Author: Press Room

A Marlborough iwi has been unsuccessful in its challenge of a council bylaw restricting vehicle access on the coast.The East Coast Vehicle Bylaw, which came into effect on July 1, 2023, aimed to protect the environment by banning vehicles on beaches from the Awatere River to south of the Waima/Ure River, except for in a “yellow zone”.Te Rūnanga a Rangitāne o Wairau Trust challenged the lawfulness of the bylaw, and the process of adopting it, in the High Court over two days in May 2024.Rangitāne o Wairau Group kaiwhakahaere matua (general manager) Corey Hebberd said the decision was disappointing, but…

Half of New Zealanders are not confident Finance Minister Nicola Willis will deliver good economic growth over the term of this Government, according to a new 1News Verian poll, while 34% of people are confident.For the 1News Verian poll, people were asked: “Nicola Willis is the Minister for Finance and Minister for Economic Growth. Are you confident or not confident that Nicola Willis will deliver good economic growth over the term of this Government?”The responses found 50% were not confident, 34% were confident and 17% didn’t know or didn’t want to say. The poll of 1002 eligible voters was conducted…

After years of work, remains of two Moriori ancestors will return to New Zealand. The karapuna (ancestors) will return in the care of Hokotehi Moriori Trust trustees Belinda Williamson and Jared Watty.”We hold this mahi, this work, this activation for repatriation, or rematriation, with the highest regard,” Williamson told AAP.”To serve not only our many living Moriori but our karāpuna by doing this.”Watty said bringing the karāpuna home was the most important work for members of the trust.”It’s pretty special, it’s very warming to get the opportunity to take our karāpuna home,” Watty said.The ancestral remains had been held at…

Police are investigating multiple complaints about alleged extortion of customers at a South Auckland supermarket at the end of January.A police spokesperson says they are speaking with a number of people about the “series of incidents” at the Pak’nSave store in Manukau.”Those people we are speaking with are supporting our enquiries into establishing what has occurred.”Police enquiries are “still ongoing at this point”, they said.”Police encourage anyone who believes they have had similar experiences at Pak’nSave Manukau to contact us, to ensure the matter is reported.”RNZ’s Checkpoint spoke to one complainant on the condition of anonymity, who said she was…

The detentions come amid growing concerns that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government is targeting opposition figures in Istanbul. ADVERTISEMENTTurkish police on Tuesday detained 10 senior officials from opposition-run district municipalities in Istanbul over their alleged links to Kurdish militants, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency.The arrests, which include deputy mayors and municipal council members, are the latest in a widening crackdown on opposition-led districts in Turkey’s largest city.Among those detained are the deputy mayors of Kartal and Ataşehir, along with eight district municipal council members, all of whom belong to the Republican People’s Party (CHP), Turkey’s main opposition party.The suspects…

Ukraine’s ambassador to Germany, Oleksii Makeiev, spoke to Euronews about Ukraine’s role in the German election campaign and what he says is a lack of political courage. ADVERTISEMENTGermany’s election is less than two weeks away, with topics like migration dominating debates. But one issue seems to have been somewhat overlooked in recent weeks: Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.Since the start of the full-scale war, Germany has pledged to stand firmly by Ukraine’s side, providing military, financial, and humanitarian aid. In the first TV debate between SPD chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz and Friedrich Merz of the CDU, however, Ukraine played a…

Better signage wouldn’t have prevented a woman dying following a water incident at the Rakaia River mouth in Canterbury, a local councillor says.The woman died after a group of people became stuck in the river on Saturday afternoon, police said.Ashburton District councillor Russell Ellis has been a bach owner at the South Rakaia Huts for over 20 years and is the president of the bach owner’s association.Ellis did not want to criticise or lay blame on anyone involved in the incident, but said the tragedy was an opportunity to remind people about their safety in the area.“It’s not the river,…

National has fallen sharply in the latest 1News Verian poll while Labour has climbed, giving the left bloc the numbers to form a government.National was down 3% and Labour up 4% in the poll, which surveyed 1000 eligible voters and ran from February 3 to 7.It found that if an election were held today, the left bloc of Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori would have 61 seats — enough to govern.The right bloc of National, ACT and New Zealand First would have 60 seats, one short as a result of an overhang.(Source: 1News)National has fallen to 34% compared…

A soldier was beaten so badly by a sergeant and a bombardier when they were in Hawaii on an international exercise that the soldier twice lost consciousness, a military court has heard.It is alleged the attack happened after the soldier called the sergeant a dick, as the soldier protested about the way he and his mates were treated during the exercise in late 2023.The sergeant and the bombardier are before a court martial at Linton Military Camp near Palmerston North, which began on Monday.Sergeant Leaongo Tanginoa pleaded not guilty to five charges of strangling, punching and kicking the soldier, who…

The European Commission will today publish its much anticipated working program, outlining EU policy priorities for 2025. ADVERTISEMENTThe European Commission will present its policy priorities today in its much anticipated working program, with a preference for simplification and intent to integrate security “by design” in EU legislation.The agenda includes simplification measures for agricultural legislation, a Clean Industrial Deal to support the Green Deal’s implementation, increased support for the private sector, greater defence funding, and the introduction of key legislations such as the Critical Medicines Act and new migration laws on returns.Today Radio Schuman dives into the document together with Euronews’…