Author: Press Room

Five people have been injured, one seriously, in a crash between a car and a van in Auckland’s northwest this afternoon.Emergency services were called to the intersection of Old Railway Rd and Old North Rd at around 12.20pm.St John said it responded with ambulances, one rapid response unit and one manager.”Our crews assessed and treated five patients, one in a serious condition and two in a moderate condition who have been transported to North Shore Hospital, and two in a moderate condition who have been transported to Waitakere Hospital,” a St John spokesperson said.Police said the road was blocked with…

A woman who has been through the process of withdrawing money from KiwiSaver for hardship reasons says suggestions that people are doing so frivolously are unfair.The sharp increase in hardship withdrawals has concerned the KiwiSaver sector in recent years and Retirement Commissioner Jane Wrightson highlighted it in her recent three-yearly review of retirement income policy.In October, $49.4 million was withdrawn from KiwiSaver funds for hardship reasons, up from $38.4m in October 2024.In November, providers told RNZ that people had learned to manipulate the system to enable a withdrawal – such as letting debt fall into arrears, so it would qualify.Tara,…

Dual-code rugby star Wendell Sailor has spent a night in custody after allegedly being found blocking traffic in the middle of a busy road in a bizarre incident.The 51-year-old former Australian league and union international was arrested after police received reports of a man yelling and standing in the middle of the road in Wollongong about 11pm on Friday (local time).He was allegedly stopping traffic near a busy intersection not far from the city centre while apparently under the influence of drugs or alcohol.Sailor also allegedly fought officers’ attempts to move him before he was charged at Wollongong police station.He…

Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane believes Liam Lawson has the potential to become a “very good Formula 1 driver” if he can be more consistent next season.Lawson will line up with 18-year-old Arvid Lindblad in 2026 after his current teammate Isack Hadjar was promoted to join Max Verstappen at Red Bull.The Kiwi driver started 2025 with Red Bull but was moved back to the development team after just two races.Speaking to the F1 website, Permane said Lawson was “very talented”.”My mission will be to get him to operate at the level he can operate at when things are all…

Waters are warming in Southland at higher rates than elsewhere, with implications for fisheries and habitats.Details of the issue have been captured in a November report from acting Environment Southland chief executive Rob Phillips, who referenced the recent state of the environment report.Phillips said sea surface temperatures were increasing about 34% faster in New Zealand than the global average.Outside of Fiordland, Southland was experiencing some of the fastest warming, with a 0.4 degree average increase over the past decade, he said.“While it may mean that the region can enjoy some warmer swimming temperatures, continued increases will have detrimental effects on…

IKEA’s long-awaited arrival in New Zealand hit the ground running on Thursday, with more than 18,000 people visiting the new Sylvia Park store on its first day – and shoppers wasted no time filling their trolleys.The most purchased item of the day was the retailer’s iconic FRAKTA blue carrier bag, with a total of 4200 snapped up – making the $1 tote the top-selling product among New Zealand shoppers.Furniture favourites were quick to follow. The white BILLY bookcase, a global IKEA bestseller, was also the first item purchased when the store opened its doors. Other popular sellers from the Swedish…

Firefighters were called to a blaze in East Tamaki on Saturday afternoon after pallets and a shipping container went up in flames.The blaze off Lady Ruby Dr in the industrial area of East Tamaki was reported at around 4.54pm on Saturday.”Crews have found pallets and one shipping container on fire measuring 20m x 40ms,” a Fire and Emergency NZ spokesperson said.”Currently there are three crews in attendance from Papatoetoe and Otara.”Footage captured by 1News shows firefighters tackling the flames from close range and from a truck positioned at the end of the driveway.The cause of the fire was not yet…

Charities say they are struggling financially in the lead up to Christmas – with a stark drop off in donations that is being felt across the country.It’s being blamed on the high costs facing households, prompting GiveALittle to create a special “day of giving”.At Diamond Harbour School near Christchurch, a comedy night fundraiser had been planned to fund a new paint job for the pool.However, the parents running it had to pull the pin.“In the end I think we sold at most 40 out of a maximum 300 tickets,” said Diamond Harbour School Education Charitable Trust secretary Liv Sinclair.“Largely it…

A mobile health clinic in Central Otago is fighting the ongoing measles outbreak by offering free MMR vaccinations to seasonal workers before the busy summer harvest season.Uruuruwhenua Hauroa in Alexandra is running the programme, travelling to orchards across the district to make the vaccinations accessible for Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) workers.The programme was run through the mobile bus or late-night drop-in clinics.Nurse Lana John said the workers come from a variety of different immunisation programmes, with a vaccine offered if they have a gap in their record.”What we do here is take the safe approach of checking where they may…

Ex-top cop Andrew Coster says ministers went too far in alleging there may have been police corruption involved in the Jevon McSkimming case, defending his own actions as honest mistakes in an exclusive Q+A interview.READ MORE: Exclusive — Coster says he told Hipkins and Mitchell about McSkimmingSpeaking out for the first time since the release of a damning report, Coster told Q+A he couldn’t understand why commentary suggesting he and his colleagues were taking part in corruption had been made, when the IPCA’s inquiry did not use those words.Watch the full interview at 9am on Q+A with Jack Tame on…