Author: Press Room
New Zealand’s two dominant supermarket operators, Foodstuffs and Woolworths NZ, have cautiously welcomed the Government’s reforms aimed at boosting competition in the grocery sector.Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis announced the changes on Wednesday, saying the Government would introduce legislation to fast-track supermarket development, streamline building consents, and remove investment barriers to help new entrants challenge the duopoly.The reforms follow a Request for Information process earlier this year, which revealed widespread frustration among prospective operators over restrictive zoning, slow consenting, and regulatory hurdles.Pak’nSave Whanganui. (Source: Google Maps)In a statement to 1News, a Foodstuffs spokesperson said the co-operative would “carefully work through…
By Euronews Published on 27/08/2025 – 19:32 GMT+2 ADVERTISEMENT Hungary’s government has sued the European Union over a decision to grant billions of euros of aid to Ukraine from frozen Russian assets. The lawsuit, filed against the European Peace Facility (EPF), was originally brought before the EU Court of Justice, but has since been referred to the General Court. The Council decided last year to give 99.7% of interest payments from frozen Russian central bank assets to Ukraine via the EPF, a financial programme which facilitates military aid to allied countries. Ukraine receives between €3–5 billion every year through the EPF…
Periods are a pain — literally. Three enterprising Otago Girls High School students have developed a drink concentrate to provide natural relief from period-related inflammation. Year 13 business students Emma Fahey, 18, Theresa Radka, 17, and Hayley Reynolds, 17, drew on their own personal experiences for their Young Enterprise Scheme project. They had a desire to do some that benefited others struggling with similar issues and they also wanted to reduce stigma around periods and encourage women to have open conversations about menstruation. Darcy Schack and Dr Anna Campbell, from Zestt Wellness, helped the trio formulate their product Rhythm, making…
A woman has been charged with assault as a homicide investigation continues into the death of a man in Gisborne yesterday.Police were called to a reported disturbance at an address on Winter St at around 6.50am on Tuesday.”Sadly the victim was located deceased at the scene,” said Tairāwhiti Area Commander Inspector Dany Kirk.The victim was named as 61-year-old Renata McLean.”Our thoughts are with his whānau at this extremely difficult time, and we continue to offer them support.”A 29-year-old woman was charged with common assault relating to an altercation that allegedly took place during this disturbance.She was set to appear in…
Nearly 200 critically endangered Māhoenui giant wētā have been released today from Ōtorohanga Kiwi House to Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari. The Māhoenui giant wētā – originating from a single site in the North Island – was one of the world’s largest insects, measuring up to 7cm and weighing approximately 15 grams.About 193 of the nocturnal insects, classified as “nationally critical”, were released from Ōtorohanga Kiwi House, that homed a captive breeding programme and specially built laboratories. The last time Māhoenui giant wētā were released to the mountain was in 2012-13, the Department of Conservation said. They were previously translocated to private…
Police say six people have been arrested during an ongoing investigation into a spate of gang-related shootings in Levin earlier this month. Police upped their presence in the region, following what they described as “brainless violence” that left the community shaken. Speaking from Palmerston North today, Central District Commander Superintendent Dion Bennett told Breakfast the investigation remained ongoing. “However, since Thursday last week, we’ve had a Gang Conflict Warrant in place and it’s enabled us to quell some of the tensions both intra and inter-gang. “I can say that since last Thursday we’ve made six arrests, recovered five firearms from…
ADVERTISEMENT Europe is well-known for its fresh produce, from San Marzano tomatoes to sweet Belgian pears. But how much fruit and vegetables does the European Union harvest, and which countries produce the largest quantities? The EU produced 62.2 million tonnes of vegetables in 2024, according to recent Eurostat data. This marks a 6% increase from the 58.8 million tonnes harvested in 2023. Spain is the top vegetable producer, at 14.8 million tonnes, up from 13.5 million tonnes in 2023. It has been the top producer of vegetables for the past 10 years. Spain is closely followed by Italy, at 13.9 million…
A 23-year-old man has been charged after handling himself into police following the serious assault and robbery of two elderly tourists outside a supermarket in Auckland’s Hobsonville last week.Police received a report of a person stealing a bag and assaulting two people in front of Woolworths Hobsonville at around 9am last Wednesday.Yesterday, police appealed to the public for information identifying a man who was captured in surveillance images. In an update this morning, Waitematā West Area Investigations Manager Detective Senior Sergeant Ryan Bunting said a 23-year-old man handed himself in to the Henderson Police Station and has subsequently been charged…
The morning’s headlines in 90 seconds, including possible changes to our driver licensing system, Lil Nas X charged over LA incident, and cheese dreams might be real?The AA has called for bold action to address youth road safety – including a mandatory 60 hours of supervised driving – as the Government prepares to announce final decisions on its planned changes.Fire has badly damaged a shop in Takanini, south of Auckland. A strike on a southern Gaza hospital has killed at least 20 people. Erin Patterson will be sentenced in a couple of weeks, after an emotional pre-sentence hearing heard from…
Published on 27/08/2025 – 12:50 GMT+2 ADVERTISEMENT Social media users are sharing a video online that they claim shows a historic church being transported via trailer in Norway. One particularly viral post on X simply says that the church is being relocated in Norway, and attaches the video of the impressive feat below. It’s been seen hundreds of thousands of times and shared hundreds of times too, with many users questioning whether the footage has been AI-generated, and some others making xenophobic comments that the church was being moved to make way for mosques. However, the video is totally authentic,…