Author: Press Room
The Green Party is calling on the Government to extend the Auckland-Hamilton passenger rail network to Tauranga. However, Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s chairman said now was not the time for regional passenger rail.Green Party transport spokeswoman Julie Anne Genter was in Tauranga on Thursday launching a petition urging Minister of Rail Winston Peters to “Restore Regional Rail”.Te Huia, the Hamilton to Auckland passenger rail link, had proven the demand for the service, she said.”It’s time to extend that service to the people of Tauranga and some of the smaller towns in between.”Extending the service could be done “relatively quickly…
A collective of wāhine Māori carvers is creating a safe environment to support women who want to learn the craft.Te Ana o Hine is a recently established wāhine-led carving studio at Te Tuhi in Pakuranga, Auckland. Its name translates to “the cave of Hine”, referring to “all atua hine”.Carver and artist Ngaroma Riley (Te Rarawa, Te Aupouri) said having a safe space for wāhine to work in is “really important”.“There are a lot of people who have been told that they can’t carve, that they shouldn’t carve, that it’s not OK to carve. That something will happen to them if…
Police are investigating an aggravated robbery at a service station in Ngāruawāhia overnight.A vehicle arrived at the service station on Great South Rd at around 12.55am on Friday, with four offenders getting out of the vehicle and smashing their way into the premises.Police said a staff member was inside the store activated the fog cannons before making themselves safe in the rear of the store.”They were uninjured and are being offered support.”Items were taken from the store before the robbers took off in a stolen Nissan Navara ute which police said was last seen heading south on Great South Rd.”The…
Cheryl Waaka, a former Black Fern and a māmā to two teenagers, is now facing her toughest opponent yet, stage 4 bowel cancer.She was a fit and strong wāhine Māori hailing from Ngāpuhi and Ngāti Kahungunu, she’s won two World Cups in the black jersey and is still dedicated to the game — but her diagnosis in June has left her stricken with sadness.”I was healthy, running around, doing my everyday job. It was King’s birthday weekend. There was a Johnny Isaacs Māori tournament in Kaikohe. I was running the line, AR-ing, and three days later, I’m on the floor…
New Zealand’s passport is being redesigned to place the English words above the te reo Māori text — with the new look being rolled out at the end of 2027.Since 2021, newly issued passports have had the words “Uruwhenua Aotearoa” printed in silver directly above “New Zealand Passport”.Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden today confirmed the positions of the text would be swapped in future to reflect the coalition’s commitment to using English first “as it is the language most widely spoken by the New Zealand public”.She said the redesign – which would be unveiled later this year – was…
Rotorua is experiencing a surge in domestic tourism — with new figures showing an increase in visitor numbers, spending and accommodation occupancy.Local leaders say the boost reflects growing confidence in the city as a destination, following years of disruption from Covid-19 and emergency housing.Figures via RotoruaNZ, the council-controlled tourism organisation, showed an uptick in Kiwis heading to Rotorua for a holiday.“I’ve received lots of great feedback from locals who have appreciated the boost in business and also seeing Rotorua thrive again,” said Mayor Tania Tapsell.The mayor praised the “Robe Trip” marketing campaign that highlighting Rotorua as a destination for luxury…
By Susan Edmunds of RNZ New Zealanders were told to “survive til ’25” for the economy to pick up – but now one major bank economist says it’s probably going to be 2026 before any real improvement happens. Kiwibank’s latest Annual Regional Note shows small improvements across the country, but weak scores overall. The national average score has lifted from three out of 10 to four. Southland and Otago top the table at five. Otago was boosted by a recovery in international tourism and improvement in employment. Northland, Taranaki and Gisborne went backwards. Taranaki had the biggest fall in employment of anywhere in the…
A late-night wildlife rescue unfolded in Arthur’s Pass on Thursday evening when an injured great spotted kiwi was found by a roadside and taken to an outdoor education centre.The man, identified as Pete, who discovered the wounded bird noticed the centre’s lights on and sought help.Staff contacted a registered kiwi handler who lived nearby to assess the bird’s condition.Meanwhile, students from Loburn School who were preparing for a glow worm walk were given the opportunity to observe the kiwi quietly before she was wrapped in a towel to reduce her stress.The young female kiwi was then taken to a veterinary…
A political spat between Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau and mayoral candidate Ray Chung over a leaked email has been resolved, according to the council’s chief executive. Whanau confirmed she had agreed there was no need for a formal investigation into the incident but warned any further sharing of “malicious rumours” would be met by legal action. Several council candidates running under Chung’s Independent Together collective left the group last week after it was revealed that Chung had sent an email to three councillors in 2023 discussing a rumour he’d heard regarding the mayor by his neighbour about the neighbour’s son.The…
Auckland FC chief executive Nick Becker has confirmed a team for the next A-League Women season looks unlikely.”It looks like we won’t have a team next season. It is the league’s decision so we are just waiting for them to follow up,” he said.The club had previously stated an intention to launch an A-League women’s team to play in the 2025-26 season.While Becker said having a women’s team was still a “big focus” for the club, he left any official announcement to Australian Professional Leagues, who ran A-League Women.”I think it’s for them to kind of explain and to talk…