Author: Press Room

Warm and humid La Niña weather is prompting a warning to “prepare now” for pest-management ahead of peak insect-breeding season.A La Niña weather pattern meant warm and damp conditions in the North Island and warm but dry conditions in the South island, with a longer summer expected across the country. The lack of rain expected for the South Island meant flies and mosquitoes were arriving sooner than expected and remaining for a longer time. “What that means is it’s perfect breeding conditions, not only for regular crawling insects, but flying insects,” said New Zealand pest and garden expert Jane McCarrison…

Just in time for the theatrical release of Wicked: For Good, fans will get a chance to own memorabilia from the 1939 original film, The Wizard of Oz — and one item is especially witchy.Heritage Auctions is putting a famous black hat that Margaret Hamilton wore as the Wicked Witch of the West up for sale. The wool hat is quite large, measuring nearly 35cm high with a 49cm diameter brim. It also has a 55cm elastic chin strap worn by Hamilton during flying scenes to keep it secure.Designed by costume designer Adrian Adolph Greenburg, who went by Gilbert Adrian…

Flood protection work in a cyclone-hit coastal Hawke’s Bay community is finally underway, with vegetation cleared in preparation for the first stage of a $22 million project along State Highway 2.The project at Whirinaki includes raising and strengthening stopbanks, as well as elevating a section of the highway to improve flood resilience.Earlier this year, the plan was in doubt after the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council revealed it was facing a funding shortfall.However, following a design change, the Government contributed an additional $9 million, bringing its total to $17.3m, while the regional council contributed a further $3m, raising its total to…

Four Kiwi contestants have pulled off a full-team victory on The Chase New Zealand, taking home a combined $43,000 after outsmarting the Chaser in Monday night’s episode. The episode, which aired on TVNZ1 and TVNZ+ last night, pitted contestants Kahu, Ash, Andy and Wendy against The Supernerd in a nail-biting round of the New Zealand spinoff of the hit quiz show, hosted by Paul Henry.After all four successfully made it through their individual chases, the team banked a four-step headstart in the final chase. They then rattled off 16 correct answers to set a formidable target of 18 – a…

Fire and Emergency New Zealand crews have continued work to extinguish a blaze of more than 2500ha which has been burning in Tongariro National Park since Saturday. Around 13 helicopter crews and five planes were battling the wildfire, alongside partner agencies on the ground.As of this morning, the fire was around 20% contained. Some residents and trampers were evacuated from the area yesterday, and Ruapehu Distrit Mayor Weston Kirton earlier warned tourists to avoid the area and treat this as an “emergency situation”. Fire and Emergency District Commander Nigel Dravitzki and partner agencies provided an update to media this afternoon.

An observation flight over Tongariro National Park found no visible signs of fire after rainfall aided efforts to fight the gigantic blaze.The large fire burned through more than 2800ha since breaking out on Saturday, triggering evacuations of trampers and residents, including Whakapapa Village.NZTA said SH47 and SH48 between SH4 and State Highway 46 at Waimarino (National Park) were likely to be closed for the next two days. Officials give a media conference at Waimarino (National Park) on November 10, 2025. (Source: 1News)Incident controller Nigel Dravitzki said the rain had a significant impact on helping suppress the blaze while ground crews…

Ursula von der Leyen has offered minor concessions on her €2 trillion draft EU budget to placate the four centrist parties that back her pro-European parliamentary majority but threatened to reject her ambitious blueprint if their demands were not met. The tweaks foresee a stronger role for regional authorities, a new target to ensure a minimum of funds flows into rural areas and expanded oversight powers for the European Parliament. None of them alter the fundamental structure of the plan. The draft changes were discussed on Monday in a crisis meeting among the heads of the three institutions: Ursula von…

Beef mince is going from a budget-friendly option to a luxury for families who struggle with steep food bills. Families feeling the pinch could always rely on beef mince to stretch the grocery budget, but prices have increased about $3.50 a kilogram from a year ago. The average price analysed by Statistics New Zealand was up about 17.5% at $23.11 per kilogram in the year to September. Shoppers are looking at smaller mince portions and shopping around or buying chicken and pork to extend their food dollar. However, the Christchurch City Mission said the escalating weekly grocery bill was leaving…

Four Kiwi contestants have pulled off a full-team victory on The Chase New Zealand, taking home a combined $43,000 after outsmarting the Chaser in Monday night’s episode. The episode, which aired on TVNZ1 and TVNZ+ last night, pitted contestants Kahu, Ash, Andy and Wendy against The Supernerd in a nail-biting round of the New Zealand spinoff of the hit quiz show, hosted by Paul Henry.After all four successfully made it through their individual chases, the team banked a four-step headstart in the final chase. They then rattled off 16 correct answers to set a formidable target of 18 – a…

A woman who repeatedly sought help for severe stomach pain and dramatic weight loss, told her GP she felt “fobbed off” as she was never referred for specialist care – despite clear red flags that later led to a diagnosis of terminal bowel cancer.The woman, referred to as Ms A, died at age 43, around 18 months after a diagnosis of metastatic colonic adenocarcinoma. Her symptoms, including severe abdominal pain, bloating, vomiting, and dramatic weight loss, were repeatedly attributed to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) by doctors at her local GP centre over a two-year period.According to a Health and Disability…