Author: Press Room

As we crawl to the end of a year that’s had its share of highs and lows for Aotearoa and the planet, we take a look back at some of the Kiwis who got New Zealanders talking in 2024.Words: Pat McKendry, Anna Murray, Emily Simpson and Mariana Whareaitu Then Green Party MP Golriz Ghahraman, photographed in 2021, after speaking with striking healthcare workers outside Parliament. (Photo: Lynn Grieveson) (Source: Getty)1. Golriz GhahramanThe year kicked off with a feast of two of the country’s greatest passions: gossip and drama. Golriz Ghahraman – the bright, high-profile Green Party MP – was accused…

A man has been charged following an aggravated burglary at an elderly woman’s home in Hamilton last week that left the victim “shaken”.Hamilton CIB Detective Sergeant Johnny O’Bryne said the victim alerted police that two men had broken into her house about 9.30pm on December 1.After entering her home, the alleged offenders moved around the house before entering the victim’s bedroom while she was sleeping.”She was told to hand over money and some of her belongings,” he said.”The offenders then fled the scene in a stolen vehicle.”A 34-year-old local man was arrested during a search warrant at a Hamilton property…

Gusts of up to 149 kilometres per hour were recorded as officials sent a rare emergency alert by phone to about three million households in Wales and southwest England early on Saturday. ADVERTISEMENTTwo people have been killed and hundreds of thousands of people are without power across the UK and Ireland as high winds and heavy rain from Storm Darragh battered the region.Gusts of up to 149 kilometres per hour were recorded as officials sent a rare emergency alert by phone to about three million households in Wales and southwest England early on Saturday.The official alert, which came with a…

Three people have died in a central North Island crash involving four motorcycles and another vehicle earlier this morning. A police spokesperson said emergency services were called to the scene on SH1 between Mangaweka and Taihape just after 8.10am.”Police can advise three people have died,” a spokesperson said. Two others have been transported to Wellington Hospital with critical injuries.Part of SH1 was closed for several hours but reopened at around 2.30pm.The crash on SH1 between Mangaweka and Taihape was reported to emergency services just after 8.10am. (Source: Supplied)St John told 1News it sent three helicopters, two ambulances, three rapid response…

MPs Todd McClay and Rawiri Waititi are urging Air New Zealand to revisit its decision to temporarily cut “vital” daily direct flights between Rotorua and Wellington.The national carrier announced this week it would remove early-morning flights departing from Rotorua and evening arrival flights on the route from February to June, and reinstate a daily Rotorua-Auckland return service absent since the pandemic, among other regional route changes.Trade Minister and Rotorua MP Todd McClay said the national carrier’s fleet issues are not Rotorua’s problem, while Te Pāti Māori co-leader and Waiariki MP Rawiri Waititi has expressed “extreme disappointment” at the loss of…

The foreign ministers demanded that ‘fundamental rights, including freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression, must be upheld and protected as per Georgia’s constitution’. ADVERTISEMENTThe foreign ministers of Germany, France and Poland have condemned “the disproportionate use of force” against pro-EU protesters in Georgia as the wave of unrest continues for a tenth night.In their joint statement, the three foreign ministers – Annalena Baerbock, Jean-Noël Barrot and Radosław Sikorski – called for the immediate release of opposition members.More than 400 protesters, including opposition leaders and at least 50 journalists, have been detained, while over 100 people have been treated…

A young child and an elderly woman were both injured when they were struck with the barrel of a gun during separate burglaries in Huntly. Acting Detective Sergeant Brodie McQuilkin said police were investigating a number of “alarming, aggravated burglaries in the Waikato West area” recently. “Urgent investigations continue into the cowardly and violent aggravated burglaries,” said McQuilkin. He said police responded to five incidents in the region during October and November, where a “small group of males” have entered residential addresses wearing balaclavas and carrying firearms. “The alleged offenders took a number of items from each property — including…

One person has died and another remains critically injured following a two-vehicle crash in Christchurch yesterday afternoon. In a statement, police said emergency services responded to the crash in Sockburn on Blenheim Rd at around 2.35pm. “Two people were transported to hospital with critical injuries,” a police spokesperson said. “One person sadly died yesterday afternoon, the second person remains in a critical condition.”Investigations into the crash remain ongoing.

Whether it’s a $10 budget sunscreen or $50 high-end lotion, knowing which offers the best protection can be tricky with all the words and labels, but a Consumer NZ database with about 150 products may be able to break all down.The refreshed data, released on Saturday, includes prices, SPF claims, water resistance claims, ingredients, where the sunscreen was made, and where and when it last had a test to check its SPF claim stacks up.Traditionally, the consumer protection organisation used to test sunscreens, but this stopped after the introduction of the Sunscreen (Product Safety Standard) Act 2021, which requires sunscreens…

Storm Darragh has left hundreds of thousands in Ireland and the UK without power with heavy rain and winds gusts reaching 150 km per hour. ADVERTISEMENTHundreds of thousands in Ireland and the UK were left without power as Storm Darragh caused widespread disruption in the region.Millions of people were warned to stay indoors on Saturday, as high winds of up to 150 km per hour and heavy rain caused officials to send out a rare emergency alert by phone to around 3 million households in Wales and the southwest of England.The official alert, which made a sire-like sound, warned people…