Author: Press Room

Invercargill mayoral hopeful Andrew Clark says a “frosty” relationship with brother Nobby didn’t stop the current mayor from sharing private thoughts on the current council.Clark is visiting Invercargill this week from his hometown, Nelson, where he is also contesting the Tasman mayoralty under the first name Maxwell.His late nomination for Invercargill’s top job drew a cold public response from Nobby Clark, who questioned why he was standing in two places under different names.But Andrew Clark claims the pair had a long phone conversation when he made his nomination, and Nobby even shared thoughts about the council and councillors, which ran…

Two police officers used “unjustified” force on a detainee in Auckland which caused him to fall headfirst onto a concrete bed in an incident the police watchdog said failed to meet basic standards of care.On January 18, 2023, an 18-year-old man, referred to as Mr X in the report, was arrested by police for breaching a bail condition. While the arrest itself was lawful, the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) found serious failings in how officers treated him once in custody.The man was taken to the Auckland Custody Unit, which was overseen by a police sergeant that afternoon, and was…

A former executive of a major New Zealand dairy company has been charged after allegedly receiving more than $270,000 in financial kickbacks.Simon Stewart, the former group market manager of Open Country Dairy Limited, appeared in the Manukau District Court on one representative charge. The charge, brought by the Serious Fraud Office, comes after the results of an internal investigation by the company — owned by the Talley’s Food Group — were handed to authorities. “The SFO would like to thank OCD for their cooperation and assistance.” Stewart is accused of providing information, including “sensitive” price information, and assistance to an…

An expansion at the Ports of Auckland is the first project to be granted consent under the new fast-track regime. The Fast-track Approvals Act, which was part of the coalition agreement between National and NZ First, was aimed at accelerating approvals for projects deemed to have regional or national significance. The approved works at the Port of Auckland included a new reinforced concrete-pillared wharf at the Bledisloe Terminal, an extension to the Fergusson North Berth, a cruise passenger terminal, and other upgrades.It would allow larger cruise ships to berth in Auckland and increase New Zealand’s import and export capacity, Minister…

As a beloved South Auckland landmark, the Ōtara Flea Market is known for being rich in Pacific culture and vibrancy, offering food, music, crafts, and art.That tradition would be allowed to continue after the Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board approved a new five-year commercial licence during its monthly business meeting on Tuesday.The licence allowed Ōtara Markets Limited Partnership to run the Saturday market at 1R Newbury Street, Ōtara, from 5am until 2pm, two hours longer than before. The area would also expand by another row of car parks, allowing for more stallholders.Key conditions of the licence included strict monitoring and reporting on…

The Government has confirmed plans to purchase five MH-60R Seahawk helicopters and two Airbus A321XLR aircraft, locking in previously signalled upgrades to the Defence Force’s air fleet.The $2.7 billion investment, part of the Defence Capability Plan announced in April, included more than $2 billion for the maritime helicopters and $700 million for the planes, which will replace the ageing Seasprites and Boeing 757s.Defence Minister Judith Collins and Foreign Minister Winston Peters announced the acquisitions at a media conference at the Beehive this afternoon, describing them as essential steps to ensure New Zealand’s defence assets were “critical combat capable, interoperable and…

New Zealand Post has suspended some forms of shipping to the United States as President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs loom. This included American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. On its website, NZ Post said there were some restrictions on what could be sent to the US and US territories. This included suspending a number of services temporarily “until further notice”, while formal processes around the new US tariffs were being finalised. The suspended services included sending with economy, economy tracked, economy plus, courier and express. Letters sent via economy letters and documents sent via…

A 25-year-old woman has been arrested after allegedly trying to spend more than $6000 by using “ghost-tapped” credit cards. Police alleged the Chinese national was involved in a text scam ring. Detective Senior Sergeant Craig Bolton said police were called to a Newmarket store after the woman tried to use multiple phones to make a paywave purchase of more than $6000.“Police were contacted by security at the time and the woman was arrested by our staff on arrival,” he said.“It will be alleged that unsuspecting Kiwi’s credit card details were used by ghost-tapping with several smart phones.”Police have laid seven…

Four people have been arrested after an alleged aggravated robbery in Auckland this morning led to armed traffic stops being conducted on two stolen vehicles on Auckland’s North Shore and in the Waikato region.Police said a group of men arrived at a Kerrykeel Dr property at around 5am on Thursday reportedly armed with weapons including a firearm.The group allegedly stole property and a vehicle from the address, Detective Inspector Karen Bright said.The police Eagle helicopter located the stolen vehicle heading north on State Highway 20.”Eagle observed this vehicle travelling in tandem with a second vehicle, which was also stolen,” Bright…

Monica Lewinsky is keenly aware of what it feels like when your name is no longer your own and becomes attached to a character conjured by others. An affair that she had with President Clinton nearly 30 years ago as a White House intern made her an international headline.So, when Lewinsky read that Amanda Knox, another woman whose image precedes her, wanted to adapt her memoir for the screen, she felt she was in a unique position to help.Knox was on a study abroad programme in Italy in 2007 when one of her housemates, Meredith Kercher, was killed. She and…