Newshub • 11th September 2020

Police investigating after New Conservative member 'slashed' with knife in west Auckland

Police are investigating a "minor assault" after the deputy leader of the New Conservatives says one of its supporters was "slashed" by a knife-wielding "leftist". Elliot Ikilei told Newshub the west Auckland member stepped in to stop the person attacking an election hoarding on Titirangi Road. "One of our people, they disturbed someone trying to attack our sign and in the process he has not engaged in anything but the leftist person has gone and assaulted our person which has left of course t

Newshub • 15th July 2020

Southern DHB under fire for delays, missteps after woman comes forward with story of undiagnosed brain tumour

"I was so angry. Seven months to get an appointment," Cahill told Newshub. "So much can happen to a person in that time. Those seven months [he] won't ever be able to reclaim. Nor will his family." In May 2015, Cahill saw an ear, nose and throat specialist for an MRI after having trouble with her hearing. "I was told the results would be ready in seven to 10 days," she said. But Cahill did not receive the results that quickly. "I rang the hospital and was told that there were no results at t

Newshub • 25th April 2020

University of Auckland halls of residence charging students for unoccupied rooms

As a form of protest, Howell hasn't been paying his weekly accommodation fees but fears there may be repercussions later on for not doing so. "It's obviously a charge on my account and it's still there, but I haven't paid it because I don't think we should be paying for something that we don't have access to, we don't have the facilities we were promised. "I understand it's a difficult time for everybody, but I don't think students should be forking out nearly $300 a week - that's discounted,

Newshub • 25th February 2020

Whakatāne tourism retailers bracing for quiet business year following White Island eruption

Turner says there are some exciting opportunities in the local tourism sector. "We had a Belgium couple come, who had originally booked to go to White Island, understood what had happened, but decided to come anyway. "My husband took them down to the iSite and introduced them and they got all the stuff about what else they could do. "They had a wonderful two days and said they were so glad they came and didn't cancel. "It's now how do we get that message out because we've, I guess, piggy bac

Newshub • 13th October 2020

The Warehouse workers brace for the worst as the company culls hundreds of jobs - union

She said some workers were given the option of reduced hours which wouldn't bring in enough income. "A lot of them basically couldn't face the hours' reduction that was put on the table in front of them and [they] have, instead, chosen redundancy and will face the anxiety of the unknown rather than stay in a situation where they can't afford to just pay the basic bills," Williams said. "A lot of these people, for example, are 40 hours a week workers [who have] been there 20 years, are very loya

Newshub • 5th September 2020

Early Childhood Council calls on Government for more support as attendance dwindles

The Early Childhood Council is calling on the Government for more support as attendance at centres plummets. In the middle week of August, only 56 percent of children attended their early childhood education centre (ECE), compared to 96 percent in the same period before the last election. "The latest statistics from the Ministry of Education show there's about a 40 percent drop in attendances mainly due to the growth in unemployment and also apprehensive parents nervous about returning their c

Newshub • 21st July 2020

COVID-19: Fiji businesses join calls for a Pacific bubble with New Zealand

"We've had very few cases, we've controlled them really well and between New Zealand and the Pacific nations, we've got this opportunity to have this bubble," he told Newshub on Monday. King said there is no domestic tourism market in Fiji, and the industry has been decimated by COVID-19. "It's heartening to see just how beautiful and how well the Fijians are taking it," he said. "They're in good spirits and they're doing really well, but they need people to come back. "We have no domestic bu

Newshub • 19th June 2020

COVID-19: Wearing masks on flights takes the appeal out of travelling - aviation expert

An expert believes jet setting across the ditch is about to become a less glamorous affair with stronger air travel restrictions in place. Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield announced on Thursday anyone travelling between New Zealand and Australia will now need to wear a face mask. The announcement came after three cases of COVID-19 were found in New Zealand this week after a 24-day run of no new infections. But aviation commentator Irene King says wearing masks takes the appea

Newshub • 19th June 2020

Coronavirus: 'Disappointment' among Kiwis 'inevitable' as case numbers grow - expert

Despite that, there has been a sense of frustration to see New Zealand's numbers rise after such a long period of no cases and the country being seemingly the envy of many around the globe. Dr Christopher Gale, a senior lecturer with Otago University's department of psychological medicine, says disappointment or fear is natural. "There have been a lot of people who in the first period of lockdown were very anxious about getting the virus and there was a lot of encouragement for people to be ca

Newshub • 17th June 2020

COVID-19: Woman in the same hotel as new coronavirus cases 'shocked' at finding out via Ministry of Health press conference

