Author: Press Room
An Auckland funeral director has been arrested and charged by police investigating allegations of inappropriate handling of burials at Waikumete Cemetery.It is the second arrest by Operation Lola, launched last year to examine complaints after bodies were disinterred by the Auckland Anniversary floods and Cyclone Gabrielle in early 2023.Undertaker Fiona Bakulich, 48, was previously arrested and pleaded guilty to 14 charges, two of interfering with human remains and 12 of obtaining by deception. She would be sentenced in April.Detective Inspector Glenn Baldwin said a further Auckland funeral service worker had been arrested today.”Our investigation team has been looking at allegations…
An Auckland primary school received frozen pizza rolls for lunch today — just days after it was revealed that the School Lunch Collective had turned to Australia to ensure it had enough meals.Massey Primary School principal Bruce Barnes said the pizza rolls were unopened and still frozen when they were delivered.”They’re quite disgusting really, there’s no nutritional value in them. It’s shocking.”Many schools covered by the collective received individually-packaged meals from Australia on Wednesday — mostly beef lasagne, but three-cheese macaroni for others.Barnes said the lasagne was “of very poor quality”.”The kids just don’t like them.”A spokesperson for School Lunch…
Ngāti Whātua is preparing to commemorate 200 years since one of the most significant battles in the tribe’s recent history took place — where hundreds were killed in an inter-tribal war.In 1825, the iwi attempted to fend off an attack by neighbouring iwi Ngāpuhi at a site near Kaiwaka in the battle of Te Ika a Ranganui.Ngāti Whātua outnumbered the opposing side two to one but suffered the catastrophic loss of 300 lives against the five-hundred-armed Ngāpuhi force.Seventy Ngāpuhi warriors were also killed in the bloody conflict.The battle site of Te Ika a Ranganui (Source: Te Karere)Tomorrow, a dawn ceremony…
Tens of thousands of Serbians swarmed the streets of the capital Belgrade in preparation for major anti-government rallies planned to take place over the weekend against populist President Aleksandar Vučić. ADVERTISEMENTSerbia’s capital, Belgrade, was on edge on Friday night as thousands of people participated in a “joyful prelude” protest to a major anti-government rally on the weekend against President Aleksandar Vucic.Serbians came out to welcome thousands of university students who converged on Belgrade from across the country for the rally planned for Saturday.Saturday’s protest is regarded as a culmination of months of anti-graft demonstrations in the Balkan country that have…
A Gore man has been fined $130,000 after a discharge of effluent into a Southland waterway killed thousands of eels last year.Bryson Clark pleaded guilty to discharging leachate from farm tailings, leachate from sileage, and dairy effluent onto land in circumstances where it could enter water.Environment Southland compliance manager Donna Ferguson said the impact of the event was among the most serious the team had investigated. “The deaths of thousands of eels had been devastating, with more than 2500 bodies collected in a 10km clean-up zone.”Staff were supported throughout the clean-up by Ngāi Tahu ki Murihiku.The investigation was sparked by…
Dozens of schools are losing their canteens – some with just 24 hours notice – as the fallout from a school lunch makers liquidation spreads.Libelle, which provides about 125,000 meals a day for the government’s revamped school lunch programme, went bust on Tuesday.Liquidators and the main contractor Compass have stepped into make sure lunches are still being delivered — including flying in heat-and-eat-meals from Australia.The liquidator Deloitte initially said it was looking at ways to continue the Libelle Group’s other operations around RSE workers, canteens and boarding houses.More than 60 schools with Libelle-run canteens have been told they will cease…
The popular Bluff Oyster and Food Festival risks losing its ability to sell alcohol after digging its toes in over serving beverages in glass.Running almost every year since 2008, the southern food festival has attracted more than 4000 people to the small town for a day of oysters and entertainment.But next week, it faces a hearing after hitting a speed bump with its alcohol application due to security concerns and a wish to sell beverages in glass.An Invercargill City Council licensing inspector’s report said police previously advised they would oppose the festival’s next application if glass was included.Police delivered on…
More than 200 people were evacuated from Sudzha in Russia’s Kursk region as Moscow carries out an intense aerial campaign to reclaim the area from Ukraine. ADVERTISEMENTRussia announced on Friday that its forces had recaptured another settlement in the Kursk region previously held by Ukraine. The Russian Defence Ministry specified in a statement that it had reclaimed the settlement of Goncharovka, in addition to 28 other settlements in western Kursk over the past week.Russian state media released a video on Friday showing drone footage from Sudzha to support their recapture claims.Sudzha, with a reported population of about 5,000 people before…
US President Donald Trump has “incredible power” to affect the financial fortunes of much of the world, one fund manager says – and there is a warning that his presidency is likely to leave New Zealand households worse off.In recent days, Trump has talked about a 200% tariff on European alcohol and imposed a 25% tariff on steel and aluminium imports.There was a warning on Thursday that New Zealand could be in the firing line – New Zealand’s exports of steel and iron to the United States were valued at $65.5 million last year.Economists say although Trump’s election made some…
Business Correspondent Katie Bradford attended the the overseas investment summit in Auckland this week — or at least the parts open to media. She looks at whether it was the answer to New Zealand’s problems.At a glitzy gala dinner at Auckland Museum on Thursday night, international guests enjoyed an opera performance so good that even diehard rock fan (aka the Transport Minister) Chris Bishop enjoyed it.The 100-plus investors also apparently revelled in a speech from former Trump advisor Chris Liddell.”How good was Chris Liddell?” a beaming Christopher Luxon asked the attendees at his investment summit on Friday morning.There were gasps…