Author: Press Room

West Coast Police say there’s not a lot they can do about online death threats to Grey District councillors.The council’s chief executive Joanne Soderlund filed a complaint with the Police in Greymouth at the weekend over recent anonymous threats to the councillors and mayor that included assassination and torture.In a statement, police said they did not condone the behaviour but there was not enough evidence of the alleged offences to take further action.Officers had spoken to the council to ensure it had sufficient security in place for its staff, police said.Grey District mayor Tania Gibson said the response was disappointing.Mayor…

Like a modern day “Robin Hood minus the robberies”, a competition winner has donated their $10,000 prize money to a kai distribution charity.When former social worker Kahukura Ahau (Ngāti Porou) saw the competition ad run by sandwich chain Subway, they already knew what they would do if they won.”The first thought I had was, how can I redistribute this money from a big company back into the community?” Ahau said.The competition itself was a quest to find Subway’s biggest fan, giving contestants freedom to show how much they love the sandwich joint.”From original songs to foot-long tattoos, sub-themed decor, and…

Hato Hone St John has recorded it’s busiest month ever – with more than 50,000 ambulance incidents recorded in August. Acting DCE Ambulance Operations Rosanne Shaw said winter often brought higher demand, but said this year there had been “unprecedented demand”. “We have seen a significant rise in respiratory-related emergencies. In the past year, ambulance crews responded to almost 6000 cases of breathing difficulties, up 33% on the 12-month average,” she said. Despite the soaring demand for ambulances, the agency said it had also been helping to reduce pressure on emergency departments through other initiatives. Shaw said one of these…

Twelve new junior doctors are being recruited to Nelson Hospital following a damning review that found staffing shortages were affecting care.Health NZ’s acting executive regional director for Te Waipounamu Phil Wheble said the permanent full-time roles include five anaesthetic registrars, six internal medicine registrars and one orthopaedic registrar.The recruitment drive follows recommendations from a 25-page review released in July, which outlined “significant” staffing issues and found that Nelson Hospital has specific shortfalls in some services compared to the rest of New Zealand.The review highlighted the need to increase staff numbers to manage hospital demand and address long-term vacancies.Senior doctors say…

An increase in murder, attempted murder and manslaughter cases is putting the court system under significant strain, the country’s top judge says.Chief Justice Dame Helen Winkelmann said criminal trials are also becoming longer and more complex, now averaging 17 days – the highest level ever recorded.Just four years ago the average was 14 days.Factors behind the increase include more evidence being submitted, sometimes from electronic devices such as mobile phones.An increase in trials with multiple defendants is another factor adding to the burden.Murder, attempted murder and manslaughter – known as Category 4 offences – now make up 76% of new…

Recorded dog attacks on children in Auckland are occurring on an almost daily basis, with fears the situation is set to worsen.The figures, released in Auckland Council’s Animal Management Annual Report 2024/25, was tabled at yesterday’s (Tue) Regulatory and Safety Committee meeting.According to the report, dogs attacked 228 children under 15 last year, alongside nearly 17,000 roaming dog complaints.The Manukau Animal Shelter took in almost 60 of all impounded dogs, underscoring a particular strain on southern neighbourhoods.Animal Management Manager Elly Waitoa told Local Democracy Reporting that the problem is being fuelled by low desexing rates, dumped litters and families struggling…

ADVERTISEMENT Online disinformation aimed at discrediting Moldova’s pro-European government is ramping up ahead of crunch parliamentary elections on 28 September.  Moldovan President Maia Sandu and her Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) are hoping to cling onto power and keep Moldova — which is flanked by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the east — on its path towards European Union (EU) membership. But ballots in the country have traditionally been the target of intense disinformation and destabilisation campaigns, including vote-buying and bribery schemes. It means Moldova has been caught in the crossfire of an information war pitting EU…

The Government has announced significant changes to the disability support system.Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston addressed stakeholders in a call ahead of attending the Disability Connect expo in Auckland today.She said assessment processes and allocations for support services using the Needs Assessment and Service Coordination (NASC) system would be standardised across the country.Purchasing guidelines – including the controversial cost-saving changes made in March last year – would be abandoned, with disabled people having more control over what they spend on, but with a hard limit on spending.This “budget” would initially be allocated based on past spending levels for individual users.…

Finance Minister Nicola Willis insists she’s been as “upfront and transparent” as possible about the mismanagement of Adrian Orr’s resignation as Reserve Bank governor in March.She mounted the personal defence on RNZ on Wednesday after Labour deputy Carmel Sepuloni called on Willis to take responsibility for the shifting stories and lack of public transparency from the central bank.”Nicola, just be forthcoming,” Sepuloni implored. “Let us know what exactly happened here.”Willis bit back: “Why on earth would I be motivated to in any way hide any of this when the person it ultimately all reflects badly on is the former Reserve…

By Susan Edmunds of RNZ Any gold you’ve got stashed in your jewellery box could well be worth more than you think, auction houses say. The price of gold has reached new record levels, up about 45 percent year-on-year and more than 100 percent over five years. That’s also pushing up the price of gold jewellery, including pre-owned items. Christine Power, head of fine jewels, watches and luxury accessories at auction house Webb’s said there had been a noticeable impact on values. “People have started to realise that there is a return so we are finding that more people are…