Author: Press Room

Waikato District Council is considering closing access to Papanui Point in a bid to prevent drownings.Located south of Raglan, Papanui Pt is the country’s deadliest rock fishing spot and despite repeated warnings, reports and coroners inquests it continues to claim lives.Water Safety New Zealand has recorded 18 fatalities at Papanui Pt between 1980 and 2024.That figure was almost certain to increase by one, after another fisherman went missing on August 25.Like many who ended up in the water at Papanui Pt, his body hadn’t yet been found.Harry Series was part of the rescue effort. As a member of the Raglan…

Tom Phillips’ eldest daughter Jayda has been confirmed as the child who was with him at the time of his death and provided information that helped police find the remote campsite where her siblings were found more than 12 hours later. Yesterday, the first images of the campsite where the two Phillips children were found was revealed to the public, showing an array of items about 2km from where the fatal shooting took place on Monday. One of his children, who was with Tom Phillips at the time, helped police locate the remote campsite more than 12 hours later, deep…

Jetstar is increasing the number of flights linking Auckland to Dunedin and Christchurch, as well as three transtasman routes. It says the addition of two new domestic services – and added flights on existing routes – will open up more than 660,000 extra seats on the airline each year. A new flight was planned between Brisbane and Queenstown during next year’s ski season, while daily flights from Hamilton to Christchurch would begin this December. Flights connecting Auckland to Brisbane would now run twice daily, while four extra flights between Auckland and Sydney would add nearly 80,000 seats to the route…

A 31-year-old man has been charged with assault and a breach of protection order after the death of a woman in Paraparaumu overnight.Kāpiti-Mana area commander Inspector Renée Perkins said the man was known to the woman.Last night, police were called to an address on Chums Rd at about 9.50pm after reports of an assault.“Despite the best efforts of police and other emergency services, the woman has sadly died at the scene,” Perkins said.A 31-year-old was expected to appear in Porirua District Court today.Police advised there would be an increased presence in the area as the investigation continued.“We believe there is…

Police are warning they haven’t given up their investigation into Marokopa fugitive Tom Phillips and want to find those who helped him hide his children for almost four years.But a local says it’s unlikely anyone from the small settlement will turn themselves in, or reveal any potential accomplices.After nearly four years living in dense King Country bush, Phillips was killed in a shootout with police early on Monday morning.One of his children, who was with him at the time, helped police find the remote campsite where their siblings were found more than 12 hours later, deep in dense bush about…

While the farming sector may be the one economic bright spot at present, it isn’t stopping some provincial areas from suffering heavy job losses, new data shows.Stats NZ’s business employment data for the June quarter, released on Tuesday, showed the number of filled jobs dropped 10,000 in three months, and 50,000 fewer jobs than in December 2023.Construction lost 2315 jobs in the quarter, or 1.3%. Accommodation and food services was down 1.2% or 1869 jobs, and administrative and support services was down 1.4% or 1337 jobs.Since December 2023, there are 16,000 fewer filled jobs in construction, 8700 fewer in manufacturing…

In the way of Smaug, Jake Sully and Sleeping Beauty, Marlborough’s screen office is being placed into a long slumber.The rise of AI, political changes, economic conditions and the fickle nature of movie-making are all being blamed for the move.The Marlborough District Council voted to make Screen Marlborough “dormant” last Thursday, as the council’s economic development team undergoes restructuring.Economic development manager Dorien Vermaas told council that the office had been instrumental in promoting Marlborough as an attractive screen production destination.Screen Marlborough supported seven productions from outside the region in 2023-24, including a feature film, and an international Volkswagon commercial filmed…

In the barren paddocks of the Cardrona Valley, a sporting revolution has quietly taken shape. What was once just farmland on the side of a hill has been transformed into one of New Zealand’s most ambitious training facilities – a $2.3 million dry slope and big air jump that Snow Sports NZ is calling a “game changer.”And the timing could not be better. Now, with just less than 150 days until the Winter Olympics in Milan, where New Zealand’s athletes are targeting a record medal haul. Snow Sports NZ high-performance boss Luke Hetzel remains confident. Asked how he rates the…

A fraudster has persuaded a Whangārei couple into giving up their PINs and leaving their bank cards in the mailbox. Police were in the early stages of an investigation into the scam, which was launched after a couple described as “elderly” had tens of thousands of dollars taken from their accounts over the weekend. Detective Senior Sergeant Shane Pilmer said the couple were contacted about replacing their bank cards and were then convinced to give up their personal identification numbers (PINs) and to leave their EFTPOS cards in the letterbox. “Sadly, over the weekend, tens of thousands of dollars has…

The powerful toxin, sought after in the form of Botox, can be a killer if it forms in a can of beans. Medicinal Microbiologist Manal Mohammed explains. A food truck in southern Italy recently became the centre of a deadly health scare. A food-borne outbreak linked to preserved vegetables killed two people and sent more than a dozen to hospital.At the same time, the UK’s Food Standards Agency warned shoppers to avoid jars of broccoli from a specific batch code, fearing they too could contain the same hidden danger, Clostridium botulinum, the bacterium that produces the toxin responsible for botulism…