Author: Press Room

New Zealanders are very used to skipping security for regional plane flights – even for some between major cities.Screening is not mandatory for flights carrying fewer than 90 passengers, meaning sometimes items slip through the cracks.On Tuesday evening, a flight from Blenheim to Auckland was diverted to New Plymouth after a passenger brought a piece of machinery containing residual fuel on board in their carry-on.Passengers reported smelling fuel, and the flight made an unscheduled landing in New Plymouth. A Civil Aviation Authority spokesperson explained flammable liquids were not permitted in checked luggage or in carry-on.”The item has been described as…

ADVERTISEMENTRussia launched a large drone attack overnight into Saturday which damaged several buildings in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, according to the city’s mayor Vitali Klitschko.Klitschko said drones hit a private house and a non-residential building, injuring at least three people.Footage from Ukraine’s State Emergency Service showed crews still trying to put out fires after sunrise. It said three warehouses across the city caught fire in the attack.It came amid wider strikes on several Ukrainian regions.The general staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said Russia launched 88 drones at targets across the country, 56 of which were downed.In the northeastern city of…

ADVERTISEMENTThe Med5, a two-day meeting of the interior ministers of the five European countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, ended in the Royal Palace in Naples. Italy, Spain, Greece, Cyprus and Malta were represented, as well as the European Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner and Frontex Executive Director Hans Leijtens.At the end of the summit, the ministers signed a joint declaration.Piantedosi: migrants sent to Albania considered ‘dangerous'”We all recognised the need to strengthen Frontex,” said Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi during the press conference at the end of the summit, reiterating that “the fight against human traffickers is…

An enterprising Auckland boy with a brain tumour has raised enough funds to go on a dream trip and more – after selling his toys in a garage sale.Nine-year-old Hone Hillman put his old toys for sale to fund a family trip to Christchurch, where his uncle, aunt and baby cousin lives.His dad Sam Samuelu said Hone had been asking to hold a garage sale for the last four weeks.“It’s been hard for me to reach out for help,” he said, becoming emotional.Six months ago, Samuelu received the news no parent wants to hear.“They found his liver was enlarged. They…

Renowned Māori artist and children’s book author Robyn Kahukiwa has died at the age of 87, her family announced this evening. “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Robyn Kahukiwa, beloved Mum, Kōka, Nanny, Kuia, and Great Nanny to her mokopuna, widow of Dooley Pera Kahukiwa (dec) Ngāti Whakaue, Te Arawa,” her whānau said today on social media. The political activist (Ngāti Porou, Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti, Ngāti Konohi, Te Whānau-a-Ruataupare) died peacefully after an illness yesterday, “her kaitiaki near, wrapped in the korowai of aroha and pouritanga of our whānau”.Her family gave “special thanks and gratitude to…

A new independent supermarket has officially opened its doors in Flaxmere today – more than a year after the closure of the local New World left the community without a dedicated grocer.Around 50 Flaxmere locals braved the crisp 7am start to get a first glimpse of the store. The supermarket opened following song, karakia and an official ribbon cutting.Owner and manager Nirav Patel told 1News he hopes to boost the local economy and spirits. “We have locals on the checkouts, we use a local butcher for our meats, and we hope to only use locally-grown fruit and vegetables.“I am so…

A Christchurch motorway will be the first in the South Island to be increased to 110km/h. The change, which comes into effect from tomorrow, will stretch across 17.7km along SH1/76 on the Christchurch Southern Motorway east of Curletts Rd interchange in Addington to the west of Weedons Rd interchange in Rolleston. Transport Minister Chris Bishop said the change “will help ensure people and freight can get to where they need to go, quickly and safely”. The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) consulted on the proposed speed limit change late last year and received nearly 4000 submissions – 68% of which were in support. Up to 38,000…

A homicide investigation has been launched following the discovery of a woman’s body in a vehicle in Waiuku yesterday afternoon.Police say they were called to the scene around 5.40pm on Friday.A scene examination is underway, and a post-mortem will be carried out tomorrow, police said.A 50-year-old man has been taken into custody and is assisting police with their enquiries.

ADVERTISEMENTIs China an “essential partner” to tackle the greatest challenges of our time or the “key enabler” behind the largest armed conflict on European soil since 1945?At this stage, it just depends on who you ask.The return of Donald Trump to the White House has unleashed seismic changes across the globe, forcing nations to re-evaluate their alliances and rivalries in desperate search of shelter against the president’s go-for-broke policies.His sweeping tariffs, in particular, have deeply unsettled governments, which are now seriously contemplating if the trade flows and supply chains on which they have relied for the past decades are about…

ADVERTISEMENTWe are joined this week by Fabrice Leggeri, French National Rally MEP with the Patriots for Europe, Cynthia Ní Mhurchú- Irish Fianna Fail MEP with Renew Europe and Dharmendra Kanani, chief spokesperson for the Brussels based think tank – Friends of Europe. The panel react to the recent court case that found French National Rally leader Marine Le Pen guilty of embezzling millions of euros of EU funds and banned her potentially from running for political office for five years. The news has triggered a lively debate across France, as Le Pen was tipped to be a frontrunner in the…