Author: Press Room

Two people have been jointly charged with murder after a man was killed in a drive-by shooting in Wairarapa yesterday.Witnesses said they were forced to cower behind cars at FreshChoice Featherston when shots were fired at a vehicle leaving the carpark at around 4pm on Saturday.Detective Inspector John van den Heuvel earlier said a man was located near the Carterton New World with a gunshot wound a short time later.The man died and a homicide investigation was launched.A second vehicle fled the Featherston scene and was intercepted by police “without incident” at Kaitoke on Remutaka Hill, van den Heuvel said.Police…

“In this crazy old world, I believe women empowering women should be the only way forward, whether it be in business or everyday life.” That is the message from Oamaru artist and exiting business owner Philina den Dulk who closes her store Art on Thames, in the town’s main street, today. “When I started my store, competition wasn’t even a word that entered my brain. I simply wanted to make beautiful things available to everyone, to do my own thing, work hard and stay humble, and support our amazing New Zealand artisans. Almost 11 years on and I believe I…

A young man has been arrested after allegedly presenting a firearm at members of the public and police officers in Palmerston North yesterday.Police responded to reports of the incident on Thomson St in West End at around 5.40pm on Saturday.Acting Detective Sergeant Jo Gallon said no shots were fired, no injuries were reported and a 19-year-old male was arrested at the scene.”Inquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances of what occurred.”We know people recorded the incident on their phones, we are keen to view any footage obtained of the incident or male’s behaviour.”A 19-year-old will appear in the Palmerston…

Rodger Shaw reckons he’s got one of the best jobs going.The Hawke’s Bay Regional Council catchment worker and weed boat driver says he loves being outdoors on the water, just going with the flow.“I get to see parts of Hawke’s Bay that lots of other people never do and I love it,” he said.“And don’t worry, the ducklings can swim faster than this thing.”Shaw is talking about the weed boat he drives up and down Hawke’s Bay streams releasing vegetation to increase water flow.Works Group Taradale overseer Kevin Cooper said the boat is paddle-driven, with a diesel motor and runs…

The Donald Trump administration’s spending cuts have put paid to a celebration of 150 years of scientific cooperation between New Zealand and the United States.Universities New Zealand chief executive Chris Whelan said it received notification last month that a US$30,000 (NZ$51,580) grant for a function in Washington had been cancelled.”Unfortunately, we received a letter advising us that under President Trump’s executive order re-evaluating and re-aligning the United States’ foreign aid, that funding was cancelled. No other reason was given,” Whelan said.He said the US State Department funding included travel by a New Zealand delegation to the US.Whelan said the event…

A feud between the Southland branches of Federated Farmers and Fish and Game has reached a breaking point.The two groups once worked in harmony but now Southland Federated Farmers has called for a boycott and encouraged people to buy this year’s duck shooting licences in other regions.The region’s Federated Farmers president Jason Herrick told 1News: “It’s built up over time with our issues with Fish & Game, with their constant pushback in anti-farm and rhetoric towards farmers in Southland.””The last straw obviously was the decision on Rule 24,” he said.Jason Herrick. (Source: 1News)That rule was a longstanding regional council proposal…

Significant outbreaks of parvovirus have led to the euthanasia of around 130 dogs since September, with cases increasing in multiple regions across the country, veterinarians say.Parvovirus, which attacks a dog’s gastrointestinal tract, spreads through contaminated faeces, food and water bowls, and footwear.Symptoms included lethargy, loss of appetite, fever, vomiting, and bloody diarrhoea, and the disease could progress rapidly, often leading to death.Dogs between six-weeks and six-months of age were most at risk. Experts said the best protection against parvovirus was vaccination, but financial pressures were preventing some owners from getting their dogs protected.SPCA animal services general manager Corey Regnerus-Kell said…

One person has died following a two-vehicle crash on a motorway in Wellington overnight.In a statement, a police spokesperson said two cars collided in the northbound lane on State Highway 1, Kaiwharawhara about 11.30pm.”Sadly, the driver of the first vehicle was unable to be revived, and died at the scene,” the police spokesperson said.Police said the passenger from the first vehicle, and driver of the second, were both taken to Wellington Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.The motorway reopened shortly before 4am.The Serious Crash Unit attended the scene and a crash investigation was underway.

Mothers and newborns across the country could be offered a minimum of a three-day hospital stay if a new bill is successful, but there are concerns the maternity system does not have capacity.The Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) (3 Day Postnatal Stay) Amendment Bill proposes the 48 hours of funded inpatient post-natal care currently available, be upped to 72 hours.The bill also requires the lead maternity carer to let the mother know what she is eligible for.National MP Catherine Wedd put the bill forward, which aims to support more mothers and improve essential postnatal care.The bill has been largely supported, but…

The outgoing public watchdog is criticising the Department of Corrections for being “dinosaurian”, saying they’re slow to improve the treatment of prisoners.Ombudsman Peter Boshier spoke to Q+A to reflect on his nine years in the job. As part of New Zealand’s international obligations to prevent torture and other cruel punishment, the Ombudsman inspects prisons to check how inmates are treated. Boshier said his visits to prisons had deeply affected him. In his 2024 report into the Prisoners of Extreme Risk Unit (PERU) — which holds 13 men, including the Christchurch terrorist — he described the unit’s conditions as “cruel, inhuman,…