Author: Press Room

The Regulatory Standards Bill has passed with the backing of the coalition parties.National and New Zealand First agreed to pass the bill into law as part of their coalition agreements with ACT.The bill has faced fierce pushback from the public, with more than 98% of public submissions opposed.The legislation sets down principles for lawmaking which would not be enforceable in court but – if a piece of law would breach them – politicians would need to explain. It also sets up a Regulatory Standards Board which would assess current laws for their adherence to the principles.Its critics say the principles…

The “Seaview stench” could stage an unwelcome sequel over the Hutt following an operational maintenance error at a wastewater treatment plant.Wellington Water said the mistake occurred during work at the Seaview Wastewater Treatment Plant undertaken by its contractor, Veolia.While the error had been fixed, the community is being warned to the “strong possibility of increased odour”, Wellington Water chief executive Pat Dougherty said.”The mistake has been corrected, however the biological process at the plant has become unbalanced,” he said.”The biological process treats wastewater and, when it is healthy and balanced, the risk of related odour is very low. However, when…

The European Union must find new levers of growth in a changing world where competition and geopolitics dominate, Eurogroup boss Paschal Donohoe told Euronews. Donohoe, who leads the group of euro area finance ministers, said the European economy now requires a combination of internal market reform and diversified external ties. Caught between Trump’s tariffs and escalating tensions with China, Europe is looking for ways to boost its powerful single market and multiply its trading partners. “The responsibility for European growth lies, first and foremost, here in Europe,” he said in Euronews’ interview series 12 Minutes With. “That means making the…

Reduced services, delayed infrastructure repairs and sports grounds with outdated facilities were just a few of the possible negatives New Zealand ratepayers could face under a proposed system to cap local authority rates rises, a meeting of local authority leaders has been told.A New South Wales mayor warned New Zealand local authority leaders about the risks of a rates cap system at a meeting in Wellington on Thursday.Sue Heins, mayor of the Northern Beaches Council in New South Wales, spoke at a Local Government New Zealand meeting, attended by mayors and councillors from across New Zealand.Northern Beaches Council and other…

They are purveyors of some of the world’s most sought-after culinary delicacies, but Mahurangi’s oyster farmers have been reduced to eating beans on toast most days, their hair going grey, and their nerves shot.Last month, the farmers were hit with a livelihood-ruining sewage overflow after a power surge at a new wastewater treatment plant in Warkworth.The overflow of 1200 cubic metres prevented farmers from collecting oysters for 28 days.On Wednesday, a $1 million compensation deal was struck, but the 10 farmers say $100,000 each is only a drop in the sewage-polluted ocean compared to what they’ve lost.Jim Aitken from Mahurangi…

A homicide investigation has been launched after the death of a woman in Hastings last month.Emergency services were called to an address on Kotuku St in Camberley on October 29, where a woman was found dead.Inspector Martin James today said police investigating the 37-year-old’s death are now treating the case as a homicide. “We continue to provide support to her family at this extremely difficult time,” he said. “A committed team of detectives has been assigned to the investigation, including additional staff from other districts.”James said police believed there were people in the community who had “vital information about this…

Your chances of winning Lotto potentially get better when it’s a must-win draw as Saturday night’s will be.But you might also end up sharing the winners with more players.Powerball rolled over on Wednesday, meaning tomorrow’s $55 million jackpot must end up in someone’s bank account. Under Lotto rules, when a jackpot gets to $50 million the next draw becomes a “must be won”.In those circumstances, if nobody gets all six Lotto numbers plus the Powerball number, the prize rolls down divisions until a winner or winners are found. That means the $55 million could be split between multiple people. Robert…

One mother desperately wants others to know the true consequences of taking medications during pregnancy that are known to cause serious birth defects – education she says she missed out on. Thousands of women and girls in New Zealand are on the anti-seizure medicines, which if taken during pregnancy have a risk for physical deformities and damage to the brain and heart for the baby.That is something Jacki Morris has been living with since her son Matthew was born. He is 24 now but has the mental age of a one-year-old.Even before Jacki got pregnant, she did everything right. When…

Published on 14/11/2025 – 7:30 GMT+1 •Updated 8:17 Why is migration policy and the word ‘solidarity’ such a dilemma for EU nations? Will EU countries ever trust each other and share responsibility? Will the EU democracy shield strengthen the rule of law? Some of the questions we explore on our second episode of “Brussels, my love? the podcast. We are joined by Helena Hahn who has been covering migration policy for years at the European Policy Centre and Garvan Walshe, the founder of Unhacking Democracy. For political context, we are also joined by Euronews correspondent Stefan Grobe. You can listen…

A man who harassed and stalked a woman, making nearly 600 calls to her in two weeks, hid behind a tree waiting for her to get home with her children before fatally stabbing her 55 times.In 2012, Nathan Boulter was jailed for eight years and six months for kidnapping and assaulting his ex-girlfriend over a 38-hour ordeal on Great Barrier Island.On Thursday, Boulter pleaded guilty in the High Court at Christchurch on Thursday to murdering another woman on 23 July. The woman’s name is currently suppressed.A summary of facts released to RNZ on Thursday reveals that Boulter and the victim…