Author: Press Room
Invercargill’s Splash Palace has witnessed a jump in numbers over the past year, but not in a category staff would have hoped.The amount of code browns — or faecal contaminations — at the city’s swimming complex has passed 2024 figures with more than a month to spare.As of October 31, there had been 30 incidents resulting in 58.5 hours of unplanned pool closures. That compared to 28 incidents leading to 59.4 hours lost in 2024.City council manager aquatic services Stephen Cook said the leisure pool was the most common victim.”Following a faecal contamination incident, our staff work quickly and professionally…
A 30-year-old man has been charged with arson following a large recycling fire in Waiuku, south-west of Auckland, earlier this week. The blaze began just before 11pm on Monday, and was deemed to be suspicious by police.Counties Manukau CIB Acting Detective Inspector Chris Robson said a search warrant was carried out in the Waiuku area last night.”A 30-year-old local man was arrested at the property and has been charged with arson,” he said. The man was due to appear in the Pukekohe District Court today.Fire crews were called to the blaze south-west of Auckland just before 11pm. (Source: 1News)”The fire…
By Gyles Beckford of RNZ The Reserve Bank of New Zealand has cut the official cash rate to its lowest level in three years to support economic recovery. The benchmark interest rate dropped by 25 basis points to 2.25% this afternoon – the lowest since June 2022. The central bank’s rate setting committee says the economic recovery is patchy and slow but inflation was expected to ease next year, allowing another reduction. The cut was expected and brings the OCR to a three-year low. It was another split decision, which may be the last in the current cycle. The central bank’s…
A dead horse is among the debris stuck up against the Whakatāne River Bridge piers after last week’s heavy rain event.It is the second dead horse washed down Whakatāne River in as many months. The last was in the first week of October and had to be removed from the Whakatāne Wharf area by Whakatāne District Council.Debris had been building up on the bridge piers since Friday last week when heavy rain drenched the Bay of Plenty.A NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi spokesperson said it is working with contractors to remove the debris using a barge later this week.Whakatāne resident…
Periods of heavy rain and wind are on the cards for western parts of the South Island, while humid temperatures persist. MetService said a series of fronts preceded by humid northerlies would move across the South Island into Thursday. The forecaster issued orange heavy rain warnings for Tasman west of Takaka, Westland and Canterbury headwaters south of Arthurs Pass, with thunderstorms possible for some areas. In Westland, it expected “peak intensities of 25 to 35mm/h about the ranges, with thunderstorms likely”.”Streams and rivers may rise rapidly. Surface flooding, slips, and difficult driving conditions possible,” MetService said. A wind warning for…
Kiwis have been knocking back more lower-alcohol beers, but it’s less about the alcohol and more about their waistlines, one expert says. New Stats NZ data for the year to September showed while Kiwis are drinking almost the same amount of beer overall, those drinking mid-strength drafts are on the increase. For the year ending September 2025, overall beer volumes fell only marginally, from 281.6 million litres to 279.0 million litres. But within that total, the most significant change was a major shift away from higher-strength beers and a rapid rise in moderate-strength and lower-ABV [alcohol-by-volume] options. Beer magazine editor…
An Auckland executive who has admitted paying a teenage girl for sex met the teen on Snapchat, where he described himself as a “sugar daddy”.After a couple of weeks of the 14-year-old girl messaging the man intimate pictures and videos of herself, they met in person and the executive paid her $1000 for sex.The man, whose name is suppressed, earlier this month admitted a charge of paying a person aged under 18 for sex. The law says it’s illegal for anyone to enter into a contract, or “other arrangement”, for sex with someone under 18.The executive will be sentenced in…
The four-part local spinoff of The Chase came to a close on Monday night, with a whopping total 1.29 million having tuned in on TVNZ 1, and a further 154,000 accounts streaming it on TVNZ+ throughout.The Paul Henry-hosted The Chase New Zealand was in the top 10 most-streamed shows on TVNZ+, as well as in the top 10 most-watched broadcast shows this year.Content director Nicola van der Meijden said it was fantastic to see Kiwis get behind the show in the past four weeks.”Paul, our Chasers Anne and Issa, alongside the ITV Australia team, did an incredible job putting together…
A track record of operating in Christchurch for nearly 90 years has ended for Idiens Sheetmetal & Roofing after it was forced to shut its doors owing creditors $1.13 million. The cladding, roofing and flashing business was put into liquidation at the High Court in Christchurch after an application by Inland Revenue Te Tari Taake. A total shortfall owed to creditors includes nearly $647,000 to IRD and 25 unsecured creditors totalling nearly $480,000. Idiens’ eight employees were paid in full after being let go, including a four-week notice period. PwC insolvency practitioners Wendy Somerville and Malcolm Hollis said in their…
Police are hunting for an attacker after a woman was seriously assaulted in her Whangārei home early this morning.Officers were called to Murdoch Cres in the suburb of Raumanga just after midnight on Tuesday to reports of a person injured.Detective Senior Sergeant Shane Pilmer said a woman had been “seriously assaulted” in her home.St John said one ambulance responded to the incident, with a patient assessed at the scene and taken to Northland Base Hospital in moderate condition.Inquiries were underway to identify and locate the person responsible, Pilmer said.”Police are focused on identifying this person and understanding exactly what has…