Author: Press Room

The Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal has censured a former primary principal for serious misconduct seven years after RNZ first raised questions about his use of school funds.The tribunal ordered David Wallis to pay costs of $16,337 and cancelled his teacher registration.The tribunal’s decision said Wallis accepted charges of mismanagement and poor financial practices amounting to misconduct over a four-and-a-half-year period to his retirement in mid-2018, but denied he had misappropriated school funds.The tribunal’s Complaints Assessment Committee charged Wallis, who had been principal of Manurewa West Primary, following a mandatory report in 2019.The charges included:Receiving wellbeing payments from the school, including a…

A law change to protect comedians, critics and artists who make memes and poke fun at others will be debated in Parliament.The Green Party’s Copyright (Parody and Satire) Amendment Bill was pulled from the ballot on Friday.It will allow people to use a copyright work for parody or satire, such as memes.Green Party MP Kahurangi Carter said Kiwis were known for their love of spoofs, parodies and dark humour.”Satire is more than a joke – it’s also a way of making sense of the world when sometimes it can feel dark and heavy,” said Carter. “It’s a little ironic that…

A 21-year-old Wellington man has been arrested and charged with arson after a fire at a block of flats in Lower Hutt last month.Police specified that he was charged in relation to only one of three recent fires at the Stokes Valley address.”The charge relates to a fire at a Hanson Grove flat on October 10,” a police spokesperson said.”Two further fires were reported at the flat, on October 14 and November 5; the latest blaze left an 82-year-old man critically injured.”The man arrested last night was set to appear in Hutt Valley District Court today.”Police are continuing to investigate…

Avian influenza is a highly contagious viral disease that occurs mainly in poultry and wild water birds but transmission to humans remains rare. ADVERTISEMENTAustria’s Ministry of Health has declared the whole country as a risk area for bird flu (avian influenza) with new, stricter safety measures coming into force from the early hours of Friday.That announcement follows an outbreak of bird flu in the Amstetten district of Lower Austria a week ago, which led to the culling of around 18,000 animals.On Friday, the Austrian military will start an assistance mission in Amstetten and will remove the dead animals and decontaminate…

Some patients at Bay of Island Hospital in Kawakawa have had to be carried up and down stairs after the building’s only lift broke down.Health New Zealand’s Te Tai Tokerau operations director Alex Pimm said the lift had been out of action since Saturday afternoon.Technicians arrived Saturday, ordered replacement parts, and had been on site every day since.Pimm expected the lift to be back in service today.He said a few less-mobile patients have needed to be helped up and down stairs using manual handling equipment.No one has had to be transferred to Whangārei Hospital because of the broken lift, he…

There will be 96 days of full closures on Auckland’s rail network between this year’s Christmas period and the end of January 2026 to allow upgrades to be completed before the opening of the City Rail Link. Transport Minister Simeon Brown said to ensure the success of the CRL, the Rail Network Rebuild needs to be completed ahead of the CRL opening “to ensure Aucklanders can benefit from increased train services and improved reliability”.The Government is funding the $200 million Rail Network Rebuild project, which will require “a large programme of upgrades required over the coming year”.”These works will have…

A $249 million project to expand Air New Zealand’s Christchurch Engine Centre in Harewood was revealed on Friday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon was at the Orchard Rd centre for the groundbreaking ceremony. He said the 14,000 sq m expansion was a “significant investment to New Zealand’s economy”. “This project between Air New Zealand and global aviation leader Pratt & Whitney marks a significant investment to New Zealand’s economy, helps expand our aviation industrial capability, and adds 200 high-value jobs into the Canterbury region,” Luxon said. Pratt & Whitney is a world-leading aircraft engine design, manufacture and service company. The expansion will add…

A person has been taken into custody after reports of a possible firearms sighting inside a parked ambulance at Auckland’s Waitākere Hospital. Police were called just after 1pm after receiving a report of a person alone inside an ambulance parked at Waitākere Hospital with a possible firearm. They were being taken to the hospital by ambulance staff, who “observed the possible firearm in a bag”, a police spokesperson told 1News in a statement.”The hospital self-initiated a lockdown and police quickly took one person into custody without issue.”A St John spokesperson said the crew “correctly followed their dynamic risk assessment training…

The German government’s collapse, which came just hours after US President Donald Trump was elected for a second time, has sent shockwaves throughout Europe. But what does it mean for the rest of the EU? ADVERTISEMENTFollowing the German government coalition’s breakup on Wednesday, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he would hold a vote of confidence in January, which could pave the way for new elections as early as March. Opposition party CDU, however, is demanding Scholz holds the vote as early as next week, which would see fresh elections take place in January. The coalition split due to irreparable differences over…

Police want to speak to a barefoot man seen riding a bicycle in the vicinity of a Lower Hutt property which was deliberately set alight, leaving a man in his early 80s critically injured.Emergency services were called to a block of flats on Hanson Grove, Stokes Valley, at 3.10am on Tuesday.Police revealed earlier this week the fire which left the man, 82, critically injured was the third suspicious one at the property in as many weeks.The other two suspicious fires occurred on Thursday, October 10 and Monday, October 14.Detective Inspector Haley Ryan said investigators need the community’s help to identify…