Author: Press Room

ADVERTISEMENTRussia has lost more than 1 million troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported on Thursday.The figure — which reportedly comes out to 1,000,340 — includes killed, wounded or incapacitated Russian troops. According to the report, Russia has also lost 10,933 tanks, 22,786 armored fighting vehicles, 51,579 vehicles and fuel tanks, 29,063 artillery systems, 1,413 multiple launch rocket systems, 1,184 air defense systems, 416 airplanes, 337 helicopters, 40,435 drones, 3,337 cruise missiles, 28 ships and boats, and one submarine.“The overall losses of the Russian occupying forces in manpower…

Westpac NZ is cutting its six-month and one-year home loan interest rates, effective from this Friday.Earlier this week, Kiwibank also cut its home loan interest rates. That followed ANZ and ASB, who cut their rates last week.Last month, the official cash rate was cut to 3.25%, the lowest rate since October 2022.Westpac NZ’s new special six-month home loan rate would be 5.29%, and its special one-year rate would be 4.89%. A special three-year rate would be raised to 5.59%.Its fixed six-month rate would now be 5.89%, and its fixed one-year would be 5.49%. The fixed three-year rate was being raised…

Videos filled with hacks and tips on how to falsely take claims out of your retirement fund are cropping up across social media — sparking concerns around whether hardship claims are being used for legitimate reasons.A record number of hardship withdrawals have been taken out from KiwiSaver in the past year.A fund manager told RNZ there were a multitude of social media videos full of workarounds to help people qualify for hardship withdrawals and effectively game the system.Inland revenue figures showed between July 2024 and April 2025, more than $389 million was taken out of KiwiSaver for financial hardship reasons.…

The opportunity to shape the future for her children motivated Emma Symons to stand for her local board of trustees.Every state and state-integrated school in New Zealand has a board with powers that can approve budgets or even expel students.A number of parents sit on the board and they have to be elected.School boards of trustees elections are being held in September, and the Rangiora Borough School presiding member is encouraging people to put their names forward.”Just give it go, even if you think you know nothing about governance and schools, you will learn and be supported,” Symons said.”It is…

Former chair of Hawke’s Bay Regional Council Rex Graham has a burning desire to stop orchardists from coating the Heretaunga Plains in smoke every winter.Graham sends regular photos of smoke from orchard burnoffs drifting over the Hastings and Havelock North airsheds to the council he once chaired.But he says he’s starting to feel like they don’t want to know about it, let alone do something with them.Recently a spokesperson for Hawke’s Bay Regional Council suggested it was possible his photo was showing “fog”.“While photos can be useful, our first step would be to determine if the substance in the image…

Key pointsExperts raise concerns about parole conditions that ban Mark Lundy from media interviews, and social mediaTwice convicted of murdering his wife and daughter, he maintains his innocenceParole Board says Lundy agreed to media banPrivate investigator says the restriction takes away a person’s most important tool – their own voice.Mark Lundy hasn’t said or written a word publicly since he was released from prison early last month.That’s because the man twice convicted of murdering his wife Christine and daughter Amber in Palmerston North in August 2000 cannot speak to the media, post on social media or blog about his case.Given…

The ongoing boom in one of New Zealand’s most growing districts has drawn tradies to pack their toolbelts and head to our tourism Mecca.Almost everywhere you look in the Queenstown Lakes District, there is a house going up.With construction in some regions quieter lately, some are taking the opportunity to have their cake and eat it too.Master Builders president Nathan Simon said there had been “a lot of inquiry” coming through.Queenstown Lakes District Council estimates more than 6000 houses have been consented over the past five years, with many of them yet to be built.For experienced builder Benji Andrews, moving…

Published on 12/06/2025 – 8:00 GMT+2ADVERTISEMENTThe EU is wrangling over a provision of Donald Trump’s so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” for the US budget that could see European companies taxed higher than others in retaliation for certain taxes imposed on US enterprises overseas, the vice-chair of the European Parliament’s tax subcommittee has told Euronews.The German European People’s Party MEP Markus Ferber said the European Commission has raised the proposed legislation—already approved by the House of Representatives—in ongoing tariff negotiations with the Trump administration.“We are concerned because within this ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ there are special taxes aimed at jurisdictions that impose…

Published on 12/06/2025 – 6:30 GMT+2ADVERTISEMENTEU countries pooling tens of billions of their defence spending into a joint EU fund could help finance necessary flagship projects and close capability gaps faster, the incoming head of Europe’s largest defence industry association told Euronews, recognising it would however require political leadership. Micael Johansson, the CEO of Swedish defence and security company Saab, said on Wednesday that steps taken by the European Commission to turbocharge defence spending in the EU go in the right direction but that more needs to be done to facilitate countries and companies developing and acquiring new systems together.The…

KiwiSaver members have just weeks left to claim the full $521 Government contribution before it is halved under changes to the system announced at last month’s Budget. If people contribute at least $1042.86 into their KiwiSaver accounts in the year to June 30, they can receive the maximum contribution of $521.43 from the Government. Those who contribute less still receive 50 cents from the government for every dollar they put in. However, as part of Budget 2025, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced that the value of the government’s $521.43 contribution to KiwiSaver was being halved from July 1. Individuals would…