Author: Press Room

Greymouth’s boil notice has now been lifted after more than two weeks of restrictions. The notice was issued on April 8 after E. coli was detected in the Kaiata water supply zone. Grey District Council received a revised direction from their water regulator Taumata Arowai earlier this week and checked the facility yesterday.This morning, it was determined the council now complied with the new requirements. Mayor Tania Gibson said it had been stressful for the community and thanked everyone for their patience. “We know it hasn’t been easy. We are very relieved.” An investigation into the contamination was still ongoing.…

ADVERTISEMENTNATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has urged all 32 member nations to devote more funds, equipment and political energy to the world’s biggest military alliance, as the United States steps back from its leading security role in Europe.”In 2025, we need to significantly increase our efforts to ensure NATO remains a key source of military advantage for all our nations. Our continued freedom and prosperity depend on it,” Rutte wrote in his annual report.NATO has been in disarray since February, when US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth warned that America’s security priorities lie elsewhere and that Europe would have to look after…

Offal that appears to be from two cows has been dumped beside a layby at an Eastern Bay of Plenty beach.A local resident using the cycle path that runs between the beach and State Highway 2, from Ōpōtiki to Waiotahe discovered the two smelly heaps of guts from cattle on Tuesday morning beside the parking area about 800 metres east of Te Ahiaua Reserve (The Pipi Beds).She suspected the cattle were stolen, as a farmer or anyone carrying out a homekill legally would dispose of any unwanted parts in an offal hole on their own land.The remains were still there…

After years of delays, a South Island healthcare provider is ready to build a new after-hours medical facility in Rangiora, Canterbury.South Link Health chief executive Karl Andrews said work could finally begin on the promised medical centre at the Rangiora Hospital and Health Hub site in Ashley Street.Local residents have been frustrated by the wait for after-hours healthcare in North Canterbury, with local MP Matt Doocey demanding action in February on the stalled project.The Waimakariri District Council confirmed it would invest up to $3.5 million in the medical facility at a closed-door session earlier this week.Work was expected to begin…

ADVERTISEMENTUS President Donald Trump says Russia has made a “pretty big concession” to end the war in Ukraine by stopping short of taking the “whole country.”Trump insists he is putting “a lot of pressure on Russia” and that’s why President Vladimir Putting is “talking right now.””I think he wants to make a deal, we’re going to find out very soon, but it takes two to tango,” Trump said.Trump made the comments during an Oval Office meeting with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.Ukraine and much of Europe have fiercely pushed back against this notion, arguing that it’s hardly a concession…

Transport Minister Chris Bishop is welcoming the NZ Transport Agency board’s endorsement and approval of a $91.1 million investment case for Mill Road.The funding will complete the design work and securing consents on stage one. Bishop said Mill Road was a crucial one of the Government’s Road of National Significance, one of 17 for the Government.”South Auckland is the fastest growing area in the Auckland region, with 120,000 more people expected to make it their home over the next 30 years. We need to get on and deliver crucial transport infrastructure that supports that kind of growth, reduces congestion, improves…

China’s embassy in New Zealand has expressed its “strong dissatisfaction” over a visit to Taiwan by a cross-parliamentary group of MPs.A lengthy statement posted by the embassy accused the MPs of “wrongdoings” and that they “insisted on colluding with ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces” during their trip.The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Taiwan was established in 2023 and is jointly led by National’s Stuart Smith and Labour’s Tangi Utikere.Other MPs on the delegation included National’s Greg Fleming and Hamish Campbell, Labour’s Helen White, ACT’s Cameron Luxton, and New Zealand First’s Jamie Arbuckle.New Zealand did not recognise Taiwan as a country, instead adhering…

Auckland Zoo has welcomed some guests from across the Tasman on the eve of Anzac Day.A mob of forester kangaroos, a subspecies of the eastern grey kangaroos, are settling into the zoo’s Australia Bush Track exhibit under the care of the animal experiences team.A section of the Australia Bush Track, which also housed emu, brolga and Cunningham’s skinks, would be temporarily closed as the marsupials are introduced to the habitat.The kangaroos are acclimatising to their new habitat. (Source: Auckland Zoo)”It’s still early days for the ‘roos to get to know their new surroundings and our kaimahi,” the zoo said in…

A Bay of Plenty couple unknowingly had a winning Lotto ticket worth $500,000 sitting in a drawer for nearly four months. On Tuesday, Lotto announced it was looking for a first division winner who had yet to claim their prize after the New Year’s Day draw on January 1, 2025. Today, Lotto revealed a Pāpāmoa woman had come foward to claim her prize after finding it in a drawer filled with old tickets.“Reading the news article about the unclaimed prize prompted me to check old tickets I’d saved in a drawer, and that’s when I noticed one I hadn’t checked…and…

An Auckland company has produced what’s believed to be the country’s first commercially available gluten-free Anzac biscuit.Kea Cookies, based in St Johns, had been striving to perfect a gluten-free version of the beloved treat for several years.Success finally came with the arrival of new head baker Lucy Alexander, with a fresh perspective leading to a biscuit breakthrough.”I said, ‘we’ve been trying for a couple of years and can’t quite get it right’,” said factory manager Julie Shew.”She thought about it, substituted ingredients from one of our other recipes, and played around with it until she got it spot on.”Alexander said…