Author: Press Room

Homeowners with solar panels and batteries installed could be paid more to sell electricity back to the grid.New Zealander’s power bills are too high, according to an agency that wants all Kiwis to be charged less for using electricity at off-peak times.The Energy Competition Task Force was set up by the Commerce Commission and the Electricity Authority after wholesale power prices soared last winter.It said peak demand – while everyone was cooking dinner for example – was higher than it should be.So it has also proposed all companies should offer cheaper power during quiet times, and suggested it would help…

A study by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) shows that Europeans no longer see the US as an ‘ally’, and revealed a broad variety of opinions on the future of the EU. ADVERTISEMENTA majority of Europeans considers the US is a “necessary partner” rather than “an ally”, according to a poll published on Wednesday by the pan-European think tank European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), against the backdrop of friction between the EU and US over tariffs.This view was shared by half of the respondents to the survey, and a majority of those questioned in countries traditionally close to…

Whangārei District Council is risking imprisonment for its politicians as it continues to defy a government fluoridation order, lawyers have warned.At an urgent short-notice extraordinary meeting, the council today moved to continue its fight against fluoride.The often testy two-hour plus meeting was called after a very sternly-worded letter from Director General of Health Dr Diana Sarfati.In the letter, Sarfati threatened to step in with a High Court legal order enabling her to override Whangārei District Council (WDC)’s November decision not to add fluoride to the district’s drinking water.Whangārei District Council must fluoridate its drinking water for 80,000 residents by March…

Some of the videos have been AI-generated, while others have been miscaptioned. ADVERTISEMENTSantorini has fallen victim to a series of false, viral videos which allegedly show the Greek island engulfed in lava, as it deals with a real state of emergency caused by hundreds of tremors since the end of January. The videos have mostly been published on TikTok but some have also appeared on X, where they’ve amassed thousands of views, shares and likes.They’ve also received thousands of comments, and while many rightly question the videos’ authenticity, many appear to believe what they pretend to depict.One of them for…

In the depths of South Westland, nature is putting on quite a show – with the rātā in full bloom.The Predator Free South Westland Project has been working to eradicate possums, rats, and stoats from over 100,000 hectares in the area, and flew a cameraman in to capture the flowering at its height.Photographer Jason Blair, who took the footage, said it was “incredible”.”It blew me away and caught me almost off guard … it was really dense flowering and really dense colour, super vibrant.”The flowers were a bit of an enigma, waiting up to seven year before blooming again.Blair said…

From hunting to boy racing, a new series The Regions from TVNZ’s Re: News shows what it’s like to grow up in small towns. Zoe Madden-Smith, who was born and raised in central Auckland, shares what she learnt from young people across the country.I watch as Brodie Green pulls out a small scalpel from his bag and slices open the deer he shot just minutes ago. Within moments he’s taken out the stomach and intestines and is showing us how to wear the deer as a backpack to get it off the ridge and back to his truck. “First you…

ACT leader David Seymour says he’s had a “very positive” meeting with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon as the coalition partners disagree over a decision to write to police for Philip Polkinghorne after his wife’s death.Yesterday, Luxon said his coalition partner had made an “ill-advised” decision to write to police amid an active investigation three years ago. But the PM’s remarks were criticised soon after by Seymour himself, saying Luxon “didn’t know all of the facts” in the case.It was followed by ACT leader’s attempt to drive a Land Rover up the stairs of Parliament yesterday – a move deemed a…

A man has been charged with murder following the death of a woman following an altercation in Ngāruawāhia late last year.Police said officers were alerted to several people fighting on Waipa Esplanade, near the intersection with Newton St about 1.30pm on December 27.”Several minutes later, a critically injured person was taken to an ambulance station on Jordan St,” a spokesperson said.Turipapa Tukere, 42, later died before she could be airlifted to hospital.A homicide investigation was launched the same day with Waikato police seeking special search warrant powers as part of the investigation.The Criminal Activity Intervention Legislation Act 2023 allows police…

Even some KiwiSaver managers are not convinced by a plan to remove some of the barriers to the schemes investing in private assets – but others say there are significantly higher returns on offer for investors.Consultation is currently under way on the proposal.Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayley said more KiwiSaver schemes investing in private assets would bring “substantial benefits” for New Zealand.It would offer a significant supply of private capital to businesses and the wider economy, and would offer KiwiSaver members another asset class that could give them higher returns, he said.He said it could mean KiwiSaver schemes…

Southland’s mayor says the district council will delay a decision to turn three sealed roads back into gravel roads as long as it can while it hopes for more funding from the central government.Residents of Crooked, Waterloo and Wilanda Downs roads were awaiting the decision by the council, which had already been delayed.Mayor Rob Scott said the roads were important but the council was short on funds for its roading programme, and had been lobbying central government.”I’ve been talking until government right up to the Prime Minister late last year and I’m hoping they’re starting to listen, because the government…