Author: Press Room

An Ohakune school has reversed a policy of locking the girls’ bathrooms and having access managed through supervised visits, which was put in place due to “improper disposal” of used sanitary products and drain blockage. In an email sent to parents on Wednesday, seen by 1News, Ruapehu College principal Marama Allen said the school had locked the girls’ bathrooms for the foreseeable future due to “ongoing and serious misuse of the facilities”. She said the school had been experiencing improper disposal of used sanitary products and “intentional blockage” of drains with tampons. “This decision has not been made lightly, but…

A 16-year-old fantasy author from Tokoroa as been named on TIME magazine’s first Girls of the Year 2025 list. The TIME list featured 10 “extraordinary young leaders” between the ages of 12 and 17 who were nominated for their global impact, and were inspiring communities around the world.Author Rutendo Shadaya was the only person nominated from Australasia, and told Breakfast she “couldn’t believe this was real” when she was told the news. “I signed up, agreed to work with them and was looking forward to where it will take me.” Shadaya’s two self-published books: Rachel and the Enchanted Forest (2020)…

A palatial 1920s building near Clyde is on the brink of a lavish new chapter, painstakingly restored from years of mould, rodents and neglect.When husbands Marco Creemers and Ryan Sanders put the finishing touches on their house – affectionately known as Earnscleugh Castle – later this year, it will boast an airy ballroom, a pool and sauna, a seven-foot entranceway chandelier, a library with a sliding ladder and even a special room for their beloved French bulldogs with heated floors.The pair said they were not only creating their dream home, but capturing its storied past for locals and visitors to…

Ben Leng considers himself lucky to be alive.Spread on his kitchen table in rural Taranaki are photos illustrating the impact of what he describes as “the worst day in his life”.They are photos so harrowing he does not want to share them, but just get on with his life.In one, he is lying in a hospital bed in an induced coma after being blindsided by “sort of a coward’s punch” thrown by New Plymouth bouncer Taylor Watkins in December last year.A coward punch, also known as a king hit, is a strike to the head or neck, often delivered from…

Food prices have increased 5% in the 12 months to July, led by higher costs for milk, butter, and cheese, according to the latest figures from Stats NZ.It followed a 4.6% increase in the 12 months to June 2025, and a 4.4% increase in the 12 months to May 2025.”All five food groups recorded higher prices when compared to this time last year,” Stats NZ prices and deflators spokesperson Nicola Growden said.Higher prices for the grocery food group contributed the most to the annual food price increase — up 5.1%.The price increase for this group was due to higher prices…

KiwiRail has reached a settlement agreement with South Korean shipyard Hyundai Mipo Dockyard (HMD) following the coalition Government’s cancellation of the iReX ferry project.Chief financial officer Jason Dale said the state-owned enterprise effected an agreement with Hyundai for a full and final settlement to exit the contracts for two rail-enabled ferries that were signed in 2021.”After constructive negotiations we have concluded a settlement agreement with HMD for a final amount of $144 million. Including previous payments, this brings the total paid to HMD to $222 million and the final cost for the entire iReX project to $671 million.”Project iReX was…

Kaipara District Council has spent an unplanned $52,000 producing a document which attempts to spell out what legal obligations the local authority has to Māori.Mayor Craig Jepson claimed the document would serve as a guide for staff, councillors and the public, clarifying obligations and potentially saving the council money in the future.But one councillor has described the paper as “actively anti-Māori” while another deemed it “bull****”.The unbudgeted 127-page document was produced by Wellington law firm Franks Ogilvie and formally adopted in late July by a narrow 5:4 vote. Legal advice around local government law change that the firm gave to…

Napier City Council contractors did not follow its code of practice when excavating a drain, and eels likely died as a result.A witness, who didn’t want to be named, said on August 4 a digger with an earth bucket designed for shingle and earth, removed material from the base of a drain alongside Cato Rd — near Wharerangi Lawn Cemetery — which included plants, mud and eels.”The material was then trucked directly to an earth landfill, where the eels were buried alive,” the witness claimed.Napier City Council says it’s impossible to know how many eels died during the incident, but…

A man has pleaded guilty to manslaughter over an unprovoked attack outside a rugby clubroom in Taranaki.Daytona Thompson fatally punched Daniel Nganeko last month.A big crowd gathered outside the High Court at New Plymouth for Friday’s hearing, many wearing white t-shirts bearing the image of Nganeko and the slogan “March for Daniel, March for Change”.About 200 people attended a rally earlier calling for the introduction of new coward punch law to be fast tracked.Te Uraura Nganeko, who is the father of Daniel Nganeko, spoke to the crowd who gathered at the Tukapa Rugby Club, where his son was fatally assaulted.He…

The owner of a bakery in the Bay of Plenty town of Murupara and his company have been convicted, fined and ordered to make emotional harm payments for breaching immigration and employment law in relation to migrant workers. Ratha Ny, the owner and director of R.S.X Limited – which traded as Bakehouse Café – pleaded guilty and was convicted in March 2025 of four charges of providing false or misleading information to Immigration New Zealand.The company also pleaded guilty and was convicted of six exploitation charges for serious breaches of employment law, including knowingly underpaying employees below the minimum wage,…