Author: Press Room

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…

Adults frequently tell their children to stop spending so much time on their mobile devices, for fear it will rot their brains. Ironically, Dunedin-based app company Elli Cares is helping to develop a world-first, AI-powered mobile phone app that will assist older adults in monitoring and strengthening their cognitive health. Elli Cares originally supported seniors living with dementia, by creating a mobile app that gave them gentle reminders when it was time to take medications, go to appointments, carry out tasks such as refilling medications scripts, and informing family members if their loved one missed a reminder or left a…

The Government has updated travel advice for Thailand and Cambodia following armed conflict along their shared border in recent days, urging Kiwis to avoid non-essential travel to affected provinces.Armed clashes have broken out between the Southeast Asian neighbours in long-disputed border areas, including gunfire exchanges, shelling, and rocket fire. Thai authorities say a soldier and 13 civilians were killed and 14 soldiers and 32 civilians were injured.A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) said New Zealand was concerned by the increase in tensions and exchanges of fire resulting in fatalities and injuries on the land border…

Otago businessman Grant Cochrane was always going to return to farming, he just got side-tracked a little on the way. Business and rural editor Sally Rae reports. It’s family farming at its finest. After a career in currency trading and business, most recently as the globe-trotting chief executive of Dunedin success story Oritain, Grant Cochrane is looking forward to being grounded — literally. Mr Cochrane has stepped back from his role at Oritain, the global leader in using forensic science to determine product provenance of food, beverages, fibres and pharmaceuticals. After 13 years’ involvement, first as an investor and then chief executive and director, it was…