Author: Press Room

New Zealand’s financial watchdog has issued a warning to former clients of David McEwen to scrutinise their bank and credit card statements following complaints of unauthorised charges linked to the ex-financial adviser and his associated entities.McEwen, who operated various entities and was previously based in Auckland, offered subscription services to clients for a share-tipping service and newsletter.The Financial Market Authority (FMA) said it had received reports from individuals who believed payments were made on their accounts without consent, some of them up to 10 years after subscribing.FMA executive director for response and enforcement Louise Unger said former and existing clients…

A group of Christian clergy have staged protests at the electorate offices of two National Party ministers, calling on the Government to impose sanctions on Israel over the war in Gaza.The demonstrations took place at Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ office in Johnsonville, Wellington, and Health Minister Simeon Brown’s office in Pakuranga, Auckland. The priests said they would not leave until the Government provided a timeframe for implementing sanctions.At Willis’ office, five Anglican priests and one Catholic priest chained themselves together and prayed at the entrance. One priest locked himself to the door using what appeared to be a bike lock.Reverend…

Health NZ has been asked to apologise after doctors missed their best opportunity to reattach a 14-year-old’s teeth following a bike accident.The boy was riding his bicycle and crashed into a parked car, which broke five of his teeth and caused internal bleeding in his head.He was taken to hospital and monitored, but the oral surgery department said the damage to his teeth did not need urgent care, as it had already been five hours since the accident, and the ideal timeframe for reattaching the teeth was just 60 minutes.They advised him to visit a dentist the next day.When the…

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is expected to give more details on major events funding at his weekly briefing following today’s Cabinet meeting.The Government yesterday announced a $70 million investment package aimed at supercharging New Zealand’s events and tourism sectors, introducing new money to attract global acts, support existing events, and drive regional visitor growth.Also on the political agenda is the Tom Phillips case with Luxon saying this morning he expects there to be some kind of Government inquiry after the fugitive father was fatally shot by police last week.On the global front, New Zealand said on Friday it will be…

Police are investigating after a man was located with serious “unexplained” injuries west of Queenstown last night.Officers were called to the intersection of Moke Lake Rd and Glenorchy-Queenstown Rd at around 6.15pm on Sunday.A man was located with “unexplained injuries”, a police spokesperson said.He was taken to Dunedin Hospital but had since been transferred to Christchurch.Police inquiries included exploring whether the man had been injured earlier and in a different location to where he was found.St John has been contacted for comment.

Bobby Hart, a key part of the Monkees’ multimedia empire who teamed with Tommy Boyce on such hits as Last Train to Clarksville and I’m Not Your Steppin’ Stone, has died. He was 86.Hart died at his home in Los Angeles, according to his friend and co-author, Glenn Ballantyne. He had been in poor health since breaking his hip last year.Boyce and Hart were a prolific and successful team in the mid-1960s, especially for the Monkees, the made-for-television group promoted by Don Kirshner. They wrote the Monkees’ theme song, with its opening shot, Here we come, walkin’ down the street,…

The death of a prisoner at Hawke’s Bay Regional Prison yesterday is being treated as “unexplained” by police.Police were called at around 12.45pm on Sunday to the facility west of Hastings to reports of a man who had died “following an incident”.Detective Inspector Martin James confirmed an investigation was underway.Hawke’s Bay Regional Prison acting general manager Shannin Mortensen said Corrections staff made every effort to save him but he was unable to be revived. He said the man was found in his cell and was not double-bunked.”Our thoughts are with those impacted. Other men in the unit and staff are…

Thousands of senior secondary school students have no classes today as teachers begin a week of industrial action.The union voted last week to reject the government’s latest offer and begin partial strikes.Year 12 and 13 students up and down the country will not be taught, instructed, or supervised on Monday by union members.The rolling strikes will affect students in Year 11 on Tuesday, Year 10 on Wednesday, and Year 9 on Thursday.The Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) said teachers wanted pay and conditions that would attract and keep staff, and were striking over stalled negotiations.File image of teenage schoolboys sitting…

Police Minister Mark Mitchell is welcoming a new service from Spark and One NZ that shows mobile network outages across the country in real time. It will also be able to show planned outages up to two weeks in advance. New Zealand is believed to be the first country in the world with a service like this, combining data from two competing telecommunications operators. The service builds on the Hourua partnership between Spark and One, which has already provided priority networks for emergency services and roaming public service networks. Mitchell said the service was trialled during Cyclone Tam in April this…

Fox News Channel host Brian Kilmeade has apologised for advocating for the execution of mentally ill homeless people in a discussion on the network last week, saying his remark was “extremely callous”.Kilmeade’s initial comment came on a Fox & Friends episode last week and began getting widespread circulation online over the weekend. Kilmeade, a host of the morning show, was talking with co-hosts Lawrence Jones and Ainsley Earhardt about the August 22 stabbing murder of Iryna Zarutska on a light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina.A homeless and mentally ill man, Decarlos Brown Jr., was arrested for murder, and the…