Author: Press Room

An unknown quantity of partially treated sewage has leaked into the Papawai Stream in Greytown.Although Wellington Water crews have found the source of the leak and “have made great progress” in reducing the discharge, they were still working on a solution to stop it entirely.The public were first alerted to the leak on Tuesday and the source of the leak was found on Friday.It was coming from an old outlet structure at one of the final treatment ponds at the Greytown Wastewater Treatment Plant.The wastewater had been treated at the council’s oxidation pond but some of it had not gone…

Hungary’s nationalist prime minister reiterated his anti-immigrant stances on Friday, claiming that migration has a corrosive effect on EU legislation. ADVERTISEMENTMigration will disintegrate the European Union, Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Friday at the Cernobbio Forum in northern Italy, asking for new laws to stem its flow.“If you look back from 2014 period until now, this period is a disintegration process period of European Union.”The nationalist Hungarian leader, who has long been under fire for his vocal anti-migrant stances, having referred to them as “poison” and “not needed”, made the comments while discussing his three priorities during Hungary’s…

Graffiti more than tripled in Rotorua in the year to June 30 — costing ratepayers more than $100,000.Rotorua Lakes Council received 629 reports of graffiti in the past financial year which cost $102,332. The bill is expected to be thousands of dollars higher this financial year.Tauranga-based Graffiti Busters director Anthony Nel removes tagging across the Bay of Plenty and Waikato.Graffiti attacks were getting worse due to recent warmer weather and the materials used less likely to be washed away, Nel said.In Tauranga, it was “getting out of hand”.”Even what we’ve noticed in Rotorua is that it will go quiet for…

Russia destroyed or damaged around 500 Ukrainian Paralympic sports facilities, forcing Ukrainian athletes to prepare for the Paris games in precarious conditions. Yet the team could end up doing better than in Tokyo 2020. Euronews asked some of the athletes how they made it possible. ADVERTISEMENTUkraine is firmly in the top 10 of the Paralympics medal table despite two years of war that have forced athletes to train in brutal conditions.Some survived occupation in Mariupol and Kherson or were left homeless in Donbas and Zaporizhzhia — areas that have been ravaged by Russia’s war of aggression.Under the threat of constant…

Police are urging neighbours not to throw out any clothing found on their property in the wake of an eight-year-old’s death in Hamilton.Police were called at around 5.20pm on Sunday to a property in the suburb of Bader after receiving reports of a “violent altercation”.Three people were taken to hospital, including the eight-year-old boy in a critical condition. The boy later died from his injuries.A 37-year old was arrested at the scene and charged with murder. He did not enter a plea when he appeared in court on Monday.”Police investigating the death of an eight-year-old boy in Bader, Hamilton, are…

Unions have been left surprised after Audi Brussels has confirmed that there are no plans to produce its flagship car model at its Forest site in Brussels beyond 2025. ADVERTISEMENTThe Belgian site produces a top-of-the-range electric car, the Q8 e-tron SUV. However, falling demand and high production costs have left the fate of the factory in uncertain hands. Over 3,000 direct jobs are at risk, along with several hundred subcontractors.Staff at the plant did not return to work on Wednesday morning as due, with unions believing plans to stop producing the car model could mean the end of the factory.…

An Auckland high school’s wrestling team has been left without their uniforms before an important tournament after the vehicle in which they were in was stolen.The vehicle was stolen in New Lynn during the early hours of Monday morning. Inside was a box of 30 new wrestling uniforms and boots belonging to De La Salle College. Inspector Kelly Farrant said the vehicle was found abandoned in Clendon Park on Monday afternoon, but there was no sign of the uniforms. “We are working hard to identify and locate those responsible and are hoping someone in the community knows where these uniforms…

Nga Wai Hono i te Po has been named the new Māori monarch after the death of her father, Kīngi Tuheitia.The late king died in the early hours of Friday last week. Today is the final day of his tangihanga at Tūragawaewae Marae.Discussions around succession took place earlier this week — and this morning, Te Arikinui Kuīni Nga Wai Hono i te Po was named Kuīni after she was ushered on to the throne.The anointment of a Māori monarch is steeped in ritual and ceremony. Known as Te Whakawahinga, or “the raising up”, the ceremony took place ahead of the…

Many agree that if Brothers of Italy’s Fitto is given the executive vice-president portfolio in charge of the economy and post-pandemic recovery, this would be a significant victory for Rome. ADVERTISEMENTItaly named its EU affairs minister, Raffaele Fitto, as its next Commissioner right as the clock for nominating European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen’s new team was about to run out.While Fitto might seem like a good fit to serve as Commissioner, he still has a long way to go before his appointment is confirmed — and the path is not without obstacles.As a 55-year-old career politician and far-right…

A new era for the Kiingitanga has dawned with the anointment of Kīngi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII’s successor, Nga Wai Hono i te Po.Nga Wai Hono i te Po became the new Māori Queen in a traditional ceremony known as Te Whakawahinga, or ‘the raising up’, in the hours before today’s funeral service for Kīngi Tuheitia.A new KuīniKuīni Nga Wai Hono i te Po is the only daughter and the youngest child of Kīngi Tuheitia and Makau Ariki Atawhai. Nga Wai Hono i te Po is the eighth Māori monarch and only the second woman to assume the role.…