Author: Press Room

Two of our big supermarket chains are in the throes of promotional giveaways that couldn’t be more different — but they’re pushing the same buttons to make us change our shopping habits.It’s child pester-power versus high-end kitchenware versus “just lower prices” at New Zealand supermarkets right now.The offerings couldn’t be more different.New World shoppers collecting stickers to grab cast iron cookware, Woolworths giving out tin Disney Discs for kids to… well, it’s not really clear what kids do with them once they have them.At Pak’nSave, it’s just business as usual — it doesn’t do giveaways.In the past, these campaigns have…

For the first time since 2023, all of Auckland’s ten dams are 100% full after weeks of rain. The Wāitākere and Hūnua dam catchments have received 1000mm of rain since April, 50% more than usual. Hydrologist Joe Gendall said, “getting 100% storage definitely doesn’t happen every year”. The full dams were a relief following a threat of water restrictions in Auckland earlier this year, when dams were only 60% full in April. Auckland’s dams are 100% full for the first time since 2023. (Source: 1News)Watercare’s head of water Sharon Danks said, “for a while there it was a bit tenuous…

Sub-zero temperatures kicked off the weekend for parts of the country, but clearer skies and finer temperatures are on the way. A low of -3°C was recorded in both Taupō and Timaru this Saturday morning at around 7am, according to MetService. Frosty conditions persisted as Masterton, Christchurch, and Ashburton recorded a chilly -2°C, while Wanaka dipped to -1°C. Invercargill and Dunedin recorded the highest temperatures this morning, clocking 9°C at around 7am. MetService said frosts would linger for many throughout the day and again overnight, particularly in inland and southland regions. The North Island’s upper half — from Northland and…

In South Auckland, where dumped litters and roaming dogs have become a public safety concern, local residents are stepping in to provide support where they say the authorities have fallen short.The community campaign, which includes over 100 families, is offering free desexing, food, and care to protect both pets and people.The initiative is led by Rawiri Community House and the Saving Hope Foundation. Organisers say the high demand reflects the urgent need for support.”We’ve got just over 100 applications,” Liz Kiriona said. “All we ask is for patience, but it will happen.”The most recent free desexing event at Wiri Community…

Gisborne District Council wants the city centre to be vape-free and smoke-free to curb the “epidemic” of young people taking up the habit.Tairāwhiti has the highest smoking rates in the country, and there has been a sharp increase in youth vaping.In 2018, the council adopted its smokefree outdoor areas policy, which is not legally enforceable but encourages residents to refrain from smoking in specific areas.On Thursday at its sustainable Tairāwhiti committee meeting, the council revised its policy to include electronic cigarettes and expand its smoke-free area to include the city centre.Deputy Mayor Josh Wharehinga said the inclusion of vaping “sends…

“You look better bald… said no-one ever.” That’s the sentence on a digital billboard in Auckland that’s dividing views with one critic calling it cruel and “body shaming”.The owner of the contentious ad, an Australian-based medical tourism company called Asthetica, says it is their most successful campaign globally.But the digital billboard on display in Auckland has been slated online by New Zealand based author Sarah Ritchie as harmful and outdated.In a LinkedIn post Ritchie says the ad for hair transplants in Turkey, is not clever, nor aspiration.”It’s body shaming, plain and simple, and – frankly – quite cruel.”The message implies…

Foreign visitors will soon need to pay a charge to access some of New Zealand’s most famous tourist destinations on conservation land, the Government announced today. It was also announced that concessions would be widened to allow for more business activity on conservation land. The charges announced today would mean foreign tourists visiting Cathedral Cove / Te Whanganui-a-Hei, Tongariro Crossing, Milford Track, and Aoraki Mount Cook would need to pay between $20 and $40 per person. New Zealanders would not be charged for access. Conservation Minister Tama Potaka said foreigners made up 80% of all visitors at the destinations. Conservation…

Comedy star Magda Szubanski is set to be inducted into the Logies Hall of Fame for her contribution to Australian TV. She becomes the fifth woman inducted since the award was established in 1984, joining Ruth Cracknell, Noni Hazlehurst, Kerri-Anne Kennerley and Rebecca Gibney.Szubanski was best known for winning the hearts of Australians and New Zealanders as the unconventionally sporty, unlucky-in-love Sharon Strzelecki in sitcom Kath and Kim.That sparked roles in the smash-hit movies Babe and Happy Feet, along with both sequels, among others.She first burst onto Australian screens in the mid-1980s after being picked up by ABC talent scouts…

A baby boy was born last week to an Ohio couple developed from an embryo that had been frozen for more than 30 years — in what is believed to be the longest storage time before a birth.Lindsey and Tim Pierce — in what’s known as embryo adoption — used a handful of donated embryos that have been frozen since 1994 in pursuit of having a child after fighting infertility for years. Their son was born from an embryo that had been in storage for 11,148 days, which the Pierces’ doctor says sets a record.It’s a concept that has been…

Health NZ is promising bonus payments to senior doctors who work in hard-to-staff areas, although the union is accusing it of failing to consistently pay allowances now.The Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, which represents 5500 senior hospital doctors and dentists, has criticised Te Whatu Ora’s new offer to its members as amounting to “an effective pay cut” for 90% of them.Union head Sarah Dalton was also sceptical of Health NZ’s proposal to ring-fence $32 million over two years for an incentive to doctors to work in areas or specialities with particular shortages.The agency was already paying $384m a year on…