Author: Press Room

A 6.8 magnitude earthquake has rocked the lower South Island this afternoon.The quake struck at 2.43pm and was centred 155 km north-west of Snares Islands at a depth of 12km.It was assessed for tsunami risk by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and GNS Science.No risk was identified for land, but NEMA warned coastal areas would experience “strong and unusual currents and unpredictable surges” at the shore.”Strong currents and surges can injure and drown people. There is a danger to swimmers, surfers, people fishing, and anyone in or near the water close to shore.”People in or near the sea in…

The military deal signed by Albania, Croatia and Kosovo has angered Serbia at a time of growing concern over defence capabilities across the continent. ADVERTISEMENTAs concerns grow over the future of US support for European security and EU nations ramp up defence spending, three countries in southeastern Europe have signed a military agreement that they say will boost regional stability.The defence ministers of Albania, Kosovo, and Croatia last week met in Tirana to sign a joint declaration of cooperation intended to boost defence capacity, advance military technology and improve regional interoperability through shared training and exercises.However, the new alliance has…

Rising tensions between rival gangs in Gisborne have led to a series of “concerning incidents” that posed a “very real threat” to the public and those involved. Police said eight incidents involving assaults and firearms were reported between March 16 and March 23. While police and gang leaders have been working to ease tensions, the escalation in the conflict has “forced [police] to draw on additional powers”.Police were issued a gang conflict warrant yesterday afternoon, giving police special powers to search vehicles and occupants of vehicles of suspected gang members and to seize firearms, weapons, and vehicles.”Officers from across the…

Citizens are also demanding greater competitiveness from the EU, as well as the strengthening of the economy and industry to meet global challenges. ADVERTISEMENTIn the face of geopolitical challenges, including Russia’s war in Ukraine and incoming US tariffs on European products, a majority of the continent’s citizens firmly believe the European Union must invest further in security and defence.The European Parliament shared this information on Tuesday when it presented its Eurobarometer Winter Survey 2025, which was conducted between 9 January and 4 February this year.The survey also shows a notable growth in Europeans’ demand to strengthen competitiveness and industry to…

The seizure of 50kg of heroin and 210kg of methamphetamine in the Middle East has brought the combined value of narcotics seized by an international naval task force to almost half a billion dollars since New Zealand took command in January.It is the third drug bust this year for Combined Maritime Task Force 150 — an operational task force aimed at disrupting drug smuggling operations in the Middle East currently being led by the Royal New Zealand Navy’s captain Dave Barr.After observing some “suspicious activity” by a trading dhow around 400 nautical miles southeast of the Oman coast, crew of…

The chairman of Ngāti Hāua Iwi Trust says he feels a sense of peace as the iwi prepares to sign its Deed of Settlement with the Crown on Saturday.”Finally our story can be heard, and the Crown now acknowledges the injustices that were inflicted on Ngāti Hāua,” Graham ‘Tinka’ Bell said.Those injustices include being pushed out of Heretaunga (Hutt Valley), the execution of a tūpuna, Te Whareaitu, and the poisoning of flour which “forced our people to resort to eating things like the mamaku tree to sustain ourselves”.”That kōrero has been passed down to us for generations, so we feel…

The Minister for Oceans and Fisheries has closed the inner Hauraki Gulf to fishing of spiny rock lobster for three years.Shane Jones says the closure, starting from April 1, is to allow the lobster population to restore itself.”Locals have raised serious concerns about the decline of spiny rock lobster in the inner Hauraki Gulf, and this has been backed up by fishery-independent research. I share these concerns and to help the lobster population recover I’ve decided to stop spiny rock lobster fishing in the inner Gulf,” Jones said.The closure extends from the Okakari Point Marine Reserve at Cape Rodney, north…

European defence industry demands more European investment, EU’s defence commissioner tells Radio Schuman ADVERTISEMENTThe EU is exploring new and bold strategies to strengthen its defence sector. Relaxing strict fiscal rules to boost defence spending, accessing what is known as the SAFE instrument to raise capital, and expanding the European Investment Bank’s mandate to support military projects are some of the proposals to member states developed in the EU’s White Paper on Defence.At the EU summit in Brussels last week, the EU leaders discussed the commission’s proposal for the member states to allocate amounts as high as €800 billion in defence…

Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka says he’s “looked over” his “notes” since reporters asked what he thought about the removal of the Treaty clause in RMA reforms, but he didn’t want to get into “semantic gymnastics”.The clause required the principles of the Treaty to be upheld, as is included in the current RMA.RMA Minister Chris Bishop confirmed on Monday Cabinet had agreed not to include the clause in the coalition’s proposed new legislation.Earlier on Tuesday, Potaka told reporters it was the first he’d heard about it when asked.Potaka has since told reporters it was “very confusing before.””I’ve looked over my…

The Whangārei District Council has lost its bid for a legal injunction that would have allowed it to stop adding fluoride to the city’s water supply.The High Court’s decision was critical of the council, which Justice Karen Grau said was trying to protect itself from the consequences of not following the law.Justice Grau said it wasn’t appropriate for the court to “grant orders facilitating unlawful conduct”.She said the council hadn’t helped its own case by applying for the injunction at the last minute, and by accepting funding for fluoridation equipment it said it didn’t want to use.Whangārei District Council was…