Author: Press Room

A Ministerial Advisory Group report has found corruption is growing in scope and sophistication in New Zealand and it’s enabling serious organised crime.The Transnational Serious and Organised Crime group says New Zealand is the only Five Eyes country without a whole-of-government national anti-corruption strategy and that has created “a significant gap in the country’s ability to prevent, detect, and respond to corruption risks in both the public and private sectors”.The report also names the Pacific as a direct risk to regional security — compounding New Zealand’s vulnerability.The increase presence of illicit drugs in the Pacific was escalating corruption. The morning’s…

From the end of 2025, 3G mobile networks will start to be shut down around the country.First introduced to New Zealand in 2006, 3G allowed users to make calls and surf the internet while on the go. Its successor, 4G, was launched in 2013, and 5G in 2019.The New Zealand Telecommunications Forum said 3G services will begin to end at the end of the year. Spark said its 3G network will be turned off on March 31, 2026.The shutdown of the network will create room for faster and more reliable 4G and 5G networks. While the move has been called…

A 32-year-old man has been arrested and charged with endangering transport after allegedly pointing a laser at a police helicopter in Auckland last night. The Police Eagle helicopter was assisting with a stolen vehicle in Mt Wellington when it was struck by a laser about 9.15pm. The crew identified the address it came from and a man was quickly taken into custody.”A 32-year-old man was arrested and charged with endangering transport,” a police spokesperson said. According to the Civil Aviation Authority, pointing a laser at an aircraft can affect a pilot’s ability to safely control the plane or helicopter, especially…

A pedestrian has died after being hit by a car in Roxburgh, Central Otago, last night. Emergency services were called to the incident on State Highway 8 between Tamblyn Road and Selkirk Place, about 7.20pm.Police said the pedestrian died at the scene. “Police are providing support to their next of kin.” The morning’s headlines in 90 seconds, including new corruption report, California protests, and Justin Baldoni’s legal loss. (Source: 1News)The serious crash unit conducted a scene examination, and the road was closed for several hours but has since reopened. “Police would like to thank the emergency response teams who assisted…

On a pouring night, days since his last meal, Shay Williamson stepped out of his tarpaulin teepee somewhere in the Tasmanian wilds, and caught a pademelon – a small, wallaby-like marsupial – with his bare hands.It would have been unbelievable if he didn’t capture the entire thing on camera, as part of his winning turn on the third season of hit reality survival show Alone Australia.The Bay of Plenty possum-trapper and outdoor YouTuber, 30, toughed out the Tasmanian winter for 76 days to become the first Kiwi to win any season in the Alone franchise.In Alone, 10 contestants are dropped…

An elderly mental health patient who murdered a pensioner at her Christchurch home says he’s “extremely sorry that I’ve done what I did”, but does not recall doing it.It can now be revealed he had made threats to kill over the last decade if required to leave Hillmorton Hospital.Elliot Cameron was sentenced in the High Court at Christchurch on Tuesday by Justice Rachel Dunningham for life imprisonment, with a minimum period of 10 years for murdering 83-year-old Frances Anne Phelps, known as Faye, in October 4 last year.RNZ earlier revealed that Phelps and other residents who had the 76-year-old do…

A thunderstorm watch has been issued for Northland, Auckland and parts of the western North Island starting from this afternoon into the evening. Yesterday, thousands of lightning strikes accompanied by booming thunder were recorded in parts of the upper North Island during the early hours of the morning. This morning, MetService said an “energetic band of squally thunderstorms” was forecast to move over northern and western parts of the North Island as well as western Tasman today. The forecaster has issued a thunderstorm watch for parts of the upper North Island again, including Northland, Auckland, Great Barrier Island, Coromandel Peninsula…

Times have been tough for many New Zealanders in recent months.But the effect of the downturn hasn’t been felt evenly, and some areas are tracking better than others.Wellington still holds up in terms of income, and is now near the top of housing affordability statistics, too. The top of the South Island has the best credit scores. Unemployment is lowest in the South Island.Here is how the regions stack up.NorthlandEarly morning sunrise over Tutukaka Coast, Northland, New Zealand. (Source: istock.com)According to MBIE data, Northland had an average household income last year of $123,900.House prices vary according to where in the…

Police are appealing to the public for information after a man in his 70s was stabbed in a “cowardly and unprovoked attack” in Auckland’s Papakura last month. Counties Manukau South CIB Detective Senior Sergeant Simon Taylor said the wounding occurred on May 16 on Settlement Rd in Papakura shortly before midday. The morning’s headlines in 90 seconds, including new corruption report, California protests, and Justin Baldoni’s legal loss. (Source: 1News)”A man in his 70s was walking alone in a westerly direction at the time, outside Papakura Intermediate School,” he said. “Around the same time a person was walking on the…

Air New Zealand has started trialling wireless internet on a domestic plane using Starlink satellites. The airline said from today, passengers flying on ZK OXE, one of its A320 domestic aircraft, would be able to access high-speed, low-latency internet, with an ATR-72 turboprop joining the trial later this month – a world first. It said Wi-Fi would be provided free of charge during the trial, with passengers able to browse, access social media, stream or play games. Starlink – owned by billionaire Elon Musk’s company SpaceX – uses low Earth orbit satellites to provide internet coverage across the world. “Being…