Author: Press Room

The 27-year-old Northland woman charged with neglect after a two-year-old girl was discovered alive in a suitcase on board an Intercity bus is seeking a defence of insanity.This was confirmed in the Auckland District Court today by the woman’s lawyer, Kate Goodman-Creed. She said she had sought a psychiatric report, which would be referred to the Crown, for it to assess and decide whether to commission one of its own. Under the Criminal Procedure (Mentally Impaired Persons) Act, a court can find a case against a person is proven, but can rule they are not criminally responsible by reason of…

Five people were rescued after a fishing vessel ran aground at French Pass in the Marlborough Sounds last night.Maritime NZ said its rescue coordination centre was notified of a fishing vessel running around at around 11.30pm on Tuesday.”Through communicating with the vessel, search and rescue officers were able to confirm there were five people on board. Everyone was safe and no one was injured,” Maritime NZ said in a statement to 1News.Coastguard Nelson was asked to head to the vessel to pick up members of the crew, with the boat refloated just after 3am on Wednesday.”The vessel, accompanied by Coastguard…

By Susan Edmunds of RNZ Only two sectors have not experienced a reduction in their wages in real terms over the past year, data shows. While inflation was running at a 3 percent annual rate in the year to September, wage inflation increased at a rate of 2.1 percent – or 2.4 percent for those in the public sector. Using labour cost index data, only local government administration roles had an increase in pay once inflation adjusted, in the year, up 0.3 percent, and health care and social services were just above zero. Everyone else ended the year worse off…

New Zealand is on track to record its lowest number of new HIV diagnoses in decades – but advocates say progress is at risk because stigma and outdated laws still shape the lives of people living with HIV.Just 95 people were diagnosed with HIV in 2024, with even fewer expected this year. But, despite the medical advances behind that decline, discrimination remains widespread.Judith Mukakayange from Positive Women Inc said she still sees stigma harming families.“I got a call about a family denied emergency housing because the mother is living with HIV. They believed she could transmit HIV just by sharing…

Three major French unions launched a nationwide day of strikes and demonstrations on Tuesday to protest government austerity policies, wage stagnation and looming cuts to public services. But despite weeks of preparation, mobilisation remained weak with turnout being far less than the large rallies seen earlier this autumn. The CGT, FSU and Solidaires called for the action as the National Assembly debates the 2026 Social Security budget, which union leaders describe as carrying “numerous and serious regressions” for workers, pensioners and the public sector. What is driving the anger? At the heart of Tuesday’s mobilisation are demands for wage increases,…

A New Zealand fur seal pup caused a stir when it waddled into a pub in Richmond on Sunday night.Sprig + Fern The Meadows co-owner Bella Evans said staff were setting up Christmas decorations and serving customers just after 5pm when the seal came in.”First of all, I just thought it was a dog or something, because we’re a dog-friendly pub as well, and I had to do a double take, and I was thinking, ‘oh my gosh, there’s a seal’.”A fur seal pup in the Sprig + Fern The Meadows (Source: A fur seal pup in the Sprig +…

Two employees of failed wine venture Winely say the firm was more about ideas than the reality of running a business and there was management talk of making staff members millionaires and becoming bigger than Google. Winely, a Dunedin-founded wine fermentation tracking company, was put into liquidation last month with total liabilities of more than $2.2 million. It was founded by Jacob Manning and Abbe Hyde and incorporated in 2018 to develop and manufacture technology to provide real-time fermentation analysis to the wine industry. Henry Greenslade said he worked for the company for 16 months and communication was not a…

A coroner has found the death of a driver who crashed into a school bus could have been prevented had he not driven while tired.Scania Rangi Te Whare, 27, had driven from his home in Te Kuiti on October 31 2022, leaving about 7.30pm to start his night shift at BidFood in Hamilton.He typically worked night shifts from 9pm to 7am.The coroner noted Te Whare would sometimes sleep in his car or at a friend’s house rather than driving home.As he drove home about 7.30am the next day, Te Whare crossed the centre line of the road and hit a…

A post on Facebook has sparked confusion — and disbelief — after claiming that German cities have built “sleek robotic mailboxes” where residents can dispatch lost items, such as wallets and keys, that the machines will then return to their original owners. “Once dropped inside, the mailbox scans the contents using internal cameras and AI-trained object recognition systems,” the post says. “The system then cross-checks the item with local address databases and initiates an automated return,” it continues. “Items are packed in tamper-sealed envelopes and rerouted through existing postal networks — often reaching the owner within 48 hours.” Multiple users…

New Zealand fans will get another chance to see British folk-rock band Mumford & Sons live with the group set to return to Auckland in 2026.The Grammy-award winning band will play at Spark Arena on May 2, 2026, supported by Folk Bitch Trio.It will be their first performance in New Zealand since 2019. The band rose to prominence in the early 2010s with songs like Little Lion Man and I Will Wait.The dates have been announced prior to the release of the band’s sixth studio album Prizefighter, which features artists such as Hozier, Gracie Abrams, Chris Stapleton, and Gigi Perez.Tickets…