Author: Press Room

Mobile speed cameras inside SUVs will be stationed on New Zealand roadsides from next week. New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi announced that from Tuesday, May 13, camera-equipped SUVs would park on sides of roads across Auckland to record speeding drivers. The SUVs would join camera-equipped vans traditionally used by police. The agency also planned to add trailers to its speed camera vehicle fleet later in the year.Speed camera-equipped trailers would join the SUVs later this year. (Source: Supplied)By the end of the rollout, there would be 44 mobile cameras nationwide, with 35 operating at any given time. NZTA head…

A 28-year-old man has been arrested after man was shot in central Auckland last month.Police said an investigation has been ongoing since responded to a report of a firearm being discharged on Fort St just before 4am on April 27.Police executed a search warrant in Avondale this morning and Auckland City Central area investigations manager, Detective Senior Sergeant Martin Friend, said one man was arrested at the address.”Investigators have been working diligently to identify and locate the offender involved in this event.”It’s a pleasing result to have made an arrest, and police will be opposing this man’s bail at his…

Prosecutors say a Mississippi man who harassed Jennifer Aniston for two years before crashing his vehicle through the front gate of the Los Angeles home of the Friends star has been charged with felony stalking and vandalism.Jimmy Wayne Carwyle, 48, of New Albany, Mississippi, also faced an aggravating circumstance of the threat of great bodily harm, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said.Carwyle, who has been held in jail since his arrest, was set to be arraigned and his bail was set at US$150,000 (NZ$250,000). It was not immediately clear whether he had retained an attorney.Carwyle was accused of…

The home of a Whangārei man in his 80s has been destroyed after a car travelling at high speed flew off the road, sailed over a neighbour’s unit and crashed through his roof.The man’s distraught partner said he was in hospital at the time and only found out this morning.The car smashed through a barrier on Mill Rd and landed in the man’s living room on Millers Lane just after 11pm last night, completely destroying the unit.Police said it was incredibly fortunate no one was killed.Senior Sergeant Rene Rakete said officers were called to the corner of Mill Rd and…

The “uneven” surface of a new $5.6 million intersection in Rolleston will be fixed by the end of May, the council says.Levelling work needed to be completed on the major Canterbury intersection, between Levi Road and Masefield Drive.The Selwyn District Council issued a statement on May 6 via social media that it was “aware of the uneven surface(s) on Levi Road” and that contractors would be working on levelling the surface as soon as they can.The council said the issue was not caused by last week’s heavy rain, and we can confirm that the drainage around the intersection is working…

Risks to the financial system have increased amid global economic uncertainty, but the country’s institutions remain well-placed to support households and businesses.The Reserve Bank’s (RBNZ) half-yearly Financial Stability Report (FSR) highlighted escalating geopolitical risks, particularly on the back of sweeping import tariffs by the world’s largest economy, the United States.”While the global economic environment has become more volatile, our financial institutions are in a strong position to support the economy,” RBNZ governor Christian Hawkesby said.The recent period of high interest rates also meant “non-performing” home loans (loans that were 90 or more days past due) had risen to their highest…

A “highly venomous” yellow-bellied sea snake was found dead by a member of the public over the weekend on Rangiahua/Flat Island, near Aotea/Great Barrier Island.Department of Conservation project manager Sarah Dwyer said the snake was found on Saturday.”Thankfully, the snake was reported immediately to DOC and is now at the DOC office on Aotea. The snake will be sent to Te Papa for their collection.”This latest sighting is not the first of its kind in recent times.The snake is now at the DOC office on Aotea. (Source: Department of Conservation.)On April 27, 1News reported a yellow-bellied sea snake was discovered…

Businesses have blasted the Dunedin City Council, saying the city risks floundering under the weight of rising rates, red-tape and a lack of leadership. The dissatisfaction with the city’s leadership was laid bare in a submission by Business South on the council’s draft 2025-34 long-term plan. The organisation said it had engaged with 600 businesses across the city. A total of 39% believed the council was ‘‘poor’’ at understanding businesses and the impact of their decisions. Inefficiencies within the council were a ‘‘major concern’’ for the businesses they had engaged with, Business South chief executive Mike Collins said in its…

Key pointsParole Board says decision to release Mark Lundy from prison wasn’t easyStrict conditions will help him ease into freedomLundy was released from jail this morningHe maintains his innocence and has filed with the Criminal Cases Review CommissionThe Parole Board says the decision to release convicted double murderer Mark Lundy from prison was not an easy one.The 66-year-old left Tongariro Prison about 6am this morning, having been granted parole following a hearing last month.The board has also today released a seven-page written decision summarising the hearing and, for the first time, outlined the reasons behind its decision.”This was not an…

The Dunedin City Council’s handling of an impromptu marketing opportunity on national radio has been lamented as ‘‘a woeful let down’’ for the city. The council admits it was a missed opportunity but says the role of its customer services staff does not include ‘‘giving impromptu interviews to media’’ which could be daunting. On Tuesday afternoon, Dunedin isite Visitor Information Centre was the target of a cold call by RNZ’s Jesse Mulligan. It was part of a weekly segment where the host randomly calls an information centre around New Zealand, with the goal of learning more about the town or…