Author: Press Room

China won almost twice as many medals as second placed Great Britain. Check out the full medal table here. ADVERTISEMENTThe 2024 Paris Paralympics are over and – for the sixth consecutive time – China finished top of the gold medal table, a sporting feat which began in 2004 in Athens.The team broke 29 world records, succeeding in several disciplines including swimming, athletics and table tennis.Great Britain ranked second with 49 gold medals – 45 short of the leaders.The star of the final day, however, was Morocco’s female runner Fatima Ezzahra El Idrissi, who broke the women’s marathon world record by…

Community housing providers are building to higher social, environmental and governance standards (ESG), a review of a new reporting framework has found.Within three decades, one in seven Australians could be living in community housing, according to a report released on Monday.The first annual review of a groundbreaking, but still voluntary, standard found fewer complaints and more green spaces.However, there was room for improvement on accurately reporting carbon emissions and getting First Nations peoples into boardrooms.Community building initiatives and neighbourhood improvements, known as “place-making”, meant early adopters of the standards were helping tenants to feel safe and have a sense of…

A homicide investigation has been launched in Northland after a seriously injured man was dropped off at a hospital and later died overnight.Officers were called to Kaitaia Hospital at about 11.40pm after the man was dropped off by a driver. He died a short time later, according to police. Detective Inspector Rhys Johnson said a homicide investigation had been launched into the incident with officers probing what happened last night. “Police are making inquiries to determine the circumstances around the man’s death and are examining a number of relevant scenes,” he said in a media release.”The investigation is in its…

Approximately 450 pilgrims to the Lourdes shrine in France were evacuated after heavy rainfall caused flooding, submerging the popular pilgrimage site. ADVERTISEMENTHundreds of pilgrims to the famous Lourdes shrine in southern France were evacuated on Saturday after significant flooding. After heavy rainfall, a nearby river overflowed – causing water levels to rise about one meter deep in front of a grotto believed by some to be the place where the Virgin Mary appeared in 1858. The shrine was temporarily closed following the flooding – with its altar submerged under water. Staff, volunteers and emergency services worked together to clear the floodwater and reopen the…

From law school to working with U2 and Starbucks, Ryan Everton has had quite the turn of events. Tim Scott chats to the Turn founder about how he built his reusable cup business from his student days in Dunedin. Ryan Everton says he does not dwell on what his life would have been like had he got “stuck being a lawyer”. While the 32-year-old chief executive and founder of Turn — a reusable cup washing and supply business based in San Francisco — never became a practising lawyer, he said he was already making enough money by the time he graduated…

One person has been seriously injured and two others arrested following a “large group of people fighting” in Porirua this afternoon.Police officers responded to a “disorder incident” at a premises on Kenepuru Dr at around 1pm.A spokesperson said it involved a “large group of people fighting”.”An increased police presence will be in the area as police continue to make enquiries into the assault.”Wellington Free Ambulance said it took one patient to Wellington Hospital in a serious condition.

All but a few parents have removed their children from a preschool in the wealthy Auckland suburb of Ponsonby.A spokesperson for roughly 40 parents said as of this week, they believed only two children, down from 26, were still enrolled at the $9.50 an hour preschool.In July, the board of the Auckland Council-owned Ponsonby Community Centre, which operates Ponsonby Community Preschool, said it would be extending its hours from 8.30am-4pm to 8am-5.30pm.In August, parents threatened to take their children out of the preschool over the decision.Parents said they were prepared to leave because long-time teaching staff had been “driven away”…

While New Zealand’s electric vehicle (EV) market is slowing down due to policy changes, Australia’s EV sector is accelerating with several Kiwi tech companies jumping on the opportunity. A growing number of Kiwi companies have capitalised on Australia’s government incentives and increased demand for sustainable transport solutions.From Tauranga-based electric motorbike manufacturer UBCO to Christchurch’s EV charging company Evnex, Kiwi ingenuity is once again proving to be a major player across the Tasman.UBCO powers up Australia PostAustralia Post has signed a deal with New Zealand electric utility bike maker UBCO. (Source: Supplied)Last week, UBCO announced it had secured a landmark deal…

Former gun lobbyist Nicole McKee has used her power as a Government minister to reduce regulation for gun clubs — without any public consultation.Documents obtained by 1News show officials raised the alarm about a change to the Arms Regulations in May, saying they were being processed under a “short time frame”.A regulatory impact statement shows the Ministry of Justice was unable to run any consultation with the public or even to test the safety implications of the move before it became law.The change removed certain requirements for gun clubs ahead of an impending reporting deadline and put an end to…

New Zealand Transport Agency has signed off $100 million to repair Marlborough Sounds roads, but is yet to commit to further funding the council wants to improve the roads and build resilience. In July 2021 a storm hit the region and before the roads could be repaired another, larger storm hit in August 2022.While some progress has been made, particularly on Queen Charlotte Drive, many areas haven’t been touched and around 1500 faults remain. NZTA announced today it would give the council a further $100 million to repair the roads, with ratepayers footing a smaller portion of the bill. The…