Author: Press Room
Zayn Malik has postponed his tour following the death of Liam Payne as he comes to terms with the loss of his former One Direction bandmate.The 31-year-old pop star shot to fame alongside Payne as part of One Direction and had been due to take his debut solo concert Stairway To The Sky Tour on the road in October but has now decided to reschedule the US leg.On Sunday, he wrote on Instagram: “Given the heartbreaking loss experienced this week, I’ve made the decision to postpone the US leg of the Stairway To The Sky Tour. “The dates are being…
Police have confirmed they’ve previously called on the Defence Force to assist in the search for fugitive Marokopa father Tom Phillips and his three children.Outgoing Police Commissioner Andrew Coster revealed the presence of the Defence Force in the police investigation during an interview with Q+A earlier today.”I can assure you that support has been called on through the course of this operation,” Coster said, without elaborating on specific details of the military’s involvement.Footage of the group was shared for the first time since they went missing, after the group were spotted by young pig hunters earlier this month.Speaking to Q+A,…
On Friday, a spokesperson for the UN peacekeepers said they were maintaining their positions in southern Lebanon despite warnings from the Israeli military to move away. ADVERTISEMENTG7 defence ministers have expressed their concern for the safety and security of UN peacekeepers in Lebanon following a string of attacks by the Israeli military.In a joint statement issued after their first ever meeting in the Italian city of Naples, the G7 ministers said that the “protection of peacekeepers is incumbent upon all parties to a conflict.””We are concerned by the latest events in Lebanon and the risk of further escalation. We reiterate…
Two top health experts have called for more to be done to prepare for a potential future global pandemic, claiming there is a sense of “collective global amnesia” nearly five years on from Covid-19.An editorial published in the New Zealand Medical Journal, co-authored by former director-general of health Sir Ashley Bloomfield and Otago University professor David Murdoch, raises concerns about potential “gaps” in our pandemic preparedness.Titled “Pandemic prevention, preparedness and response: are we better off now than pre-Covid”, the editorial says New Zealand must prepare for the next pandemic as a national security issue as well as a health issue.”Despite…
Response to the Government’s tightening of the migrant exploitation visa has been mixed, with some in the sector saying it was needed and others saying it will come at a cost to both the country and vulnerable migrants.The Migration Exploitation Protection Work Visa (MEPV) was launched in July 2021 and was designed to help migrants leave exploitative situations quickly while remaining lawfully in New Zealand.It gave migrants time to find new employment, with the potential of an extension if they were unable to secure a job within six months.However, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford said in an announcement that the current…
The new Thames St Smith & Smith building will open next week. The new business premises next to Hi Flo Plumbing comes after Hi Flo Group managing director Peter Ryder and his wife Helen bought the site 18 years ago from previous owner Gus Young. Mr Ryder said Hi Flo Plumbing, a family business of 50 years, had expanded by moving next door and the “timing was right” for the redevelopment of their old site. “When we were approached by Smith & Smith Glass, and following a few months including design and negotiations, we decided to push the green light…
The full terror of what happened in Whangārei’s Abbey Caves — and the acts of heroism that almost certainly saved students’ lives — has been revealed for the first time since the tragedy.On May 9, 2023, 17 outdoor education students from Whangārei Boys’ High School and two adults entered the cave complex on what was supposed to be an enjoyable day out.A torrential downpour while they were in the cave, on top of unseasonably heavy rain in preceding weeks, caused water levels to rise rapidly and led to the death of 15-year-old Karnin Petera, known to friends and family as…
A pensioner returning her wonky reading glasses to Silverdale Specsavers was told she was 10 days past her warranty. She asked Gill Higgins of Fair Go to follow up. Watch this story on our home for all news, in-depth and consumer stories, TVNZ+. With her reading glasses in hand, 83-year-old Margaretha Western walked back into Silverdale Specsavers in Auckland to make a complaint. She’d invested in two pairs of glasses – one for reading and one for watching television – but only one pair was doing the job. She’d needed light-adapting lenses for both pairs of glasses, so they’d set…
Growing up in South Africa in the fundamentalist Christan group KSB, the goal for young women was to be modest and “pure”. Now based in Tauranga, former member Judy Wnendt talks to Ryan Boswell about the group’s sexist doctrine and powerful control. Judy Wnendt and her five siblings were born into a group known as KSB or KwaSizabantu Mission. Founded in 1970 by South African evangelical and revivalist preacher Erlo Stegen, the church was based on 540 hectares of rural land. It’s one of Africa’s largest missions and now has thousands of worshippers across several countries.Stegen (who died last year)…
Analysis: This week’s 1News Verian poll shed light on the year’s political successes and struggles, with one coalition partner teetering close to the danger zone and a few surprises for the opposition.The latest 1News Verian poll served up plenty to digest this week, one year on from the election.Though the main party numbers saw marginal shifts, leaving room for both optimism and concern, it was the supplementary questions about the two major party leaders that raised some eyebrows.The country has been in a holding pattern this year, watching how the Government would clear the field to offer families and struggling…