Author: Press Room
It was just a few seconds of reporting. And it was 30 years ago. But when that reporting has you standing on top of a volcano, with an ash eruption gushing out of the crater behind you, it’s not an experience you forget, writes 1News reporter Simon Mercep.On a Sunday morning in September 1995, my cameraman and I, and helicopter pilot Tony Monk, found ourselves on top of Mount Ruapehu. We’d flown down in Tony’s chopper the night before, just after the volcano erupted.Skiers had been on the slopes, and there’d been a mad scramble to get off the mountain.…
Suspected lightning strikes struck two different water supplies during the wild weather on Thursday.Both Methven’s water supply plant and Greater Greymouth’s water treatment plant were shut down on Thursday.The Ashburton District Council is monitoring the Methven drinking water treatment plant after the suspected lightning strike.Council chief executive Hamish Riach said contractors restored the essential wiring by late Thursday afternoon, and monitored the plant until after midnight as it resumed normal operations.Contractors were back on site on Friday to replace more electrical components, he said.Follow 1News’ live updates here.The shutdown forced the council to issue a conserve water notice to people…
A man has been remanded in custody after being charged with murdering a father and son who died in an Auckland house fire.The bodies of 36-year-old Jung Sup Lee, and his 11-year-old son Ha-il Lee were found inside the Bucklands Beach home three weeks ago.It became a homicide investigation after police said the fire was deliberately lit with an accelerant.Police announced on Friday afternoon they had laid two murder charges after the public’s help.A 38-year-old man, from Sunnyhills in East Auckland, has appeared in Manukau District Court where bail was not sought.He was helped by a translator, and nodded as…
Health officials say there are now eight known cases of measles in the country – and the source of an outbreak was on a Cook Strait Ferry.The latest outbreak follows one that started in Northland last month.The outbreak on the Bluebridge Cook Strait ferry was on a Picton to Wellington sailing from 2pm-5.30pm on October 3.Several of the current cases are connected to the ferry ride but health officials had been worried because they did not know who the original ferry case was.They have now confirmed patient zero was from Northland.Health NZ public health specialist Matthew Reid told RNZ they…
New Zealand is rolling out the welcome mat for European businesses, with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon urging EU nations to invest in Kiwi infrastructure as global trade tensions continue to simmer.More than 400 businesses were present at the European Union-New Zealand Business Summit today in Auckland, with 26 European Union member states represented at the talks.It was the first time an EU Trade Commissioner had visited the country since 2018 – for the formal launch of free trade talks.Speaking at the summit, Luxon pitched New Zealand as a “safe haven” for international capital, telling ambassadors from all EU countries that…
A bee expert is warning the discovery of an invasive hornet species could present a substantial problem for New Zealand’s honey industry.Aucklanders are being put on alert to look for yellow-legged hornets after a queen was found building a nest on the North Shore.It is the first time a queen yellow-legged hornet has been found in the country.The nest in Glenfield has been removed by biosecurity officers, who said that addresses in the immediate area were at threat of a colony establishing.Victoria University professor of ecology and entomology Phil Lester said examples in Europe proved how devastating this species could…
Space Minister Judith Collins was warned as the war in Gaza began in 2023 that if new BlackSky satellites were launched from New Zealand they could be used by Israel.Documents obtained by 1News show officials recommended the launches go ahead, saying there were no restrictions on trade with Israel.Collins gave the green light and RocketLab began launching the the Gen-3 BlackSky satellites from Mahia Peninsula earlier this year. In the documents, obtained under the Official Information Act, Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment officials said while there were risks, the positives outweighed the negatives.The officials’ advice on the satellite launches…
One of the biggest Lotto jackpots of the year is on the line this weekend, with $28 million up for grabs in Saturday night’s Powerball draw.It’s the second-largest jackpot of 2025 so far, following a string of rollovers that have seen the prize pool climb steadily over recent weeks.No one struck the winning combination in Wednesday night’s draw, pushing the Powerball prize to its current total.The main Lotto draw also offers a First Division prize of $1 million, while Strike! is sitting at $200,000.According to Lotto NZ, the odds of winning Powerball First Division, matching all six Lotto numbers plus…
Kaipara Mayor Jonathan Larsen has survived a recount bid challenge for the top job from one of his councillors Snow Tane.High Court Judge Kevin Kelly on Friday dismissed a judicial vote recount application from Tane who missed out on his bid for the mayoralty by 21 votes.Larsen won the Kaipara District Council mayoralty on October 11 with just 21 mayoral votes out of 10,702 cast. Larsen achieved 3138 votes, Tane 3117.Larsen said the decision created more certainty for the council going forward.“What this means is, I can now push ahead with certainty that we can form a cohesive council,” Larsen…
1News weather expert Daniel Corbett explains why the weather that hit NZ packed such a punch.The intense storm that battered the capital and the South Island this week has certainly left a trail of destruction and disruption across a wide swathe of the country. In a simple sense, a very deep low – for the time of year – passed just south of the country with an active front that extended further. There was also a big high parked northeast of the country, so a very large pressure gradient developed between the two features. Over the distance of around 2800km…