Author: Press Room

While most New Zealand employees are contributing 3% of their salaries to KiwiSaver, matched by 3% by an employer, there are a number of people for whom their employer’s contribution is much more generous.MPs can have their contribution matched at a rate of 2.5 times, up to a maximum of 20% of their salaries.Judicial officers, such as judges of the district and high courts, can receive a subsidy of up to 37.5% of their salaries to their own superannuation scheme.Junior and senior doctors employed by Health NZ can have their KiwiSaver contributions matched up to a maximum of 6%.Chief executive…

Victimisation rates for violent offences have stayed mostly steady according to new official data, released two days after the Government said violent crime had dropped.Ministry of Justice data out on Thursday counted violence differently than the police and justice ministers did on Tuesday, when ministers Mark Mitchell and Paul Goldsmith said violent crime had dropped by 2% in 2024, for the first time since 2018.”It is encouraging to see a reversal of this rise,” Mitchell said.However, the ministry said that its latest crime and victims survey, out on Thursday, found: “Victimisation rates for violent offences [physical and sexual assault, and…

Illegal dumping is hitting Southlanders in the pocket, with warnings it could result in a rates increase.This week, Environment Southland highlighted the issue in a report showing there was a steady diet of fly-tipping, dumped vehicles and dumped animal carcasses in waterways.Fifty-seven such incidents were recorded in the 2023/24 financial year, with the largest proportion relating to general rubbish.“Fly-tipping has been a long-standing issue, and many councils are noting an increase in recent years likely due to the rising cost of disposing of rubbish at landfill sites,” council resource management manager Donna Ferguson said.The council estimated it was only able…

The owner of a nail salon in central Wellington has been ordered to pay seven migrant workers more than $230,000 in compensation for lost wages and humiliation.The women were brought over from Vietnam at different times in 2023 by Amy’s Hair and Beauty owner Ngoc Tuyet Uyen Huynh to work as nail technicians.The Employment Relations Authority ordered Huynh to pay the women between $27,000 and $37,000 each for unjustified disadvantage, unjustified dismissal and breaches of good faith regarding their treatment by Huynh.Upon arrival, the nail technicians were required to perform tasks that were not in their employment agreement such as…

Fishermen in the Bay of Islands got far more than they bargained for today when a 300-kilogram dolphin leapt out of the water and straight into their boat.The bizarre wildlife encounter, which occurred around lunchtime off Cape Brett, knocked one of the boaties over and left him with bruising to one arm.It also left the trio – young men from Warkworth on a fishing trip they won’t forget – with the dilemma of what to do with a dolphin almost as long as their vessel.DOC Bay of Islands manager Bronwyn Bauer-Hunt commended the fishermen for “doing everything right”.First they sought…

One person has died, and another was seriously injured following a two-vehicle crash in Auckland’s Māngere overnight. Police were called to Island Road at around 11pm. “One person died at the scene, and another was seriously injured,” police said. The serious crash unit examined the scene, and enquiries into the crash are ongoing.

The giant Korean shipbuilder Hyundai could be back in the running to build two new Cook Strait ferries following a meeting between the company and Rail Minister Winston Peters in Seoul on Friday.The Government last year cancelled an order with Hyundai to build two mega ferries, citing a $3 billion cost blowout associated with the ferries and the required port upgrades.Peters as new Rail Minister has since embarked on a world-wide tender to find by the end of March a builder for two cheaper and smaller rail-enabled ferries, and have them running by 2029.He said Hyundai was open to considering…

Gisborne residents will soon get their say on whether alcohol licensing rules should be relaxed within the CBD.Mayor Rehette Stoltz opened Wednesday’s Sustainable Tairāwhiti meeting by saying the Local Alcohol Policy (Lap) was “an issue close to everyone’s hearts”.The current Lap, adopted on June 27, 2024, requires no new licences, except for restaurants or cafes and special licences, to be granted within 150 metres of sensitive sites such as churches, schools and marae.Last year, councillors wanted to relax the rules. However, public consultation had only looked at making the policy stricter.At Wednesday’s meeting, councillors adopted a draft Lap amendment for…

Police are investigating the “unexplained” death of a woman at a property in Auckland’s Morningside overnight. Police were called to the house on Don Croot Street at 9.15pm after a report that a woman was found unconscious. “CPR was performed, however unfortunately the woman was not able to be revived,” Detective Senior Sergeant Chris Allan said. Allan said the woman’s death was being treated as “unexplained”, and police were working to understand the full circumstances of what happened. “A scene examination will be carried out at the property today.” Anyone with information is being asked to call police on 105.

A 34-year-old man has been charged after three people suffered apparent stab wounds during an “altercation” at a home in Auckland’s Takanini last night, police say.Police responded to reports of an incident on Kutukutu St around 7.50pm, where they found three people with injuries “consistent with stab wounds”.The victims were taken to hospital with serious injuries, where they are in a stable condition. Police said the altercation involved people who were known to each other.Police at the scene in Takanini. (Source: 1News)An alleged offender was later arrested on Takanini School Rd with assistance from the Eagle helicopter after he allegedly…