Author: Press Room
ADVERTISEMENTOne week into his papacy, Pope Leo XIV has already found himself in the middle of multiple false narratives, much like Pope Francis before him.A social media post, for example, claims that an attached video shows the new pontiff deliberately snubbing and turning away from the LGBTQ rainbow flag as he greets onlookers at the Vatican.However, the flag in the video isn’t the LGBTQ flag — it’s the Italian peace flag, first used in 1961, which predates the LGBTQ flag.We can see that the lettering on the flag, while back to front, says “Pace”, the Italian word for “Peace”, and…
Butter, milk, and cheese led the rise in food prices in the year to April 2025, new data shows. Stats NZ figures released today reveal food prices rose 3.7% annually last month, with increases across all food categories.”Price increases were widespread, with all five food groups recording an increase.” It follows prices rising by 3.5% in the 12 months to March, by the same measure.Prices and deflators spokesperson Nicola Growden said dairy products led the increases in the latest data, with the average price for 500 grams of butter hitting $7.42.”That’s nearly $3 more expensive than this time last year,”…
It’s a four-letter word that starts with a C and is at the centre of a political and linguistic storm this week.But why is it still so offensive to so many?Workplace Relations Minister Brooke van Velden dropped the C-bomb during question time yesterday, in protest over the same slur being used against her and other female ministers in a column on pay equity by Andrea Vance, national affairs editor for the Sunday Star Times and The Post. It was believed to be the first time the word had been used in the house and has sparked a wider discussion about…
Fears of Māori being left out of the future development of the internet were front and centre at the inaugural national Māori Internet hui, Kauwaka te Ipurangi.The two-day event at Te Papa in Wellington, hosted by Te Komiti Whakauru Māori, a subcommittee of InternetNZ-Ipurangi Aotearoa, invited Māori to explore how the internet is managed, the policies and processes that shape its use, and to engage in its future.Whitiaua Ropitini, principal advisor at InternetNZ, said the conference was an opportunity for Māori to see how it was imperative to be involved.“Kei te whanake haere te ipurangi, kei te whanake haere ngā…
A takahē and a tuatara have been filmed seemingly engaging in a bush-floor stoush on Auckland’s Tiritiri Matangi Island. The video – captured by quick-thinking Department of Conservation ranger Nick Fisentzidis – showed a takahē appearing to attack a tuatara. “I saw them having a bit of a nip at each other; the takahē definitely had a go at the tail of the tuatara, and they had a bit of a scrap,” he said. “I followed them down the hill, and the tuatara got a couple of bites in, so the takahē backed off and snuck back away up the…
A man has been charged after police linked a series of Lego thefts stretching from Northland to Waikato. The 39-year-old Auckland man was arrested on Wednesday after a month-long investigation from the Waitematā West Enquiries Team. Police said the offending began in January and targeted retail stores from Whangārei to Te Rapa, including several stores in Auckland. A search warrant was executed at a property in Te Atatū South, where police said they were able to recover all of the stolen Lego. “It will be alleged highly valuable Lego items were either stolen, or had barcodes altered in this offending,”…
Kiwi musician Lorde has opened up about her breakup with former partner Justin Warren and her health battles in a new interview with Rolling Stone.The 28-year-old singer song writer recently announced her fourth album, Virgin, would be released on June 27. Ella Yelich-O’Connor, known to the world as Lorde, said she was “terrified” to open up about the album, with songs she described as “rugged,” vulnerable, and messy. The theme is a contrast to the tranquil New Zealand soundscape of her previous Solar Power album, which came out over four years ago in 2021. During the interview with Rolling Stone,…
Labour MP Willie Jackson was ordered to leave the House of Representatives this morning after he refused to sit down when directed by assistant Speaker Greg O’Connor.Jackson was giving a speech during the third reading of the Ngā Hapū o Ngāti Ranginui Claims Settlement Bill on Thursday.Jackson said he had met with visitors from Ngāti Ranginui and praised the unity and kōrero at the hui, while also challenging the Government to do more for Māori in housing, health and education.He then said the Waitangi Tribunal, Māori health services, and the Treaty of Waitangi were “under attack”.O’Connor asked Jackson to get…
A homicide inquiry is underway into the death of a woman in Hamilton this morning.Police said the woman died after a vehicle drove into a power pole she was standing next to. Police said the 30-year-old woman was standing on the corner of Ohaupo Road and Kahikatea Drive when the incident unfolded.”Enquiries are being conducted to ascertain the circumstances surrounding these events,” Detective Inspector Matt Cranshaw said. St John said in a statement this morning that it was notified of an incident just before 10am. One person was assessed at the scene and taken to Waikato Hospital in a critical…
Soaring dairy prices revealed this week, particularly for butter, are a double-edge sword according to one senior economist. Dairy prices were the main driver for food prices rising at their fastest pace in more than a year in the latest Stats NZ figures. The food price index shot up 3.7 percent. But within that figure, butter prices were up 65 percent, while milk was up 15 percent and cheese 24 percent. Stats NZ said the average cost of for 500 grams of butter was $7.42 in April. Informetrics principal economist Brad Olsen told Morning Report those prices were a double-edged sword. “For primary New…