Author: Press Room
Opposition parties have promised to repeal the coalition’s changes to the Marine and Coastal Area Act (MACA) if re-elected.The coalition has pitched the changes as restoring the legislation to its original intent, while critics argue they diminish Māori rights.The MACA law was introduced by National in 2011 in response to Labour’s highly controversial Foreshore and Seabed Act 2004.It has been contested in the courts, with a key Court of Appeal ruling making it easier for groups to win customary title in 2023.Govt facing major pushback over foreshore and seabed legislation changes – watch on TVNZ+The Supreme Court went on to…
The EU’s trade rules have been called into question after US President Donald Trump shared a video on his Truth Social platform, which claims to show Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni attempting to strike a direct trade deal with the US. On 19 October, Trump shared a link to an X postwhich has amassed thousands of likes and shares, with a caption alleging that Meloni has “defied the EU”. “In a stunning political move, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has announced that Italy will ignore EU trade rules and strike a direct deal with Donald Trump’s administration, effectively breaking ranks with…
BNZ has cut most of its fixed home loan rates from today.It’s the second cut to interest rates BNZ has made since the Reserve Bank cut the official cash rate by 50 basis points on October 8. Six of the banks’ standard fixed loan rates were dropped by between 0.04% and 0.40%.The new rates will be effective as of today. The biggest cuts were for five-year rates (dropping 0.40% to 4.99%), and two-year rates (dropping 0.16% to 4.49%) Other cuts included six-month loans, which dropped to 4.79% (down 0.10%), 18-month loans, which fell to 4.45% (down 0.04%), a three-year loan,…
The morning’s headlines in 90 seconds, including fire destroys homes near Kaikōura, wild weather set to intensify, and the memoir by Prince Andrew’s accuser is published.Five homes are among 14 buildings destroyed around Kaikōura after strong winds fanned flames. The bad weather is set to continue today. The posthumous memoir by Prince Andrew’s accuser, Virginia Giuffre, has been published. A planned meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin to discuss peace in Ukraine has been put on hold. Health officials here are urging vigilance, as more measles cases emerge. A Parkinson’s disease patient has played her clarinet during brain surgery…
Auckland’s Westmere Butchery has once again taken out the top prize at the annual Dunninghams Great New Zealand Sausage Competition. The butchery’s Beef, Parmesan and Truffle sausage beat more than 800 other entrants from across the country. It’s the fourth time the butchery has won the supreme award in the past decade. Judge Hannah Miller Childs said about the sausage: “The grind was beautiful, the fat ratio was spot on, and all the ingredients were nicely incorporated. “It was a well-made sausage and filled with care.”Aesthetic judge Sam Anderson said the snag stood out for its “beautifully balanced flavours”. “The…
Trains in Auckland and Wellington will shut down over the Labour long weekend as crews work around the clock to upgrade the country’s two busiest rail networks.The works were timed to coincide with lower passenger numbers over the long weekend.Auckland’s trains will not run from Friday until Monday amid 24/7 work to prepare the network for the City Rail Link. The $5.5b project, expected to open next year, will add two new stations in midtown Auckland and Karangahape Rd, effectively doubling the network’s capacity and redrawing the supercity’s rail lines.The four-day closure would maximise the amount of work KiwiRail, Auckland…
Doctors and nurses, together with teachers, are among tens of thousands expected to take part in a multi-sector “mega-strike” on Thursday. But Health Minister Simeon Brown’s claim that this week’s industrial action by doctors “crosses an ethical line” misunderstands doctors’ ethical responsibilities, writes Elizabeth Fenton.Doctors and nurses, together with teachers, are among tens of thousands expected to take part in a multi-sector “mega-strike” on Thursday.Striking is an option of last resort. In healthcare, it causes disruption and inconvenience for patients, whānau and the health system – but it is ethically justified.Arguably, it is ethically required when poor working conditions associated…
Air New Zealand is expected to make a first-half loss of up to $55 million amid weaker-than-expected passenger numbers and higher costs.The national carrier’s pre-tax loss was expected to land somewhere between $30m and $55m for the six months ending in December against an earlier forecast of a net profit of up to $34m.The airline said it had hoped for an increase in domestic and US flights, which did not materialise, while ongoing problems with engine repairs would cost another $20m in addition to other costs.The company said costs related to the mandatory Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International…
Fire and Emergency is giving an update on the situation in Kaikōura.Yesterday, five homes were destroyed as high winds fanned the flames.Winds have died down today, but are expected to pick up this afternoon.Incident Controller Dave Key will be speaking.Follow our live updates here.
By Kirsty Johnston of RNZ The coalition government has gutted New Zealand’s once world-leading climate disclosure law, just months after officials showcased it to the United Nations as evidence of “significant progress” on climate action. The climate-related disclosures (CRD) regime was introduced by the Labour-Green government in 2021, making New Zealand the first country to require major banks, insurers and listed companies to publicly report how climate change could affect their bottom lines. The law aimed to make climate risk a normal part of business, investment and lending decisions – shifting it out of sustainability reports and into mainstream accounting. When it…