Author: Press Room

Te Pāti Māori MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke has been recognised by Time magazine as one of “the world’s most influential rising stars”.Maipi-Clarke was aged just 21 when elected to Parliament in 2023. Time said she “shook the world” when she performed a haka during a vote on the Treaty Principles Bill last year.The influential news magazine said she followed in the footsteps of ancestors who sustained the Māori language, traditions and culture.Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke (Source: 1News)Writing for Time, Deb Haaland – former US secretary of the interior under President Joe Biden – said Maipi-Clarke was a “link in the chain of activists…

A visiting tax expert has lavished praise on a key revenue raiser in the New Zealand tax system, saying it is world-leading.Professor Michael Keen is a former head of tax policy for the International Monetary Fund, and was in New Zealand as a guest of the Tax Policy Charitable Trust.He said that good tax policy is based on a few key principles, including efficiency, fairness, and simplicity. On these grounds, Keen lauded New Zealand’s system of GST, which is applied as a 15% tax on top of the price of the vast majority of goods and services. “New Zealand has…

A person has died and four others have been injured in a two-vehicle crash in the Bay of Plenty this morning.Emergency services were notified of the crash on Thornton Rd near Matatā at 9.20am.Shortly after 11am, police confirmed one person had died in the crash.St John said it responded to the crash with three ambulances, a rapid response unit, a manager and a helicopter.”Our crews assessed and treated three patients in a serious condition, and one patient in a minor condition, who were all transported to Tauranga Hospital,” a spokesperson said.Fire and Emergency NZ confirmed it had attended with crews…

Police are investigating the “perplexing” death of a man found at a central Christchurch home yesterday morning, with officers working to piece together his movements over the past two weeks.Officers were called to a property on Eastern Terrace in the suburb of Beckenham at around 8.20am on Saturday, where a man was found dead.The death was being treated as “unexplained”, police said at the time.In an appeal today, police said the circumstances of the man’s death remained “unclear” and that staff were working to understand what happened in the lead-up to the incident.The man’s movements over the past two weeks…

A boil water notice will remain in effect for close to 30,000 residents of northeast Hamilton and nearby rural communities until at least Tuesday, authorities say.The notice was triggered on Saturday morning after a single water sample from the Rototuna reservoir tested positive for E. coli.Follow-up testing at the reservoir and other sites across the city returned clear results, but standard safety procedure requires three days of clear results before the notice can be lifted.Water should be boiled for at least one minute before it was used for drinking, cooking or preparing food, washing dishes, or brushing teeth.An emergency mobile…

Several properties have been damaged with some roofing ripped off after a reported tornado near Whakatāne this afternoon.Fire and Emergency NZ said it was called to reports of a tornado going through several properties along State Highway 30 in Awakeri at around 2.45pm on Sunday.”Several properties have been damaged by the tornado. Damage includes some roofs being lifted,” a FENZ spokesperson said.Four crews from Edgecumbe and Whakatāne were in attendance.St John said it responded to the incident with an ambulance and a manager but that its crews were not required.Whakatāne District Council said there were reports of damage to a…

Thousands of young New Zealanders will soon face stricter rules for accessing Jobseeker Support while others could earn a $1000 bonus for staying in work under two new initiatives announced by the Government today.The changes were aimed at reducing long-term benefit dependency among young people and incentivising sustained employment, Minister for Social Development and Employment Louise Upston said.Revealed: The parental income that’ll restrict your access to benefits – Watch on TVNZ+The initiatives formed part of the National-led Government’s Welfare that Works policy and reflect commitments made in the National–NZ First coalition agreement.Stricter eligibility for Jobseeker SupportSocial Development and Employment Minister…

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) has confirmed a consular partner has met with the New Zealanders detained in Israel.Last Monday, organisers for a humanitarian flotilla trying to break an Israeli blockade of Gaza said the boats carrying Rana Hamida, Youssef Sammour, and Kiwi teenager Samuel Leason were illegally intercepted.The Global Sumud Flotilla involved dozens of boats carrying 500 people, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg.Leason, from Otaki, posted to social media that it appeared his boat had come up to what was believed to be an Israeli military blockade.”It looks like we’re going to be illegally intercepted…

Race Relations Commissioner Melissa Derby says anti-migrant rhetoric is “unhelpful” as tensions around the issue grow in other parts of the world.In her first Q+A interview since being appointed, Derby said public leaders had a duty to think about how they speak and the impact on social cohesion.She said global tensions, seen in the UK and Europe, were of “great concern” to communities and ethnic groups in New Zealand. “A lot of communities are fearful. They’re worried. They’re scared about what this means,” she said. “We have others saying, ‘Look, what is the changing face of New Zealand, ‘we’re one…

Building owners may have spent millions meeting earthquake standards now deemed by the Government to be unnecessary, but the minister in charge has ruled out compensation for any existing work done. Chris Penk, who is also Small Business and Manufacturing Minister, also responded to questions over perceived government inaction on spiking energy prices, which have been blamed for the shutdown of four pulp and paper mills over the past year.Jack Tame, Chris Penk spar over Govt’s ‘underwhelming’ moves on power prices – Watch on TVNZ+Speaking to Q+A this morning, the Building and Construction Minister was relaxed about the increased risks…