Author: Press Room

Three Te Pāti Māori MPs who performed a tense haka in Parliament during the first reading of the Treaty Principles Bill last year say they are refusing to attend a hearing with Parliament’s Privileges Committee over concerns their “fundamental” legal rights are being ignored.Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Rāwiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Waikato MP Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke are due to appear before the committee on April 2.A video of Maipi-Clarke performing the haka Ka Mate went viral last year. Recently Labour MP Peeni Henare was found to have acted in a “disorderly” way for also joining in on the haka,…

The new law is designed to curb impulse purchases of cigarettes and tobacco — and supermarkets are prohibited from selling them altogether. ADVERTISEMENTA new law implemented in Belgium on Tuesday prevents cigarettes or any tobacco products from being put on display in shops.Supermarkets and other shops bigger than 400 square meters are also now forbidden to sell cigarettes altogether.The measures are intended to limit the visibility of cigarettes and other addictive products, with the hope of curbing impulse purchases, and together form part of a plan to eliminate tobacco use altogether.Under the supervision of Belgian Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke, the…

Parliamentary security has made at least one referral to the police in relation to threats against MP Benjamin Doyle, says the Green Party.Doyle would not be returning to Parliament this week following accusations at the weekend of inappropriate language on a social media account.Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters drew attention to Doyle’s private Instagram account on Saturday, asking what the handle “BibleBeltBussy” meant.The term “bussy” was used by some members of the rainbow community to refer to a man’s anus.The Green Party on Monday demanded the Prime Minister step in over Peters’ statements, saying they had led to an “immense”…

The EU executive has invited member states to redirect regional spending – accounting for one-third of the EU budget – toward various strategic areas such as water resilience and affordable housing, including defence to a limited extent. ADVERTISEMENTWater resilience, housing and defence are among priorities to which the European Commission on Tuesday urged member states to reallocate EU regional funds as part of a mid-term evaluation, but the executive stressed that funding weaponry would be off limits.This assessment aims to evaluate the performance, effectiveness, and efficiency of funds totalling nearly €370 billion for the 2021-2027 programming period, representing a significant…

Mark Hastie is a smooth operator. On the other hand, his brother Michael is more of a crunchy fan; the pair being the duo behind Dunedin’s Bay Rd peanut butter which recently produced its 1000th batch. Michael Hastie was unaware of the milestone until his brother pointed out the batch number and it was now something he considered an achievement — “just to still be here”. Bay Rd was launched at the Otago Farmers Market in 2017. Initially produced from a commercial kitchen at the Musselburgh Baptist Church, it moved to premises in Roberts St the following year. Four years…

More than 12,000 new construction products will flow into New Zealand by July with up to 250,000 by the end of the year as the Government loosens regulations.International standards and certifications will be soon allowed once Parliament passes the Building (Overseas Building Products, Standards, and Certification Schemes) Amendment Bill under urgency.Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk said plasterboard, insulation and, potentially, concrete would be the first products to be imported as part of the new regime.He said the changes would cover, “commonly used materials where there’s a big gain in terms of improving competition and also allowing the benefits…

The European Union has just taken a step towards deregulating New Genomic Techniques used for the improvement of agricultural plants. The agrichemical sector argues that they are essential to ensuring the future of food production, but many remain sceptical. ADVERTISEMENTIn the late 20th century, genes from different species were introduced into seeds, creating Genetically Modified Organisms, known as GMOs. The aim of the technology is to develop more resilient plant lines and increase productivity.About two decades ago, the European Union implemented strict rules to cover authorisation, labelling and risk assessment; but now it has proposed deregulation of New Genomic Techniques, which modify the plants’ own…

Legislation will ensure a fair, democratic and safe digital environment, European Commission Vice President for technology Henna Virkkunen told Euronews. ADVERTISEMENTThe European Union is pressing ahead with its plans to enforce new laws on social media platforms like X, TikTok and Facebook, despite pressure from the US. In an interview with Euronews, European Commission Executive Vice President Henna Virkkunen, who is responsible for Security and Technology, explained that these laws are crucial for protecting democracy from disinformation and market abuses.The Digital Services Act (DSA), which addresses disinformation, and the Digital Markets Act (DMA), aimed at ensuring a fairer digital economy,…

The 2025/2026 New Zealand Living Wage will rise by $1.15 to $28.95 per hour from later this year.The increase, which aligns with a 4.2% rise in NZ’s hourly wage, will be introduced for employees and contractors of accredited living wage employers and will come into effect on September 1.It means living wage employees will earn at least $5.45 per hour more than those on the minimum wage.The minimum wage goes up to $23.50 an hour from today.The new living wage rate of $28.95 per hour is around 68% of the average hourly earnings in New Zealand.Living Wage Aotearoa NZ calculates…

Pay to use loos have been floated as a solution to combat the increasing vandalism of public toilets across Mid Canterbury.Ratepayers footed a toilet vandalism bill of more than $30,000 over the previous two years, while loo paper thieves are targeting a number of facilities.Ashburton District Councillor Rob Mackle raised the possibility of a trial user-pays toilets at last week’s activity briefing meeting.“Overseas they do it, and it’s effective.”Vandalism of the toilet facilities has been “constant” during his time as councillor, he said.He suggested introducing the user pays trial on the toilets that had the most repeated damage.There was a…