Author: Press Room

An Auckland bus driver has been charged with manslaughter after he allegedly assaulted a passenger who later died in hospital.Peter Te Kira, 61, was found with serious head injuries at a bus stop on Great South Rd in Papatoetoe at around 2.15pm on April 27.He remained in intensive care at Auckland Hospital for three days until he died on April 30.A 34-year-old man was arrested and appeared in the Manukau District Court on May 1 initially charged with assault.Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Hayward said a homicide investigation had continued into Te Kira’s death.”Police have now charged this man with manslaughter,”…

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says the National Party will not make any concessions on the Privileges Committee’s recommendation to suspend three Te Pāti Māori MPs from Parliament.Last week, the Privileges Committee recommended the suspensions of co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and MP Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke in the wake of a haka that was performed during the first reading of the Treaty Principles Bill last year.A 21-day suspension was recommended for Waititi and Ngarewa-Packer, while a seven-day suspension was recommended for Maipi-Clarke.Speaker Gerry Brownlee later told the House the decision was “unprecedented”, and that no member of Parliament has been suspended…

Wānaka search and rescue teams are responding to more avoidable accidents as unprepared people venture deeper into the back country, lured partly by the influence of social media and websites.Volunteers said they had observed more people “lost and out of their depth” in 22 rescue operations between October and March, including nine alpine cliff rescues, three swiftwater or canyon rescues and three sub-alpine or bush rescues.Alpine cliff rescue team leader Davie Robinson said the type of call-outs had changed in his 25 years with Wānaka Search and Rescue.”We’re definitely seeing more and more accidents that generally shouldn’t be happening,” he…

Instability around the world is making decision-making even harder for our politicians, University of Waikato researchers say.This year’s budget will be one of the tightest in a decade, with the New Zealand government halving its operating allowance – the new money it has available to spend – from NZ$2.4 billion to $1.3 billion.The cut reflects weaker than expected growth owing to global economic turmoil. It also highlights just how difficult it is to predict what is going to happen when it comes to the economy.Economies are dynamic systems where relationships between variables shift. Even the current state of the economy…

Police are asking for anyone who may have seen an incident that saw a woman in Hamilton killed after a ute drove into a traffic light pole on Thursday morning to come forward.They also want to hear from anyone who may have witnessed any interactions between the gold ute and the 30-year-old woman before the incident. Police also want to speak to a female wearing pink who assisted at the scene. A homicide inquiry has been launched after the woman’s death.The incident took place near the corner of corner of Ohaupo Rd and Kahikatea Dr. The woman was standing next to…

ADVERTISEMENTTens of thousands of red-clad protesters march through The Hague on Sunday to demand government action to seek a halt to Israel’s campaign in Gaza.Organisers called it the country’s biggest demonstration in two decades, with human rights groups and agencies — including Amnesty International, Save the Children and Doctors Without Borders — estimating the peaceful crowd at more than 100,000 people.The streets of the Dutch political capital were packed with the old, young and even some babies on their first protest.“We hope this is a wake-up call for the government,” said teacher Roos Lingbeek, attending the march with her husband…

Christchurch modular housing company Shape Construction has gone under, owing more than $1 million to creditors and leaving homes unfinished. The company went into liquidation on May 2 with Brenton Hunt of Insolvency Matters appointed as the liquidator by the company director. Shape Construction, which began operating in 2012, ceased trading in April. In the company’s Instagram page it was described as a progressive, creative and innovative builder of modular and container homes in New Zealand. The homes were prefabricated in a yard with posts showing them being delivered to often rural and remote sites. The company’s website and Facebook…

Warning: This story discusses details of the death of a newbornA woman whose midwife left her during labour in her tiny rural home without power, internet or phone coverage says she still deals with pain and anger from her loss, and that the investigation has taken too long.The Health and Disability Commission criticised the midwife in a report released in March, more than four years after her baby was stillborn.The woman had not realised that by the time she was in labour at more than 43 weeks pregnant, her baby was already in danger and they should have been in…

Milo has long been part of the Kiwi kitchen, whether after sport, on school camp or just on a cold evening. Former Prime Minister Dame Jacinda Ardern stirred the pot — or the mug — after expressing surprise at the number of teaspoons of Milo Nestlé recommended using in a single serving. In a post to Instagram, Dame Jacinda featured a photo of a tin of Milo showing the “perfect” way to make a cup.It suggested putting in six teaspoons with 200ml of water or milk. “Is that an extreme Milo to liquid ratio? Or is that the way it’s always been?”Jacinda Ardern’s…

Christchurch councillors say shopping trolleys are being abandoned on footpaths and in rivers, causing a nuisance and costing businesses millions of dollars.Council staff responded to reports of 6313 abandoned trolleys in the city in the year to last October, more than half of which came from the country’s two biggest supermarket chains —2238 from Woolworths New Zealand and 1652 from Foodstuffs-owned Pak’nSave and New World.RNZ has been told trolleys cost an average of $300 but could cost up to $700 each, with Woolworths spending more than $1.5 million per year on abandoned trolleys nationwide.Abandoned trolleys were generally reported via the…