Author: Press Room

Police have named a man found dead near Queenstown earlier this month and revealed they now believe he fell from a cliff prior to being hit by a vehicle on State Highway 6.Emergency services were called to the scene near Kawarau Bridge Historic Reserve on State Highway 6 at around 10pm on March 3.”Sadly, the man was located deceased at the scene,” a police spokesperson said.He was today named by police as 22-year-old Ryoma Seki from Japan.”Police extend our condolences to his family and are providing them with support during this difficult time,” a spokesperson said.Although police inquiries determined he…

Crunch time is looming for people who borrowed money through the small business cash-flow loan scheme, launched during the pandemic. The loans were made available in May 2020 for small businesses affected by Covid-19. Businesses were offered up to $20,000 plus $1800 per fulltime employee. More than 129,000 businesses took out loans worth $2.4 billion. The average loan amount was $17,000. Borrowers had five years to repay the loan and many would reach that limit from June, Inland Revenue said. There were no repayments due for the first two years, and after that there was interest of 3% charged. From…

A man found critically injured on a roadside in Wellington’s Miramar in the early hours of Monday morning has died in hospital.Police are still investigating whether the now-fatal incident was linked to an earlier home invasion nearby.An unexplained death investigation has now been launched by police.The man was found on a footpath a short distance from his vehicle at the intersection of Camperdown Rd and Totara Rd around 2.20am yesterday.It was the second serious incident in the area on Monday morning after a home invasion on a neighbouring street just 20 minutes earlier.Residents at a Darlington Rd address called police…

Whangārei District Council’s only hope of stalling the start-up of fluoridating its drinking water supply tomorrow has been dashed.The council took its fight against a fluoridation directive to the High Court in Wellington today.Justice Karen Grau reserved her decision on granting interim relief to Whangārei District Council.The Whangārei District Council needs to start the process to fluoridate its water by 9am tomorrow in order to set up the specialised infrastructure in time to meet the Government’s March 28 deadline.Justice Grau told the court she had more reading to do on the matter but that she would release her decision before…

Female representation is making progress in European parliaments as well as governments. ADVERTISEMENTThe share of women with seats in national governments and parliaments is growing across the European continent.In 2024, women held around 35% of national government posts, a 7.4% increase over the past decade, according to the latest Eurostat data.Finland and Lichtenstein take the lead with a 60% share each, followed by Belgium and the UK with 51%.Hungary is at the bottom, with no women in government positions.In 2022, however, the country elected its first female president – Katalin Novák. She held the post until her resignation, in 2024,…

Dozens of jobs are on the line at the Department of Internal Affairs, as it continues cost-cutting measures that began last year.The department on Tuesday proposed getting rid of 180 positions and creating 116 new ones, reducing its headcount by 64.Separately, 69 fixed term contracts which were due to end in September would not be renewed. A DIA spokesperson said that was always going to happen, and it was not because of the restructure.Internal affairs secretary Paul James said the department had been in the process of change for some time in an effort to improve efficiency and cut costs…

European Union government ministers are discussing ways to keep the pro-democracy media outlet afloat after the Trump administration stopped its grants over the weekend. ADVERTISEMENTNow that Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) has fallen victim to sweeping funding cuts by US President Donald Trump’s administration, the future of the pro-democracy media outlet is unclear.RFE/RL started broadcasting during the Cold War, and has played an important role reporting across Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East eve since. Its programmes are aired in 27 languages in 23 countries.The outlet has also provided critical coverage in Ukraine, especially after Russia labelled Voice…

A proposed plan to compulsorily take 172 hectares of land under the Public Works Act for a new cemetery in Auckland faces rising opposition from the landowner and local hapū.Waikūmete Cemetery in Glen Eden is at full capacity and Auckland Council is urgently working to find a new location for burials.The sizeable land block in Waimauku — a small township 30km from the city’s CBD — has been identified as the most suitable site for land acquisition under the Public Works Act 1981. The landowner told 1News the council wanted to take the best part of his farm where all…

A wave of relief has swept across Auckland’s 21 local boards after being offered temporary reprieve as they struggle with cost pressures.The local boards united in a letter to Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown strongly objecting to the expectation that they absorb a $17.6 million budget shortfall.Auckland Council’s proposed cost-cutting measures are tied to the Fairer Funding initiative – a scheme intended to ensure more equitable funding across Auckland’s local boards.The Ōtara-Papatoetoe local board was the hardest hit, facing a deficit of $1.3 million.Chairman Apulu Reece Autagavaia said he was “super happy” with the news that local boards wouldn’t need to…

The chronic issue of fly-tipping on Tasman’s riversides continues to rear its head across the district.Since June 2024, the district council has spent almost $14,000 to clean up rubbish by the river, with recent finds including a discarded engine and trailer, and even a hut built out of pallets.”That’s not the most impressive structure we’ve had down there,” Rob Smith, council’s group manager for environmental science, told councillors last week.”We’ve actually had one with a flat screen TV and lights.”Other common items dumped on roadsides and riverbeds included animal carcasses, mattresses, whiteware, and furniture.Some residents might enjoy their temporary riverside…