Author: Press Room

Seven queen yellow-legged hornets have so far been found in Auckland as efforts ramp up to track others down.The predator hornets are a danger to local honey and wild bees.The first was found in Glenfield last month and was the first time a queen has been found here.The Ministry for Primary Industries says it’s stepping up the number of people on the ground.”This week we introduced additional teams to methodically check common nesting areas close to where hornets have been detected in Glenfield and Birkdale,” Biosecurity New Zealand north commissioner Mike Inglis said.”We are stepping up our numbers on the…

Tunumafono Fa’amoetauloa Avaula Colenso Fa’amoe MNZM is being remembered as a respected leader who fought to make lifejackets compulsory on boats around Auckland.The former local board member and disability advocate died last week.Lotu Fuli, Manukau ward councillor, says Tunumafono was “a giant in the disability world” whose influence extended across the region.Tunumafono was also instrumental in lobbying for the lifejacket bylaw, which made it compulsory to wear lifejackets on small boats across Auckland.”He took that upon himself when he was on the local board,” Fuli says. “He went to all 21 local boards across the city, advocating and lobbying for…

Police have selected the detection device officers will use for roadside drugs screening when the scheme kicks off next month. Starting in the Wellington District from mid-December, officers will begin screening for THC (cannabis), methamphetamine (meth), MDMA (ecstasy) and cocaine. The scheme would scale up from April 2026 to operate nationwide by mid-2026. Today, it was confirmed that the Securetec DrugWipe 3 S device, from Australian-based drug detection and life science provider Pathtech, would be used for the testing. Pathtech would also supply police with oral fluid collection kits for saliva samples to be sent for laboratory analysis. “Pathtech has…

Fire and Emergency New Zealand is reportedly proposing to cut 169 roles as it looks to shave costs. According to the PSA union, the cuts amounted to 13% of non-firefighting staff across the country, shaving 10% of its annual budget – roughly $70 million.Fire and Emergency NZ said the proposals in the restructure would affect around 700 roles across the organisation, resulting in the net loss of around 140 positions.Chief Executive Kerry Gregory said no frontline firefighter positions were impacted, although some supporting functions might change.”This proposal is about ensuring we are best positioned to deliver a modern and responsive…

Central Nelson retailers are looking forward to the end of major roadworks on their doorstep as some businesses struggle with fewer customers.The Nelson Turkish Kebab House has seen a 70% drop in profit, said owner Hayati Unudulmaz. He blamed reduced foot traffic and street parking caused by the ongoing Bridge St upgrades.“Everyone wants the [car]parks. We opened the back door [to Buxton Square carpark], but also people don’t know,” he said.“I have four staff. I have contracts. I need to pay the wages.”Hayati Unudulmaz says his kebab shop has seen a significant drop in profit due to roadworks. (Source: Local…

The scale of the destruction is worthy of a certain blockbuster movie set against Tongariro in the role of Mt Doom.Drone footage by Fire and Emergency NZ (FENZ) has revealed large tracts of Tongariro National Park blackened with ash from a huge wildfire that broke out over the weekend. After an epic effort to contain the massive vegetation blaze, Fire and Emergency NZ today handed back control of the area to the Department of Conservation (DOC).Parts of the park’s infrastructure were destroyed in the fire. (Source: Supplied)Damian Coutts, DOC Central North Island operations director, said the department took the lead…

Published on 13/11/2025 – 11:45 GMT+1 •Updated 14:08 The European Commission will probe whether Google is unfairly demoting news sites in its search results as a result of a policy the tech giant says is designed to fight spam. The EU executive said Thursday it had found “indications” that news sites were being deprioritised in search listings when carrying promotional third-party content, something a Commission spokesperson described as a “legitimate commercial practice” for news organisations. Google is suspected to have applied its policy in a “non-justified way” to news content, meaning “loss of revenue” and “loss of visibility” for media,…

Breakfast hosts Jenny-May Clarkson and Chris Chang shared a heartfelt moment as they opened the show this morning, after it was announced Clarkson would be leaving the show. After 20 years with TVNZ, and five as co-host of Breakfast, the former Silver Fern said she was leaving with gratitude and pride. Her final appearance on Breakfast will be on Friday, November 21.”It has been an absolute honour and a privilege to be invited into your homes every single morning,” Clarkson said.”I am going to miss that… But I’m not going to miss getting up at three o’clock in the morning.”…

An 18-year-old man has been charged with arson after a fire destroyed the old Fitzherbert Tavern in Palmerston NorthThe fire on October 30. was deemed suspicious following initial enquiries and scene examination.Detective Senior Sergeant David Thompson said members of the public and CCTV footage helped identify and locate the man.”Our investigation has identified a number of individuals who had been in the building during the afternoon of the incident, and they have been spoken to as part of our enquiries,” Thompson said.He said further action against those people was also likely.Emergency services responded to the fire at 5.15pm on the…

Political pressure is mounting on Belgium to lift its reservations and agree to a bold plan to issue an unprecedented reparations loan for Ukraine using the Russian frozen assets. The proposal would see a €140 billion loan issued as the main financing vehicle to fund Ukraine’s military and budget needs for the next two years. The idea is groundbreaking and support for it is intensifying after the European Commission and finance ministers praised its merits as the best option available. “My takeaway is that the Commission’s proposal is the best and most realistic option and should be treated as a…