Author: Press Room

A New Zealand shark expert is concerned a proposed “safe” swimming area in Bluff could be anything but.This week, the Bluff Community Board discussed ocean swimming options for the southern town, with areas near the boat ramp highlighted as a preference.But a report prepared for the meeting noted safety concerns for that spot due to fish gutting attracting sharks.Auckland War Memorial Museum curator marine biology Clinton Duffy worked with great white sharks on Stewart Island / Rakiura for 10 years and was familiar with Bluff Harbour.He said the golden rule was to not swim anywhere people were cleaning fish or…

How times have changed. When Kirsten (KP) Patterson was appointed chief executive of the Institute of Directors (IoD) eight years ago, one of the very first issues she encountered was a conversation around whether climate change was a governance issue. Now the IoD-hosted initiative Chapter Zero NZ — which is part of a global climate governance initiative that spans 50 countries and is focused on supporting directors to take action on climate change at a board level — has nearly 3000 members. Ms Patterson was in Dunedin this week to speak about ethics at an IoD Otago-Southland branch event, and…

Nearly 500 firearms have been seized from a property in Southland in a discovery police described as “shocking” and one of the largest seizures of weaponry in New Zealand’s history.The bust, which occurred in Gore earlier this month, was “by far” the largest to ever occur in Southland, said Area Commander Inspector Mike Bowman.”It’s shocking to see so many firearms unsecured… the scale of it is concerning.”Red flags were raised with officials due to the man’s purchasing history, Bowman said.”Through the Firearms Registry, the Firearms Safety Authority was able to establish the man had purchased multiple firearms since 2023 —…

A gold mining company shut down without notice has challenged the West Coast Regional Council to explain why it has put workers in limbo and capital at risk.Westcoast Mining Ltd has been working an alluvial site at Kaimata in the Arnold Valley, waiting for its resource consent to be finalised.But it was ordered by West Coast Regional Council staff who visited the site on May 30 to immediately stop all mining activities, the company’s consultant Chao Wang said.“In good faith and to ensure compliance we have ceased all operations and stood down our workforce until further notice,” Wang wrote in…

A cordless framing nailgun has been recalled across New Zealand due to a serious fault that could cause it to fire nails unintentionally.The recall affects the AEG 18V F-RAPIDFIRE 10GA 30º- 34º Framing Nailer, sold at Bunnings between August 1, 2021 and May 21, 2025.Nailguns were manufactured with a two step firing process: a trigger, and a contact safety tip.Product Safety NZ said the firmware of the nailgun might allow a nail to discharge through use of the trigger alone, bypassing the two-step safety process.”There is a risk of laceration injuries if the nailer discharges unintentionally.”Consumers were urged to stop…

ADVERTISEMENTEuropean leaders are voicing alarm over the military attacks launched overnight between Israel and Iran and calling for immediate de-escalation to avoid an all-out war that could spiral across the Middle East and beyond.British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was one of the first heads of government to react, urging “all parties to step back and reduce tensions urgently”.”Escalation serves no one in the region. Stability in the Middle East must be the priority and we are engaging partners to de-escalate,” Starmer said on social media. “Now is the time for restraint, calm and a return to diplomacy.”His Dutch countepart, Dick…

Some subbies still owed money in the Du Val collapse say their companies have barely survived and they doubt they will ever see a cent.The Du Val property group is heading to court on Monday to try to fight the decision to put it into receivership and freeze the assets of founders Charlotte and Kenyon Clarke.The group of about 70 entities and the Clarkes themselves were put into receivership by the Financial Markets Authority last year, with the companies eventually put into the more serious statutory management by the government in August. At last count its debts were more than…

ADVERTISEMENTThis year’s Global Tech Ecosystem Index has crowned Paris as the top tech hub on the continent.The report analysed tech talent, innovation and investment in 288 cities and 69 countries.The French capital also placed fourth in the global ranking, while London ranked 6th.Cambridge, Munich, Stockholm and Grenoble were the only other European cities to make it to the global top 20.Cambridge shows best talent concentration in EuropeAnalysts say the UK has been attracting fewer funds in recent years. Its startups raised just slightly more than €19 billion in 2024, reportedly the lowest amount since 2020. Nonetheless, the UK remains a…

A person has been rescued from a fire engulfing two houses and threatening a third in Lyttelton this afternoon.The large fire has led to evacuations of nearby buildings as a precaution.Fire and Emergency NZ services were alerted to a person trapped in one of two houses on fire on Brittan Tce around 5.15pm.The person was confirmed to be out. “Upon arrival, crews discovered two houses well alight with another house being threatened,” a Fire and Emergency spokesperson told 1News. Thick smoke billows from a large fire engulfing two houses in Christchurch. (Source: 1News)There were six fire engines, one command unit,…

The man who murdered Christchurch mother and real estate agent Yanfei Bao has been sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum non-parole period of 17 and a half years. Tingjun Cao, who continues to deny the crime, was found guilty by a jury in December. He gave no reaction as the sentence was delivered by Justice Lisa Preston.The 54-year-old was forced to watch today’s hearing from another courtroom due to his constant outbursts as the judge attempted to get proceedings underway. He could be seen on the screen as the sentencing continued, sitting on the floor and at times with…