Author: Press Room

The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) has this afternoon witnessed live rounds being fired from a Chinese warship in the Tasman Sea.Flights had to be diverted yesterday after commercial pilots were warned to avoid airspace between New Zealand and Australia after three Chinese vessels carried out drills in international waters around 340 nautical miles south-east of Sydney.”We are aware of reporting from the New Zealand Defence Force that the Chinese naval Task Group has advised of a second window for live firing activity, on Saturday afternoon New Zealand time,” the office of Defence Minister Judith Collins confirmed today in a…

Investigations have revealed around a quarter of police staff who accessed the national database for information about Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming’s death did not have legitimate reasons to do so.An internal investigation was launched a month ago after police staff were found to be searching the main database for details about Fleming’s death.Police Deputy Commissioner Tania Kura sent a memo to staff in January, saying it was “abundantly clear” some staff were misusing the National Intelligence Application (NIA), which was “a serious breach of the New Zealand Police Code of Conduct”.”Alarmingly, and disrespectfully, we have found people randomly checking the…

Long-time kapa haka performer Louise ‘Nuku’ Kingi is hanging up her piupiu as a record-setting figure who has performed at every national kapa haka festival since 1972.Affectionately known as Aunty Nuku by her whānau, Kingi has performed at every single event since its inception. This year she announced her retirement.“[I’m] getting a bit slow these days, and certainly nothing wrong with the korokoro, but, however, the choreography that groups do nowadays – oh, you’re flipping over the stage or whatever – running! “And that certainly isn’t me anymore!”Although she did audition for her mainstay champion haka group, Waihīrere, one last…

One of New Zealand’s most successful tech entrepreneurs, Rowan Simpson, says companies with diverse staff and boards perform better.During an interview with Q+A, the former Trade Me software developer said diversity was so important, it’s often part of performance metrics. His views contrast starkly with many mainstream Republicans in the US and billionaire ally of president Donald Trump, Elon Musk. In January, Trump banned so-called DEI or diversity, equity and inclusion programmes across the federal government.Simpson was one of the first employees at TradeMe’s inception in 1999. He became a multi-millionaire in 2006 when TradeMe sold to Fairfax for $750…

The government has announced plans to reform the Overseas Investment Act “and make it easier for New Zealand businesses to receive new investment, grow and pay higher wages”. Associate Finance Minister David Seymour today said New Zealand had “woeful” productivity growth and was “one of the hardest countries in the developed world for overseas people to invest in businesses”. “Those two facts are closely linked. We are introducing reforms to improve New Zealand’s overseas investment laws. The package will speed up decisions and provide more confidence to investors, while protecting our national interests. “Overseas investment can support economic growth because…

Wellington woman Jessica Hammond-Doube says she often reaches for a non-alcoholic RTD, particularly the zero-alcohol Pals range.She stopped drinking alcohol for dry July last year and never started again.She said, although some of her new drink options seemed “outrageously expensive” she justified it as a way of saving money compared to alcoholic options, and of enjoying an alcohol-free life.”I also appreciate how the packaging of some of them closely resembles alcoholic beverages so I’m less likely to be interrogated about not drinking alcohol.”She said it was boring always drinking water and she wasn’t a fan of sweet fizzy drinks. “So…

An international relations professor is warning China’s activity in the Tasman Sea shows it wants to establish a permanent military presence in the Pacific, and New Zealand must prepare for that.Canterbury University’s Anne-Marie Brady said it served as a serious threat, and New Zealand must boost defence spending to protect the region, and respond with its own “show of force”.The Chinese navy has three ships in international waters off the coast of Australia, and has been conducting live firing exercises at short notice, forcing aircraft to divert their flight paths.Brady, who specialises in China and the Pacific, said it was…

A 26-year-old man has been arrested and charged in relation to a stabbing in Auckland’s North Shore suburb of Birkenhead almost three weeks ago.Detective Sergeant Matt Bartlett said man was arrested during a search warrant at a Northcote address on Saturday morning and was due to appear in the North Shore District Court on Monday, charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. Police said they would be opposing bail.A man was found with serious injuries on Birkenhead Ave by a member of the public at around 2pm on February 4.A witness told 1News that they saw a…

A planned six year wait for new bridges to be built after Auckland’s City Rail Link opens is disappointing, the Automobile Association and National Road Carriers say.On Friday, the government allocated another $200 million dollars to remove several level crossings, to build three new road bridges, and access bridges at three stages.The level crossings are expected to close in 2026 with the opening of the City Rail Link, but the bridges will not be built until 2032.An artist’s impressions of the proposed level crossing road bridge at Taka St in Takanini from 2023. (Source: Supporting Growth/NZTA/AT)Automobile Association policy director Martin…

The suspect was arrested by the police. According to the public prosecutor, the suspect, a 37-year-old man, was already known to the authorities and had been on a terrorism watchlist. ADVERTISEMENTA knife attack in the eastern French city of Mulhouse has left at least one person dead and several persons injured.The attack took place near a market in the city on Saturday afternoon, February 22, and on the sidelines of a demonstration, according to local media. “Horror has just gripped our city,” the city’s mayor, Michèle Lutz, lamented in a message posted on Facebook.Two municipal police officers suffered serious injuries,…