Author: Press Room

A young Christchurch couple are coming to terms with a life-changing moment after winning a staggering $20.25 million in Saturday’s Powerball draw – Lotto NZ’s thirteenth multi-millionaires of the year.The life-changing prize, which included $20 million from Powerball and $250,000 from Lotto First Division, was won with a ticket purchased on MyLotto for the August 9 draw.The couple, who wanted to remain anonymous, were regular players who tended to pick up a ticket when the jackpot was over $10 million.They discovered their win on Sunday morning when the man received an email from MyLotto — a notification sent for prizes…

A Christchurch courier company has buckled under financial pressure, owing creditors more than $1.2 million and leaving staff out of pocket. NJ & MS Holdings Ltd owes about $586,000 to Inland Revenue (IRD) and just over $632,000 to unsecured creditors, while staff claims are nearly $35,000. The company, trading as Point to Point, was placed in liquidation on the application of IRD in the High Court at Greymouth on June 30. An official assignee from Insolvency & Trustee Service was appointed liquidator and released an initial report last week. Previously registered under an office in Greymouth, the company’s sole shareholder…

A New Zealand woman and her six-year-old son have been detained by US immigration officials after she tried to return to America from a trip to Canada.Sarah Shaw had taken her two older children to Vancouver so they could catch a direct flight back to New Zealand on July 24 to visit family, and she then planned to travel back to her home in Washington state with her younger son.Shaw’s lawyer Minda Thorward told local media that she had a temporary immigration document that allowed her travel and re-enter the US but there was an ‘administrative error’ with it.Her friend…

PGG Wrightson has more than trebled its after-tax net profit for the year ended June 30 as the agricultural sector continues to recover. Key results announced yesterday included operating revenue of $975.3 million (up $59.4m or 6% on prior financial year), operating ebitda of $56.1m (up $12m or 27%) and net profit after tax of $10.7m (up $7.6m or 248%). The board declared a fully imputed final dividend of 4c per share, bringing the total fully imputed dividends for the year to 6.5c per share. Chief executive Stephen Guerin attributed the strong result to long-standing relationships with customers and an…

Gloriavale leader Howard Temple has resigned after admitting to abuse against girls and young women.Last month, the 85-year-old pleaded guilty to five counts of indecent assault, five of doing an indecent act, and two of common assault.He had earlier denied 24 charges of sexual offending over more than two decades. His trial at the Greymouth District Court heard the complainants were aged between nine and 20 years old at the time of the offending.Sources inside the West Coast commune have told 1News that Temple resigned as the Overseeing Shepherd on Sunday.The morning’s headlines in 90 seconds, including poll numbers paint…

A Dunedin business owner says a ban on in-store surcharges could result in higher prices for all her customers — regardless of how they pay. “I can’t really see any other way around it — our choices are to increase prices or to take away the ability for people to PayWave or use credit card,” Bin Inn Dunedin co-owner Monique Beaumont said. Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Scott Simpson announced late last month the government planned to ban some surcharges for in-store payments by May next year. The ban would cover most in-store payments made using Visa and Mastercard, including…

Chlöe Swarbrick was kicked out of Parliament this afternoon during a debate on Palestine — and initially suspended for a week before the Speaker of the House rethought his decision.Yesterday, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said the Government was weighing up its position on the recognition of Palestine as a state.Recently, the UK, Canada, France and Australia have shared their plans to recognise Palestine as a state.A urgent debate was called in Parliament this afternoon over the matter.During the debate, Swarbrick called on the Government to pick up the Green Party’s bill to “sanction Israel for its war crimes”.Swarbrick speaking to…

ADVERTISEMENT With her young daughter in her lap, Monique is enjoying a trip to the North Sea in a beach wheelchair. In Belgium, eight beaches are accessible to people with reduced mobility, such as here in Ostend. “I’ve always wanted to experience the waves and the sea, but I couldn’t,” Monique Braeken told Euronews. The Flemish agency Inter launched the “Sun, Sea… Carefree” programme in 2006 to make the Belgian coast accessible to everyone. The programme provides users with free beach wheelchairs, some of which are electric and tiralos, floating amphibian models to make swimming easier. “I loved it. I…

Two more men have been arrested and charged with murder in relation to the death of 20-year-old Tyreece Te Pairi in Hamilton last month.Te Pairi was fatally injured during an altercation between two groups on July 20 shortly after midnight. Three others were treated for moderate and serious injuries. On the evening, Te Pairi was celebrating his upcoming 21st birthday.Earlier this month, two 19-year-old men appeared in Hamilton District Court on murder charges.His family also released a statement calling for those with information to come forward.Detective Inspector Daryl Smith said a 23-year-old and 25-year-old were arrested in South Auckland this…

Kaipara motorists are demanding compensation after their car tyres were ripped up by razor sharp road metal, which they said was wrongly laid, and left them with big bills.Since fresh metal was laid on Arapaoa, Hamlin and Neems roads, south of Dargaville last month a number of residents have had punctures.Some have suffered multiple flat tyres and wheel damage, and as rural residents, they rely heavily on their vehicles.Motorists believe the wrong grade and size was used for resurfacing and that has caused the problems.Local resident Rachael Gedye told RNZ her car had extensive damage from the road, first getting…