Author: Press Room

A student has allegedly used a pair of scissors to assault two teachers at a Christchurch school this afternoon.Police are investigating the incident, after they were called to Haeata Community Campus in the suburb of Aranui just before 2pm today.Principal Peggy Burrows said the attack happened in the primary section of the school, and involved a student under the age of 16.She said one teacher was cut on the palm of their hand and another received head injuries.Burrows said the assault was witnessed by staff and students.The teachers were treated for their injuries and were on leave for the rest…

Key pointsAge restrictions mean some people ineligible for helpSome regions – particularly rural ones – have no early intervention serviceLack of resourcing means just one of the 12 services is meeting benchmark of seeing 80% of patients before they end up in hospital.Too many people are ending up in psychiatric wards with acute psychotic symptoms because they miss out on help at an early stage, new research has found.New Zealand has 12 “early intervention services” which treat teenagers and young people suffering hallucinations, delusions, or other symptoms within the first two years of onset.Results of a survey of these services…

Fire crews tackled a large blaze at a commercial site in Auckland’s East Tāmaki overnight.Fire and Emergency was notified shortly after midnight about the blaze, with around 50 firefighters called to the scene.It was extinguished within an hour and no-one was injured.Assistant commander Dave McKeown told 1News at the scene around 13 trucks were in attendance at the site.The fire occurred in an office block.‘We’ve managed to contain the fire to the office block, so there’s no damage to the factory,” McKeown said. “Initially, we weren’t sure if the fire was contained to the office or whether it had spread…

A fourth person has been arrested in the wake of the death of a man in his 80s in a house fire in Stokes Valley last year. Ian David Moller was critically injured in a fire at a block of flats in Hanson Grove last November. A homicide investigation was launched after the 82-year-old succumbed to his injuries several days later.A 26-year-old arrested overnight was the third person to be charged with Moller’s murder. He is also charged with arson, conspiring to commit arson, and participating in a criminal group.The man will appear in the Hutt Valley District Court later…

A number of cases in a gastric illness outbreak in the Wellington region are connected to swimming pools, heath authorities say.Te Whatu Ora says there are now 32 cases of cryptosporidiosis in the region, with 19 of them linked to the Hutt Valley.Cryptosporidiosis is a stomach bug that can cause diarrhoea, stomach cramps and vomiting.National Public Health Service medical health officer Dr Craig Thornley said typically, Wellington would see less than half that number in a year.He said he was also worried there was more of the parasite spreading in the community that was not being reported.”We think that there…

ASB has dropped some of its fixed term mortgage rates, as well as some term deposit rates for savers.It has lowered its six-month home loan rate 10 basis points to 5.79%, its four-year rate 20 basis points to 5.59% and five-year rates 10 basis points to 5.69%.The bank said it is the fifth time it had lowered fixed mortgage rates this year.”We’re seeing a growing number of customers splitting their mortgages across different terms to hedge their bets in the current climate, and we’re pleased to be able to offer a range of lending options to suit homeowners’ and homebuyers’…

Car theft numbers from the start of the year suggests thieves are becoming more sophisticated, an insurer says.AMI Insurance has received almost 700 claims relating to vehicle theft and attempted theft since the start of the year for Auckland alone.Twenty-two of the stolen vehicles had keyless entry and were locked at the time.AMI executive general manager of claims Wayne Tippet said while the proportion of keyless cars stolen was small, thieves were adapting to new technology.”Now, keyless entry is, you know, super common,” he said.”So no surprise that, as technology changes, people looking to access those vehicles are also thinking…

A New Zealand digital fin-tech company is making a significant splash in India – and has signalled its excitement about future opportunities while travelling on the Prime Minister’s business delegation this week.Founded by Carmen Vicelich, Valocity Global first started in New Zealand, then expanded to Australia and eventually on to India.“They pretty much say, ‘if you can do it India you can do it anywhere,’” Vicelich said.Valocity combines digital workflows with advanced data insights on property valuations ultimately allowing banks to review and approve lending for customers.Valocity is currently working with over 20 banks in India.1News’ Maiki Sherman reports from…

First, it was eggs. Then, it was olive oil. Now, it’s butter.Last week, Stats NZ said butter prices had climbed 60% in 12 months. That’s presented a dilemma for everyone from pastry chefs to home cooks who rely on it to bring distinctive flavour, texture and function to all kinds of culinary creations.”Well, to be honest, it’s been hard for a long time and it’s only getting harder and harder,” says Suzannah Bath, an Auckland-based pastry chef.Turning to made-for-vegan options, such as olive oil spread Olivani, isn’t easy either because they are often just as expensive, she says.But that doesn’t…

Zelenskyy said releasing all prisoners of war and captured civilians would be an important step toward peace. ADVERTISEMENTRussia and Ukraine each swapped 175 prisoners of war on Wednesday in one of the largest exchanges since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine three years ago.The released servicemen were captured in multiple regions, including Mariupol, the Azovstal steel plant, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, and even Kursk.After prisoners were released at the northern border of the two countries, they were then taken to a hospital in Ukraine’s Chernihiv, where family members awaited their arrival. “All of them will…