Author: Press Room

More than 200 items stolen by a literal cat burglar in Hamilton need to be returned to their owners.Nico the Great has built a reputation for nicking knickers – which is not so great for the people whose knickers he is nicking.The feline has apparently sneaking onto people’s properties day and night, collecting their smalls and other bits and bobs.Nico trumpets his return to his Hamilton home, meowing repeatedly when its been a successful hunting party and displaying the ill-gotten gains for his whānau.His thieving has reached epic levels – he has collected about 200 items since April, all of…

Tinui Bar and Cafe has been granted a shorter renewal of its liquor licenses after the owner’s suitability was called into question by the council’s licensing inspector.At a compliance visit to the rural Masterton pub earlier this year, the venue owner’s behaviour towards the police attending was seen as rude and inappropriate by the licensing inspector.The official alcohol compliance inspection report said the pub owner was observed “making a sign with his finger” towards a police senior constable and saying words to the effect of “police are no friends of mine”.The visit had followed an incident in December where a…

New Zealand property values rose 0.1% in September, ending five consecutive months of declining prices, according to data firm Cotality.The national median value now sits at $810,141, following a cumulative 1.6% drop over the five months between April and August.Tauranga recorded the strongest growth among main centres in September, rising 1.3%, while Christchurch lifted 0.6% and Dunedin increased 0.3%.Hamilton remained flat, while Auckland dipped 0.2% and Wellington fell 0.4%.But while growth was slow in urban centres, provincial areas were doing better.Apart from a drop in values in Rotorua and a small dip in Whangārei, many other provincial towns rose, including…

Budgets earmarked for the majorly delayed national transit ticketing system, Motu Move, are “under pressure”, a critical review into the $1.4 billion project has found.The review found a “very high likelihood of further significant delays” to the programme and an inability to deliver the full scope within the committed contract value, according to a heavily redacted version of the reportLEK Consulting’s 26-page report also exposed tensions with multinational provider Cubic, which is delivering the system, and local councils over the implementation of Motu Move.But the review, which suggested the public transport project lacked enough public transport knowledge, concluded there was…

Two people have died and two others have been injured following a house fire in east Auckland in the early hours of this morning.An investigation is now underway after emergency services were called to the Murvale Dr property in the suburb of Bucklands Beach at around 2.30am.”On arrival, they found a house well involved in fire,” a Fire and Emergency NZ spokesperson said. A police cordon set up at the scene of the blaze. (Source: 1News)Detective Inspector Tofilau Faamanuia Va’aelua said a scene examination began earlier today.”Our investigation is still at the very early stages and police need to work…

“How did we get here?” That was the question posed by one Alliance Group shareholder at a capital raise roadshow in Oamaru yesterday afternoon to hear further details of the proposal to sell 65% of the farmer-owned co-operative to Irish company Dawn Meats Group. That farmer cited poor governance as being a “massive part” of how the co-operative got into the situation and questioned if the board had learned from mistakes made to ensure the new company would be any better. Chairman Mark Wynne, who earlier in the meeting acknowledged that the board “owned” the situation, said six of the…

A drunk, unlicensed driver who killed two people in a crash while driving up to 139km/h on the wrong side of the road has been released into the community without a conviction due to a brain injury he suffered in the collision.Alex Greig appeared in the High Court at Christchurch on Wednesday before Justice David Gendall, after he was earlier found unfit to stand trial due to brain damage.Greig, who sat in a wheelchair in court on Wednesday, earlier faced two charges of manslaughter as well as charges of injuring three other people while driving drunk.The case against Greig was…

Te Pāti Māori MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi has highlighted what she calls dysfunction within the party as she doubled down on her disappointment over her demotion as party whip.The Te Tai Tokerau MP was told of the decision last month, with the role instead being handed over to co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer.In an interview with Te Hiku Media released last night, Kapa-Kingi said she felt “disappointed” by the move. She said the party had been doing it tough.”It is a really difficult time for sure, even right now probably in the last several months with the loss of Takutai [Tarsh Kemp].”Asked if…

A digger has fallen off a truck this morning on Auckland’s State Highway 18 on the Upper Harbour Bridge, causing major traffic delays. Police were notified at around 7.15am of a digger blocking the lefthand lane heading towards Squadron Drive. Motorists have been advised to expect delays while the digger is removed. NZTA told travellers to “drive with care to pass and expect delays”. The morning’s headlines in 90 seconds, including people missing after a house fire, a leading voice for conservation dies, and the new chubby champ of the internet. (Source: 1News)

The Warehouse Group today announced its financial results for the 2025 financial year, posting a $2.8 million net loss after tax. In a statement released this morning, the group said The Warehouse delivered sales of $1.8 billion, Warehouse Stationery sales were down 2.5% to $226.0 million and Noel Leeming sales were up 3.3% to $1.0 billion. Earlier this year, the company warned of financial headwinds in its preliminary financial report. Today, it said group sales were $3.1 billion, up 1.6% on FY24, flat on a 52-week same store basis.The Warehouse Group chairperson Dame Joan Withers said “economic and retail conditions…