Author: Press Room

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has waved away New Zealand First’s criticism of National’s economic plan, saying Winston Peters has many entrenched views.In an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report on Tuesday, the NZ First leader said Luxon’s interest in asset sales was based on a “tawdry, silly argument”. Peters said National wanted to “flog those [assets] off” having “failed to run the economy properly”.Responding on his way into a caucus meeting at Parliament, Luxon said he was not bothered by his coalition partner’s comments.”Winston Peters has been around for half a century in this place. He has a lot of entrenched…

When the New Zealand Transport Agency signed off on an integrated national ticketing system in 2009, John Key was prime minister, Avatar ruled at the box office and a pound of butter cost about $3.60.After more than 16 years, the first stage of the $1.4 billion National Ticketing Solution’s (NTS) latest iteration, known as Motu Move, was launched yesterday morning in Christchurch, rolling out contactless payment options on bus and ferry services across Greater Christchurch.The option to pay with contactless debit or credit cards and digital payments like Apple Pay and Google Pay on phones or smart watches on buses…

The BBC’s top leader and head of its news division resigned over criticism of how the broadcaster edited US President Donald Trump’s speech before some of his supporters stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.The scandal leading to Monday’s resignations is hardly the first controversy to hit Britain’s publicly funded broadcaster — or to topple one of its leaders.The editorially independent British Broadcasting Corporation was founded in 1922 to be impartial, act in the public interest and be open, transparent and accountable. While it is widely respected for its global news operation and the entertainment and sports programmes it…

Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee has today revealed her shake-up of New Zealand’s gun laws. McKee said today Cabinet had agreed to repeal and replace the current Arms Act 1983, a rewrite being part of National’s coalition agreement with ACT. She said the changes to New Zealand’s gun laws were aimed at being “fairer, fit for purpose, and improve the safety of New Zealanders”. Among the changes was the establishment of a specialist firearms regulatory agency, to oversee all aspects of regulation, including licensing firearms users and registering firearms. Police will no longer carry out those tasks. The current Firearms…

By Susan Edmunds of RNZ A lack of understanding from consumers and a lack of enforcement from regulators could be combining to give shoppers a raw deal, Consumer NZ says. It has released the results of its latest “Yeah Nah” awards, which are designed to highlight consumer problems such as confusing messaging or products that don’t do the job they are meant to. To be eligible, products had to either fail a legal standard, include hidden charges, make false claims, be an “absolute rip off” or have unclear messaging or design so that consumers were confused. Pams plasters Among its…

US President Donald Trump has threatened legal action against the BBC over the way a speech he made was edited in a documentary aired by Britain’s national broadcaster.BBC chairman Samir Shah overnight apologised for the “error of judgment”, which triggered the resignations of the BBC’s top executive and its head of news.Director-General Tim Davie and news chief Deborah Turness quit Monday over accusations of bias and misleading editing of a speech Trump delivered on January 6, 2021, before a crowd of his supporters stormed the Capitol in Washington.Trump threatens BBC with $1.7B lawsuit over edited speech – Watch on TVNZ+The…

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…