Author: Press Room

Fuel retailer Z Energy has apologised for any confusion caused by a 2022 advertising campaign that said it was in the business of getting out of the petrol business.Consumer NZ and two environmental groups took legal action claiming the campaign was misleading and greenwashing.During 2022 and 2023 a large scale ‘Moving With The Times’ campaign was conducted through print, television, billboards and social media outlined Z Energy’s commitment to alternative fuels and emission reductions.But in 2023, Consumer NZ, Lawyers for Climate Action New Zealand, and the Environmental Law Initiative sought High Court declarations that Z Energy had misled New Zealanders…

A late-night blaze which caused serious damage to a café in Auckland’s Orewa, leaving the owners “devastated”, is being treated as suspicious by police.Emergency services were alerted to the fire at the Sunflour Café around 11.20pm on Saturday, with multiple calls reporting flames coming from the two-storey building. Fire and Emergency NZ (FENZ) responded with crews from Silverdale, East Coast Bays, Te Atatū and Parnell.“The crews arrived within ten minutes to find a two-storey building measuring 25 by 10 metres, with the front cafeteria well ablaze,” a FENZ spokesperson said.The owners of the Sunflour Cafe were “devastated” by the serious…

Children’s Minister Karen Chhour has apologised after admitting her comments in a radio interview about abuse in state care may have misled people.Speaking to Q+A with Jack Tame this morning, Chhour said she would “never intentionally mislead victims of abuse in state care,” after previously suggesting that official abuse statistics from Oranga Tamariki measured different levels of harm.She now acknowledges those comments were incorrect.”I accept that people may have thought that, and I apologise if they have,” Chhour said. “My intention was never that — it was to make clear that I was speaking to one area of harm within…

A man has been charged with murder after a woman was found dead in a central Auckland apartment last night.Police were called to a property on Day St in the Auckland CBD around 7.35pm on Saturday, where officers discovered the woman dead shortly after arriving.A 38-year-old man, who police say was known to the victim, has been charged with murder and was expected to appear in the Auckland District Court on Monday.Detective Inspector Glenn Baldwin said a homicide investigation was underway with a scene examination and other area inquiries to continue today.”Police are not seeking anyone else in relation to…

Labour leader Chris Hipkins says his party has “listened and learned” since its 2023 election defeat and would go into next year’s campaign with a “different set of policies” focused on fairness, productivity and keeping young New Zealanders from leaving the country.Speaking to Q+A with Jack Tame a year out from the 2026 general election, Hipkins defended Labour’s proposed capital gains tax (CGT), free doctors’ visits and proposed reinstatement of pay equity while refusing to rule out higher debt to pay for his spending promises.Hipkins said Labour’s long-debated CGT would raise around 0.58% in additional Crown revenue per year, describing…

Dramatic footage has captured the moment a flaming car rolled backwards down a hill and collided with a firetruck in Auckland last night.Firefighters responded to reports of a car on fire on Seccombes Rd in the suburb of Newmarket at around 8.20pm on Saturday.Fire and Emergency NZ said it sent one crew from Remuera and found the car “well involved” in flame on arrival.Video provided to 1News shows the burning vehicle slowly rolling downhill before coming to a stop against the front of a firetruck, narrowly missing firefighters on the scene. One crew member quickly moved in with a hose…

The invasive Portuguese millipede plaguing residents on Wellington’s south coast has spread beyond the region.When Wellingtonians sounded the alarm about infestations of the scaly black creature – discovering them in shoes, bags and even beds – entomologist professor Phil Lester predicted the species would appear elsewhere.The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has now confirmed the millipede has been found in New Plymouth, and that it’s also awaiting samples of a specimen from Nelson – which if confirmed, would be the first known report of the species in the South Island.MPI said the reports were the first outside of the main…

Two lucky Lotto players from Auckland and Westport will take home $500,000 each as Powerball climbs to $36 million. The winning numbers were 04, 05, 07, 09, 26, and 35. The bonus ball was 13 and the Powerball was 10. The First Division tickets that won were sold at New World Westport and on MyLotto to a player in Auckland. Saturday’s $33m draw presented the largest prize of the year so far, but no one struck Powerball, sending the jackpot higher for Wednesday night’s draw. Meanwhile, two Strike Four players from Waimate and Nelson will also be celebrating after each…

Firefighters have warned Kiwis to think twice before lighting up the night sky this Guy Fawkes as fireworks go on sale today.Fire and Emergency NZ said crews responded to 166 fireworks-related incidents last year, the highest number since 2019. Nine of them were structure fires.National manager for community readiness and recovery Adrian Nacey told Breakfast this week that the organisation would support tighter public restrictions on the sale of fireworks.”Our job is to protect people, property and the environment from fire, and fireworks really do clash with that goal,” Nacey said. “We’re not calling for an outright ban, but we…

A Wellington musician and his partner have been working to achieve his dream of releasing a vinyl record to “celebrate life” after a terminal brain cancer diagnosis left him facing the prospect of limited time.Jack Brough, 22, and his partner Tamar van Niekerk, 20, first met a year ago – going to a gig for their first date. Both creatives, the couple connected over a shared love of music. “Naturally, we started making music together,” Brough said. For the last six months, the duo has been working on an indie music project called Nine Lives and Narrow. “We’re both really…