Author: Press Room

Christchurch’s embattled Orana Wildlife Park has today confirmed it has maintained its animal welfare accreditation after meeting all requirements set by the Zoo and Aquarium Association of Australasia.A temporary pause on incoming animal transfers from other zoos was put in place in December following a major investigation into its animal welfare procedures and culture. The pause was lifted today following a scheduled six-month review by the association.Issues at the zoo were first raised by a 1News investigation into the park involving 20 current and former Orana staff raised concerns about the way staff – and animals – were treated.The whistleblowers…

A magnitude 3.8 earthquake has rattled the area around Whanganui this afternoon.Geonet said the quake struck around 10km southeast of Whanganui at 4.07pm at a depth of 24km.It described the shaking as “light”. However, more than 700 reports were lodged with Geonet within 10 minutes from people who felt it.The shaking was reportedly felt as far north as Ohakune and as far east as Palmerston North.”That was a good one”, one resident wrote on social media.”Yes, I think I jumped as much as the house did,” wrote another.

A series of cold fronts are set to sweep across New Zealand as the weekend approaches, bringing heavy rain, snow, and strong wind to parts of the country.Heavy rain watches are in force for the headwaters of Otago and Canterbury, as well as for northwest Tasman.MetService said rainfall could approach warning criteria within 15km east of the Southern Alps’ Main Divide.Rain began to fall in the far south on Thursday and was expected to spread northward into the evening.Snow was being forecast around many of the country’s mountain ranges, with levels down to 800m in the North Island and as…

Iwi Māori partnership boards (IMPBs) from across the country are making a unified stand against proposed policy changes they say will reduce their statutory role in the health system.The fifteen boards are meeting in New Plymouth for the first time since the first reading of the Healthy Futures (Pae Ora) Amendment Bill.They say their monitoring powers are critical to ensuring health services are accountable to Māori communities and responsive to local needs.The hui aims to “build a unified national voice” in response to the proposed changes, according to host IMPB Te Punanga Ora. They refer to Article 2 of Te…

One of New Zealand’s largest fertiliser plants may need to temporarily shut down due to a scarcity of affordable gas supplies.Taranaki farmer- and grower-owned cooperative Ballance Agri-Nutrients will be forced to shut its Kapuni plant for up to four months – potentially leading to job losses – if it’s unable to secure an affordable gas supply by next month, it said in a statement today.The plant produced approximately one-third – or 260,000 tonnes – of New Zealand’s urea for use as nitrogen-rich fertiliser each year.Ballance CEO Kelvin Wickham said the company was planning for a range of eventualities and keeping…

A detective leading the investigation into a crash that killed a 12-year-old Northland girl and seriously injured two of her siblings says it was a totally avoidable tragedy.Detective Senior Sergeant Chris Fouhy, of the Far North CIB, said a car carrying a family of seven rolled several times into a bank after being T-boned at an intersection in Kaikohe about 12.45pm on Wednesday.The family was travelling along Hillcrest Rd while the other vehicle was coming down the hill on Orrs Rd.He said two youths in the other car fled on foot but were found nearby soon afterwards.A spokesperson for St…

Labour leader Chris Hipkins has told the Queenstown Business Chamber the economy is not recovering, and more spending is needed to get the settings right.Hipkins and several of his MPs are in the city ahead of a caucus retreat in Christchurch this week, aiming to speak to South Island communities.In Thursday’s speech to the Queenstown Business Chamber, he said the Government’s strategy for growth was not tackling the underlying economic problems.”While there are pockets of positivity around economic growth, overall the country is not in the economic shape that we need it to be.”Despite a lot of talk about economic…

A councillor is calling for a Bay of Plenty highway bridge to be raised and lengthened, in the wake of last week’s flooding that closed the important route. The issues with Matekerepu Bridge turning into a “choke point” during flooding was discussed at an Ōpōtiki District Council meeting this week. Councillor Tom Brooks described the new Matekerepu roundabout as “pointless” if traffic from Ōpōtiki couldn’t get over the bridge less than 50 metres away. He said when the new roundabout was announced, he queried at an Eastern Bay Road Safety Joint Committee meeting why the bridge wasn’t being replaced at…

Rookie Leroy Carter was still coming to terms with his inclusion in the All Blacks squad to play in Argentina in the opening rounds of the Rugby Championship when he made the shocking discovery. “The dog ate my passport.”The utility back with the Hamilton-based Chiefs was one of four uncapped players included in Scott Robertson’s Championship squad. The phone call from Robertson informing him of his selection had come as a massive surprise.Carter was rushing to get things together for the squad’s assembly and departure when he realised the family dog had intercepted his passport.“I got my passport out to…

Police tactics in the fatal shooting of Shargin Stephens showed a disregard for the right to life, according to a scathing coroner’s report.A probationary officer in “a heightened emotional state” pushed his way past experienced officers and got “unnecessarily and dangerously close” to Stephens, who was holding a slasher after smashing up a police car, and shot him twice with an M4 rifle.Coroner Michael Robb ruled the death, in July 2016, was preventable and his 207-page report painted a picture of police chaos on the day, including a lack of leadership and a failure to de-escalate the situation.He said frontline…