Selina Eriwata says guests were told by the Novotel in the Auckland suburb of Ellerslie to watch Tuesday afternoon's press conference, where Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield provided further details on the cases. She told Newshub it was only when a reporter asked Dr Bloomfield which hotel it was when she realised it was the same facility where she was quarantined. "I just straight away was shocked," she said. Eriwata also found out she was also on the same flight as the pair af

Newshub • 14th June 2020

Coronavirus: New Zealand's masterclass in 'pandemic leadership' can be adopted by all leaders - expert

The research suggests that the findings, formulated into a 'pandemic leadership model' by Dr Wilson, could be adopted by any leader grappling to control an outbreak of the virus. Her analysis found the Government was guided by a core aim of minimising harm to New Zealanders' lives and livelihoods, which helped navigate the country through its COVID-19 outbreak with minimal casualties compared to most other nations. "There is a lot I think we have to be proud of and frankly relieved that the

Newshub • 13th June 2020

University head begs for return of international students

A university boss says the real solution to the sector's financial woes is to allow international students into the country. The Government is proposing to scrap the Education Export Levy payment to ease the financial burden caused by the loss of foreign students. But Victoria University vice-chancellor Grant Guilford says removing the levy only helps universities a little - about $600,000. "The counter to that is we're taking a loss of $30 to $40 million," he told Newshub. "So it's a very po

Newshub • 13th June 2020

Federated Farmers wants migrant workers on Govt's COVID exemption 'A-list'

"If we want them to race in this America's Cup, to be fair to those crews they've got to be here to acclimatise and practise on our waters," Goff told Newshub. "And of course when they come here, those teams spend big money." Economic Development Minister Phil Twyford says they'll bring in about $100 million. New Zealand is one of only a handful of countries in the world that appears to be free of the virus, which has killed more than 420,000 people around the world in the past few months. The

Newshub • 2nd June 2020

Rotorua sees 'unprecedented support' over long weekend after COVID-19 troubles - Mayor

With Kiwis back to being able to travel around the country under alert level 2, many headed to Rotorua for the three-day weekend. Air New Zealand helped out with additional flights to the centre. "It's been phenomenal, actually, better than our expectations. A long weekend is always good for Rotorua. We missed out on Easter, but this one has been a boomer," she said. "Unprecedented support from New Zealand. Thank you, all of you, for coming." Chadwick said there were "queues outside everywher

Newshub • 30th May 2020

Central city businesses struggle as employees continue working from home

Auckland CBD business association Heart of the City says the result is many businesses have minimal customers, while some can not open as their regular customers haven't returned. Chief executive Viv Beck says the city is only seeing a third of the 138,000 people it normally would every weekday. "That's a lot fewer customers for the small businesses, and a lot less spend. The spend at the moment is only about 50 percent of what it would normally be." Beck says that equates to $2.5 million les

Newshub • 19th May 2020

Coronavirus: Seven weeks in lockdown causes air pollution to drop 75 percent across Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch

"That's unprecedented really and should make a big difference for public health. "What the lockdown experience has shown is as soon as we stopped driving around - which was pretty much instantly at the beginning of level 4 - the air quality responded instantly." Longley said going back to normal puts pollution levels right back where they were. "As soon as we start getting back into our cars and trucks, as we are doing at the moment, the pollution levels are tracking back up," he told Newsh

Newshub • 25th April 2020

University of Auckland halls of residence charging students for unoccupied rooms

As a form of protest, Howell hasn't been paying his weekly accommodation fees but fears there may be repercussions later on for not doing so. "It's obviously a charge on my account and it's still there, but I haven't paid it because I don't think we should be paying for something that we don't have access to, we don't have the facilities we were promised. "I understand it's a difficult time for everybody, but I don't think students should be forking out nearly $300 a week - that's discounted,

Newshub • 3rd April 2020

Coronavirus: NZ with a chance to be only Western nation to eradicate COVID-19 - expert

One of New Zealand's top infectious disease experts says he's finally getting some sleep at night, with New Zealand looking like the only Western country with a chance of eradicating COVID-19. But overseas, it's looking like 20 million people will eventually succumb to the virus. Professor Michael Baker from the Department of Public Health at the University of Otago told The AM Show on Friday going to pandemic alert level 4 lockdown last week was the "most decisive and strongest lockdown in th

Newshub • 1st April 2020

Coronavirus: Broadening COVID-19 testing criteria applauded by public health expert

Previously, to get tested people needed to have symptoms and a link to overseas travel or a confirmed/probable case. Clinicians were also able to use their judgement, but Newshub has heard from many people around the country who were turned away, despite having a referral from their GP. This approach also came under criticism from experts like Sir David Skegg, who said it meant instances of community transmission - where the infected individual has no clear link to another case - were being mis

Newshub • 31st March 2020

Coronavirus: Law change could be needed to curb lockdown price-gouging - Consumer NZ

