Author: Press Room

Armed police are carrying out a search warrant in Maketū this morning over a man’s death on SH33 in the Bay of Plenty.Zain Taikato-Fox, 20, was found critically injured on the side of State Highway 33 by four men shortly after 7pm on Saturday, July 26.He died from his injuries in Rotorua Hospital two days later. (Source: rnz.co.nz)Detective Inspector Craig Rawlinson said the search warrant followed other searches completed in Maketū three weeks ago as part of the same operation.“There is not believed to be any risk to public safety, however residents can expect to see some staff armed as…

Shopkeepers might have high hopes for an economic turnaround and better sales, but the data indicates otherwise. Retail NZ chief executive Carolyn Young said Wednesday’s cut to the official cash rate was unlikely to see shoppers flooding retail stores just yet. The Reserve Bank cut its cash rate by 25 basis points to a three-year low of 3 percent, and left the door open for further reductions. Young said the group’s latest quarterly report from April to June,showed 62 percent of retailers did not meet their sales targets. But she said talk of lower interest rates had them feeling more positive about the…

The intelligence service warns threats to national security need to be taken much more seriously than they currently are.The Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS) has released its third annual Security Threat Environment report, containing its assessments of violent extremism, foreign interference, and espionage in New Zealand.The report said New Zealand was facing the most challenging national security environment of recent times, with foreign interference, espionage, and online radicalisation all highlighted as threats.Much of the report contained similar analysis and threats to the two previously released reports, though the NZSIS noted further deterioration since last year’s report.This was largely driven by less…

Wastewater pond desludging in Martinborough is now complete, with 660 tonnes of solids removed after more than 50 years of build-up.The work was required after new wastewater connections were paused in May 2023 because the plant was operating beyond its capacity.Although the desludging effort did not solve the capacity issue for Martinborough, it was necessary to address non-compliance issues identified by the regional council.The regional council issued an abatement notice for the plant in 2023 for exceeding hydraulic load constraints when discharging to land and river, and exceeding E.coli and nutrient limits when discharging to the river.Desludging would improve operations,…

“It’s been one hell of a ride.” Tom Sweeney is referring to the decade spent at technology recruitment agency Crew Technology Recruitment, the business he co-founded in Dunedin with Cory Richards in 2015. Mr Sweeney is leaving the business, which merged with Potentiate Group early last year to become New Zealand’s largest locally owned IT recruitment business, this month to establish a new startup in a different industry. “The business is in a great spot, and I couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve built, the people, the culture, the growth, the memories. “It’s the perfect time for me to hand…

Supreme Court judges have grilled the Crown case in double convicted murderer David Tamihere’s appeal in the High Court at Auckland.Tamihere was convicted in December 1990 of murdering Swedish tourists Urban Höglin and Heidi Paakkonen.His lawyers are appealing an earlier Court of Appeal ruling that found a miscarriage of justice but upheld his convictions.Crown lawyers began there submissions today, with lawyer Fergus Sinclair giving the panel of judges background about Tamihere’s movements through the bush around the Coromandel Peninsula, and the discovery of Höglin’s body.The Crown case at the original trial was that Tamihere was living in the bush when…

Nelson Mayor Nick Smith wants the council to backtrack on a promise to put $3m towards a new museum building but neighbouring Tasman Council has no problem with footing its share of the bill. The vast majority of the Nelson Provincial Museum’s collection is housed at a research facility in Stoke which leaks when it rains. The museum’s chief executive Lucinda Jimson said the issues with the current building were extensive. “There are so many deficiencies. We’ve got asbestos. We’ve got leaks. We’ve got dangerous wiring. It can’t be repaired”. The oldest museum in the country held items of national…

A Wellington photography studio has closed, leaving several families waiting on portraits they paid thousands of dollars for and its owner facing financial and emotional distress.Vivid Photography founder Matthew Newall said a perfect storm of mounting debt, post-Covid economic strain, a studio relocation and some serious health issues forced the closure, which he described as the collapse of his life’s work. But customers said they felt abandoned, with some turning to legal action to try to recover their money and contacting Fair Go with their concerns.Seven families who spoke to 1News say they collectively paid close to $12,000 for photo…

Published on 20/08/2025 – 15:09 GMT+2 ADVERTISEMENT ING Belgium has come under investigation for its role in the money laundering case that involves former European Commissioner Didier Reynders, Belgian newspaper Le Soir reports. The bank is being probed by the Brussels prosecutor’s office for potential acts of “influence peddling”. Last December, the prosecutor started investigating former EU Justice Commissioner Reynders for an alleged practice involving purchasing multiple lottery tickets through the National Lottery over several years, an organisation which he was in charge of as a Belgian finance minister between 2007 and 2011. It is alleged that Reynders deposited the…

Economists are united in their view that the Reserve Bank will cut the Official Cash Rate (OCR) by 0.25% later today, but several are forecasting more will be needed, and sooner, to pull the economy out of the funk. A 25-basis-point cut down to 3% has already been priced in by the big four banks, which cut interest rates for borrowers and savers last week. But later today, observers will be keeping a close eye on commentary and analysis from the Reserve Bank’s monetary policy committee on how fast it thinks the OCR, and therefore interest rates, could fall over…