Author: Press Room
A spill response is underway after a tanker released a substance, believed to be a sooty carbon particle, into the New Plymouth harbour.Port Taranaki chief executive Simon Craddock said the substance was released into the harbour by a visiting tanker.”The source of the release has been isolated and resolved and a spill response is under way, involving the use of booms to contain and remove the substance.”The spill happened before a cargo transfer from the vessel had begun, he said.”The wind has moved the sooty substance towards the main breakwater, and we have initiated a spill response to quickly have…
Committees within the German Bundestag debate the attack on the Christmas market in Magdeburg to determine if the tragic incident could have been prevented. ADVERTISEMENTTwo Bundestag committees have launched a debate into the tragic attack on a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg that killed five people, including a nine-year-old boy on 20 December.Members of the German parliament held the debate to determine whether the death drive at the Christmas Market was preventable.The Committee on Internal Affairs in the Bundestag called for the session as it wanted to clarify whether relevant authorities made mistakes in securing the parameters…
Some ferry services have been cancelled this morning due to large swells forecast for Cook Strait from early today. Ferry operator Interislander announced the cancellations due to “strong southerly swells”.”As a result, we have cancelled two morning sailings of Aratere, the 6.15am from Wellington and the 11am return from Picton,” the ferries operator said.”All passengers have been shifted to other sailings.”In all, Bluebridge announced six services between Picton and Wellington were cancelled due to “storm force” winds: Tthe 2am, 8.15am and 1.30pm sailings from Wellington and the 2.30am, 7.45am, and 7.15pm sailings from Picton.MetService has a strong wind watch in…
A prisoner who made a dramatic escape from Corrections custody at Waikato Hospital last week remains at large eight days later, police confirmed today.The remand prisoner from Spring Hill Corrections Facility, named by police as 48-year-old Damon Anderson, “absconded from Corrections staff” while on a hospital visit at around 1.30pm on December 23.Footage emerged on December 24 showing how Anderson pulled off the escape by clambering down a large pipe on the side of a hospital building.Once near the ground, he jumped to safety and jogged around a corner onto a footpath in the direction of Selwyn St, wearing only…
Anyone who’s been trying to “survive until 2025” might be counting down the days until the New Year.But while brighter economic times are likely ahead, don’t expect them to begin on January 1 — and it could be the smaller parts of New Zealand that feel the improvement first.Kelly Eckhold, chief economist at Westpac, said there were already some signs of improvement in the economy but it would probably be at least the middle of next year before things got close to growing in a more normal way again.But regional New Zealand was likely to see strength sooner than the…
Helping people stay safe on the roads is a big part of Whakatāne District Council community safety adviser Richard Hamer’s job and he has a full programme of events planned for this summer aimed at doing just that.On New Year’s Day, he will be co-ordinating a host of volunteers manning two fatigue stops to help refresh weary drivers – in particular, young people travelling through Ōpōtiki and Whakatāne districts on their way home from Rhythm and Vines music festival in Gisborne.The New Year’s Day fatigue stop in Matatā has been a staple for many years, aiming to prevent crashes caused…
By Susan Edmunds of RNZ House prices are expected to increase over the next 12 months, but how much and how fast are still up for debate. The housing market had a flat 2024, as the impact of falling interest rates was offset by uncertainty about the labour market, and large numbers of houses for sale. But economists expect lower interest rates to become more of a force in 2025. Westpac chief economist Kelly Eckhold said he expected house prices to lift 8 percent over the coming year. It would be a relatively sharp change from 2024. “A lot of…
Four of eight youths who climbed onto the roof of an Auckland youth justice facility have come down overnight, Oranga Tamariki said in a statement this morning.Police were notified at 5.50pm last night that eight youths had gained access to the roof of Korowai Manaaki in Wiri.”Overnight and this morning four young people have come down, with four remaining on the roof,” said Oranga Tamariki acting deputy chief executive youth justice services and residential care Iain Chapman.”Police continue to monitor the situation, and we can confirm there are no concerns for public safety and the young people are still within…
A Dunedin couple say they are still “in fairyland” after winning $4.3 million in Saturday’s Lotto draw.The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, watched the live draw with her husband after being gifted a ticket by a family member.The couple wrote the winning numbers at the top of the ticket and checked to see how they fared.”She said, ‘I think we’ve got three numbers, have a look’,” said the man. “I said to her, ‘we haven’t got three numbers, we’ve got six — we’ve won Lotto, and we’ve got Powerball too’.”The win was made up of $4m from Powerball First…
Ferry services have been cancelled this morning due to large swells forecast for Cook Strait from early today. Ferry operator Interislander announced the cancellations due to “strong southerly swells”.”As a result, we have cancelled two morning sailings of Aratere, the 6.15am from Wellington and the 11am return from Picton,” the ferries operator said.”All passengers have been shifted to other sailings.”In all, Bluebridge announced six services between Picton and Wellington were cancelled due to “storm force” winds: Tthe 2am, 8.15am and 1.30pm sailings from Wellington and the 2.30am, 7.45am, and 7.15pm sailings from Picton.MetService has a strong wind watch in place…