Author: Press Room

Air New Zealand has welcomed home its first retrofitted Boeing 787 Dreamliner following a comprehensive “world-first” upgrade in Singapore.The aircraft, ZK-NZH, touched down in Auckland yesterday after spending six months abroad for a “nose-to-tail” retrofit of an all-new cabin interior.Passengers will get their first taste of the upgraded plane when it returns to service in mid-May.All 14 of the airline’s 787s will be retrofitted with the new layout by the end of 2026.New Economy Seat (Source: Air New Zealand)Air New Zealand chief commercial officer Jeremy O’Brien said it’s an exciting moment.”Seeing the first of our 14 Dreamliners to undergo this…

ADVERTISEMENTHow will the Meloni-Trump bilateral meeting today impact the Italian Prime Minister’s reputation at home and abroad? Will her efforts to build bridges with Trump burnish her credentials as an EU leader or backfire and damage her political standing? Today Radio Schuman answers these questions with Euronews reporter Vincenzo Genovese.The two leaders are expected to have sensitive discussions on a wide range of issues concerning the EU-US relations, including tariffs, and Ursula von der Leyen was in touch with Meloni before the meeting.Radio Schuman also takes you to Frankfurt for a meeting of the European Central Bank, touches on a…

Woolworths has been required to take action to address the risk a cracked chimney at the old Dunedin Gasworks could collapse on to its supermarket.  The Dunedin City Council announced late this afternoon the Dunedin Gasworks Museum would be cordoned off while options for its chimney stack were considered, but neighbouring businesses would be able to continue trading. In a statement it said an “Affected Building Notice” had been issued on the neighbouring Dunedin South Woolworths in Andersons Bay Rd, due to the threat posed to “one small corner” of the supermarket. Anna Nilsen, the council’s Group Manager Property Services, said while…

When Cyclone Gabrielle beat its destructive path down the North Island’s east cost, the tiny coastal village of Herbertville wasn’t spared.Remote and isolated anyway – east of Palmerston North, it’s about an hour’s drive to Dannevirke – the February 2023 tempest destroyed the road in and out and flooded the pub, the Herbertville Inn.Water and silt tore through when the bridge over the Wainui River at the village entrance turned into a dam.For the first time since the 1880s, Herbertville was without a tavern.The roads are pretty well repaired but the pub has remained shut – until now.After much work,…

Whakaari/White Island’s volcanic alert level has been raised to level 3 following evidence of “a gradual increase in eruptive activity” occurring. According to GeoNet, volcanic ash has been more frequently observed in the volcano’s steam and gas plume by webcams on the island, with “minor amounts” detected using satellites. “From the coast, this can be seen as a hazy plume trailing downwind from the volcano,” GeoNet said today in a volcanic activity bulletin. “These observations indicate that there has been a gradual increase in eruptive activity.” Evidence of “intermittent explosive activity” was also observed by recent observation and gas flights.…

Ashburton’s mayor is looking at potential fixes for Lake Hood’s toxic algae problem, but the council has been warned there’s “no magic wand or silver bullet”.The Ashburton District Council closed the popular recreation lake on April 3 after two people reported being poisoned by toxic algae, including a jet-skier who fell into the water.It followed a health warning being placed on the lake on March 20 due to the risk posed by cyanobacteria toxins.Ashburton Mayor Neil Brown said the council has been inundated with suggestions for how to fix the lake.”Everyone has one idea on how to fix it, and…

A patient was left with PTSD, depression and felt demoralised and demeaned after they got pregnant and had an abortion when a doctor failed to re-insert their contraceptive device.In 2021, Jessie went to a family planning clinic to have an old Jadelle contraceptive removed from their arm and replaced with a new one.However, the doctor did not put the new device in, despite specific instructions on file. A few months later, Jessie got pregnant and had a termination.In a decision released this week, the Health and Disability Commissioner (HDC) found the doctor made significant errors.This included failing to review the…

Dunedin’s Gasworks Museum will close for at least a week while an assessment is carried out after cracks were discovered in the site’s chimney stack.A member of the public last week noticed a lightning rod running up the structure “was no longer flush with the brickwork”, Dunedin City Council group manager property services Anna Nilsen said.A drone assessment found recent cracks in the brickwork.“The chimney is regularly inspected and, while we can’t be sure, we suspect the cracks may have been caused by last month’s large 6.8 magnitude earthquake.”The quake, centred off the southwest coast of the South Island, was…

Actor Michelle Trachtenberg died as a result of complications from diabetes, New York City’s medical examiner said today.The office said in a statement that it amended the cause and manner of death for the 39-year-old New York City native following a review of laboratory test results.Trachtenberg, who was known for Gossip Girl, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Harriet the Spy, was found unconscious and unresponsive in her luxury apartment tower in Manhattan in February.Officials at the time said no foul play was suspected, and the medical examiner’s office had listed her death as “undetermined”.Trachtenberg’s family had objected to an autopsy,…

Follow live updates as a subtropical storm system targets the North Island.The worst of the weather is expected to hit between Wednesday and Good Friday.What you need to know:A large weather system is delivering heavy rain and strong winds to the upper North Island.Thousands of properties reportedly had no power overnight in Northland, and there are outages reported in Auckland too.Up to 180mm of rain could strike Northland with possible thunderstorms, and strong wind warnings also in place.Auckland and Great Barrier Island can expect up to 120kph of severe gale gusts from Wednesday night.Rain is also forecast to spread into…