In response to the claims, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced on Monday the Government had set up a website for people to dob in any supermarkets they thought were guilty of the practice. "Our officials are in daily contact with our major supermarkets, and while we have found no evidence [of price-gouging] we are setting up a channel where people can report any cases or concerns that they may have," Ardern said. Jessica Wilson, head of research at Consumer New Zealand, says an email addre

Newshub • 28th March 2020

Coronavirus: Kiwi in Tokyo on why Japan isn't panicking, despite deaths

Ly Nguyen says restaurants and bars are still open and remain busy. "In terms of some of the things I've seen overseas like social distancing and rules around people being 2m apart, none of that is actually happening because it's not enforced," she told Newshub. She said Japan's COVID-19 crackdown is a stark contrast to back home. New Zealand reached alert level 4 on Wednesday night, effectively placing the country in lockdown - expected to last four weeks or more. However, hygiene and isolat

Newshub • 28th March 2020

Coronavirus: Working from home could lead to productivity boost - tech expert

But NZTech chief executive Graeme Muller says it could be a great productivity boost for the economy. "Where companies are less rigid about the fact you have to be at your desk at 9am, [it] maximises productivity as a country which is not having people sit on motorways all the time," he told Newshub. Muller said it could spark a permanent change. However, it will take some time getting used to. "Many people will find it difficult to work from home - family and other disruptions - but for a la

Newshub • 16th March 2020

Coronavirus: Foreign backpackers arriving in NZ say they won't self-isolate

Although Kiwis arriving home said they accepted the self-isolation rules as a necessary inconvenience, a number of European backpackers told her that though they will try to keep their distance from people as they travel in a campervan, they planned on travelling around the country as normal. "It's actually these people who are the biggest risk in terms of coronavirus on our soil because these people have been travelling far and wide - so it's anyone's guess how the New Zealand authorities are

Newshub • 14th March 2020

Coronavirus: NZ Cruise Association 'stunned' by Government's 'draconian' travel restrictions

"We must go hard, and go early, and do everything we can to protect New Zealanders' health. That is exactly why, to tackle this global pandemic, Cabinet made far-reaching and unprecedented decisions today," she said. Protecting the health of New Zealanders was of the utmost importance, she stressed. Kevin O'Sullivan, the chief executive of the New Zealand Cruise Association, was shocked by the restrictions, which he said were "quite draconian" and came after no consultation. "We were stunned.

Newshub • 2nd November 2020

Women's Refuge thrilled at Marama Davidson's new role as Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence

Dr Jury said Davidson has all the right qualities for the job. "There's absolutely no doubt about her commitment and her knowledge and understanding and empathy for people who have experienced violence," she said. "She has a real gift for getting right to the nub of what the actual problem is so I think she's going to be great. "She's strong and she has empathy, which I think are two of the primary things we are going to need. She's very clever as well." Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern establi

Newshub • 1st November 2020

NZ Election 2020: National 'irrelevant' to Parliament as Greens accept a post-election deal - professor

According to the agreement, the Greens will support the Government on procedural motions in the House and at select committees, and cannot oppose the Government on confidence and supply matters - providing Labour with extra stability. The parties will also commit to three areas of cooperation regarding climate, environment and child and community wellbeing issues. "The National Party, ACT, and the Māori Party - assuming that the specials mean they keep Waiariki - are vanishingly irrelevant to w

Newshub • 1st October 2020

NZ Election 2020: New Zealand lucky to have two competent politicians vying to be Prime Minister - political commentator

A political pundit believes New Zealand is lucky to have two highly competent politicians as options for the next Prime Minister. National and Labour's Judith Collins and Jacinda Ardern went head to head at the Newshub Leaders Debate on Wednesday night, with much of it revolving around leadership decisions they may need to make if elected Prime Minister. At the end of the debate, neither were willing to declare themselves the winner. Associate Professor Grant Duncan, a political commentator

Newshub • 1st October 2020

NZ Election 2020: Political commentator thinks Jacinda Ardern 'should be left alone', has 'no obligation' to reveal her cannabis stance

Ardern explained she'd rather the public decide on what they wanted. "Whatever they decide, I'll implement," she told debate host Patrick Gower. Associate Professor Duncan, from Massey University, said Ardern's under no obligation to tell the public which way she will swing. "She should be left alone to make the decision; not only about how she votes but as to whether she tells us what her vote's going to be," he told Newshub after the debate. "When she's in that ballot box casting her vote,

Newshub • 11th September 2020

Police investigating after New Conservative member 'slashed' with knife in west Auckland

