Author: Press Room

Seafood giant Sealord has proposed making its Nelson wetfish and by-products factories and fresh fish trawler seasonal rather than year-round – a change that would affect dozens of jobs.This proposal would lead to the disestablishment of 59 roles if it went ahead, and followed the proposed closure of its coated-fish factory earlier this month.Under the new proposal, the wetfish and by-products factories and fishing vessel Thomas Harrison would operate from May to September during the busy hoki season.Sealord chief executive Doug Paulin said the proposal followed a review of the company’s business model, which identified the need to reduce costs…

A new measles case has been discovered in the Bay of Islands, Health NZ says.The Northland case was notified to public health services on Thursday and was likely to be linked to overseas travel. They were no longer infectious.National clinical director Dr Susan Jack said there were currently six other individuals associated with the case who were being assessed for measles infection.”The six individuals being assessed were identified as part of initial contact tracing efforts. Public health is still identifying close contacts and possible exposure locations.”Jack said Health NZ “strongly urged” people in the Bay of Islands area to watch…

The Wellington City Council is investigating after reports a stash of confidential documents was found by a member of the public in an old mayoral desk bought from the tip shop.The NZ Herald is reporting there are hundreds of papers.The council told RNZ it was “taking the situation extremely seriously and are working with our legal and privacy staff – along with staff and contractors involved with the disposal of the Town Hall furniture – to understand what has happened”.They had also contacted the member of the public who found the documents, and alerted the Privacy Commissioner.The building was shut…

Police have appealed to the public for information on a man believed to have committed a series of aggravated robberies before fleeing on an e-scooter each time.Three food outlets at the Dinsdale Shopping Centre had been targeted in the last few days, police said.Detective Sergeant Matt Lee said the man arrived on a black e-scooter and entered the store demanding money while brandishing a knife.”On September 24, he robbed one shop, on September 25, he robbed two shops before fleeing the scenes on the e-scooter.”A victim was assaulted by the man during the second robbery.The man allegedly committed aggravated robberies…

Three weeks after absconding from a mental health facility in Auckland, Esarona Lologa set fire to Wellington’s Loafers Lodge hostel, killing five people. RNZ’s National Crime Correspondent Sam Sherwood reveals police were searching for the “recidivist offender” before the blaze, but had no idea he was in Wellington until it was too late.Police in Auckland were looking for Esarona Lologa in the weeks before he lit the fatal fire at Loafer’s Lodge, killing five people, unaware he was in Wellington.Lologa absconded from a mental health facility on April 21, 2023, three weeks before the fires, and there was a warrant…

Prince William has described 2024 as the “hardest year I’ve ever had” after both his father, King Charles, and his wife, Catherine, Princess of Wales, were diagnosed with cancer.The Prince of Wales made the remarks during a short preview of upcoming Apple TV+ show The Reluctant Traveller, starring actor Eugene Levy.In the episode, the Canadian actor and comedian —best known for Schitt’s Creek and American Pie—received a personal invitation to Windsor Castle from Prince William.The invitation, written on Kensington Palace stationery and dated January 2025, read: “Dear Eugene, I heard that your travels have brought you to the UK and…

A southern council work car has been clocked travelling at 133km/h amid an uptick in speeding over recent reporting periods.Environment Southland releases quarterly numbers on speeding incidents in its work cars, as monitored by an in-car system.Its latest set of results showed there were 528 occasions where the limit was exceeded by at least 10km/hr during the April to June period.Of those events, 18 were for exceedances of 20km/h or more.The numbers are the highest recorded since the July to September 2024 quarter, where a total of 923 events were reported.Council health and safety manager Paul le Roux said the…

Vaccinations for flu are almost three times more popular than those for Covid, despite the exact same group being most at risk. Cushla Norman speaks to medical experts about the state of Covid in New Zealand now, who’s most at risk and why many of us no longer take the virus as seriously as we should. Covid: ‘New variants popping up all the time’ – Watch this story on TVNZ+. Nearly three times more flu jabs have been delivered this year than the Covid booster, a reflection of “confusion in our community” around who really needs the Covid jab, says…

A United Nations committee aiming to prevent torture in state institutions has visited a dozen prisons throughout the country over the past two weeks.The visit of the UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture has been somewhat shrouded in confidentiality, with its findings under wraps.The Department of Corrections confirmed Auckland Prison, Mt Eden Correctional facility, Auckland Region Women’s Corrections Facility, Auckland South Corrections Facility, Waikeria Prison, Arohata Prison, Rimutaka Prison, Christchurch Women’s Prison, Christchurch Men’s Prison, Rolleston Prison, Otago Corrections Facility and Invercargill Prison were all visited unannounced.Previous Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier and the Office of the Inspectorate have issued reports,…

The New Zealand Transport Agency issued nearly 80,000 infringement notices in the first two months following its takeover of speed cameras from the police.The NZTA took over responsibility for the cameras at the start of July, becoming the sole operator of the equipment, while police continue to issue notices for any road offences they detect.Since then, the agency has rolled out several new tools, including camera-equipped SUVs and trailers, as well as new average speed cameras.As of September 19, the NZTA was operating 64 fixed speed cameras, one red light camera, and 35 mobile speed cameras. According to numbers released…