UPDATE: SH1 blocked southbound at Dome Valley (now open)

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency 20 February 2025 3:56 pm | NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi UPDATE: State Highway 1 Dome Valley has reopened southbound, following an earlier crash. Congestion remains in both directions, so please be patient and expect delays while traffic clears. 3:32pm NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) advises State Highway 1 … Read more

GrandTech Cloud (Singapore)’s “Pizza Blitz” Campaign – To Introduce “A Friend to Startups” to Singapore’s Startup Scene

Source: Media Outreach SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 20 February 2025 – GrandTech Cloud Services (GCS) announced their Singapore entry with a “Pizza Blitz” campaign, delivering 300 pizzas to over 200 startups, influencers, and VC’s across Singapore this week. This initiative aims to introduce GCS’s business and the vision of “F2SU” (A Friend to … Read more

Release: Two Labour members’ bills drawn from ballot

Source: New Zealand Labour Party Bills by Labour MPs to remove rules around sale of alcohol on public holidays, and for Crown entities to adopt Māori names have been drawn from the Members’ Bill Ballot. Kieran McAnulty’s Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Sales on Anzac Day Morning, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, and Christmas Day) Amendment … Read more

Access for everyone: how we manage bookable spaces

Source: Auckland Council Auckland Council’s Director of Community Rachel Kelleher responds to concerns about the council’s approach to venue hire of our community meeting halls and shared spaces. It is with huge gratitude that I acknowledge the messages of support our staff and the council has received over the past few days, regarding our response … Read more

Three people taken into custody on Karangahape Road

Source: New Zealand Police (District News) Three people have been arrested following a firearms incident in Herne Bay this afternoon. At around 1.30pm, information was received that a man was carrying a firearm on Hamilton Road. A Police camera operator observed the man getting into a vehicle and tracked it travelling along Jervois Road. Police … Read more

SH3 Rukuhia rebuild is flying ahead

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency From Monday 24 February, both lanes of a short section of State Highway 3 (SH3) between Rukuhia Road and Narrows Road near Hamilton airport will be rebuilt and closed to southbound traffic for approximately 4 weeks. The rebuild work involves digging out the existing road layers and replacing them layer … Read more

Release: Govt losing police faster than it can hire them

Source: New Zealand Labour Party The Government is falling even further behind its promised target of 500 new police officers, now with 72 fewer police officers than when National took office. “Instead of increasing police numbers as promised, Mark Mitchell is taking New Zealand Police backwards and overseeing a reduction in officers,” Labour police spokesperson … Read more

Release: Child poverty reduction must remain a priority

Source: New Zealand Labour Party The latest child poverty statistics show child poverty reduction must remain a priority for the Government.  “Children should not be living in poverty, and the latest statistics are hugely concerning,” Labour child poverty reduction spokesperson Carmel Sepuloni said. “There are huge challenges that families are facing right now, with high … Read more

More Than Half of Workers in Hong Kong are Considering Changing Employers in 2025, Aon Study Reveals

Source: Media Outreach HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 20 February 2025 – Aon plc (NYSE: AON), a leading global professional services firm, today released results from its 2025 Human Capital Employee Sentiment Study with new insights specific to employees in Hong Kong. The global study of more than 9,000 employees across 23 … Read more

CUHK Leads Healthcare Innovation Whilst Advancing in Global Rankings

Source: Media Outreach HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 20 February 2025 – The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has achieved its highest-ever rankings: 44th in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2025 and 36th in the QS World University Rankings 2025. Through its Faculty of Medicine, CUHK demonstrates how … Read more

Media crisis continues amid Government inaction – E tū

Source: Etu Union E tū, the union for journalists and media workers, is sounding the alarm over the confirmation of an additional 30 job losses at NZME’s newsroom, as the wave of media cuts continues. E tū Director Michael Wood says the latest redundancies are yet another blow to journalism in Aotearoa. “Confirmation that a … Read more

Multi-sensory artwork Waimahara brings Auckland Pride Festival to a reflective close 

Source: Auckland Council On Saturday 1 March the 2025 Auckland Pride Festival will conclude, completing the city’s month-long celebrations in a thoughtful, restful and reflective way. Hāmiora Bailey, Auckland Pride’s Executive Director, explains that Auckland Pride 2025 was shaped to give visibility to the history and healing of our people across the whole community. “We wanted … Read more

Weather News – An end to the mugginess at last – MetService

Source: MetService Covering period of Thursday 20th – Sunday 23rd February –  Muggy conditions finally come to an end as rain and fresh southwesterlies spread from the south. The rain is expected to ease off towards the end of the weekend with dry sunnier skies increasing. MetService is forecasting yet another muggy day for North … Read more