Police are investigating a "minor assault" after the deputy leader of the New Conservatives says one of its supporters was "slashed" by a knife-wielding "leftist". Elliot Ikilei told Newshub the west Auckland member stepped in to stop the person attacking an election hoarding on Titirangi Road. "One of our people, they disturbed someone trying to attack our sign and in the process he has not engaged in anything but the leftist person has gone and assaulted our person which has left of course t

Newshub • 10th September 2020

NZ Election 2020: Labour's tax policy a 'nudge', hard choices down the road - economist

"The necessary borrowing for the COVID-19 response meant we could fund emergency measures like the wage subsidy, which protected 1.7 million jobs and gave businesses and workers confidence during lockdown. But we have to be careful about not running up more debt than necessary for our recovery," Robertson said. "I have made it my focus over this term of Government to manage our books carefully and bring down debt. That focus will continue. Generating extra revenue now will help keep debt under

NZ Herald • 21st October 2015

Fundraising app forges new path with business push

A fundraising app has been retooled for the business market after struggling in the home-user space. Little Lot is a socially responsible advertising app. Three branded wallpapers are featured daily on users' desktop screens, with 75 per cent of the advertising revenue being donated to the charity of the app user's choice. Though the app's initial hopes have not been met due to technology barriers and a lack of uptake from individuals. READ MORE: • Duo making good intentions pay • New app: Fi

NZ Herald • 15th July 2015

Competition winner a future interior design star

Hastings could have the next interior design star on their hands, with Maia Bassett having won a dream room competition, which aired on Choice TV last night. Ten-year-old Maia, from Parkvale School was the winner of the Choice TV Resene My Dream Room: Kids Edition competition to have her design made a reality. "It was kind of challenging being around the camera to feel natural but it was really fun," Maia said. Maia had to write 200 words about herself and what her dream bedroom looked like w

NZ Herald • 9th July 2015

Caleb sets sights on national final

For Craggy Range viticulturist Caleb Dennis it was a case of third time lucky when he picked up the Bayer Hawke's Bay Young Viticulturist of the Year title last week. "I was pretty ecstatic to have won this year as it was the third time I had entered," was how he summed it up. The 27-year-old beat seven other contestants at the Te Awa Winery-staged event to take the Hawke's Bay title and now goes through to the national final against the rest of the industry's best young viticulturists which w

NZ Herald • 8th July 2015

EIT student nurse wins scholarship

EIT nursing student Kathy Kupenga was stunned to be told she was to receive the Te Apa Mareikura scholarship, one of only two made nationwide by the Ministry of Health. The second-year Bachelor of Nursing student was recognised for her involvement in community health, proven leadership and effective community networks and academic results with a $10,000 scholarship. "I never expected it, but it is humbling to be a recipient. I feel so honoured," she said. With a strong clinical background, Ms

NZ Herald • 1st July 2015

Say goodbye to booze for July

For Hastings resident Ellen Beauchamp, Dry July is about doing something to support the Cancer Society in memory of her late father. "I lost my Dad to terminal lung cancer in June last year. He was 60-years-old. "Watching him struggling was one of the hardest things I have ever been through and I don't wish it upon anyone." Ms Beauchamp wants to raise more than $1000 to do more pre-screening tests. "I want to do what I can to help people with cancer. I don't think there is enough done for ad

NZ Herald • 1st July 2015

Young swimmer collects two golds

Napier's Ruby Asdett enjoyed a wave of success at the 2015 International Children's Games in Alkmaar, the Netherlands, bringing home four medals. Ruby, 14, from Napier Girls' High School, was awarded gold in the 50m and 100m freestyle, silver in the 400m freestyle and bronze in the 200m freestyle last week. "I am stoked about my results. Racing against other international top athletes was an amazing opportunity," Ruby said. Arriving earlier than most other athletes had been helpful. "I was a

NZ Herald • 1st July 2015

Burstyn's new film set for NZ international festival

Acclaimed former Hawke's Bay residents Thomas and Sumner Burstyn's newest documentary is set to hit New Zealand shores in July. The pair behind Oscar short-listed film, set in Hawke's Bay, This Way of Life, have been successful at getting their new film Some Kind of Love screened at the New Zealand International Film Festival. Some Kind of Love focuses on Thomas' eccentric step-aunt, 77-year-old artist, Yolanda Sonnabend, who lives surrounded by 50 years' worth of art and books. Yolanda's bro

NZ Herald • 2nd September 2011

Abuse statistics demand action

Do you ever see your neighbour with puffy eyes or bruises on her arms or wrists? Do you never see your neighbour without sunglasses, even in winter and on a rainy day? Do you see your neighbour as skittish, jumpy, weak, sad or even scared to go home? She may be a victim of domestic violence. Most men do not abuse their partners or children. But it is a sad reality that a small number do. Men who abuse believe they are entitled to get their own way. Their abuse is intentional behav