Author: Press Room

The lead iwi negotiator for the $20.4 million Ngāti Hāua treaty settlement says jobs, housing and better health are some of the priorities for the central North Island iwi.Graham “Tinka” Bell said the iwi woouldn’t be spending its treaty settlement redress. Instead, it would leverage relationship agreements and introductions to more than 20 Crown agencies and entities.The agreements were negotiated as part of the settlement in a bid to re-set the Ngāti Hāua relationship with the Crown and would be used to create change, Bell said.Ngāti Hāua signed its deed of settlement Te Pua o te Riri Kore with the…

OceanaGold has applied for its Macraes mine extension without a cultural impact assessment, a matter “reluctantly” acknowledged by iwi representatives. OceanaGold requested public notification of its application to the Otago Regional Council, Waitaki District Council and Dunedin City Council for a site-wide expansion of mining activities at the Macraes gold mine northwest of Palmerston. The application includes a massive amount of information, including more than 30 appendices covering proposed open-pit extensions, the effects on surface and groundwater, environmental geochemistry assessments and a range of other topics. Appendix 34 of the application — iwi consultancy Aukaha’s letter of acknowledgement — is,…

Rich-lister Anna Mowbray and her husband, former All Black Ali Williams, are spearheading the proposal for a new stadium at Auckland’s Western Springs.Auckland Council held two confidential workshops last week to cover options for a future stadium at Western Springs.The first meeting covered a proposal put forward by Mowbray and Williams via MWF NewCo for a privately-funded precinct featuring a brand-new 12,500 seat stadium alongside community sport, high performance, med-tech, hospitality and live entertainment facilities.A second workshop on the 26th of March covered another proposal from CRS Records Limited, Eccles Entertainment and Ponsonby Rugby Club to install a permanent concert…

The far-right leader, who was convicted of embezzlement on Monday and banned from running for office, accused the political establishment of trying to scupper her bid for the presidency. ADVERTISEMENTMarine Le Pen’s hopes to become France’s next President may still be possible after a Court of Appeals in Paris said it will issue a decision on her case by summer 2026. If the deadline is met, this would mean that the second trial would take place in early 2026.And if a final decision handed down several months before the 2027 presidential election, it would give the far-right leader of the…

A leaked email from Nelson’s only vascular surgeon shows she’s threatening to quit over staffing concerns, which she’s been raising since 2018. On Friday, Nelson Hospital manager Lexie O’Shea emailed all staff making them aware of the upcoming stories on 1News. The vascular surgeon responded: “I feel… our management should bear responsibility for the failures we’re being held accountable for in the media.”She pointed out she has been asking for more staff to help her since 2018. “We have particularly poor outcomes regarding major amputations due to delayed treatment.”She concluded: “If no genuine action is taken… I will have to…

Ukraine’s General Staff said Russia launched two missiles and used more than 2,000 drones in its wave of strikes. ADVERTISEMENTAt least two people were killed and several injured in Russian attacks across Ukraine, local media reported on Tuesday.  One civilian was killed and five injured after Russia struck the region of Zaporizhzhia on Monday evening. Regional governor Ivan Fedorov said that the attack, “destroyed and damaged residential buildings and social facilities.”The attack also severely impacted local infrastructure, with a local school and church destroyed and dozens of homes damaged. In Donetsk, a civilian was killed and another was injured, according to Governor…

Three Te Pāti Māori MPs who performed a tense haka in Parliament during the first reading of the Treaty Principles Bill last year say they are refusing to attend a hearing with Parliament’s Privileges Committee over concerns their “fundamental” legal rights are being ignored.Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Rāwiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Waikato MP Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke are due to appear before the committee on April 2.A video of Maipi-Clarke performing the haka Ka Mate went viral last year. Recently Labour MP Peeni Henare was found to have acted in a “disorderly” way for also joining in on the haka,…

The new law is designed to curb impulse purchases of cigarettes and tobacco — and supermarkets are prohibited from selling them altogether. ADVERTISEMENTA new law implemented in Belgium on Tuesday prevents cigarettes or any tobacco products from being put on display in shops.Supermarkets and other shops bigger than 400 square meters are also now forbidden to sell cigarettes altogether.The measures are intended to limit the visibility of cigarettes and other addictive products, with the hope of curbing impulse purchases, and together form part of a plan to eliminate tobacco use altogether.Under the supervision of Belgian Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke, the…

Parliamentary security has made at least one referral to the police in relation to threats against MP Benjamin Doyle, says the Green Party.Doyle would not be returning to Parliament this week following accusations at the weekend of inappropriate language on a social media account.Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters drew attention to Doyle’s private Instagram account on Saturday, asking what the handle “BibleBeltBussy” meant.The term “bussy” was used by some members of the rainbow community to refer to a man’s anus.The Green Party on Monday demanded the Prime Minister step in over Peters’ statements, saying they had led to an “immense”…

The EU executive has invited member states to redirect regional spending – accounting for one-third of the EU budget – toward various strategic areas such as water resilience and affordable housing, including defence to a limited extent. ADVERTISEMENTWater resilience, housing and defence are among priorities to which the European Commission on Tuesday urged member states to reallocate EU regional funds as part of a mid-term evaluation, but the executive stressed that funding weaponry would be off limits.This assessment aims to evaluate the performance, effectiveness, and efficiency of funds totalling nearly €370 billion for the 2021-2027 programming period, representing a significant…