Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora has appointed Dr Dale Bramley as chief executive for a fixed term after he stepped in temporarily following the resignation of Margie Apa in February.Bramley had been interim chief executive since Apa’s resignation.Apa and Health NZ Commissioner Lester Levy had planned a two-year “reset” of the organisation amid serious budget challenges.At the time of her resignation, Apa said Health NZ was at a point in the Government’s reset where a “different leadership approach is required to take us forward”.Levy said Bramley’s expertise in driving performance and clinical quality aligned with Health NZ’s strategic objectives.Bramley…

More than 9000 people aged over 65 earn more than $200,000 a year, and another 33,000 earn between $100,000 and $200,000 – and the Retirement Commissioner says it’s fair to question whether they should be able to claim NZ Super as well.The data comes from the 2023 Census. The number earning between $150,000 and $200,000 has decreased from 2018 but the number earning between $100,000 and $150,000 has lifted by 10,000.The Census also showed the number of people over 65 still in the workforce had increased.Just over 24% of people aged over 65 were in work, up from 22.1% in…

Denis Villeneuve is going from Dune to Bond.AmazonMGM announced that Villeneuve will direct the next James Bond movie. The untitled film will be the first since the studio took creative reins of the storied film franchise after decades of control by the Broccoli family.Producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman had maintained that, before the next Bond was cast, they would develop a screenplay and find a director first. Now, they have one of the most respected blockbuster makers in Hollywood coming off a pair of widely acclaimed Dune films.In a statement, Villeneuve said he grew up watching Bond movies.”I’m a…

Two Pak’nSave supermarkets have pleaded guilty to breaching the Fair Trading Act.The Commerce Commission said it filed charges against Pak’nSave Silverdale and Pak’nSave Mill St in the Auckland District Court.It said the stores used inaccurate pricing and misleading specials that might have breached the Fair Trading Act.Pak’nSave Silverdale entered guilty pleas on seven charges and was remanded without plea on three further charges.Pak’nSave Mill St entered guilty pleas on four charges and was remanded without plea on four further charges.The maximum penalty for breaches of the Fair Trading Act is $600,000 for a business, per offence.The Commerce Commission said it…

Published on 26/06/2025 – 0:55 GMT+2ADVERTISEMENTThe head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog visited the Elysee Palace in the French capital, Paris, on Wednesday to meet with President Emmanuel Macron.The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, and Macron did not address media inside the meeting room.The meeting comes after Macron attended the annual NATO leaders’ summit – taking place this year in The Hague – where the 32 heads of states of the alliance endorsed a proposal to increase defence expenditure from 2% of GDP to 5% by 2035.The summit took place against a backdrop…