Author: Press Room

Public pressure has reopened Lake Hood in Canterbury despite the algal bloom health warning remaining in place.The Ashburton District Council announced that full vehicle access to the road around Lake Hood was restored, but stopped short of saying the lake closure was lifted, at the end of last week.Council chief executive Hamish Riach confirmed that “since the lake access is now open for public use, so is the lake itself”.”We are not promoting the lake’s use, as a health warning remains which advises against contact recreation.”The council closed the lake on April 3 after it was revealed two people were…

Nicola Willis has ruled out fuel subsidies for New Zealanders as the ongoing conflict in the Middle East hikes up global oil prices.The Finance Minister is keeping a close eye on the price of a barrel of oil and said the latest situation update she had from Treasury was that a $10 sustained increase in price “translates to 10 cents more at the pump for a Kiwi petrol user”.”What we saw last week was that oil prices went up about $10, but you’re still seeing fluctuation today.”When asked whether she would consider subsidies to ease the burden on petrol users…

NZ Warriors winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak faces another long stint on the sidelines, after suffering an ankle injury in their loss to Penrith Panthers last Saturday.Watene-Zelezniak, 29, was the victim of a “hip drop” tackle from Panthers second-rower Scott Sorenson just before halftime at Go Media Stadium and could not continue in the contest, with interchange utility Te Maire Martin injected into the centres and Adam Pompey moving out a spot in coverage.While the veteran lay prone on the ground, Kiwi Sorenson scored the first of his two tries down that left side of the defence, left shorthanded by Watene-Zelezniak’s injury.He…

Land for up to 17,000 homes in the Waimakariri district will be unlocked — but there is no room for an 850-home development at Ohoka.Waimakariri District Council adopted its revised District Plan on Tuesday, opening up land for housing in Rangiora, Kaiapoi, Woodend and Oxford.Mayor Dan Gordon said the new plan will provide land for between 14,000 and 17,000 new houses over the next 30 years, allowing the population to grow from 74,000 to around 100,000.”This is a momentous day and probably one of the biggest decisions this council will make.”Councillor Tim Fulton hailed it as a “once-in-a-generation” decision.New housing…

A small Tasman town faces an important question: Keep an infamous statue of Richard Nixon or build a community hub instead?The life-size bronze statue of the disgraced US president has bemused residents of Wakefield, about 20km south of Nelson, for more than a decade.The statue, holding Nixon’s signature double peace sign pose, stands on the notorious 52 Edward St site known as Fort Haldeman – reportedly the former office of the locally-defunct publishing company Haldeman LLC, that had been partly owned by controversial businessman Tony Katavich.According to a list on Wikipedia, the statue is only one of two Nixon statues…

Despite a multimillion-dollar upgrade to Masterton’s airport, the runway has failed to achieve safety standards required by most passenger aircrafts.In a report to council, chief executive of Masterton District Council Kym Fell said aircraft with more than 30 seats could not operate from Hood Aerodrome because the current proposal for a 90m Runway End Safety Area (RESA) did not meet the threshold set by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).Duane Emeny, the chief executive of Air Chathams which had expressed interest in establishing a regional airlink with Masterton, said it was a disappointing that the airport had not gained RESA certification.The…

Malanena Emery wants answers.It’s been seven years since she last heard from her daughter Leonie Emery, then 25.In the months that followed, she didn’t hear from the mother of four. By June 2018 she posted on Facebook asking if anyone had seen or heard from her.Believing her daughter, who had recently served a sentence of imprisonment for arson, may have been in prison, she says she tried writing to her, even wishing her a happy birthday.It wasn’t until early 2019 she was told her daughter wasn’t in prison. She then went to police and reported her missing, telling them no-one…

Once the domain of Millennials, point-and-shoot digital cameras are making a comeback with Gen Z.The humble camera, which faced becoming obsolete with the advent of smartphones, is the latest bit of tech making a resurgence on social media sites among the younger generation.Photographer Alisha Lovrich (Source: 1News)“There is something a little bit mechanical about it,” photographer Alisha Lovrich told Breakfast.“These older cameras have not as big of a sensor, the light sensitivity isn’t as good, which is the grain [effect] that you see, which is the trend.“That vintage, old school vibe.”Friends having fun using a retro point and shoot digital…

ADVERTISEMENTThe EU’s Green Claims Directive, a proposal to combat so-called “greenwashing” by requiring companies to have environmental claims such as “eco-friendly” independently verified, has become one of the most politically charged files in Brussels.Don’t be misled by the technical sound of the rule: this is a front-row view of how EU politics is currently unfolding, with implications for the remainder of this legislative term.The directive, like the Nature restoration law in the previous term, has assumed a symbolic role, laying bare the growing rifts within the right-wing parties over the previous term’s flagship policy, the European Green Deal.It’s also exposed…

One of the two winning Lotto Powerball tickets worth $15 million each has been claimed by the Invercargill ticket holder.Lotto NZ said it was still waiting to hear from the lucky winner from Wellington, following Saturday’s $30m draw. The winning tickets were sold at Plaza SuperValue in Invercargill and on the MyLotto website to a player from Wellington. Lotto gives players the chance to come forward on their own to experience their “winning ticket” moment.  After around two weeks of a prize going unclaimed, it begins to track down the winner.  The morning’s headlines in 90 seconds including Iran’s retaliation, Auckland…