Author: Press Room

Santana Minerals has confirmed it will use the new fast-track legislation to apply for its proposed $5billion Central Otago gold mine. Others with projects included in the Bill say they have no plans at present to consent under the new legislation, but are open to it in the long run. Meanwhile, an environmental group has branded the legislation ‘‘some of the worst law-making’’ it has ever seen. The controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill passed its third and final reading and into law, in Parliament on Tuesday. Among the list of 149 proposed projects included were Australian mining company Santana Minerals’ $5b…

Food influencers have risen in popularity on social media. One might wonder if it’s a lucrative gig, if all their meals are free, or if it ever gets tricky to write an honest review on paid brand deals. Re: News journalist Vivien Beduya spoke to a couple of food content creators about their modern approach to food reviews.Aleana and Alian Gabriel, aka AG, Fernando are the siblings behind Locavore Eats. (Source: Re: News)Aleana and Alian Gabriel, aka AG, Fernando are the siblings behind Locavore Eats — which has a combined social media following of 170,000 followers across Tiktok, Instagram and…

The tech billionaire met the far-right party leader at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort on Monday, as his campaign against the UK’s ruling party becomes increasingly personal. ADVERTISEMENTNigel Farage said his party is in “open negotiations” with US tech billionaire Elon Musk over a substantial donation to his party, Reform UK. Farage told the BBC the pair “did talk about money” during a meeting on Monday at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida alongside Reform UK’s new treasurer Nick Candy. Farage said on Tuesday Musk “left us with no doubt that he is right behind us.”“Inevitably, following such intense media speculation,…

Four men have been arrested in Waikato following search warrants related to the tangi of a prominent gang member earlier this month.Detective Inspector Graham Pitkethley said a tangi was held in Huntly for a Taupiri gang member on December 2. He said during the procession several attendees were observed wearing gang insignia in a public place, including gang members from Taupiri Motorcycle club, Head Hunters, and Westside Outlaws.”Vehicles, including motorbikes, were seen performing burnouts and antisocial road user behaviour,” he said. “Several vehicles couldn’t be stopped at the time, and in these cases, information was noted for further investigation and…

The German city is providing vouchers worth €10 for women to use on night-time taxis, following the lead of several other municipalities in Germany. ADVERTISEMENTThe German city of Cologne is offering night taxi vouchers to women to help them get home safely, in a pilot project inspired by similar initiatives in other parts of Germany.The Women’s Night Taxi scheme is providing a total of 1,500 vouchers worth €10 each to women and gender-diverse people for taxi journeys between the hours of 10 pm and 6 am, according to Cologne’s city council. The vouchers can only be used with one company,…

A person has been found dead following a fire in Auckland’s Ranui early this morning.Emergency services were called to the fire on Swanson Rd at around 4.41am.”Tragically, a resident of the home was found deceased inside,” police said.”At this stage, the fire is being treated as unexplained and a scene examination is being conducted.”Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) described the building as a 5m x 3m cabin. A fire investigator was at the scene. It’s believed the cabin was at Western Park Village. A spokesperson for the village said there is very little it can comment on at this…

Diego Solier and Nora Junco were given the green light to join the fourth largest group in the European Parliament – but not the leader of the SALF party they belong to, Luis “Alvise” Pérez. ADVERTISEMENTThe right-wing European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group in the European Parliament on Wednesday welcomed two new members, Diego Solier Fernández and Nora Junco García, from Spain’s anti-establishment party The Party is Over (SALF).   The two MEPs requested to join in July this year along with their leader, the controversial YouTuber Luis Pérez, better known as ‘Alvise’, who has not yet been approved or rejected…

The Commerce Commission has issued a draft decision on slashing card fees paid by businesses that it says could save Kiwis more than $260 million a year if it went ahead.The decision would reduce the fees paid by businesses for accepting Visa and Mastercard payments.”These fees are passed on to consumers through the cost of goods and services, and surcharges,” the Commerce Commission said.The commission would set the expectation that savings businesses make under the decision, if it went ahead, would be passed on to shoppers.New Zealand consumers spend about $95 billion each year using Visa and Mastercard, the commission…

Pyongyang’s forces are helping Vladimir Putin’s army in Russia’s Kursk region, where Ukraine launched a surprise offensive in August. ADVERTISEMENTSeveral hundred North Korean troops have been killed or injured fighting for Russia against Ukraine, a senior US military official has said. Speaking on Tuesday, the official did not specify how many had died but said the number of casualties was high because Pyongyang’s soldiers were not battle-hardened.The disclosure comes weeks after Ukrainian and Western sources confirmed that North Korea had sent around 10,000 soldiers to aid Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war efforts. In return for weapons and military personnel, Moscow…

Children in early learning are at an unacceptable risk of harm due to gaps in the way the sector is monitored, the regulatory review of early childhood education says.The review by the Ministry of Regulation published on Wednesday says the sector’s regulations are excessive and confusing, and the division of watchdog responsibilities between the Education Ministry and the Education Review Office are unclear.It cited regulations about door handle heights, water cylinder temperatures and immunisation records as examples of poor rule-making.Regulation Minister David Seymour said he accepted all 15 of the review’s recommendations, which would bring a major shake-up to an…