Author: Press Room

A vegetation fire in the rural south-east Auckland suburb of Whitford this afternoon has been contained.Six fire trucks, one helicopter and other support vehicles were called to the scene just after 12pm, a Fire and Emergency NZ spokesperson told 1News.Footage taken by 1News shows thick smoke billowing from the area.The fire, which measured 200x100m in size, was contained to the hillside, the spokesperson said around 2.20pm.Crews have since left the scene, Fire and Emergency said in an update just before 5pm.”The fire is contained and is now a controlled burn that’s been left with the property owner.”A resident at the…

European Council President António Costa warned EU candidate countries and member states to make crucial decisions on enlargement or risk remaining “trapped by painful historical legacies,” as Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned Hungary’s veto as “specific support” for Vladimir Putin. “Accession partners must decide if they have the determination to move forward with their European Union transformation or if they prefer to remain trapped by painful historical legacies,” Costa said. The European Council chief called on the bloc’s 27 members to decide on enlargement or risk losing time. “The European Union must also decide whether it can afford to lose…

Two men have been charged after a person was seriously injured in an incident at an Auckland barbershop this afternoon. Police said they were called to a business on Great North Rd in Avondale around 3.25pm following reports a person had been seriously injured. “Upon arrival one person was located in a serious condition and was transported to hospital,” a police spokesperson told 1News.”It is believed all parties involved are known to each other.”Inquiries are ongoing to establish the circumstances around what has occurred.”Two men were arrested following the incident.A 28-year-old man is due to appear in the Auckland District…

On November 4, 1975, a teenage Richard O’Mahony walked the usual 1km route from his home in Kildare, Ireland, to the bus stop. But instead of stepping on the bus heading to school, he climbed on one going in the opposite direction, marking the beginning of a 50-year tenure in the machining trade. Yesterday, that milestone was marked at Bison Group, the Dunedin-based manufacturing business founded by brothers Greg and Mark Fahey which has developed a strong international niche in the container weighing and lifting market. Mr O’Mahony was the first person employed by the brothers and, having been there…

A western Bay of Plenty iwi is reviving its waka traditions through building and launching waka on the Kaituna River and its waterways.The Kaituna River runs from Lake Rotoiti to the Maketū Estuary at a length of 50km. Last year, Tapuika iwi launched a waka tētē – a smaller, nimble canoe compared to the traditional war or ceremonial canoes – named Te Tauihu o Te Rangi on their ancestral river, marking the return of waka for the first time in a century. Now they are nearing the completion of a second waka tētē.The initiative is part of a project that…

A new 42-home subdivision at Amberley has been given the go ahead despite concerns about traffic and water management.The Hurunui District Council has backed a recommendation from independent commissioner Andrew Willis to rezone a 4ha section on Amberley Beach Rd from rural to residential.Some councillors expressed concerns about drainage, but council chief executive Hamish Dobbie said it will be subject to a separate stormwater resource consent application to Environment Canterbury (ECan).Everlasting Developments Ltd applied to build a subdivision on a 4ha section on Amberley Beach Rd earlier this year, for 42 sections with an average size of 700 square metres.The…

The Government’s decision to axe schools’ obligation to give effect to the Treaty of Waitangi has shocked groups representing school boards, teachers and principals.The Government had been moving to change the emphasis on the requirement in the Education Act, but on Tuesday announced it would remove it altogether.Education Minister Erica Stanford said the treaty was the Crown’s responsibility, not schools’.”School boards should have direction and we are giving very clear direction. You need to ensure equitable outcomes for Māori students, you need to be offering te reo Māori and you need to be culturally competent,” she said.Education Minister accused of…

McDonald’s latest Wānaka proposal is serving up split opinions – with some residents seeing it as a more palatable offer, and others concerned they will not get a say.The fast food giant’s application for resource consent to build a restaurant at Mt Iron was declined by independent commissioners in February following a three-day hearing and super-sized opposition.It has now applied to build a 450sqm restaurant and drive-through next to a BP petrol station in the Three Parks business area, just over 1km from the original site.Wānaka’s Isaac Neil said he believed Three Parks was a better place for the golden…

The European Commission on Tuesday praised Ukraine’s “remarkable commitment” and progress towards EU accession but urged the war-torn country to reverse recent “negative trends”, especially in the area of corruption. The Commission said in its annual report card on candidate countries’ progress that it “positively assessed” the roadmaps and action plan Kyiv adopted earlier this year on the rule of law, public administration reform and on the functioning of democratic institutions as well as its negotiating position for the fundamental clusters. It states that Brussels stands ready to support Ukraine’s ambition to close negotiations before the end of 2028, but…

Most EU respondents in France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, and Spain think that effective regulation of AI is a greater priority than encouraging its development, according to a recent YouGov survey. Spain is the country most in favour of greater AI regulation among the seven member states, at 73%. On the other hand, only between 11% and 20% take the opposing view that “it is more important that new technology, such as AI, can be developed freely, even if this means that the industry is less regulated”. Most EU citizens in these seven countries are still unsure whether…