Author: Press Room

Marokopa man Tom Phillips has been fatally shot by police after firing at an officer in Waikato this morning, with police taking one of his children into custody and “urgent inquiries” underway to locate the other two.In a media conference at the Hamilton Central Police Station, Deputy Police Commissioner Jill Rogers said police responded to a report of a burglary at a rural farm supply store in Piopio at 2.30am on Monday.”Information came to police that describes two people on a quad bike, dressed in farm clothing and wearing headlamps,” Rogers said.The quad bike was then seen travelling north along…

Early risers had an opportunity to bask in the crimson glow of the blood moon this morning.Scroll to the bottom of this story for more photosThe total lunar eclipse was visible across New Zealand as the moon passed through Earth’s shadow. Otago Museum director Ian Griffin described the breathtaking scene.”I’ve been up since about three o’clock on Monday morning and I’m standing in the middle of my paddock in Middlemarch and watching the moon set, it’s very beautiful,” he told RNZ’s First Up.”It’s been a fantastic eclipse, and what’s special about this is the moon is fading as the sun…

What to know:Police Commissioner Richard Chambers confirmed officers were responding to a “serious incident” this morning.In a message to staff, Chambers said: “The suspect has been shot by police and has died. A second person has been taken into custody.”The location in Western Waikato is near Marokopa, where Tom Phillips and his three children Jayda, Maverick, and Ember had been missing since December 2021, when the father lost custody of the children.Phillips has since faced charges in connection with a string of alleged crimes including a burglary of a superette store in Piopio on August 27.Deputy Police Commissioner Jill Rogers…

By Susan Edmunds of RNZ New Zealand’s engineered post-Covid recession has pushed our wage growth to near the bottom of the world in recent years. Comparing real gross domestic product per capita, converted for purchasing power parity, New Zealand ranks 25th out of 43 for growth over the past decade and 37th for the past two years. The only places that rank below New Zealand in the most recent two years are Germany, Canada, Luxembourg, Austria, Ireland and Estonia. Israel was top for the decade and Turkey for two years. Infometrics chief forecaster Gareth Kiernan said it was another example…

One in every 34 babies born in New Zealand are to parents under 20-years-old, but conversations about teen parenthood have largely focussed on mother and baby.In a new series, Dadolescence shines a light on the experiences, struggles, and loves of five teen fathers in Aotearoa. In this article, directors and cinematographers Johnny and Azita Agnew share why it is important.Watch the new series Dadolescence on TVNZ+ now.It came completely out of the blue. We got a panicked call from a close friend as his 16-year-old cousin had just found out his girlfriend was pregnant. The teen was terrified and desperate…

Police are responding to a “serious incident” in western Waikato this morning. A police officer has been injured and a person killed, after a reported burglary in the Waitomo District. Follow our live updates hereCommissioner Richard Chambers confirmed the police response in a media release shortly after 7am. In a message to staff, he said: “The suspect has been shot by police and has died. A second person has been taken into custody.”A confrontation resulted, “during which a colleague has been shot and injured.””The officer has been taken to a hospital in a serious condition, but I advised he is…

A couple have spent $38,000 trying to get resource and building consent to build a cottage on their property for an elderly parent, only to discover at the last minute they must pay thousands more for further information — that does not guarantee consent.It is a situation Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk labelled “unacceptable”, and which the council has apologised for.Mike and Karen Sanson said the 11-month process had taken a chunk of their savings before the build even began, and in July they made a formal complaint to Waikato District Council.The council’s latest request for further information related…

What exactly is the message of Brian Tamaki’s Destiny Church? John Campbell highlights some consistent themes: far-right prejudices, manifest anger and hatred. Meanwhile, for some former members, the church leaves a lasting taste of sadness and fear. Inside Destiny: Faith, flag, family – Watch on TVNZ+In February, sitting at my desk looking out over the ceaseless, metallic tide of Auckland’s Nelson Street, I was contacted by two people about Destiny Church. Some days, I hear from so many people that I’m not sure how to respond to it all. (Some days, I can’t.) But these two penetrated my overflowing inbox,…

A former Reserve Bank chairperson says he doesn’t think there will be long-term damage to trust in the central bank over its handling of Adrian Orr’s departure.Arthur Grimes told Q+A there were short-term concerns about its reputation and he believed the central bank had made some “misleading” statements. “Probably the top of the list [of the RBNZ’s priorities] was to ensure privacy,” Grimes said.”But having said that, it was important not to say something that could potentially mislead, and I think some of the statements were misleading.”Further revelations, reported by The Spinoff, show the bank didn’t publicly disclose a board…

Stargazers in inland South Island regions are in for a treat tomorrow morning, with clear skies forecast to offer some of the country’s best visibility for the total lunar eclipse — while parts of Northland, Wellington, and the East Coast may miss out under cloud cover.MetService meteorologist Oscar Shiviti told 1News visibility was looking “promising” for much of the South Island, with clear skies expected in most areas. “The exceptions to that were coastal Fiordland, the coast of Marlborough and Nelson, where we are expecting some partly cloudy conditions.” Fine conditions were expected across most of the North Island’s, he…