Author: Press Room

Three years on from the creation of Health New Zealand and a points system which sets different thresholds for care across the country remains largely unchanged. This is the first in a 1News series looking at healthcare in the regions. Some people are being denied elective surgeries that they would qualify for if they lived in a different region. It’s one of the starkest examples of the postcode lottery which many say persists despite the axing of District Health Boards. Watch the 1News investigation on TVNZ+.Health New Zealand says it’s looking at access to care and whether the tools currently…

Police are seeking information about a car allegedly involved in an aggravated robbery in Whangārei. Two suspects entered a bar on Kensington Avenue on Friday, July 25, with a firearm demanding money. “One man reportedly fired a shot towards the roof and assaulted a patron before taking cash from the till and leaving in the vehicle,” a police statement said. One person was transported to Northland Base Hospital in a moderate condition but has since been discharged.The vehicle they left in is a white Toyota Aqua with stolen licence plates, registration KHA69. Anyone who saw the vehicle between 10.30 pm on Friday and 3.00am…

A grandmother was hit in the face during an altercation on the sidelines at an under-17 football match on Auckland’s North Shore last weekend.The incident led to the game being abandoned and police being called.Charlotte Lee had taken her mother to watch her son’s football match for Albany United against Māngere United on Sunday in Long Bay.”She’s quite little, only five foot and a bit, your typical grey-haired lady,” Lee told 1News. “I couldn’t believe she ended up being the one that got hit and her lip split.”Lee described the scene as “chaotic and aggressive” and said a row was…

The alarming rise of butter prices has become a real source of frustration for New Zealand consumers, as well as a topic of political recrimination, writes Lincoln University professor of agricultural economics Alan Renwick.The issue has become so serious that Miles Hurrell, chief executive of dairy co-operative Fonterra, was summoned to meetings with the government and opposition parties this week.After meeting Hurrell, Finance Minister Nicola Willis appeared to place some of the blame for the high price of butter on supermarkets rather than on the dairy giant.According to Stats NZ, butter prices rose by 46.5% in the year to June…

Fencing disputes rank alongside such things as noise complaints and arguments over trees as hot button topics between neighbours many New Zealand homeowners love to read.It’s relatively easy to become involved in one, though.The Citizen Advice Bureau has dealt with more than 2600 enquiries on fences and boundary issues over the past year, accounting for about half of all enquiries it received about neighbour-related issues, says Louise May, the organisation’s national policy advisor.Some of the questions were linked to ongoing disputes between neighbours and some were just homeowners wanting information about their rights and responsibilities, May says.So, how can disputes…

The government hopes opening up the ability for building companies to buy more overseas material will cut down the price of construction. On Monday it will release its building product specifications document, which will list international standards for products like plasterboard, cladding, windows and external doors. The aim of the change is to allow more overseas building materials into New Zealand’s construction sector. Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk said the products had been given “the green light” to end “costly monopolies”. “For example, New Zealand has some of the most expensive plasterboard in the world. “Kiwis pay around 38…

New Zealand’s regions are showing signs of recovery, but there is a growing economic performance divide between the North and South Islands, a new report from Kiwibank says.The Annual Regional Note, released on Saturday, showed that the South Island was continuing to outperform the North and that while most regions recorded gains, progress remained uneven.The national average score has lifted from 3 to 4 out of 10.Kiwibank chief economist Jarrod Kerr said the economic tide was turning.”Most regions have seen at least some improvements, but the recovery is far from even.”Southland and Otago lead with scores of 5, driven by…

Julia Deluney’s diaries, presented as evidence by the Crown during her month-long trial, reveal the highs and lows of cryptocurrency trading, her plans for a Remuera home to retire in, and her grief following the death of her mother.DeLuney was found guilty of murdering Helen Gregory, 79, at the elderly woman’s home in Baroda St in Khandallah in January last year.The Crown argued it had been a financially motivated attack, and that DeLuney had been receiving money – or at worst, stealing it – from her mother for at least a year before the murder.Over the course of the trial,…

Warfare, shark-spotting, real estate photography.The drone has become a multi-use agent of the sky, and a Rotorua resident wants them used to fight illegal dirt bike activity plaguing the city.However, local authorities warn the seemingly simple solution is anything but.Rotorua Lakes Council and local police have faced increasing difficulty keeping the city’s reserves, play areas and sports fields safe from vandalism – particularly from dirt bikes.Earlier this month, police promised a crackdown on the issue.Resident Ryan Gray believed drones could be the answer. He deals with the problem daily with “loud and obnoxious” riders hooning down a nearby cycleway.”These riders…

A body was pulled from the water in northern Auckland this morning. Police were called to Arkles Bay near Whangaparāoa at around 6.50am after a member of the public found the body. “The person has been recovered from the water and work is now underway to identify them and establish the circumstances of their death,” police said. “At this stage no further information is available.”Footage captured by 1News showed several police cars and a tent on the beach with forensics teams entering. Arkles Bay is located on the southern side of the Whangaparāoa Peninsula in the Hibiscus Coast, around 25km…