Author: Press Room

Gun crime is up in Auckland, and police data shows that illegally owned guns are the problem.Data provided to RNZ through the Official Information Act shows there were 879 firearms offences committed across Auckland in the first six months of this year, up 28 from the same time in 2023.Only 18 of those offences were carried out by people with an active firearms licence.The South Auckland suburb of Manurewa had the most reported firearms offences in the first six months of 2024, with 102 reported, up by 11 offences from 2023.Henderson reported the next highest number at 75 offences, followed…

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has addressed a packed crowd of between 800 and 900 of party faithful today, briefly interrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters.While many in the crowd appeared aggravated by the interruption, Peters was amused, saying that was considered a day’s work for the protesters. Extra seats were added to accommodate those who’d come to hear Peters speak at the conference room at the Distinction Hotel.It was the climax to a relaxed, convivial but robust two-day Annual General Meeting this weekend, with free and open debate among members on a wide range of topics, from the mundane to…

The thorny issue of reclining seats on planes has been debated for years and recently the BBC reported that a Hong Kong couple found themselves banned from Cathay Pacific after a woman claimed she was harassed for reclining in her seat.Colin Hunter, a senior associate in the disputes team at Auckland law firm Hesketh Henry, talked with Sunday Morning about the problem and where the law stands on the issue.’Those of us who have been on planes enough have all experienced the issue of having someone recline,” Hunter said, “… and navigating that can certainly be frustrating on a long…

The new measures, which could include extending detention and limiting regularisation for migrants, may spark further divisions in the French Parliament. ADVERTISEMENTThe French government is pushing for a new immigration law by early 2025, according to spokesperson Maud Bregeon, who announced the plans on BFMTV. The move comes just a year after the last immigration bill, which faced sharp divisions in Parliament and within President Macron’s coalition.Bregeon said the new bill will include measures to extend the detention period for undocumented migrants considered a threat, from 90 days to 210 days. “We are not ruling out other provisions” she said,…

Pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted the New Zealand First conference this afternoon, creating chaos during party leader Winston Peters’ speech and as he left the venue.Police recieved a report of two people being assaulted during the incident in Hamilton. “There were no serious injuries. Two people were arrested and charges are being considered,” a police spokesperson said.Peters, who is the Foreign Minister, paused briefly as several protesters yelled during the middle of his speech to party faithful around 3pm.”They think that’s a cause, that’s work, that they’ve somehow appeased their social conscience. Bet they haven’t done a finger to help anyone in…

A 34-year-old man has been arrested after allegedly stealing a vehicle in Point Chevalier before being involved in a multi-vehicle crash on Auckland’s northern motorway near Dairy Flat.The crash closed State Highway 1 to northbound traffic.At around 2.40pm, police responded to Walmer Road, Point Chevalier, after a man “allegedly attempted to steal a vehicle from an elderly woman” before stealing a vehicle from a “second person on the same road”.Police said no serious injuries were sustained, and it maintained observations of the vehicle to the northern motorway with the assistance of the Air Support Unit and traffic cameras.Police inspector Daniel…

The way foreign nurses are required to come to New Zealand in order to get assessed and registered is raising questions around the ethics and transparency of the process at a time when the job market is so tight. While foreign nurse migration is not new, nor unique to New Zealand, the International Council of Nurses president Pamela Cipriano said what’s more pronounced here is the lack of transparency around the gap between the nurses coming here to get registered — and their actual job prospects. Cipriano said it’s disappointing to see the 1News reports of nurses being drawn to…

The central square in the French town of Arras was transformed on Sunday to a showcase of art and culture to remember the memory of murdered secondary school teacher Dominique Bernard. ADVERTISEMENTThe northern French town of Arras paid tribute to 57-year-old teacher Dominique Bernard one year on from his murder with a musical ceremony. A large crowd gathered in the town’s square to remember the secondary teacher, husband and father of three who was murdered at the hands of radicalised former student on 13 October, 2023. Three others were injured during the attack, which occurred at a high school.Several ministers…

Parts of the South Island were dazzled late last night by displays of pinks, greens and purples lighting up the sky — but why is that? 1News spoke to NIWA meteorologist Ben Noll to find out more. To put it simply, the pretty colours in the sky, called aurora borealis if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere or aurora australis if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere, are a result of solar storms happening in space. “There is a peak in the solar cycle,” Noll said. “The sun, every 11 years, goes through these periods of activity, followed by inactivity.”This year, it…

Three kayakers have been rescued after they were blown more than 10km off the coast of Whangamatā this morning.Police were alerted to a group of three kayakers unable to make it to shore who had been blown off course near Donut Island at around 8.40am.”A fourth member of the group, on a paddleboard, was also unaccounted for,” a spokesperson said.The paddleboarder made it to shore but differing currents separated the remaining three.They were located over one nautical mile away from each other and over five nautical miles offshore, the spokesperson added.”All four have since been recovered thanks to a multi-agency…