Author: Press Room

Police are searching for a man who pulled a gun at an officer and member of the public in Palmerston North yesterday.At around 8.30pm police attempted to take him into custody after he was seen walking to a property on Brentwood Avenue in Highbury.The man became agitated and pulled out a gun before fleeing on foot, Inspector Ross Grantham said.”He is also believed to have been involved in an earlier reported firearms incident, where a gun was allegedly pointed towards a member of the public while walking on Featherston Street.”The officer is being offered support and was not physically injured.Police…

By Susan Edmunds of RNZ Fixed home loan rates are now 2 percentage points lower than they were at the peak of the market, but the longest terms might not have much further to fall, ASB economists say. They have released their latest home loan report ahead of the Reserve Bank’s next official cash rate (OCR) review next week. The OCR, which can influence bank interest rates, currently sits at 4.25% but will be reviewed on Wednesday at 2pm. The ASB economic report notes interest markets were “volatile” and could change quickly, which could flow through to mortgage rates. Despite…

Hutt Valley mountain biker Erice van Leuven says she endured the “biggest crash of my life” at the Red Bull Hardline event in Tasmania over the weekend.The 18-year-old broke her neck, back and wrist and suffered some “small internal injuries” when she went down hard after catching her rear wheel while trying to clear a massive 85-foot jump near the bottom of the course.In a post on social media, van Leuven said she was lucky to be able to walk and would have to wait for her lung to heal before she could fly back to New Zealand to rest…

The man accused of murdering a woman in Central Otago’s Lake Hāwea last year can be named as her husband.It comes after a near year-long police investigation into the death of Invercargill woman Karen White in March 2024.61-year-old Robert White, a fisherman and husband of Karen White, appeared in the Queenstown District Court today at his first appearance.Robert White’s lawyer Fiona Guy Kidd KC entered a not guilty plea on behalf of his client in front of Judge Duncan Harvey.While a bid for name suppression was not made, an application for media to take photos and video was declined.He was…

The courts should deal with illegal fishing, not the “court of public opinion”, Shane Jones says, as he announces proposed changes to the Quota Management System.The Oceans and Fisheries Minister also acknowledged there is a “deeper philosophical debate” underneath the consultation document, now open for feedback on the MPI website, because of New Zealand’s “unusual fishing management system” due to the property rights-based quota system.Jones made the announcement on the Wellington waterfront alongside a range of industry members, arguing the changes were the broadest and most significant since the quota system was introduced in 1986.He acknowledged cameras on fishing vessels…

A Gisborne school principal says they would welcome an alcohol ban in the Kaitī area as people regularly gather to drink at the bus stop outside Kaitī Mall and across the road from their school.District councillors decided last year an alcohol bylaw would be the best way to control drinking in public spaces.Alcohol was banned from Gisborne’s city centre streets, with a temporary ban that included Midway Beach over the New Year period while the Rhythm and Vines festival took place.At a recent council workshop, councillors discussed several options, including extending the R&V temporary alcohol ban and making it permanent…

A close adviser to Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown appears to have re-registered his campaign website, with it widely expected he will launch a re-election bid.Chris Matthews, who served as Brown’s campaign manager three years ago, is listed as having re-registered the domain “fixauckland.co.nz” on Monday afternoon.The website was last used three years ago during Brown’s successful campaign to win the Auckland mayoralty in a crowded field.Matthews declined to comment directly when approached by 1News this morning, instead directing inquiries to another aide to Brown, Josh Van Veen. Brown’s office was first approached for comment yesterday morning but has not responded.It…

The far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) had been tasked with leading negotiations to form a government in Vienna after previous negotiations fell apart. ADVERTISEMENTAustrian far-right leader Herbert Kickl said Wednesday that his talks on forming a coalition government with the conservative People’s Party (ÖVP) had collapsed. Kickl was given a mandate to form a new government in early January after previous coalition talks between the ÖVP, the centre-left Social Democrats (SPO), and the liberal Neos party fell apart. Talks between the FPÖ and ÖVP grew increasingly tense in recent days, with the parties clashing over policy differences and which party would…

Commissioners have declined to grant consent for a McDonald’s restaurant to open in Wānaka.Consent was being sought to open a 455-square metre restaurant with a drive-thru at the Wānaka-Luggate Highway, below Mt Iron.Queenstown Lakes District Council opened the proposal up for public submissions and, of the 367 made, the majority were against it.Residents were concerned about the visual and aesthetic impact on the town, as well as the area’s values about protecting the natural environment.Wao Aotearoa Charitable Trust was one group that strongly opposed the idea due to the impact it would have on the town.”The proposed mitigation measures, including…

The new US Secretary of Defence has categorically ruled out granting NATO membership to Ukraine as a security guarantee to end Russia’s war. ADVERTISEMENTUkraine’s desired return to its pre-2014 borders and membership of NATO are “unrealistic” goals that should be excluded from any future peace settlement, US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth told allies on Wednesday as he stressed President Donald Trump’s intent to end Russia’s war “by diplomacy”.Hegseth’s remarks came at a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group in Brussels. More than 40 nations were represented.”We want, like you, a sovereign and prosperous Ukraine. But we must start…