Author: Press Room

A lucky player from Waihi has won $10.5 million in Lotto Powerball.Last night’s winning numbers were 29, 22, 11, 23, 21, and 38. The bonus ball was 2 and the Powerball was 4.The ticket was sold at Paper Plus Waihi & Toyworld in Waihi.The prize is made up of $10 million from Powerball First Division and $500,000 from Lotto First Division.Earlier this month, a Hamilton woman won $10.5 million after returning from a trip away. One other Lotto player won $500,000 with Lotto First Division. The winning ticket was sold on MyLotto to a player from Whangārei.Meanwhile, Strike Four has…

At the entrance of the Agostino Gemelli Hospital in Rome, Catholic faithful and well-wishers lit candles, placed cards, drawings, and balloons, and stood in solidarity. ADVERTISEMENTHundreds of people have gathered outside the Agostino Gemelli Hospital in Rome, Italy’s capital, to support and pray for Pope Francis. Francis, who has been in the hospital for two weeks, is being treated for pneumonia in both lungs and continues to make a recovery.At the entrance of the hospital in Rome, Catholic faithful and well-wishers lit candles and placed cards, drawings, and balloons as they stood in solidarity.The 88-year-old pope was suffering from a…

Christchurch electric vehicle smart charger manufacturer Evnex is set to double overall sales over the next 18 months in New Zealand and Australia. Chief executive Ed Harvey started the business after the engineer converted his 1997 Honda Accord to electric as a university project. Over the past 10 years, 8000 home and workplace chargers have been sold in New Zealand and Australia, having expanded there in 2023. Evnex sees a positive sales environment emerging in Australia, hoping to repeat this performance over a far shorter timespan, and this week released two chargers on to the market. The E2 Core is…

The head of one of the government’s free school lunch providers says his company is providing numbers of wasted school lunches to the Ministry of Education on a daily basis.Compass Group boss Paul Harvey told Checkpoint, it was “mission critical” to meet KPIs.Compass is one of the three companies that make up the School Lunch Collective, which is responsible for running the scheme.”We are starting to track [wastage] now, school by school, we are sharing that information with the ministry and again that information will be made available,” Harvey said.”We are going to listen we are going to learn we…

A man has been hospitalised after a group of men were reportedly fighting on Galway St in Auckland’s CBD early this morning.Auckland City CIB Detective Senior Sergeant Martin Friend said police were called to an aggravated assault in central Auckland around 3.15am.On arrival, he said officers found a man who had suffered serious injuries, and he was transported to hospital.”The man is in a serious but stable condition. His injuries are not thought to be life-threatening,” Friend said.Galway Street in Auckland’s CBD, as picture don Google Maps. (Source: Supplied)An investigation was now underway into what occurred and to identify the…

An Auckland librarian and te reo speaker is looking forward to sharing the final day of performance at Te Matatini with Mandarin speakers. This Saturday Lidu Gong will be interpreting and explaining what is happening on stage in Mandarin.Gong, originally from China, works as a librarian at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa in Mangere. He said he learned Te Reo for two reasons.“The first reason is I am working in a Māori organisation. To work well, I should be integrating myself into the Māori world, and te reo is a very important means of getting involved in the Māori world.”Gong said…

Despite anti-immigration politicians recently gaining support, France, Germany and Italy would face big population problems in a zero-immigration scenario. ADVERTISEMENTThe EU’s population will be 6.6% lower by 2100, bringing the population down to 419 million from 449 million in 2024. However, if migration were to freeze today, the population would decline by more than a third, according to the latest projections from Eurostat.An ageing population, increased longevity and consistently low levels of fertility are among the reasons for these figures.On the current migration trend, Latvia and Lithuania’s populations are set to see a record drop of 38%.  France and Germany will see…

Drought conditions in Taranaki have been classified as a medium-scale event by Agriculture Minister Todd McClay today.He said it is a challenging situation which faces farmers and growers in the region.”Conditions on the ground are becoming extremely difficult with limited feed and pasture available.”McClay added Taranaki is experiencing hot and dry conditions with below average rainfall.”This has affected pasture growth and farmers have had to feed-out or sell livestock earlier to fill the gap.”The Government is set to make $30,000 available to rural support groups who work closely with farmers on the ground in the area.”I know farmers and growers…

Despite discrepancies between west and east, Europe’s democratic health remains buoyant in the face of worldwide decline, according to a study released on Thursday by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EUI). ADVERTISEMENTDespite divisions between east and west, Europe’s standards of functioning democracy remain high, even as global standards decline, according to a study released on Thursday by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). The latest Democracy Index shows that after a year of elections worldwide, global democracy has weakened, with 2024 continuing a trend of “democratic malaise”, the report finds. “While autocracies seem to be gaining strength, as shown by the index trend since…

The Government has agreed to introduce legislation that would allow the parliamentary term to be extended to four years – subject to a referendum – Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says.Previously, coalition partners New Zealand First and ACT have both voiced support for four-year political terms, and the proposed Bill was modelled on the ACT Party’s draft Constitution (Enabling a 4-Year Term) Amendment Bill.The current three-year limit is entrenched — meaning it can only be overturned through a supermajority in Parliament or a referendum. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has previously indicated the Government planned to propose a referendum for four-year Parliamentary…