Severe weather is sweeping across parts of the South Island and lower North Island, with multiple watches upgraded to warnings as heavy rain and powerful northwesterly gales intensify today and into Thursday.MetService said a front preceded by a “humid” northwest flow would move across the country until Thursday.Watches have been…

A man has been arrested after an attempt to smuggle drugs into New Zealand disguised as packs of macadamia nuts was busted by Customs.Customs identified the attempted import of 25 packages to addresses in Waihī, Whangārei, Lower Hutt and Auckland, containing approximately 28.3kg of methamphetamine and 2.2kg of pseudoephedrine between…

Pharmac is seeking public feedback on a proposal to fund another brand of ADHD medication, in response to ongoing supply issues. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is currently treated in New Zealand with brands of methylphenidate, which works by changing the levels of natural substances in the brain to improve…

The Child Cancer Foundation has revealed it is being referred 20% more families with a child fighting cancer than they were a year ago.The worrying statistic means they’re desperate for donations. Child Cancer Foundation chief executive Monica Briggs told 1News the spike in demand was due to relapses, longer treatment…

Canterbury Regional Council, known as Environment Canterbury (ECan), has carried a motion to declare a nitrate emergency at its final meeting today.The vote was nine for, seven against.Some councillors and government ministers said the council calling the motion in the last meeting before local elections was grandstanding and a political…

Nurses turned their back on the Health Minister during his speech at the annual New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) conference, coming in the wake of a report revealing hospitals nationwide were short close to 600 nurses per shift over the past year.The report, authored by Infometrics for the NZNO was…

An Oamaru teenager missing for more than two weeks may have travelled south to Dunedin or Invercargill, police say.Manaia, 15, was last seen on Tern St in the north Otago town at around 9.30pm on August 31.Police said she was last seen wearing a white hoodie and grey pants but…

The Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal seeking to suppress the identity of a man who has twice been found insane after killing two people more than 20 years apart.However, his lawyer has indicated he has been instructed to file an appeal to the Supreme Court, meaning his identity…

The Chinese Embassy in Wellington has accused New Zealand’s spies of harassing Chinese citizens at its airports, claiming one traveller was recently interrogated without cause and had devices seized by security agencies.In a statement published late on Tuesday, the embassy said it had lodged a “serious representation” with the Ministry…

Top New Zealand musicians like Tiki Taane and The Bats are leaving Spotify behind. Why are they taking their music offline?One of Aotearoa’s biggest names, Taane announced on social media earlier this month that “it’s time to take my music off Spotify”.He put what he said is his final song…