Author: Press Room

A number of housing developments are sitting unfinished and seemingly abandoned, leaving some neighbours frustrated.An air of mystery surrounds the seemingly abandoned developments, with many living nearby worrying about problems with squatters, vandalism, rain runoff and ageing materials.So, what are some of the reasons behind the stalled developments, and are any likely to be finished or demolished in 2025?’Blight on the Epsom landscape’This Manukau Road development has been left derelict for the past five years. (Source: rnz.co.nz)The Epsom Central Apartments Project halted five years ago, after Auckland Council found it had not complied with building consent.The original partnership, Epsom Central…

Around 25 firefighters helped tackle a blaze that started in a bedroom in Queenstown overnight. A Fire and Emergency spokesperson said crews were called to the fire, which was contained to the bedroom, on Fryer Street shortly after 11pm. At its peak, there were four crews in attendance and some support vehicles. The spokesperson said the blaze was quickly extinguished and wasn’t believed to be suspicious. St John told 1News it assessed 10 people, but no-one required hospital treatment. An investigator will be at the scene today.

The Gisborne District Council is urgently clearing sewer pipes in the suburb of Mangapapa, after blockages caused by garden waste being dumped into manholes.The council posted to its social media page on Monday evening saying it’s had to open an emergency sewer valve on Oak Street, into the Taruheru River at 5pm, due to the sewer pipe backing up.The post hit out at whoever was responsible for the act.”For goodness sake, please take your greenwaste to the transfer station or hire a wheelie bin – don’t dump it down a manhole or chuck it down a riverbank even,” it said.It…

A project to restore and preserve wildlife in Abel Tasman National Park has hit a major milestone as native bird populations grow.Project Janszoon in December released three kākā into the park – the final release after 12 years of work. In total, 38 kākā have been released and 31 have been born in the wild since the project began, with the population now large enough to continue on its own.The project’s director, Bruce Vander Lee, said there were just two or three of the birds left in the park when the work began.”There’s a fair population in the park now…

A New Zealand-first $200 million tertiary knowledge, education and arts hub is shaping up for Whangārei, with hopes it could bring huge gains for the region.The planned hub will be based around the former Whangārei District Council Forum North headquarters, which has been in only partial use since the council vacated the building for its new civic facility in 2023. The University of Auckland signed a memorandum of understanding with the council in August. Te Pūkenga also has a similar agreement. Discussions with other providers are underway.The knowledge, education and arts (KEA) hub could be up to five storeys high…

Ukraine has launched a new assault into Russia’s Kursk region, five months since Kyiv’s surprise incursion into the same border area. Russia has been trying to force the Ukrainian troops out of its territory by sending in reinforcements, including the North Korean soldiers. ADVERTISEMENTUkraine has launched a new assault in Russia’s Kursk region on Sunday, Moscow said.First reports came in overnight on Sunday from Russian military bloggers who said that Moscow troops suddenly came under “heavy pressure”. Russia’s defence ministry later announced that its forces were repelling the attacks. According to the statement from Moscow, Ukraine attacked early in the…

Mystery surrounds a large, ornate Māori carving found washed up on a Northland beach.Arana Rewha, who recovered the carving from Omakiwi Cove, in the Bay of Islands, wants to reunite it with its rightful owner – but despite his efforts, he has so far been unable to find out where it came from.He was alerted to the carving on Friday, when it was spotted by a caretaker at Kokinga Point.Rewha, a kaitiaki [guardian] for the hapū Ngāti Kuta, said it was a carving of a face in the Ngāpuhi style, about 600mm high and 300mm wide.It was likely carved from…

The European Union came out of the first Trump presidency stronger and must continue to become more independent, the French president told his top diplomats. ADVERTISEMENTFrench President Emmanuel Macron on Monday called on Europe not to be “weak and defeatist” in the face of another Donald Trump presidency and to accelerate its strategic awakening.Speaking to French ambassadors gathered at the Elysée Palace in Paris to outline his foreign policy priorities for the year, Macron said that fears a second Trump US presidency will negatively impact Europe are overblown.”It was exactly the same questions eight years ago. We were being told…

A central Dunedin bar has been granted a reprieve after it traded without a current liquor licence. Indigo Room, in Moray Pl, has been granted an on-licence by Dunedin’s district licensing committee following a hearing last month. The bar is able to sell alcohol between 11am and 3am, seven days a week, with a one-way door policy from 2.30am. The application was initially opposed by police, the licensing inspector and the medical officer of health. In its decision, committee secretary Kevin Mechen said the application by Aika & Co 2016 Ltd was the result of the applicant failing to renew…

There is no need yet to designate a replacement for Ursula von der Leyen as she battles a severe case of pneumonia, her spokesperson has said. ADVERTISEMENTUrsula von der Leyen will keep performing her regular duties as president of the European Commission and will not yet delegate any tasks to a replacement while she battles a severe case of pneumonia. The diagnosis has prevented von der Leyen’s return to Brussels after the winter break and prompted the cancellation of all her external appointments, including the scheduled visit of the entire College of Commissioner to Gdańsk to mark the beginning of…