Author: Press Room

The tangihanga for Kīngi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII is currently underway at Tūrangawaewae Marae, in Ngāruawāhia.Here’s what you need to know so far:The event will take place over seven days and thousands of people are expected to attend each day.The first two days – Friday and Saturday – have been set aside for Waikato Tainui uri (descendants) to pay their respects to the monarch.The first pōwhiri is expected to take place at Tūrangawaewae Marae at 2pm. It will be the first time people from outside of the whānau pani will be able to pay their respects to the king.There…

Police have announced changes to how they will respond to mental health callouts, in an attempt to relieve demand pressures on officers. In a statement this morning, Police Commissioner Andrew Coster announced phased changes over the coming year. “Police have formally notified Health New Zealand authorities and stakeholders that the higher thresholds will ensure police prioritise events where there is an immediate risk to life and safety,” the statement read. Police said that once the programme is introduced, the higher thresholds will ensure officers prioritise events where there is an immediate risk to life and safety.Calls that fall short of…

Heavy rain and severe northwesterly gales are expected to affect large parts of the country over the weekend, with the heaviest falls concentrated on the west of the South Island.MetService has issued three orange heavy rain warnings and an orange strong wind warning alongside a raft of heavy rain and strong wind watches.The ranges of the Westland District are first in line for the inclement weather with an orange heavy warning in place from 2am on Saturday until 6pm.Total rainfall of 160mm to 200mm is expected with 20 to 25mm an hour expected as the weather peaks on Saturday afternoon.(Source:…

New Zealand Food Safety has warned people not to consume mini jelly cups containing konjac as they may present a choking hazard, particularly for young children and the elderly.Thousands of similar mini jelly cups were seized and destroyed in Australia recently, where the product was banned.Deputy director-general Vincent Arbuckle said a review identified a limited number of imported mini jelly cups that contain konjac — an additive that prevented jelly from easily dissolving and increases choking risk.”The concern is that the combination of jelly which does not easily dissolve and the way the product is consumed, by sucking it out…

Terrorists plotted to kill “tens of thousands” of people at Taylor Swift’s concert in Vienna.The 34-year-old pop star was forced to cancel three dates on her Eras tour in the Austrian capital earlier this month due to a planned attack at the Ernst Happel Stadium before officials arrested three teenagers, and a CIA official has now revealed the US intelligence agency played a major part in thwarting the “quite advanced” plot.CIA Deputy Director David Cohen is quoted by ABC News as saying: “They were plotting to kill a huge number — tens of thousands of people at this concert, including…

Two Dunedin distillers say they are the first in the country to use bakery waste as the core ingredient in their gin-making venture.Jenny McDonald and Sue Stockwell began making gin under the Dunedin Craft Distillers label in 2020, using surplus bread destined for landfills. Each week, Kiwi Harvest, a food rescue organisation, delivers boxes of leftover bread to the central city distillery, a former scrap metal yard.”We take what they can’t give away,” explained McDonald. “And that’s as it should be because we certainly did not want to take food out of anyone’s mouth.”The pair carefully count the amount of…

Customs has seized 47kg of methamphetamine worth up to $16.45m at Auckland Airport after it was discovered in boxes sent from Malaysia earlier this month.Four unaccompanied boxes arrived from Kuala Lumpur in mid-August and were detained by Customs for further inspection following routine enforcement activity.The yellow boxes were declared as “paper ream” and marked as “IK Yellow”, but officers found black duffel bags inside each box instead.Forty-six food packages labelled “Prince Durian” were located in the bags, which were found to conceal around 47 kilograms of methamphetamine.The seized amount would have been worth up to $16.45m on the street and…

Fire and Emergency crews are currently battling a 105-hectare fire at a plantation north of Waipara in North Canterbury.The fire is contained within the forest boundary but not under control, according to FENZ.Incident commander Des Irving urged people who have lit outdoor fires in the past few weeks to “remain vigilant”.(Source: Fire and Emergency New Zealand)”Please take care to monitor your burn piles and take action as needed.”We often find old, extinguished burn piles reigniting during dry and windy weather conditions.”We urge people not to burn in windy weather, check the weather conditions prior to burning and contact Fire and…

Kīngi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII has been remembered as a “kind”, “listening” and “humble” man — whose influence has left an “indelible mark on our nation”.Tributes have flowed for the Māori King, who died overnight.A statement on the Kiingitanga Facebook page confirmed the death this morning. Kīngi Tuheitia had been in hospital recovering from heart surgery.To mark his death, the New Zealand flag would be flown at half-mast on all Government and public buildings “with immediate effect”, the Ministry for Culture and Heritage said. And it would remain at half-mast until further notice.Kiingitanga chief of staff Ngira Simmonds told…

New Zealand’s business confidence has soared — but perhaps only because the country has reached “peak bad”, one economist says.ANZ’s business outlook survey on Thursday showed more than 50% of respondents expected the economy to improve over the year ahead — compared to 27.1% in July. It was the highest level in a decade.A net 37.1% expected their own businesses to grow.ANZ’s consumer confidence survey also showed an increase in August, although still to levels below its 10-year average.But in an environment where retail sales are still 8.2% below their mid-2021 peak, construction is going through a downturn in building…