Author: Press Room
The brand-new Pirate Ship ride set sail on its maiden voyage at Rainbow’s End this morning.Dubbed Pacifica after the ocean it travelled to New Zealand on, the 13m-long ship can seat up to 50 passengers and swings 75 degrees to each side.Guests in the back rows experience a moment of weightlessness at over 20m in the air as the ship swings downward.The original Pirate Ship was decommissioned in 2017 after nearly 40 years of service, retired only due to the limited availability of replacement parts.Rainbow’s End began work in late 2022 on a replacement. The new ship was built to…
Four Chinese Nationals have been arrested after Customs found more than a tonne of loose tobacco, a cannabis grow house, illegal cigarettes, and small bags of meth at various properties across Auckland.Customs officers found an estimated 1.2 tonne of loose tobacco in a storage unit during a raid yesterday. They also located a “commercial quantity” of cigarettes and small bags of methamphetamine at a residential address. A cannabis grow-house was discovered during the search of another house. The set-up was dismantled by police with the assistance of Customs. A cannabis cultivation and growing set-up discovered in Auckland by a Customs…
A Wellington resident has described the moment the roof of his house began to peel back as high winds lashed the city today. The region is currently under a strong red wind warning, with severe north-westerlies expected to reach up to 140km/h in exposed areas. As high winds battered the city, 1News spoke to Hone Tibble outside his Newlands home, where the wind had destroyed his carport and started to peel off the roof. Follow 1News’ live updates of today’s weather events hereHe said the ordeal began when the roof of his carport started to lift and the supports flew…
Mourners have paid tribute to former Prime Minister Jim Bolger at an official funeral this morning, with MPs from various parties travelling up the coast to attend.MPs from across the political spectrum attended, including Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.Other attendees spotted include the former prime ministers Jenny Shipley and Sir Bill English, as well as Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour, Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Parliament’s Speaker Gerry Brownlee.Other former National politicians included Chris Finlayson, Todd Muller, Nathan Guy and John Carter.The opposition parties were also represented by Labour’s Willie Jackson, the Greens’ Julie Anne Genter and Steve Abel, and Te…
A private members bill which would criminalise non-consensual deepfake porn has been drawn from the ballot in Parliament. The bill’s author, Act’s Laura McClure, has welcomed the news that her proposed legislation will go before MPs. She said: “Parliament now has the opportunity to empower victims of deepfake abuse with a clear pathway toward the removal of the images and the prosecution of their abusers.” 1News reported last week on a victim of AI deepfake porn, who suffered widespread humiliation caused by a man she once rejected in high school, and was able to see him charged and prosecuted. This…
A busy main road in Invercargill has been closed after a large tree toppled onto the street. Dramatic video shot by What’s On Invers showed the moment the tree collapsed onto Elles Rd, seemingly avoiding hitting any traffic. Invercargill was under a red wind warning, with severe north-westerly gales gusting up to 120km/h in exposed areas. Multiple roads, including the southbound lane of State Highway 6 between Don and Tay St, and SH1 East Rd between Mill Rd North and Racecourse Rd, were closed due to the weather. Follow 1News’ live updates of today’s weather events hereIn an update this…
Passengers have been safely evacuated from a Waiheke Island ferry after a mayday call of a fire on board.Ferry operator Island Direct said it has since been determined there was only smoke and no fire from one of the boat’s engines, which had an exhaust issue.Coastguard’s Maritime Operations Centre was alerted through VHF radio at 3.40pm of the incident aboard the vessel, which was just off the island in Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf.Eighteen passengers and crew onboard were evacuated without injury, according to Island Direct. Passengers could be seen donning lifejackets during the transfer. A spokesperson for the Coastguard said three…
A fledgling Otago AI company named one of the best places to work in the country says there will always be human elements that computers “can’t replace”. Visir AI was named the winner in the micro-workplace category (five to 20 employees) at the “2025 Best Places to Work” awards, announced at an event in Auckland on Wednesday. Executive director Josh Hobbs said it was humbling to be considered one of the best places to work in New Zealand. They were “beyond words”. “I never thought we would actually win. “Just being included in the finalists was great recognition for us.”…
Some households in Greymouth have run out of water and others are about to after wild weather damaged the electrical system at the town’s treatment plant this morning. The town’s main reservoir at Omoto is critically low, and the Grey District Council is urging people to keep the taps turned off while engineers try frantically to fix the fault and restart the computerised system.Mayor Tania Gibson says a 12,000L water tanker is on the way from Hokitika and was due at the Civic Centre carpark by 5pm.People are asked to bring their own containers and they’ll be limited to 4L…
About 100,000 employees across the public sector are expected to walk off the job today.The industrial action – labelled as a “mega strike” – includes teachers, nurses, and other public sector workers who are demanding better pay, safer staffing levels, and improved working conditions.Public services workers across health, education and other sectors protest over pay and conditions. (Source: 1News)It is expected that public services will be disrupted as the strike unfolds.Who is striking, and where?The primary unions taking part in the strike are the Primary Teachers Association, the Public Service Association, the New Zealand Nurses Organisation, the Post Primary Teachers…