Appointments – New CEO for Grasslanz Technology Limited

Source: Grasslanz Technology Grasslanz Technology Limited is pleased to announce the appointment of Megan Skiffington as its new Chief Executive Officer, starting on 3 March 2025.   Megan’s appointment follows Dr John Caradus’ decision to step down as CEO after 19 years and move to the new role of Chief Technology Officer, so that he can … Read more

Northland News – Where’s wallaby? Free wild food treats back for field days

Source: Northland Regional Council Free ‘Tex-Mex wallaby quesadillas with parmesan mayonnaise’ will be on the menu at the Northland Regional Council (NRC) marquee at the upcoming Northland Field Days. About 40 kilogrammes of minced wallaby will be used to create the quesadillas which will be made available to visitors at the upcoming Thursday 27 February to … Read more

ACT MP congratulates Labour MP for pro-freedom bill

Source: ACT Party Responding to the draw of the Financial Markets (Conduct of Institutions) Amendment (Duty to Provide) Amendment Bill: “Finally, the House of Representatives will have a chance to debate the wokery in the banking sector that has seen farmers and other unfashionable sectors treated like second-class borrowers,” says ACT Rural Communities spokesperson Mark … Read more

Static child poverty stats highlight need for urgent action

Source: Green Party This morning’s Stats NZ child poverty statistics should act as a wake-up call for the government: with no movement in child poverty rates since June 2023, it’s time to make the wellbeing of our tamariki a political priority. “Poverty is a political choice we do not have to accept. We can choose … Read more

Closures this Sunday on SH2 HB Expressway and SH50

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency Crews will be carrying out routine maintenance overnight Sunday on a stretch of State Highway 2 Hawke’s Bay Expressway. The stretch of road between Omahu Road and Evenden Road will be closed from 8pm and reopening at 5am on Monday, in time for commuter traffic. Signposted detours will be available. … Read more

Stretch of SH1 southbound from Foxton temporarily closing for sealing work

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency A stretch of State Highway 1 south of Foxton is closing to southbound traffic as the Levin to Foxton safety improvements project progresses. The southbound lane of SH1 will be closed from the southern entrance to Foxton through to the intersection with Oturoa Road between 9am and 3pm weekdays for … Read more

Tenchijin – Japan’s Leading Satellite Tech Company to Develop its own Satellite and Launch in 2027

Source: Media Outreach “Thermo Earth of Love Project” to Enhance Surface Temperature Observation and Advance its Solutions Further TOKYO, JAPAN – Media OutReach Newswire – 20 February 2025 – On January 27, 2025, Tenchijin announced the launch of “Thermo Earth of Love Project,” a proprietary satellite program aimed at enhancing surface temperature monitoring capabilities. The … Read more

Name release and appeal for information, Hastings homicide

Source: New Zealand Police (National News) Please attribute to Detective Inspector Martin James, Eastern District Investigations Manager: Police can now confirm the name of the man who died in Hastings Sunday 23 February, and are appealing for information to assist in our ongoing investigation. A homicide investigation was launched after a man was pronounced deceased … Read more

Child Poverty – “We can end child poverty”: Share My Super founder

Source: Share My Super Reducing child poverty substantially needs only half the current public spend on roads, says philanthropist Liz Greive, as new StatsNZ data shows the burden of poverty on children has increased over the last two years. StatsNZ data released today showed that around 156,000 children live in hardship, meaning their families don’t have … Read more

Child Poverty – Economic growth alone won’t help 156,600 Kiwi children who live in poverty – CPAG

Source: Child Poverty Action Group The Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) is urging the government to put child poverty back on the agenda after official data showed an increase of children living in hardship over the past two years. It’s likely an extra 36,300 children are living in material hardship compared to 2022, according to official … Read more

Child Poverty – Save the Children: Urgent investment needed in low-income families, particularly sole parent households – Save the Children

Source: Save the Children Save the Children is calling on the Government to commit to investing in policies to lift more children and whānau out of poverty following the release of today’s latest child poverty statistics that show no progress on meeting targets over the past year, and particular groups of children more at risk. Child … Read more

Work-related health newsletter – February 2025

Source: Worksafe New Zealand 20 February 2025 Check out the latest guidance and resources, and a number of upcoming courses and conferences to help you ensure a healthy and safe work environment for you and your workers. In this edition: Updated leptospirosis guidance​ New restricted entry intervals and guidance Mentally healthy work infographics Psychosocial survey … Read more

Action needed now, as child poverty grows

Source: Council of Trade Unions – CTU Data released today by Statistics New Zealand showed the urgent problem facing Aotearoa New Zealand in tackling child poverty, said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Economist Craig Renney. “Child poverty is estimated by Stats NZ on three measures – before housing costs, after housing costs, and material poverty. All … Read more

Most common registered family names in 2024

Source: New Zealand Government Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden is pleased to announce the most common family names given to newborns in 2024. “For the seventh consecutive year, Singh is the most common registered family name, with over 680 babies given this name. Kaur follows closely in second place with 630 babies, while Smith rounds … Read more