Author: Press Room

Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi says he supports “all the sentiments” laid out by John Tamihere after the party president called for two of his MPs to throw in the towel. Crisis and infighting within the party deepened yesterday after Tamihere publicly fired back at his rebel MPs, Tākuta Ferris and Mariameno Kapa-Kingi.Speaking ahead of a planned meeting with iwi chairs to address the party’s internal crisis, Waititi defended Tamihere and rejected calls for the party president’s resignation, saying allegations of toxicity, bullying and dictatorship within TPM lacked evidence.John Tamihere says MPs Takuta Ferris and Mariameno Kapa-Kingi should be…

Illicit vape pods containing an anaesthetic drug have been linked to a growing number of acute drug harm cases nationwide, prompting a warning from drug watchdog High Alert.Etomidate, a fast-acting sedative used in medical procedures, has been detected in vape products sold under names like space oil, k-pods, space vapes, or eto. The substance was first identified by drug checking services in January and has since been seized at the border by New Zealand Customs, with increasing numbers turning up at clinics nationwide.”These increased detections indicate the potential for a rapid spread of this substance,” High Alert said in a…

Veteran broadcaster Simon Dallow has addressed viewers following the announcement of his departure from 1News at Six, describing his 20-year run on the country’s most-watched news bulletin as “an absolute privilege”.The news of Dallow’s exit was confirmed by TVNZ earlier on Monday, but he addressed it directly on-air that evening.”I hate talking about myself,” he said, “but after 20 years on TVNZ’s flagship programme, it’s been an absolute privilege to represent my colleagues and bring you the news over those years. I’m now looking forward to whatever the future holds.”TVNZ confirmed that weekend presenter Melissa Stokes will take over the…

Auckland Council will meet in December to decide whether to go ahead with a proposed six-month trial for fortnightly kerbside rubbish collections.Parts of Te Atatu Peninsula, Panmure/Tāmaki, and Clendon Park/Weymouth could be affected if the vote passes, and the trial should begin in February next year.The trial aims to assess a wider rollout of reduced rubbish collection, which could see it switch from weekly to fortnightly.About 10,000 households could be involved in the trial, and would receive a temporary rates reduction to reflect the change in service.Council’s general manager of waste solutions Justine Haves said no date has been set…

By Susan Edmunds of RNZ There may finally be some good news for jobhunters – but which sectors are going to pick up fastest? Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment data shows that the number of online job advertisements increased by 3.5 percent in the year to September. It is the first annual increase recorded in any quarter since the same time in 2022. Growth was led by the IT and construction industries, up 10 percent. There was a fall in education job ads, down 13 percent. Simplicity chief economist Shamubeel Eaqub said it felt like the bottom of the…

Police are investigating after a “deliberately lit” fire gutted a café on Auckland’s Hibiscus Coast over the weekend. Emergency services were alerted to the fire at Sunflour in Ōrewa around 11.20pm on Saturday. Multiple calls at the time reported flames coming from the two-storey building.On Sunday, the café’s owners said they were “devastated” after their “little home away from home” was seriously damaged in the incident, which they said involved a break-in and deliberate ignition.”This place means so much to us and to so many of you who’ve made it part of your daily routine, celebrations, and community,” the owners…

Children of surviving sailors from a New Zealand Royal Navy protest mission against nuclear testing in French Polynesia over 50 years ago are calling for ongoing support for future generations who may suffer from unexplained health issues.Watch Marae’s full report on TVNZ+.Donna Weir’s father, Allan Hamilton, served in the Royal NZ Navy and was sent to Mururoa Atoll onboard the HMNZS Canterbury, one of two frigates that were deployed in 1973 to peacefully protest France’s nuclear testing regime in the Pacific. It was there Hamilton witnessed two nuclear blasts and was exposed to radiation.He died decades later of cancer at…

A cycle trail connecting two Fiordland towns is one step closer to completion.Fiordland Trails Trust has gained consent to construct a new 5.4km section of its Lake2Lake Trail, solving an issue where users had to cycle on State Highway 95 between Balloon Loop and Supply Bay Rd.Trust chairman David Boniface said his group was uncomfortable with that arrangement, and settled on a compromise for the new section of track after a preferred route through the national park faced challenges.”Our trail numbers have grown so incredibly in the last five years, particularly since Covid, that we just needed to press on,…

The decision by US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth to remove an infantry brigade in Romania has reignited fears about a troop pullback away from Europe by the US administration, even as Russia continues its war of aggression against Ukraine. While most European allies understand that the US will be pivoting to Asia to counter China’s growing influence, experts warn that a sudden, uncoordinated retreat could undermine European security and embolden Russia. Europeans are rushing to rearm at the fastest pace since the end of the Cold War. Last Wednesday, the United States announced an infantry brigade stationed mainly in…

A long-awaited expansion of Nelson Hospital’s emergency department has been opened today, but the head of the department says unless more staff are hired soon, they won’t be able to use the extra capacity. The ED expansion includes six new beds and consultation space and while the largest section was opened today by Health Minister Simeon Brown, it wouldn’t be fully operational until April. Head of the ED Dr Harriet Harper says it will increase capacity from 23 beds to 29. “We’ll have a bit more wiggle room to do our core emergency work rather than having to see people…