Author: Press Room
Fresh design options are being sought for a $105 million new pool complex near Tauranga’s city centre.A facility with a bombing pool, splash pad, toddler pool, eight indoor swimming lanes and two outdoor lanes was approved by Tauranga City Council’s commission to replace the outdoor pool and the QEII Youth Centre at Memorial Park.The council elected in July to replace the commission paused the pool project in October to seek more information and community consultation.At a meeting on Thursday, the council decided to keep the project on hold to look at other design options.Mayor Mahé Drysdale said council was still…
Hawke’s Bay regional councillors have decided they cannot support a new housing development in an area they say is known for “severe flooding risks”.The council is now proposing a change to the Napier-Hastings Future Development Strategy (FDS).Regional councillors this week adopted the draft strategy with an amendment suggesting one proposed residential development site on Riverbend Rd, Napier be removed from the strategy.The Riverbend Residential Development was announced in November 2021 and involves plans to build more than 600 homes on a 22 hectare piece of land next to Maraenui Park on the fringe of Napier.Councillor Martin Williams, in supporting the…
John Campbell hit the road and visited three very different regions – Ruapehu, Wairarapa and the West Coast – to gauge the mood of the towns and hear about their plans. You can watch the story on TVNZ+ and read Campbell’s interview with Emily Simpson below.ES: What was the motivation behind this road trip to three quite distinct New Zealand towns?JC: I started thinking about it when I did a big story about New Zealand’s water infrastructure earlier this year. I was travelling to small towns, talking to local politicians about Local Water Done Well, which is the Government’s policy…
From the death of a war veteran to the uprising of a new generation of fighters, Te Karere digital reporter/producer Ethan Oneroa takes a look back at what has been an emotional, passion-filled week for Māori.Earlier this week we farewelled the last Māori Battalion soldier, B Company veteran Tā Robert “Bom” Gillies.His death severed Māoridom’s connection to World War II, and our grandparents; where Māori soldiers heeded the call to leave behind their families in order to shed their blood for God, for King and for country.And to say they fought hard was an understatement. Of the estimated 3600 Māori…
Severe weather has meant multiple Queenstown flights were unable to land, potentially leaving many keen runners unable to race in the annual marathon on Saturday.Due to crosswind conditions, at least four flights had to abort their landings and return to their original airports — three from Auckland, and one from Wellington.”We know the weather disruptions are frustrating, and appreciate the patience and understanding of our customers as our airport and customer teams rebook them to alternate flights. This includes additional recovery flights when weather permits to get our customers to their destination as quickly as possible,” Air New Zealand said.Air…
A visitor from the United Kingdom has extended his stay in New Zealand after being jailed for his part in a fake police officer scam to swindle money from Aucklanders.In the Auckland District Court this week, Jack Dylan Hennessy was handed three years and three months imprisonment for his involvement in the scheme that came to the attention of the real thing earlier this year.The scam involved cold-calling people and asking them to assist a “covert police operation”. Victims were conned into withdrawing thousands in cash, ready to be collected in-person by a fake officer.Hennessy was arrested after a foot…
Sir Rod Stewart says he “may” have to give up his “five beautiful sports cars” because of Britain’s pothole-plagued roads.The 79-year-old music legend has been vocal about the state of the nation’s roads, even getting his shovel out and fixing them himself, and he’s gutted that he is having to seriously consider selling the beloved motors.Alongside a snap of him standing in front of his Ferrari and Porsche collection, he wrote on Instagram: “I am extremely fortunate and eternally grateful to be the owner of these five beautiful hybrid sports cars, which, in my opinion, are true works of art.”Unfortunately,…
The Government’s proposal to charge people to enter Aotearoa’s most popular natural attractions has received mixed reviews.The Department of Conservation (DOC) is asking the public who should pay to enjoy our national parks and conservation areas and how that money should be used.Ruapehu mayor Weston Kirton welcomed the idea — if the money funded desperately needed infrastructure.The mayor said central plateau tourism hotspots such as Mount Ruapehu were not coping with the number of tourists they had.”National parks can’t continue on with the damage caused by visitors over the years and without the infrastructure needed to support up to 200,000…
Rotorua Airport and Air New Zealand are working to improve services amid business community gripes of “poor schedule times, frequent cancellations, and prohibitive costs”.Their frustrations were voiced in a biannual survey that also found Rotorua businesses were feeling positive about the year ahead — despite facing challenges.The sixth Rotorua Business Pulse Report was released this week and 99 business owners, chief executives and general managers took part.Results of the survey, run by RotoruaNZ in partnership with the Rotorua Business Chamber, were shared at an event on Thursday, including a speech by former National Government minister, Steven Joyce.About 52% of respondents…
‘Azerbaijan cannot impose any kind of solution’ COP29’s host tells Euronews, adding that the only way forward at the climate summit is through consensus. ADVERTISEMENTThe foreign policy advisor to Azerbaijan’s president has told Euronews that Azerbaijan is only one of 198 participants and all of them “have their own responsibilities and their own objectives.””Azerbaijan cannot impose any kind of solution or any kind of decision to the other countries,” Hikmet Hajiyev said on Saturday, on the sidelines of the summit in the capital Baku.Many critics have suggested that Azerbaijan, as an oil and gas rich state, was always going to…