Author: Press Room

Police say they are appealing two decisions where judges have elected to return gang patches confiscated under the Gangs Act.At least three judges have ruled in favour of returning patches to gang members in the year since the legislation – which criminalises the display of gang insignia in a public place – came into effect in September 2024.Less than a month later, Judge Joanne Wickliffe ruled in favour of returning gang member Xavier Grey-Gill’s patch to him after he pleaded guilty to charges he was facing in the Rotorua District Court.”Mr Gray-Gill, you have pleaded guilty to three charges today.…

One in five adults across OECD and EU countries experiences mild-to-moderate depressive symptoms, according to the OECD’s Mental Health Promotion and Prevention report. The symptoms often go unrecognised and untreated, increasing the risk of progression to more severe conditions and raising overall societal costs. Czechia, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, and Portugal report a higher prevalence of moderate or severe depressive symptoms among native-born individuals. Women are more vulnerable to mental illnesses during turning point events, such as pregnancy and postpartum. The prevalence of postpartum depression was estimated at 16.6% for Central-Eastern Europe, 16.3% for Southern Europe, and 13.8% for Northern…

A 52-year-old Northland man has been jailed for two-and-a-half years for possessing child sex abuse material, saying he had been viewing objectionable content for around 20 years. He had previously admitted in the Whangārei District Court to one representative charge of possessing objectionable material depicting the sexual exploitation and abuse of children.It followed an investigation by the Department of Internal Affairs Te Tari Taiwhenua’s Digital Child Exploitation Team. During the investigation, a May 2024 search warrant uncovered multiple electronic devices containing over 3000 objectionable videos and pictures covering victims of a wide range of age —from babies to people under…

Legislation allowing Kiwi homeowners to build granny flats up to a certain size without building consent has been passed. Under the new regulations, which come into effect in Q1 of 2026, Kiwis will be able to construct dwellings of up to 70 square metres in their backyards without a building consent. To be eligible for the exemption, homeowners will need to ensure their granny flats are “simple in design”, meet the building code, and are constructed by professional builders. They will also need to notify their local council both before they begin work and when it is completed. The exemption…

Former prime minister Jim Bolger is being laid to rest at an official funeral service in Paraparaumu.The requiem mass, being held at Our Lady Of Kāpiti Catholic Church, is due to start at 11am and is expected to last for about 90 minutes.Leading political figures from several decades will attend the service alongside friends and family.Bolger, who led the country through significant economic and electoral change during the 1990s, died last week aged 90.He was National Party leader during his term in office from 1990 to 1997, and was the longest-lived former prime minister. He also held the King Country…

Green co-leader Marama Davidson has apologised to supporters of her member’s bill after it was discharged due to her running slightly late to its second reading.The Right to Repair bill – which would have required manufacturers to repair, rather than simply replace, products – was likely to have been voted down anyway by the Government parties.But Davidson did not even get a chance to test support after missing her slot to speak late yesterday afternoon.In a statement, Davidson said she had “made a mistake” by arriving in the debating chamber “20 seconds too late”.”I underestimated the speed at which a…

The principal of Dunedin’s Columba College will not be returning to the school after several months on leave.Charissa Nicol was appointed principal in June 2023.Nicol was quoted on the school’s website as being “passionate about creating opportunities for people to grow and flourish”.”I am dedicated to serving the Columba whānau by fostering connection, competence and character within a community that encourages and supports each other to thrive as our ‘best selves’.”Nicol had been on leave since July 30, with deputy principal Aaron Everett the school’s acting principal.On Wednesday, the presiding member of Columba College Board Graeme Riley and the president…

High winds are battering parts of New Zealand as a second weather system of the week sweeps through.Roads are closed in Otago, Wellington, Canterbury and the West Coast, with power outages across the top of the South Island.You can follow our live updates here.There are red strong wind warnings in place for Wellington, and Wairarapa south of Carterton, Marlborough from Cape Campbell southwards (including the Kaikōura Coast), Canterbury High Country, Christchurch and Canterbury Plains, and coastal parts of Clutha and Southland, also Stewart Island.Residents are being urged to hunker down, stay home and prepare as red severe wind warnings ramp…

Thousands of households are without power in Canterbury, as strong winds lash the region. According to MainPower, more than 6200 homes were affected by outages in Northern Canterbury this afternoon. “We have a large and diverse network in some very rural areas, including Hanmer Springs and around the Culverden basin, which have been particularly hard hit by today’s weather.” MainPower said crews had been deployed across the network to make repairs as quickly as possible, but warned it may not be until tomorrow when it is safe enough to send large teams and equipment to make major repairs. A powerline…

A man has been sentenced to nine months’ home detention for orchestrating a fraudulent immigration scheme where he created fake jobs to trick officials into accepting visa applications. Umesh Patel, a 59-year-old New Zealand citizen, was sentenced at the Waitakere District Court yesterday after pleading guilty to 37 charges related to creating false employment arrangements to support visa applications for foreign nationals.Initially, some of the businesses Patel used to run the scheme were legitimate, but he later used them to fabricate jobs and submit fraudulent documents to Immigration New Zealand. Applicants were required to pay Patel between $10,000 and $30,000…