Author: Press Room

The death of a Dunedin woman who shot herself while deer hunting in an Otago forest was a terrible accident, a coroner has ruled.Kate Aynsley, 48, died in Beaumont Forest’s Blue Mountains Conservation Area in June 2023 after being shot in the head by her own rifle.In findings released on Monday, coroner Mary-Anne Borrowdale said Aynsley’s gun likely went off by accident as she either fell or fumbled in steep, slippery terrain.While no-one saw what happened, Aynsley had likely removed the safety catch while preparing to shoot a deer, the coroner found.Aynsley had gone hunting with her fiancé but the…

A motorbike rider is in serious condition after crashing while fleeing police in Lower Hutt last night.Officers observed a motorbike being ridden in a dangerous manner on Fairway Drive, Lower Hutt, before turning on to Taita Drive around 10.30pm.”Before police signalled for the rider to stop, they allegedly accelerated, overtook another vehicle and failed to take a bend, crashing into a fence,” Hutt Valley Area Commander Inspector Wade Jennings said. “The rider sustained serious leg injuries and was transported to hospital.”The serious crash unit has examined the scene, and inquiries into the circumstances of the crash were ongoing.The morning’s headlines…

A public hospital doctor is owed $1.27 million in annual leave while many more are owed hundreds of thousands of dollars for leave they have been unable to take.RNZ asked Health NZ to provide the highest 20 annual leave balances owed to senior doctors to the end of September. It said it was only possible to provide the top ten.The ten doctors were owed $6.5 million of annual leave between them, with the second highest doctor on $715,000 and two more over $600,000.Health NZ said it encouraged staff to take the leave they were owed, including leave management plans for…

Rio Tinto New Zealand Aluminium Smelter has announced a $50 million investment in a new facility at Tiwai Point, as part of its long-term remediation programme. The facility will process spent cell liner (SCL), a by-product of the aluminium production process. Historically SCL been stored undercover in sheds, and in a specially designed pad on-site. In 2021 then-Rio Tinto global chief executive Jakob Stausholm flew to Wellington to apologise to the government over its handling of waste from the smelter, and made commitments around the clean-up. That came after hundreds of residents of Mataura were forced to evacuate early in 2020,…

One NZ has been fined $1.1 million after failing to meet its obligations to vulnerable customers who relied on landline connections to call 111 during power cuts.The High Court penalty follows the telco’s admission of 10 breaches of the 111 Contact Code between 2021 and 2023. The breaches related to information disclosure, record keeping and customer outreach requirements, which ensure vulnerable Kiwis can still call 111 during power failures.One NZ would also pay $100,000 towards the Commerce Commission’s costs. When it filed proceedings in April 2024, the commission accused One NZ of “disregard” of vulnerable consumer safety and a history…

Weeks after a 1200-cubic-metre wastewater spill into the Mahurangi River, Auckland oyster farmers are dealing with the effects of another overflow, which they say has stuffed their Christmas season.Watercare confirmed to RNZ that on November 19, Warkworth experienced more than half the town’s average rainfall for the entire month, a total of 53mm overnight.An estimated 86 cubic metres of wastewater mixed with stormwater overflowed into the river from a Warkworth pipeline, the engineered overflow point on Elizabeth Street.The Ministry of Primary Industries instructed growers to suspend harvesting while it carried out testing, with results expected this week.But Matakana Oysters’ Tom…

Confidence in the New Zealand housing market has risen to its highest level in 15 years, with more people thinking it is a good time to buy.The latest ASB Housing Confidence Survey indicates 28% of respondents believed it was a good time to buy a property, with recent cuts to the Reserve Bank’s official cash rate, dropping to 2.25% in November from a peak of 5.5% in July 2024.ASB chief economist Nick Tuffley said the housing market was in a sweet spot, with lower interest rates and an increase in property listings, giving buyers more choice and confidence.”It’s a good…

Furniture giant IKEA has given media a behind-the-scenes peek at its Auckland store ahead of the grand opening on Thursday.After years of anticipation, the Swedish furniture retailer was nearly ready to open its flagship store in Auckland’s Sylvia Park – which was expected to cause “substantially longer than usual” traffic delays across the city on Thursday. A 1News camera was given access to the store this morning for a first look at some of the products on offer. IKEA would officially open its doors on December 4. (Source: 1News)Construction on the 34,000 square-metre store began in June 2023, and work…

The Department of Conservation is reminding fishers to be mindful of marine reserve rules this summer after a spike in breaches over the season last year.Last month, 1News reported new figures which revealed illegal fishing in New Zealand’s marine reserves is showing no sign of slowing.Nationwide, DOC recorded 105 confirmed offences last summer, alongside 126 reported alleged incidents across the 44 no-take marine reserves — areas where fishing was completely banned to protect and restore sea life.One of the worst cases last year involved claims that between 100-200 fish were taken from the Goat Island Marine Reserve in December.Another breach…

Nearly 100 new homes and a suite of commercial units are planned for a prominent Christchurch block, currently occupied by a former Mitre 10 store and a hotel. The owner of the 0.3ha Sydenham site and the Sandridge Hotel and Motel has lodged a resource consent application with Christchurch City Council outlining a large-scale redevelopment bordered by Colombo, Huxley and King Sts, Stuff reported. While most of the land would be rebuilt, existing businesses on the corner of Colombo and Huxley Sts – including a dairy, takeaway outlets and residential units – would remain. The project would comprise 21 buildings and could…