Author: Press Room

Police are appealing for eyewitnesses and anyone else with information after a girl was allegedly “indecently assaulted” in a South Auckland park last week.A child was playing in Aronia Park in Goodwood Heights, Manukau, around 8pm on Friday when she was approached by an unknown man who offered to take her home, police said.She was then “indecently assaulted” by the man in nearby bushes.The girl screamed for help and the man fled the scene. A neighbour responded to the cries and called police but officers were unable to find the man.The victim was receiving support from her family and police.Police…

The Government is moving to streamline the building consent regime by swapping out some council inspections for a self-certification scheme.Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk said the proposal was for building professionals with indemnity insurance working on low-risk projects.It would allow qualified trade professionals – including plumbers, drainlayers and builders – to sign off on their work without needing council inspection.The changes were also expected to cover large homebuilding businesses that construct hundreds of near-identical homes a year.”The building consent system is intended to protect homeowners from defective building work by requiring work to be inspected and consented by a…

Part of a state highway is blocked following a collision between a ute and a portaloo in Hawke’s Bay this afternoon.Police say they were called to a two-vehicle crash on State Highway 2 in Te Hauke around 3.40pm.SH2 near Burma Rd was closed while the road was being cleared. SH2 was closed due to a collision between a ute and a portaloo. (Source: NZTA)No one was injured in the crash.Motorists were advised to expect delays and take an alternate route.

The names of two men charged over the death of Ariki Rigby have been released after applications for name suppression were denied. Thirty-two-year-old Jimmy Heremaia was arrested in Auckland last month, charged with murder and arson in relation to the car that Ariki’s remains were found in. The orchard worker was living in Hawke’s Bay at the time of Rigby’s death. Heremaia faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment if he’s found guilty of murder and is being held in custody without a plea. Meanwhile, 29-year-old Ropine Paul was arrested this month and is charged with being a party to…

Eighty-three million positions might be at risk by 2027, with jobs in accommodation, wholesale and arts potentially severely impacted. ADVERTISEMENTAutomation, big data and economic pressures might lead to the termination of 83 million jobs globally in the next three years. That’s according to research conducted by the World Economic Forum on over 800 companies and 673 million employees around the world.AI is expected to be a key driving force behind this change and one of the fastest-growing sectors, along with sustainability specialists and business intelligence analysts.The research also says up to 69 million new jobs might be created by 2027.Europe’s…

A Wellington City councillor has taken her colleagues to task at the first public council meeting since Government intervention.This morning’s Long-Term Plan, Finance, And Performance Committee meeting came just days after Local Government Minister Simeon Brown announced his intention to intervene at Wellington City Council, appointing a Crown Observer.The council has to amend its Long-Term Plan after it voted to stop the sale of its 34% stake in Wellington Airport.The sale was a key part of the council’s long-term plan with the money from it set to create an investment fund that would cover the council’s insurance risk – which…

The man accused of murdering Christchurch real estate agent Yanfei Bao has had another outburst in open court. Tingjun Cao, who denies the offending, appeared to be unhappy with evidence presented this afternoon. The 53-year-old, who doesn’t speak English, stood up and began signalling towards his lawyers and waving papers around, before yelling in Mandarin.He was then ushered out of court, and Justice Lisa Preston adjourned proceedings. Tingjun Cao, who denies murdering the real estate agent, once again appeared unhappy with court proceedings this afternoon. (Source: 1News)The trial at the High Court in Christchurch has been interrupted multiple times due…

Businesses on Auckland’s Karangahape Road are fed up with the lack of public toilets on the iconic street, with some having to clean up human waste outside their shop fronts each morning.There used to be a public toilet just off the street in Beresford Square but it was removed during construction of the City Rail Link.Since then the area has only had a couple of portaloos on a nearby street for people to use, and they were locked each night.In the meantime, businesses were being left to clean up the remnants of K Road’s rowdy nightlife.Jeweller Ernesto Ovalle runs Oronegro,…

Rental prices dropped to an eight-month low in September but still sit higher than when compared to the same month last year, according to new numbers from Trade Me.According to the website’s Rental Price Index, the median weekly rent in September was $630, down $10 or 1.6% from August — the lowest since January 2024.However, prices remained 1.6% higher than they were in September 2023.The biggest rent drops from August to September this year were seen in Marlborough (down $30 to $550 per week), Canterbury (down $25 to $565 per week), and Hawke’s Bay (down $10 to $640 per week).The…

The trip marks Zelenskyy’s first working visit to Iceland, where he met with several Nordic leaders to discuss Ukraine’s so-called ‘Victory Plan’. ADVERTISEMENTUkraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has attended the fourth Ukraine-Nordic Summit in Iceland, during which he held talks with the Prime Ministers of Iceland, Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Sweden.In a statement released after his arrival, the Ukrainian president expressed deep gratitude to Iceland and the Nordic partner countries for their steadfast support of Ukraine since the onset of the full-scale war.He highlighted Iceland’s crucial role in assisting Ukraine’s NATO ambitions, stating, “I am grateful to Iceland for supporting our…