Author: Press Room

Famous fans and collaborators are paying tribute to James Earl Jones, the award-winning actor and commanding voice of Darth Vader, who died Tuesday at 93.”One of the world’s finest actors whose contributions to Star Wars were immeasurable. He’ll be greatly missed,” actor Mark Hamill, who played Vader’s son Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars movies, said in a statement to The Associated Press.”James Earl Jones will forever be remembered as The GOAT. It was truly a privilege to direct him and a Blessing to be loved by him. We will forever speak his name and tell the great stories that…

More than 400 Christian leaders — including senior leaders of the Catholic, Anglican, and Methodist denominations in Aotearoa— have signed an open letter calling on MPs to vote down the Treaty Principles Bill.The Bill, which has been championed by ACT leader David Seymour and will be considered by Cabinet on Monday, aims to redefine the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi.ACT’s coalition partners National and NZ First have both said they would not support it beyond its first reading.The open letter, released on Monday by the organisation Common Grace Aotearoa, expressed the Christian leaders’ opposition to the Bill and their…

Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson has provided an update on her breast cancer treatment.In a post to social media last night, the 50-year-old thanked her supporters for their love and support.”We’re in the thick of it,” she wrote on Instagram.”Just popping in briefly to thank everyone for the overwhelming and beautiful aroha that you all keep sending through to my whānau and I. It means EVERYTHING. I send my love back to everyone with my full gratitude and appreciation.”Davidson announced she had been diagnosed with breast cancer at a Parliament press conference in June.Flanked by Green Party colleagues, she said…

One of the richest people in the country supports paying more tax but says the super-wealthy worry the government will “squander” the money raised.Bruce Plested, the billionaire co-founder of Mainfreight, said he supported the idea of a wealth tax to help address concerns about inequities in society.”I believe I do,” he told RNZ.Plested is among the wealthiest people in the country, according to the 2024 NBR rich list, with an estimated fortune of $1.3 billion.His multinational logistics and transport company Mainfreight is one of the country’s biggest and most successful companies, currently valued at about $7.3 billion on the New…

James Earl Jones, who overcame racial prejudice and a severe stutter to become a celebrated icon of stage and screen — eventually lending his deep, commanding voice to CNN, The Lion King and Darth Vader — has died. He was 93.His agent, Barry McPherson, confirmed Jones died at home. The cause was not immediately clear.The pioneering Jones, who worked deep into his 80s, won two Emmys, a Golden Globe, two Tony Awards, a Grammy, the National Medal of Arts, the Kennedy Center Honors and was given an honorary Oscar and a special Tony for lifetime achievement. In 2022, a Broadway…

A draft version of the Government’s controversial Treaty Principles Bill will be considered by Cabinet on Monday.The final version will be considered again by Cabinet before it is introduced to Parliament.The move comes as 440 Christian leaders sign an open letter calling on MPs to vote down the Bill.It also comes just days after the Māori king Kiingi Tuheitia was laid to rest, and a little over two weeks since the issue was raised again by the Kiingitanga at Koroneihana.Kiingi Tuheitia had called a rare nationwide hui at Tuurangawaewae in response to Government policies earlier this year, where he stated:…

A woman has been arrested and charged with murder following the death of a man in Northland over the weekend. Officers were called to Kaitaia Hospital at around 11.40pm after the man was dropped off by a driver. He died a short time later. Subsequently, a homicide investigation was launched. This morning, police said a 29-year-old woman was arrested. She was charged with murder and would appear in the Kaitaia District Court today.Detective Inspector Rhys Johnson said police understood the victim and the charged woman were known to each other. “As such, we are not currently seeking anyone else in…

Stan Walker is a double-finalist at this year’s Silver Scrolls. His song I Am — featured in the Ava DuVernay film Origin — is up for the top songwriting prize, while his song Māori Ki Te Ao is a top three contender for the APRA Maioha Award.Walker is one of five APRA Silver Scroll Award finalists announced today, selected from a shortlist of 20 songs, announced back in July.Finalists include Georgia Lines for The Letter, Anna Coddington for Kātuahere, Skilaa for Jenny Greenteeth, and Mermaidens for I Like To Be Alone.Walker is also a top three contender for the APRA…

Workers at two mills in the central North Island face another sleepless night as the decision on whether operations will be shut down is pushed out by another day.Forestry company Winstone Pulp International, which runs Tangiwai Sawmill and Karioi Pulpmill, proposed to close the two sites indefinitely at a meeting last month. It would mean the loss of 230 jobs.The final decision on the closure was expected today but, in a statement, the company said it had extended the time frame for a decision until Tuesday afternoon.If it chose to shut the sites down, they were expected to do so…

Dunedin shoppers will be able to get their hands on beauty and makeup products from Mecca as early as next week, before the store officially opens in November. The Australian and New Zealand beauty and makeup giant announced earlier this year it would be opening a new store in Dunedin “in the second half of this year”. A Mecca spokeswoman said yesterday the new Dunedin store was expected to open in November. She confirmed the store would be opening at 248 George St, the former site of Noel Leeming, which shut its doors in May last year following a review…