Author: Press Room

Maritime NZ has filed two charges against KiwiRail following an investigation into the grounding of Interislander ferry Aratere last year. The Aratere grounded just north of Picton on June 21 last year, with 47 people onboard at the time. No-one was injured and the vessel was refloated two days afterwards, with damage to its bow that required repair.Maritime New Zealand’s chief executive Kirstie Hewlett said the charges relate to failures by the operator to keep crew and passengers safe while onboard the ferry, under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015. “This was a complex incident and important investigation…

Thirty-five years after Tom Cruise received his first Oscar nomination, he’s finally getting a trophy. It’s not for his death-defying stunts, either. At least, not exclusively.Cruise, choreographer Debbie Allen and Do The Right Thing production designer Wynn Thomas have all been selected to receive honorary Oscar statuettes at the annual Governors Awards, the film academy said Wednesday. Dolly Parton will also be recognised with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for her decades-long charitable work in literacy and education.”This year’s Governors Awards will celebrate four legendary individuals whose extraordinary careers and commitment to our filmmaking community continue to leave a lasting…

Yes it does happen, but why? And how can you fix it? Auckland-based communications expert Jairo Gutierrez explains.As generations of cellular networks have evolved, becoming faster and with greater capacity, they have also become more complex, with new potential points of failure.There’s a certain feeling I get in the pit of my stomach when I’m waiting for an important call to come through. You know the type – maybe a call from your boss, a potential new employer or news of a loved one who’s due to give birth.In these situations, I usually stare at my phone, willing it to…

Ardie Savea is set to take a sabbatical in 2026 to once again play with the Kobelco Kobe Steelers in Japan, New Zealand Rugby (NZR) has confirmed.The loose forward will remain available to the All Blacks for their 2025 international campaign, and is contracted to NZR through the end of 2027.In 2026, Savea will return to New Zealand at the conclusion of the Japan League One season. He will then be available for the All Blacks 2026 July test series.Savea previously has played for the Japanese club in the 2024 season.Meanwhile, Moana Pasifika confirmed Savea will also return to their…

By Susan Edmunds of RNZ New Zealanders are paying high prices for milk, butter and cheese because of what people are willing to pay offshore, Fonterra’s boss says – but is that fair? The most recent food price data showed milk prices were up 15.1 percent annually last month, to $4.57 per two litres, butter was up 51.2 percent annually to $8.42 per 500g and cheese was up 30.1 percent to $13.04 per kilogram. In May, Fonterra chief executive Miles Hurrell told RNZ prices were driven by global demand. “We’re a collection of 8500 small farmers and our job is to…

A chess set, an e-bike battery, and air fryers are among the hiding places a Christchurch man used to import methamphetamine into the country, Customs has alleged.Investigations linked a 26-year-old man to multiple border seizures of methamphetamine smuggled in international mail with packages delivered to Christchurch addresses between March 2024 and April 2025.Customs acting investigations manager Matthew Green said the organisation had kept track of the smuggling effort since early 2024 when frontline officers at the International Mail Centre in Auckland began intercepting deliveries from the United States.”Customs investigators executed a search warrant at the defendant’s address this morning where…

A teenage girl has been arrested and charged with allegedly threatening a witness in the homicide investigation of 15-year-old Kaea Karauria in Napier last month.Karauria, 15, was found critically injured at an Alexander Ave address following reports of a disorder event at 3.10am on May 11 and died at the scene despite efforts by ambulance staff.Police are yet to arrest anybody for the killing.Detective Inspector Dave de Lange said the teenager allegedly approached and threatened a witness on May 12, a day after the fight in which Karauria was killed.He said police had learned of the incident on June 6…

A court has heard former ACT Party president Tim Jago’s appeal against his sexual abuse conviction and sentence.Jago was found guilty of sexually abusing two teenage boys in the 1990s after a jury trial last year.One of the boys was under 16 years old, and the other was over 16 years old.Jago sought to have his conviction overturned as a miscarriage of justice, arguing the jury had reached an unreasonable verdict and that the judge’s summary was unbalanced.Jago appeared remotely from custody at the Court of Appeal in Auckland today as he served his two and a half year sentence.His…

ADVERTISEMENTPoland is strengthening its borders as it attempts to ward off threats amid heightened tensions from Russia’s war in Ukraine.Authorities in Warsaw say they have added minefields to the “East Shield” project, the name given to the protective barrier whose construction began in November last year. Work on the project now takes place year-round, seven days a week. The barrier spans over 20 kilometres along the Polish border adjacent to the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad extending to the Baltic Sea. According to Karol Frankowski, a press officer for the Polish army, the new corridor is a show of force. “We…

A growing number of New Zealanders see Asia as important or very important to the country’s future, according to an annual survey by the Asia New Zealand Foundation.The New Zealanders’ Perceptions of Asia and Asian People survey, released by the Asia New Zealand Foundation, presents “changes in views over the past year, as well as longitudinal trends of public attitudes across demographics, regions and sectors”. Figures from the report noted Japan to be regarded by New Zealanders as the friendliest and most trusted country in Asia, and was the relationship New Zealanders would like to see further investment in. Kiwis…