Author: Press Room

Nelson Mayor Nick Smith wants the council to backtrack on a promise to put $3m towards a new museum building but neighbouring Tasman Council has no problem with footing its share of the bill. The vast majority of the Nelson Provincial Museum’s collection is housed at a research facility in Stoke which leaks when it rains. The museum’s chief executive Lucinda Jimson said the issues with the current building were extensive. “There are so many deficiencies. We’ve got asbestos. We’ve got leaks. We’ve got dangerous wiring. It can’t be repaired”. The oldest museum in the country held items of national…

A Wellington photography studio has closed, leaving several families waiting on portraits they paid thousands of dollars for and its owner facing financial and emotional distress.Vivid Photography founder Matthew Newall said a perfect storm of mounting debt, post-Covid economic strain, a studio relocation and some serious health issues forced the closure, which he described as the collapse of his life’s work. But customers said they felt abandoned, with some turning to legal action to try to recover their money and contacting Fair Go with their concerns.Seven families who spoke to 1News say they collectively paid close to $12,000 for photo…

Published on 20/08/2025 – 15:09 GMT+2 ADVERTISEMENT ING Belgium has come under investigation for its role in the money laundering case that involves former European Commissioner Didier Reynders, Belgian newspaper Le Soir reports. The bank is being probed by the Brussels prosecutor’s office for potential acts of “influence peddling”. Last December, the prosecutor started investigating former EU Justice Commissioner Reynders for an alleged practice involving purchasing multiple lottery tickets through the National Lottery over several years, an organisation which he was in charge of as a Belgian finance minister between 2007 and 2011. It is alleged that Reynders deposited the…

Economists are united in their view that the Reserve Bank will cut the Official Cash Rate (OCR) by 0.25% later today, but several are forecasting more will be needed, and sooner, to pull the economy out of the funk. A 25-basis-point cut down to 3% has already been priced in by the big four banks, which cut interest rates for borrowers and savers last week. But later today, observers will be keeping a close eye on commentary and analysis from the Reserve Bank’s monetary policy committee on how fast it thinks the OCR, and therefore interest rates, could fall over…

ADVERTISEMENT More than one in ten European Union citizens wants to leave their region out of choice or necessity, according to the latest Eurobarometer poll. Within the next five years, 7% would like to move out of choice, while 4% would move out of necessity. The highest percentages of people willing to leave were found in Portugal and Hungary, with 16% each, followed by France (15%), and Greece and Poland, at 12% each. On the other side of the spectrum, the highest shares of respondents who ruled out voluntarily moving away from their region soon were found in the Netherlands…

How long has it been since you last cleaned your bathroom? If it’s been longer than you planned, you might see a build up of scum, slime or mould around your taps, between the tiles and on the edges of the bath or shower floor.But why is this sometimes pink or orange? And can this pink slime make us sick? Fungi expert Michael Taylor explains.Sometimes it’s mouldIn some instances, the pink slime may be a microfungi (also called a mould) named Rhodotorula.Rhodotorula is a yeasty little fungus that makes sticky red stains appear on plastics and other wet items left…

A Coroner has called out New Zealand’s “persistent and troubling tolerance” for unlicensed driving after investigating the death of an elderly man who was struck by a motorcyclist while travelling on a mobility scooter.Coroner Ian Telford’s findings were released to the public on Wednesday.He found Edward Duffy, 88, died as a result of blunt force injuries when the mobility scooter he was riding was struck by a motorcycle ridden by Colin Rondon who was unlicensed and speeding.On November 21 2023, Duffy had been riding his mobility scooter across a pedestrian crossing in Rotorua town centre.”As he was crossing – against…

Thousands of secondary school teachers are walking off the job today as collective agreement negotiations stall. The Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) said the Government’s offer of a 1% pay rise every year for three years is the lowest in a generation.The Government condemned the industrial action the day it was announced on Wednesday last week.Public Service Minister Judith Collins and Education Minister Erica Stanford said the union’s “drastic action” was disproportionate, saying that a fair and reasonable offer had been made.The morning’s headlines in 90 seconds, including teachers walk off the job, explosion at vet clinic caught on camera,…

One year after Maxine Puhi was found dead, RNZ can reveal it’s suspected she was murdered by her partner, who then died by suspected suicide while their two children were inside their Tūrangi home. Warning: This story contains content some may find disturbing.Her family have spoken of the mother’s years of living in fear, unable to leave an abusive relationship and their message to other women.In the eyes of her family, Maxine Puhi was “blooming”.Life hadn’t been easy for the 28-year-old, but she was determined to provide the best future she could for her two children.She kicked off 2024 by…

ADVERTISEMENT In a summer when radio failed to deliver a single memorable hit, one subject managed to keep everyone talking: Europe’s troubled relationship with air conditioning. It’s not a new debate. Every few years, as temperatures climb, the transatlantic divide on cooling habits resurfaces. But this year, it grew unusually fierce, straining cultural ties between Europeans and Americans almost as much as Trump’s tariffs or disagreements over Ukraine’s future. Americans, baffled that Europeans can live without constant cooling, defended their beloved AC with the same bitterness Italians judge other cultures’ pizza toppings or the French bristle at foreigners mangling ‘la…