Author: Press Room

NZ First list MP Tanya Unkovich will resign her seat in Parliament to focus on her work in the private sector.Unkovich entered Parliament as a new MP following the general election in 2023.According to her biography on the NZ First website, before entering politics she was self-employed and worked as a public speaker, having published several books as an international life and business coach.It’s believed the MP’s departure comes in part as a result of her coaching and consultancy work with a view to heading back to the private sector. 1News revealed the surprise announcement this morning.She caused controversy early…

Former Speaker of the House Trevor Mallard is being sued by a child over blasting repetitive bad music from loudspeakers during the 2022 Parliament protest and occupation.During the occupation, Mallard used the speaker system to play music and the sprinklers to try and deter protesters and move them on from the lawn.The lawyer for the child, Tudor Clee, confirmed to RNZ the case was filed at the High Court in Wellington, naming the attorney-general and speaker as defendants.Clee said the case was in its very early stages and would be before a judge for its first call over on July…

Published on 27/06/2025 – 15:04 GMT+2•Updated 15:31ADVERTISEMENTAll European nations in NATO need to contribute to the continent’s security and reach the 5% GDP defence spending target, including Spain, Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal told Euronews in an exclusive interview.Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said he received an opt-out on the significant demand in defence spending from NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. But Michal explained Rutte told him this was not the case. “(Rutte) said that no, no exemptions. So I would say that Pedro Sánchez will also have to elaborate on how he will fulfil the major criteria,” explained Michel. Moreover, Michal…

A music licensing organisation is chasing up hundreds of businesses a week, asking them to pay-up for the tunes they are using, so that artists get what they are owed.OneMusic licences certain music for use in commercial settings like pubs, club, offices, hairdressers, gym and factories, nearly anything outside of personal use.Charges vary, playing the radio in a factory with 72 workers would cost $49 a month for licence, a gym with 500 members would pay about $104 dollars a month.OneMusic Director, Greer Davies told RNZ music licencing had been around for a while, and the company saw a huge…

ADVERTISEMENTIn 2016, the UK voted to leave the European Union in a close-call referendum. Nine years on, the nation appears to be “Bregretful”.  In a survey conducted by YouGov, 56% of UK citizens said that with hindsight, they believed the decision to leave the bloc was wrong, compared with 31% who maintained that it was the right decision.  Asked whether Brexit has been more of a failure than a success, 61% said it had been more of a failure, 20% stated it was neither, while 13% argued it has been a success. Of those who were disappointed by Brexit, 88%…

Seats were scarce at Gisborne’s District Council’s packed-out chambers on Thursday morning, as councillors voted to investigate the return of ancestral land to a local hapū.Members of Ngāti Oneone have inhabited Te Pā Eketū Shed, a warehouse-sized property on Gisborne’s Hirini St, for almost two months as part of a protest movement they have called “a reclamation of whenua”.Their original Te Poho-o-Rāwiri Marae and Pā once stood on the land, now owned by Eastland Port, before they were removed to develop the Gisborne Harbour under the Public Works Act, almost a century ago.Mayor Rehette Stoltz addressed the councillors and the…

Published on 27/06/2025 – 14:15 GMT+2ADVERTISEMENTThe new European Ombudswoman has called on EU institutions to take a more proactive approach to improving transparency, following a rise in complaints about the issue.Teresa Anjinho, who began her mandate in February at the body responsible for holding the bloc’s institutions and agencies to account, told Euronews that change was needed.”More can be done, especially at the European Commission, because there are successive delays in the delivery of documents,” Anjinho said. “Access to information, which is often delayed, is then denied.”According to the Ombudswoman’s latest annual report, the bloc’s lack of transparency is the…

A Spring Creek couple evacuated from their home due to Friday’s flooding say they’re “pissed off” with the Marlborough District Council’s lack of action around flood protection work.Residents from certain Spring Creek streets were asked to evacuate on Friday morning as a precaution, as the Marlborough region was battered by rain overnight Thursday.Follow 1News’ live updates of the weather hereThere was 245mm of rain at Rai Falls and other areas around the district, receiving more than 100mm.On Friday morning, Marlborough Emergency Management Controller Richard MacNamara said there was uncertainty around how long the heavy rain would last.The entrance to Spring…

A farm owner in Tasman says severe weather which has “smashed” her farm overnight is “heartbreaking” for her business. A state of emergency in place for part of Marlborough, as well as Nelson and Tasman as heavy rain batters the regions. Marlborough District Council has asked residents to avoid all travel unless absolutely necessary.Wild Oats farm owner Kirsty Lalich told 1News it wasn’t the first time her farm on Pretty Bridge Rd had experienced flooding, but said she’d “never, ever seen it like this”. “We’ve had rain like that before, but then it’s absolutely smashed it through the night. I…

Service stations in the North Island are raising alarm bells about thefts from underground fuel tanks, with two stations saying the raids pose a danger to the community.A G.A.S Station in Northland and another station in Hamilton both said thieves have taken petrol from their underground storage tanks, and say they have concerns with how their cases were handled.The Kaihu G.A.S station is in rural Northland, about 23 minutes from Dargaville.Mani Kaur runs the station with her husband, and said they were struck by thieves twice earlier this month. They said roughly 2000 litres of fuel was syphoned from their…