Author: Press Room

A missing man who fell into the Manawatū River while walking his dog and failed to resurface over the weekend is a serving member of the New Zealand Army.Emergency services were called to Ahimate Reserve in Palmerston North at around 1.35pm on November 16.A search for the man began immediately — involving police search and rescue staff, a water rescue boat, kayaks, drones, a helicopter and other volunteers.Police Dive Squad members scanned sections of the river using sonar yesterday while a defence force drone provided aerial coverage of the river.No items of interest have been located and the search effort…

A woman spent a week in hospital and needed a skin graft after she was left with a severe third-degree burn while undergoing a body contour treatment at a beauty clinic.The woman’s ordeal was detailed in a recently released report by the Health and Disability Commissioner (HDC), which found the beauty clinic had breached her rights. The woman, the clinic, and the beauty therapists involved in the incident are not named in the report.She visited the clinic on June 15, 2021, to undergo thermal shock lipolysis (TSL) treatment, a non-surgical treatment in which a combination of hot and cold temperatures…

As money in the community sector dries up, ImpactLab’s boss sees the information the analytics firm provides “as a tool” to help charities prove their worth.The company, co-founded and chaired by former prime minister Sir Bill English, has completed nearly 300 assessments measuring what it calls “social return on investment”.Its chief executive Maria English told Q+A her organisation’s reports, which can cost charities up to $30,000, aim to demonstrate the long-term value of social services. She said: “If you take government, for example, often the most information they get about what community organisations are doing is through their contract reporting,…

There are “major gaps” in surveillance of new pathogens from animals and countries should prepare for a pandemic worse than Covid-19 in our lifetimes, the World Health Organization (WHO) says.Covid-19 technical lead Dr Maria Van Kerkhove also said that New Zealand, being an island nation, was not protected from this risk.It has been five years this month since scientists believe Covid-19 began to spread from animals to humans, triggering a global pandemic that the WHO estimates to have caused at least 20 million deaths and $16 trillion in lost revenue.Van Kerkhove told 1News she did not think this pandemic needed…

A beloved conservatory in Wellington’s botanic garden could face demolition if the city council decides that it cannot afford to repair it as it looks for ways to save money as part of its long-term plan amendment.Begonia House, which opened in 1960, houses a range of tropical plants that would not survive outside in Wellington’s climate. But the glass hothouse is not in a great state itself and needs nearly $18m worth of work.Councillors have been told the building poses a safety hazard and that the glazing and heating needs upgrading. However, the building was earthquake strengthened about a decade…

A self-proclaimed superfan of the band Coldplay says she has “no regrets” about attending all three of the group’s performances at Auckland’s Eden Park last week. Rebecca Martin told Breakfast it was the “best concert ever”, and she had now seen the band perform live 11 times across the globe including in London, Melbourne and Perth. “You get a different perspective, so each time I was sitting in a different location. “You just get to see so many different things going on the stage, you pick up a little bit each time… can’t get enough of it.”I bought my first…

The inhabitants of the Swiss village of Brienz have been forced to leave their town, following the threat of rock fall on their homes. ADVERTISEMENTThe 80 residents of the Swiss town of Brienz have had to evacuate their homes for the second time as a massive torrent of rubble and rocks threatens to engulf the Grisons village.This situation is due to the devastating landslides in the area and it could last until spring. Some 1.2 million cubic metres of rubble above the village is moving down the valley and threatens to destroy the whole settlement. .Not only people, but animals,…

At just 11 years old, Lucy Aker is not your average entrepreneur.The Canterbury preteen is using her entrepreneurial spirit to raise money for children battling cancer, all in memory of her best friend, Eva Sallabanks. Last year, she raised more than $1100 for the Child Cancer Foundation.Lucy first met Eva at school five years ago.”Eva was new at school, and she looked nice, so I decided to go and ask her if she wanted to be my friend.”The two quickly became best friends, but that bond was tested when Eva was diagnosed with leukaemia.Determined to help, Lucy, with the support…

The Māori Queen Nga wai hono i te po will be among supporters of the national hīkoi making its way to Parliament tomorrow.The hīkoi is in opposition of the Treaty Principles Bill and Government’s policies affecting Māori.Participants of te hīkoi mō te Tiriti are having a rest day today after arriving in Porirua yesterday night on day seven of the event.Tomorrow they will head towards Waitangi Park before making their way along the Golden Mile to the Beehive.Kiingitangi spokesperson Ngira Simmonds said she had a message of hope for the nation to come together and work through current divisions.”The Māori…

The owners of a woolshed converted into a house without building consent have been given a temporary reprieve from demolition.The requests by Thames Coromandel District Council to rectify the unconsented work dates back to 2016 when a complaint was made about the Puriri property.At the time, the occupants Steve Hart and Martina Petru did not own the 13-acre property but were living on it with their three daughters, now aged 12, 10 and 8. The fourth, now 6, was born there.Hart’s unconsented building work included a wastewater disposal system, a fireplace, a separate two-storey structure on wheels that also has…