Author: Press Room
No more spreadsheets, no more “docs”, no more written warnings from your boss.Work’s out for summer and most of us just want competently written page-turners to chill with in between swims at the beach, or under a tree, or from the camp chair.We’re not talking necessarily the best, weightiest, or fanciest-looking books of the year, we’re talking something you can appreciate while operating on the most basic levels of brain function. They have to be compelling, but not too dark. Ideally, they give you something to talk about, but they don’t give you nightmares.Here’s what Aotearoa’s top bookworms recommend adding…
A man has been arrested and charged with murder in relation to the fatal shooting of Albert Enoka in Lower Hutt earlier this month.Police received reports a person had been shot outside a house on Seddon St around 3.15pm on December 10.Albert Enoka, 39, died at the scene and a homicide investigation was launched.Information was sought about the movements of a black Mercedes during police inquiries.This morning, a 28-year-old was arrested without incident after Hutt Valley and Wairarapa police executed search warrants in the Wairarapa area.Detective Senior Sergeant Stephen Williamson said police were pleased to have made an arrest and…
“The best Christmas present ever” — that’s how a Whangārei hapū is describing a court decision quashing consents for a housing development on land they say has huge significance to Māori.On Thursday, the Environment Court released its findings into an appeal by Ngāti Kahu o Torongare against council consents for a 93-lot subdivision on the flanks of Onoke Pā, in the suburb of Te Kamo.The judges’ ruling was critical of council decision-making and failures to protect the land, saying it was “one of the clearest cases we have seen of an inappropriate site being listed for development where it contains…
A woman has died after drowning at a beach in the Far North this afternoon.Police say they were called to Waimamaku Beach, just south of Ōmāpere, around 1.20pm.The woman was pulled from the water and brought to shore where CPR was performed. “Sadly, she was unable to be revived,” a police spokesperson said.The woman’s death would be referred to the coroner.The Department of Conservation has warned the coast at Waimamaku could be “challenging” for swimmers.”Be aware that the beach is a challenging place for swimming and can be dangerous,” the department advised on its website. “There are rough seas, strong…
ANZ Bank has confirmed it has fixed an outage to its online banking services that caused disruption for thousands of customers for four hours, a day out from Christmas Day.An ANZ spokesperson said a system outage between 10.30am and 2.30pm on Tuesday caused “intermittent issues” for people logging into its goMoney app and internet banking services.”All other services, including debit and credit cards, PayWave, EFTPOS, ATMs and payment processing continued to work normally and were not impacted.”The outage has now been resolved, however some customers may have still experienced slight issues as the backlog was cleared.”We apologise to our customers…
A historic secret passage connecting the Vatican with Rome’s Castel Sant’Angelo has reopened to the public on Monday. ADVERTISEMENTThe famous Passetto di Borgo which dates back to the 6th century served as an escape route for popes in the past.Visitors of the iconic Italian capital were allowed to walk along the fortified walkways that was famously used back in 1527 during the Sack of Rome. Pope Clement VII evaded imperial forces via the corridor, seeking refuge in the nearby, heavily fortified Castel Sant’Angelo.The passage features two levels, an open-air outdoors walkway that showcases breathtaking panoramic views of Rome. There’s also…
It’s the end of an era as Auckland’s oldest department store calls time on its magical visits from Santa and his elves. Every Christmas, the man in red welcomes young Kiwis into his festive abode at the store. “I like the climate – it’s much warmer here than the North Pole. But seeing the children, that gives me the real joy,” Santa told 1News. For decades, Kevin Broadfoot has been responsible for giving Santa Claus the perfect spot to park his sleigh at Smith & Caughey’s. “It is all about the kids and that’s what brings me the biggest reward…
It’s not just Santa Claus who delivers gifts to Europe over the Christmas season. ADVERTISEMENTChristmas has finally come and, if you’ve been good, a load of presents has most likely arrived along with it.But who delivers those much-anticipated gifts to Europe? It might sound like an obvious question, but in true European fashion, the countries are united in their diversity, so it’s not actually quite as straightforward as you might think.The most obvious answer is of course Santa Claus, the bearded personification of Christmas known for his red attire, hearty laugh and flying reindeer companions.He’s so synonymous with Christmas that…
Gisborne District Council is exploring medium-density housing options to combat the city’s housing crisis and meet the region’s economic needs.Mayor Rehette Stoltz says the council is mindful of maintaining the character of the old Victorian buildings while encouraging development in Gisborne’s urban centre.“We do want to see development, but we don’t just immediately want to see 10 three-storey buildings going up like you see in England where they have those housing estates.”The council is working on a blueprint for the future housing needs of the growing city, which will help guide plans for areas such as Kaiti, Elgin, the city…
A team of miniature therapy horses in Greece spreads happiness and offers support to children, the elderly, and those in care homes, despite ongoing financial challenges. ADVERTISEMENTAround nine miniature horses are spreading joy to the most vulnerable communities in Athens, Greece, as a charity brings these tiny therapy equines to schools and care homes.The horses with big personalities measure just 75 centimetres tall but “continue to do a fantastic and special job of providing therapy,” local officials say.The horses are owned by Gentle Carousel Greece, a branch of a Florida-based charity founded in 2014 by interior designer and architect Mina…