Author: Press Room

Coffee lovers in a West Otago town will finally be able to get their fix after spending more than a year without a café.  Benger Nui Café opened in Tapanui this morning, ending a year-long coffee drought in the small town.One of the owners Leandro Massariolo — who already operates a café in Central Otago — joined Breakfast this morning and explained how the opportunity came about. He said a local builder approached them and said a building was available for the much-needed café. Since then, the venture has garnered a lot of support from residents. “[The locals] actually do…

The Ministry of Social Development (MSD) will permanently ban staff from using fake profiles on social media sites to spy on beneficiaries in fraud investigations.RNZ inquiries have revealed the ministry secretly used the fake profiles for years, before suspending the practice in 2021 when Parliament was asked about it.But a policy that bans the practice only fully kicks in from next month.”We accept that the policy has taken considerable time to finalise,” MSD told RNZ.Internal papers show the ministry knew by 2017 that the use of fake profiles was a “misleading” practice, and that it was breaking social media platforms’…

Hamilton councillor Andrew Bydder’s expletive-laden rant to a neighbouring council has been found in breach of the city council’s code of conduct.Bydder told Waipā mayor Susan O’Regan to “get off your fat arse” and called her council staff “r******d, s*****c c****” in a public submission online.The comments drew 23 complaints, including from Hamilton mayor Paula Southgate, other councillors, members of the disability community and ratepayers, prompting the council to appoint and independent investigator.Tauranga lawyer Mary Hill’s findings and recommendations, that Bydder be censured and made to apologise and attend conduct training, will be heard at an extraordinary council meeting on…

Kīngi Tuheitia’s tangihanga at Tūrangawaewae Marae in Ngāruawāhia continued today with politicians among the dignitaries attending.The Māori King died in the early hours of Friday morning. He had been in hospital recovering from heart surgery.Over the weekend, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon gave a speech at the marae. Today, it was the turn of Labour leader Chris Hipkins.”I remember him as a very warm character who wanted to bring New Zealanders together,” he told Breakfast this morning, ahead of his speech on the marae.The Labour leader said he remembered the Māori King’s “warmth”. (Source: Breakfast)”Someone who created a welcoming environment around…

Changing the rules on subsidising farmers is at the heart of a 100-page report on the future of agriculture set to feed a vision document due in the first 100 days of the Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s second mandate. ADVERTISEMENTA significant overhaul of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to make subsidies based on farmers’ income rather than farm size is among changes proposed in a report on the future of agriculture presented to Ursula von der Leyen.Today’s Radio Schuman looks at this report – launched in response to widespread anger from farmers protesting in EU capitals –…

Michael Keaton wants to start using his real name — Michael Douglas.The Beetlejuice Beetlejuice star, 73, hasn’t been allowed to go by his birth name due to it being the same as 79-year-old Oscar winner Michael Douglas, 79, and late daytime host Mike Douglas, a decision cast by the Screen Actors Guild.However, he has come up with a way around it and plans to be credited as Michael Keaton Douglas.Recalling how he picked his fake surname, Keaton – who was born Michael John Douglas – told PEOPLE magazine: “I was looking through — I can’t remember if it was a…

The defence has called a star witness at the Philip Polkinghorne murder trial.Warning: This article contains content that could be disturbing to some people.Professor Stephen Cordner is an Australian pathologist with a long history of high-level appointments and recognition.His task, as defence lawyer Ron Mansfield put it to him, was to consider whether Pauline Hanna’s death was homicide or suicide.Hanna, 63, was allegedly murdered by her husband Polkinghorne at their Auckland home at Easter 2021.The Crown has said a suicide doesn’t add up and that Polkinghorne staged the scene after fatally strangling Hanna.Prosecutors said the now 71-year-old was caught in…

Fratelli d’Italia met to review achievements and prepare for EU-mandated budgetary adjustments amid controversy surrounding culture minister Gennaro Sangiuliano. ADVERTISEMENTAlmost two years in office, the Fratelli d’Italia (FDI) party met on Wednesday for a key council to review the government’s progress and the agenda for the next few months, including the 2025 budget law.The aim of the gathering was “to assess the work done so far” and “set the agenda for the coming months,” with the budget law being the main item on the table. The procedure to approve the budget will begin soon, with the submission of a structural…

Australians have been urged to avoid red meat and nuclear power, develop new industrial processes and revegetate the land to slash greenhouse gas emissions.The national Climate Change Authority on Thursday released its review of how the nation is tracking towards net zero under existing policies.The independent advice comes as the federal government faces a deadline on declaring a deeper emissions reduction target for 2035.Australia is within striking range of its legislated target of 43 per cent of emissions cut by 2030, which must happen to have any chance of hitting net zero by 2050 or before.”But even the Climate Change…

Two rail workers suffered an electric shock overnight at Auckland’s Parnell train station.Emergency services were called to the scene at about 1.20am.Senior Sergeant Matthew Child told 1News the two workers were both taken to hospital.”One with significant burns to his body, another one not so bad.”A KiwiRail spokesperson said at about midday: “A KiwiRail worker is in a stable condition in Middlemore Hospital and we are in contact with our contractor, who is supporting their employee who has been discharged from hospital.”Police were “liaising” with WorkSafe. Fire and Emergency NZ and St John also attended.Child said the pair were doing…