Author: Press Room

Gisborne Mayor Rehette Stoltz says she tries to avoid social media as it’s a “toxic, unpoliced space” — she prefers to chat with people directly.National deputy leader Nicola Willis last week called on people to join her in “belittling” online trolls.The Minister of Finance was speaking at a gathering for women in local government, at which she said gendered harassment had become normalised.Willis provided examples of social media posts from anonymous accounts and said she filed screenshots of the abuse to a “folder of doom”.Stoltz said Willis’ talk was encouraging as social media had become a space for faceless abuse.”We…

The deadline for nominating EU Commissioners ends on Friday, but not all countries have yet offered names. ADVERTISEMENTThere’s only one day left for the 27 EU countries to submit a name for their next European Commissioner. However, countries like Italy, Belgium, and Bulgaria have still not done so, and no member state has complied with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s demand to submit both male and female candidates. Why are those nominations proving so difficult this time around? Radio Schuman considered the situation in Italy with Euronews journalist Filippo Menci.We also take a quick look at the reasons…

By Kate Green of RNZ Forest & Bird is calling on the government to release a list of projects under fast-track consideration after revelations they were floated as early as coalition negotiations. At least four mines were on the list of projects put forward as part of a draft version of the bill in December – two gold and two coal. During a hearing of the petitions committee on Thursday, Forest & Bird’s general manager for advocacy Richard Capie told politicians an Official Information Act request had returned a copy of a draft bill put forward by NZ First MP…

The fines for people who misuse mobility parks are set to increase significantly.It’s part of changes announced by Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston and Transport Minister Simeon Brown today.It will also include changes to ensure towage fees do not leave tow truck operators out of pocket, and adjusting parking fines for inflation – about a 70% increase.Upston said increasing penalties for those who misused mobility parking spots would “level the playing field for disabled people” by helping prevent unnecessary disruptions to their day-to-day lives.“Parking in an area reserved for disabled people is the epitome of arrogance. We need to get…

Recent provocations from government hardliners Ben Gvir and Smotrich have sparked international outcry. ADVERTISEMENTThe EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, has proposed sanctioning Israeli ministers for hate speech and incitement to war crimes, in another bid to toughen the bloc’s response to Israel’s war in Gaza.”I initiated the procedure to ask member states if they want (to) include in our list of sanctions some Israeli ministers (who) have been launching hate messages, unacceptable hate messages against the Palestinians and proposing things that clearly go against international law, and (are) an incitation to commit war crimes,” Borrell told reporters on Thursday morning.He spoke…

Key pointsThe Government has revealed a Revenue Action Plan for funding major transport infrastructureTransport Minister Simeon Brown says this means a greater emphasis on “user pays” modelsAll drivers could be paying a road user charge as soon as 2027The coalition Government has big plans for building new roads – but building new roads does not come cheap.Transport Minister Simeon Brown has revealed a Revenue Action Plan he says will help deliver critical transport infrastructure sooner. The plan includes making better use of existing funding tools for the National Land Transport Fund, which is what the Government uses to pay for…

New Zealand’s population continues to diversify and currently 28% of New Zealanders identify as being from a non-European migrant background.Multicultural New Zealand (MNZ) president Pancha Narayanan wants a new public holiday to recognise “we are a multicultural society”.On the last Friday of August every year, the Multicultural Councils across the country celebrate a Te Tiriti based National Multicultural Day.The initiative was first launched in 2021 as a way to encourage migrants to make their heritage visible in their daily lives by wearing cultural clothing, sharing traditional food with friends and colleagues, and speaking their native language.This year, celebrations took place…

Europe needs to be better prepared to defend itself, the former Swedish premier warned ADVERTISEMENTEurope should prepare to shoulder a significant financial burden for the war in Ukraine and ready itself for tension with the US over relations with China if Donald Trump wins the race for the White House in November, Carl Bildt has told Euronews. A former Swedish prime minister and foreign minister who currently co-chairs think tank the European Council of Foreign Relations, Bildt spoke to Euronews on the fringes of Forum Alpbach, the Tyrol-based political congress. Trump “is unpredictable in the extreme, but clearly there will be considerable strains…

After a lengthy legal battle spanning almost a decade, Auckland Council has today adopted its local alcohol policy for Auckland.The new policy coming into full effect from December would include stricter trading hours, meaning bottle shops and supermarkets across the region won’t be able to sell alcohol after 9pm. Currently, it can be sold until 11pm.The policy was approved by the Alcohol and Regulatory Licensing Authority at the beginning of August, and Auckland’s councillors unanimously voted for the policy to come into full effect by December 9, 2024 at the council’s governing body meeting today.In a statement, Auckland Council said…

Police have decided not to take any action against National MP David MacLeod’s failure to disclose $178,394 in donations.The Electoral Commission referred the matter to police in June after the MP for New Plymouth had a month earlier unveiled what he called an “inadvertent error”.A police spokesperson said they had “completed their enquiries into this matter and no further action will be taken” in a statement to RNZ on Thursday.The backbench MP had originally disclosed just $29,268 in donations from seven donors, but later amended it to $207,662 from 24 donors.In May MacLeod said he thought he was filing a…