Author: Press Room

Five people have been arrested in relation to alleged drug dealing in Ōpōtiki – with police claiming children were involved in the offending.Police carried out four search warrants on September 15 at addresses believed to be involved in the sale or supply of controlled drugs where drugs and evidence of drug dealing were seized.At one address, children and young people were present and implicated in the supply of cannabis, which was of “serious concern”.Among the arrests was a 47-year-old woman who was on bail for selling controlled drugs. She was arrested again for the possession of cannabis and methamphetamine, and…

Contamination of a private drinking water supply at a North Canterbury campground has left six people in hospital and at least 10 others ill, the national water authority says.Taumata Arowai said it was alerted by the National Public Health Service of Health NZ to cases of gastrointestinal illness among people, including school groups, who visited the Hanmer Springs Forest Camp in September.Taumata Arowai head of operations Steve Taylor said there were 10 confirmed and 37 probable cases associated with the outbreak, and six people had been in hospital.The illness was caused by a shiga toxin-producing E. coli which, could be…

HelloFresh New Zealand has been fined $845,000 for misleading consumers after admitting it reactivated cancelled subscriptions through cold-call voucher offers that weren’t clearly explained.The campaign to reactivate lapsed memberships took place during an 18-month period between February 2022 and July 2023, when former HelloFresh customers were phoned and offered discount vouchers to return.In many cases, the calls didn’t make it clear the offer would automatically restart their subscription and payments.In the Auckland District Court today, Judge Catherine Maxwell sentenced the company an aggregate fine of $845,000 – apportioned $169,000 equally across five charges.The Commerce Commission prosecuted the company on five…

ANZ has dropped its home loan interest rates today, just over one week after the Reserve Bank made an “aggressive” 0.5% cut to the official cash rate.Before and following the OCR announcement, banks have made moves to ensure their interest rates remain competitive.Today, ANZ announced changes to some standard and special fixed home loan rates.The standard six-month (5.39%), 18-month (5.09%) and two-year (5.09%) rates were all decreased. The standard three-year, four-year, and five-year rates were also lowered to 5.49%.The standard one-year rate was unchanged at 5.09%.For special rates, the six-month (4.79%), 18-month (4.49%), two-year (4.49%), and three-year (4.79%) rates were…

A Tasman man has been fined and his dogs ordered to be destroyed following a prolonged attack on a kekeno/fur seal near Motueka last year.Sebastian Marinkovich was walking his two dogs – a retriever/Labrador cross and a German shepherd/Siberian husky cross – on Kina Beach, a designated dog exercise area, on the afternoon of September 7, 2024. During the walk, the off-lead dogs spotted a kekeno/fur seal and ran off uncontrolled, attacking the animal.The seal sustained injuries to its neck and head during the 30-minute attack, despite the owner being nearby.Police were called after a member of the public saw…

Senior doctors have hit back at the Health Minister’s accusation that they’re putting politics before patients, saying he’s deaf to what healthworkers are actually saying.Health Minister Simeon Brown has come out firing at the senior doctors’ annual conference, accusing them of “crossing an ethical line” with industrial action that was hurting patients.The meeting was at Te Papa in Wellington on Thursday, which comes ahead of further strike action next week.In his speech to the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, he’s called on doctors to call off their strike and put patients before politics.There were audible cries of disbelief when he…

Meal box delivery service HelloFresh has been sentenced at the Auckland District Court for breaches of the Fair Trading Act. The Commerce Commission alleged that in cold calls between February 2022 and July 2023, former HelloFresh customers were offered vouchers without being told that accepting them would reactivate their subscription to the service. The regulator said several customers’ subscriptions were reactivated without their express knowledge or consent. HelloFresh was facing five charges under the Fair Trading Act. In court Thursday afternoon, prosecutor Danielle Houghton said the Commerce Commission was seeking a fine of $1.5-1.6 million. Examples of cold calls that…

A man has been charged with the murder of a six-month-old baby found critically injured at a Foxton Beach property earlier this year. Emergency services were called to a Seabury Ave property on June 29 after a baby was found with critical injuries.The child was airlifted to Starship Hospital in Auckland, where they died on July 5.Police today arrested a 25-year-old man in Tauranga, Detective Inspector Craig Sheridan said. “Police will continue to support the baby’s family through this incredibly distressing time.”Police have undertaken a thorough and diligent investigation, and we are pleased to put someone before the courts to…

Driving fines frozen since 1999 have lost their bite and need inflation adjustments to help improve road safety, the AA says.The motoring organisation, representing 1.1 million personal members, has renewed calls for an overhaul of penalties, arguing their deterrent value has been outpaced by income growth in the past three decades. AA road safety spokesperson Dylan Thomsen said the outdated system was failing to change driver behaviour.”Getting stung $30 for a low-level speeding infringement in 1999 was a significant chunk out of your paycheck – but the deterrent value has eroded when you consider the growth in wages,” Thomsen said.Road…

Saturday’s live Lotto draw will be moved to a different television channel for one night as the Powerball jackpot rolls over to $23 million. Powerball was not struck in last night’s draw, once again being offered on Saturday night. Instead of its usual spot on TVNZ 1, the live draw will be aired on TVNZ 2 at 8pm. TVNZ 1 will instead be airing the Black Caps’ first T20 against England, which will also be shown live and free on TVNZ+. Meanwhile, one strike player from Papamoa is $200,000 richer after winning Strike Four in Wednesday’s draw. The winning ticket…