Author: Press Room

After more than a year without a pedestrian bridge, the Panmure Basin has a fresh new look and is open to the community.Locals gathered at dawn on July 19 to celebrate the opening of Te Kōpua o Hiku, a striking new walking and cycling connection that links both sides of the lagoon through art, culture, and consideration for the environment.The 60-metre bridge replaced the original Jubilee Bridge, which was closed in July 2023 after engineers deemed it unsafe. The long-awaited replacement will restore a vital route for walking and cycling around the basin and introduces interactive public art that is…

ADVERTISEMENT “In your opinion, should Donald Tusk resign and cease to serve as Prime Minister of the government?” asked a United Surveys poll for Polish news site Wirtualna Polska. 48.6% of respondents answered that Tusk should resign, while 43.8% said that he should remain in office. 7.6% were undecided or refused to take a position. The respondents were also strongly divided by party lines. Supporters of the ruling coalition, which includes Civic Platform, the Left, the Polish People’s Party and Poland 2050, support Tusk. 85% of them are against the Prime Minister’s resignation. However, 80% of voters supporting conservative opposition…

A man has been taken into custody after a man was critically injured in what was believed to be a shooting incident in Lower Hutt this morning.Emergency services were called to Hanson Grove at about 9am to reports of a gun being fired.Detective Inspector Haley Ryan said a dark-coloured vehicle was seen leaving the scene “at speed” immediately following the incident.”Extensive area inquiries were carried out, however the vehicle has not yet been located.”Ryan said in an update this afternoon that police had executed “a number of search warrants” in the area and would continue to have a visible presence.”The…

ADVERTISEMENT Ukrainian drone attacks sparked major fires at an oil depot near Russia’s Black Sea resort of Sochi, just as Russian missile strikes destroyed homes and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine’s southern city of Mykolaiv, officials from both sides said on Sunday. Sochi’s mayor, Andrei Proshunin, said that the debris also hit a nearby garage, adding that there were no casualties, while videos widely shared on Telegram appeared to show huge pillars of smoke billowing above the oil depot. “Fortunately, there were no casualties this time. The situation is completely under control,” Mayor of Sochi, Andrei Proshunin, said. “The entire city…

A Northland man has claimed a $200,000 Lotto Strike prize more than eight months on from the draw after he discovered a forgotten ticket tucked away in his glovebox when he was cleaning his car last week.The winning ticket, purchased at Pak’nSave Kaitaia, had gone unclaimed since November. Lotto NZ was preparing to escalate efforts to locate the winner when he came forward.Head of corporate communications Will Hine said the winner claiming his prize was “perfect timing”.”We were days away from reaching out to the winner’s bank, like we did recently with an unclaimed $500,000 prize in Auckland.”We much prefer…

A Wellington tech activist is helping NGOs and individuals move their data off US servers and into data centres in Iceland and Switzerland, citing fears the Trump administration could exploit digital infrastructure.Julian Oliver, from the cybersecurity firm Nīkau, has been moving data into secure data centres in countries known for their robust data-protection laws. “This fresh anxiety is not without some basis. Vast swathes of civilian data are already being handed over to the Trump administration to exploit,” he told Q+A. His consultancy didn’t comment on who exactly it was helping onto secure platforms.“Our clients used to be environmental defenders…

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says he is “very concerned” about the admission of abuse from Gloriavale’s leader but would not be drawn on potential Government oversight of the West Coast commune.Howard Temple, 85, earlier denied 24 charges, including several of sexual offending against girls and young women at the West Coast commune over 20 years.However on Wednesday, Temple pleaded guilty to an amended set of charges, including five of indecent assault, five of doing an indecent act, and two common assault charges.A further 12 charges were dropped.He was remanded on bail until August 11, when a sentencing date would be…

Senior Labour MP Megan Woods has announced she will not seek re-election in the Christchurch electorate of Wigram, opting instead to stand as a list candidate in the 2026 general election.Woods, who has represented Wigram since 2011, shared the news in a Facebook post, calling it “both humbling and the honour of a lifetime” to serve her community.”While this has been a difficult decision, after deep reflection, I’ve decided not to seek re-election in Wigram in 2026. Instead, I’ll be seeking selection for the Labour List to part of the new Government Chris Hipkins forms in 2026.”Reflecting on her election…

A man who allegedly burgled around $2 million worth of property from more than 50 homes across Auckland in two years has been arrested by police — who say he was on his way to his next job.Detective Sergeant Amanda Reed said police had been collecting evidence and information on the 51-year-old’s movements for several months and had intercepted a burglary attempt on Friday.Police sighted a vehicle belonging to the man travelling on Shore Rd in Remuera just after 6pm, she said.”Based off inquiries made into his movements in recent months, it was believed that he was on his way…

Police have arrested a man in connection with a street fight in Auckland’s Ōtara where a man was killed late on Friday.Emergency services responded to reports of a group fighting on Wymondley Rd shortly before midnight.Two men were found with critical injuries, with one later dying.A pool of blood was still clearly visible on the footpath on Wymondley Rd, about 250m from the police cordon on Bairds Road, on Saturday morning.A local resident, who did not want to be identified, told 1News he was woken by aggressive yelling outside around midnight.A homicide investigation has been launched, while a second man…