Author: Press Room

The Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) says it is unsure how many planes are likely to be affected by a defective switch which caused an engine on an Air New Zealand Airbus A320 plane to shut down during a flight last year.An inquiry into the incident which saw the flight from Wellington to Sydney make an unplanned landing in December 2024 has shown up to six instances where faulty or damaged fire switches caused A320 planes’ engines to shut down unexpectedly.Aircraft from the Airbus A320 family have been in the news recently after a global recall was sparked when it…

Air New Zealand cabin crew will no longer walk off the job on Monday, but unions have issued a new strike notice for short-haul flights just a week out from Christmas. The airline’s short-haul cabin crew will walk off the job on Thursday, December 18 if they can’t reach an agreement with the national carrier.  Flight attendants last month announced that they were planning to walk off the job for 24 hours after failing to reach an agreement with the airline over pay and conditions. Air New Zealand said it had reached agreements “in principle” with unions representing its regional turboprop and…

When Kendrick Lamar began his Super Bowl halftime show earlier this year, he picked a stage design likely familiar to anyone tuning in: a square, triangle, cross and circle.The Grammy-winning rapper – in front of more than 133 million people – chose to perform on a massive, industrialised grid of flashing lights resembling a giant PlayStation controller.It was a nice surprise present for Sony’s PlayStation, which this year is celebrating its 30th anniversary in North America and Europe. Lamar’s nod to the console – which Sony had nothing to do with – was another sign of how far the brand…

A teacher has been censured for asking colleagues if they wanted to “do a line” of white powder at an after-work Christmas do in a classroom. Her conduct was described as “stupid drunken horseplay”. The Teachers’ Disciplinary Tribunal found the teacher’s acts on school grounds amounted to “serious misconduct”. She was the second teacher to face disciplinary charges over the December 2022 incident. She was working as a specialist teacher at the time of the incident and had already resigned to start a new job. Both the teacher and the school’s names were suppressed by the tribunal. Want to ‘do…

Cleaning supplies retailer Wet & Forget says it has made the ‘‘difficult decision’’ to close its Dunedin store as part of a nationwide retail shakeup. Dunedin and Invercargill are set to lose their Wet & Forget stores as the brand away from its own shops and into partnerships with other retailers. In a statement, Wet & Forget said it planned to expand from 19 company-owned stores to more than 200 partner locations from late 2025, ‘‘significantly increasing product access for customers’’. ‘‘While this will be welcomed by customers across the country it has meant the company has made the difficult decision to close six…

The Government has announced proposed changes to the Retirement Villages Act as part of a review. The proposed changes — announced by Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka and Seniors Minister Casey Costello today — progress the review of the Act as part of National and New Zealand First’s Coalition Agreement. Key changes include:A process for former residents to apply for early access to funds in situations of specific need.Interest being paid after six months if a unit remains unlicensed.Repayment of funds no later than 12 months after a unit is vacated.Weekly fees and deductions stopping immediately when a resident vacates.The…

Woolworths NZ has admitted a charge after a rat infestation at a Dunedin store in late 2023 and early 2024. It saw the supermarket chains’ Dunedin South branch shut for nearly three weeks.Woolworths NZ was charged in September by New Zealand Food Safety after what NZFS called a “thorough investigation into rodent activity”.The charge relates to a failure to ensure a significant rodent infestation was promptly identified and escalated in accordance with the business’ food control plan. It carries a maximum fine of $200,000.In the Dunedin District Court today, Woolworths admitted the charge after appearing for the first time. Sentencing…

Hollywood heavyweight Jason Momoa has stepped in to back an Oscar-contending New Zealand Short film made by Tongan actress Luciane Buchanan, joining as Executive Producer. Buchanan, who previously co-starred with Momoa in Chief of War, announced the news this morning and told TVNZ it came about after she sent Momoa the film and a text message. “I said, ‘No pressure, just putting it out there,'” Buchanan told Breakfast today. She wrote and stars in the short film. “It was an idea that came up and I was like, ‘I don’t want to do that to him!’ But I got to…

Some people who attempted to call Tenancy Services were left confused this week after an “unfortunate human error” meant their call automatically redirected to emergency services. One person told 1News they first attempted to call Tenancy Services through the 0800 number link on its website on Tuesday morning. Instead of answering their tenancy query, an automated voice said: “We’re experiencing technical difficulties, please try again later” before following up with “you have dialled 111 emergency, your call is being connected”. The person attempted to call through the website link again on Wednesday, and said it was “shocking” to hear that…

Consumers are cutting back on holiday gift-giving and vacations as cost-of-living expenses take priority. A survey of nearly 1100 Westpac customers indicates nearly three-quarters (73 percent) were either extremely or moderately concerned about the cost of living, which was little changed from last year. “This year has been tough for many New Zealanders, with prices continuing to creep higher despite inflation coming off its highs,” Westpac NZ general manager of consumer banking & wealth Helen Ryder said. Only 15 percent of those surveyed expected to spend more than last year, while 42 percent expected to spend less. Nine-out-ten of those…