Author: Press Room

Hundreds of thousands of New Zealand computers could become more vulnerable to cyberattacks next week as Microsoft ends free support for Windows 10, a consumer advocate has warned.From October 14, the tech giant will stop providing security updates and technical support for Windows 10 – ten years after its release. Consumer NZ estimates 30% of New Zealand computers still run the operating system, meaning a significant number of users could be more exposed to malware and hacking attempts.Microsoft has urged consumers to upgrade to Windows 11, but many older PCs don’t meet the strict hardware requirements to run the new…

Wayne Brown will continue as Auckland’s mayor, with progress results showing a substantial election victory.With about 80-90% of Auckland’s votes counted by the afternoon of election day, Brown was about 90,000 votes ahead of Kerrin Leoni, who had received just over 56,000 votes.The mayor spoke to media at Karanga Plaza Harbour Pool, which he calls ‘Brownie’s Pool’, shortly after results were published on Saturday afternoon.Glad to be done campaigning, he was ready for his victory lap.”It’s been like being in the dentist’s chair for six weeks,” Brown said. “I didn’t enjoy it, I don’t enjoy campaigning.”Brown earlier confirmed this would…

Christchurch mayor Phil Mauger is grateful to be re-elected for a second term and wants to keep the city’s momentum going.Progress results on Saturday show Mauger has won the mayoralty with 54,644 votes, a majority of almost 20,000.His nearest rival, third-term councillor Sara Templeton, received 34,726 votes.As progress results stand, Mauger will be joined at the council table by two new councillors and 14 returning councillors.Mauger was celebrating the result on Saturday.Christchurch mayor Phil Mauger wants to keep up a focus on reducing the city’s debt. Photo: RNZ/ Anna Sargant (Source: rnz.co.nz)”I was always pretty confident that I’d get there,…

Andrew Little has convincingly won his bid to be the mayor of Wellington, saying he is excited and “somewhat daunted” by the role.In April, the former Labour Party leader and senior cabinet minister announced he would run for Wellington’s top job.Not long after, Tory Whanau announced she would not seek re-election for the role and would instead look to be the next Wellington Māori ward councillor.Based on current results, she has lost that race to Labour candidate Matthew Reweti.Andrew Little has won Wellington’s top job. (File photo) Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone (Source: rnz.co.nz)With 85% of the vote in, Little…

Australian airline passengers are on high alert after hackers leaked the personal information of up to 5.7 million Qantas customers. Qantas confirmed today it was among several global companies that had data released by cyber criminals. “With the help of specialist cyber security experts, we are investigating what data was part of the release,” a company spokesperson said. The data was stolen in a cyber attack in early July this year from Qantas’ third-party platform provider Salesforce. Records were stolen by Scattered LAPSUS$ Hunters from 39 major companies, including Qantas, Disney, Toyota and FedEx. The group was holding customers’ data…

One person has died and another person has been taken to hospital in critical condition after a house fire overnight in Canterbury.Emergency services were called to the residence on Dunford St in Rakaia at about 11.15pm on Saturday.Five crews were sent to the property, which was “well ablaze” and with people reported inside. Firefighters rescued two people from the burning building.Police said one person was found dead a short time later.”The death will be referred to the coroner, and inquiries are ongoing.”

Both Lower Hutt and Porirua voters seem to back the idea of exploring the idea of amalgamation between Wellington region’s councils.Before the 2025 local body elections, both Hutt City Council and Porirua City Council decided to ask voters on their ballots whether they should explore creating one council for the Hutt Valley, Porirua and Wellington.The question stated that the council would combine relevant services and functions regionally, while keeping appropriate local services and decision-making local.By the evening of election day, Saturday, 11 October, with 85% of votes tallied, results so far show:In Porirua: 7404 people supported the idea, 5622 did…

The Government has announced “science-based” biogenic methane targets for 2050, which it says will provide exporters with a clear pathway to reduce emissions while maintaining productivity and trade competitiveness.The target would be set at a range of 14-24% below 2017 levels by 2050, reflecting the findings of the independent Methane Science Review released in 2024, it said on Sunday.Agriculture and Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay said the government had worked closely with industry and accepted a range of advice to determine a “practical target”.”Today we’re delivering a practical, fair pathway that recognises New Zealand agriculture efficiency, protects jobs and…

A new quizmaster is set to shake things up on Beat the Chasers, with a mysterious new Chaser to debut in the upcoming season finale.Known only as Maverick, the newcomer will join five of the show’s regular quiz champions in the high-stakes spin-off of The Chase.ITV, who air the programme in the UK, are keeping Maverick’s identity tightly under wraps, teasing viewers with the question: “Who is behind the mask, and can they live up to being a part of the greatest quiz team in the world?”The episode will air in the UK on October 19. Hosted by Bradley Walsh,…

The defence force is looking for the descendants of two recently identified WWI soldiers – killed while serving in Belgium nearly 100 years ago. New research from independent, volunteer researchers, with further information from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and NZDF, identified the final resting places of 31-year-old Sergeant Thomas Smith and 27-year-old Corporal Thomas Nigel McFarland. The two men were both members of the New Zealand Machine Gun Corps and were killed on October 12, 1917, at the Battle of Passchendaele in Belgium. New Zealand and its allies had launched an attack on Bellevue Spur. At least 843 New…