Author: Press Room

Today John Campbell launches Under His Command, a five-part TVNZ+ investigation into Destiny Church and the women who live in its shadows.For more than 25 years Destiny Church and its controversial leader Brian Tamaki have occupied a small, if loud, fundamentalist corner of New Zealand’s religious culture. But recently, the church has made fresh headlines due to its active stance against the LGBTQI community, with members of its Man Up division (and other Destiny offshoots) targeting rainbow events and most notably storming the Drag Story Hour at a West Auckland public library in February, resulting in injuries to the public…

ADVERTISEMENTThe European Parliament and China are “in the final stages” of the process of removing retaliatory sanctions imposed by Beijing on a handful of lawmakers in 2021, a controversial move that prompted the collapse of a high-stakes investment deal.The overture comes amid growing speculation of an impending reset in EU-China relations driven by the disruptive policies of Donald Trump, which have antagonised allies and adversaries alike and sent nations into a scramble for new partnerships.”Discussions with the Chinese authorities are continuing and in their final stages,” a spokesperson from the Parliament said in a statement.”It has always been the European…

The Prime Minister says he will not intervene over comments by Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters about RNZ’s funding.Speaking in London, Christopher Luxon said he was aware of but had not listened to the fiery Morning Report interview in which the acting prime minister accused the public broadcaster of being biased and seemingly threatened to cut its funding.Peters objected to questioning over his party’s proposal to define the term “woman” as “an adult human biological female” and “man” as an “adult human biological male” across all laws.Towards the end of the interview, he accused the broadcaster of running the line…

The family of a non-verbal autistic child are struggling to access support after their son suffered a medical injury in hospital that has left him unable to walk.TeRina Waikawa and Roman Roberts have been in limbo for 18 months and worry that autistic children can easily fall through the cracks because they can be difficult for doctors and nurses to deal with.Their son Noah Waikawa Roberts was diagnosed with non-verbal autism when he was two-years-old. TeRina left her job in IT and dedicated herself to caring for him full time.”It honestly hasn’t been easy. He’s non-verbal and has a lot…

A lucky Lotto Powerball player from Auckland has won $23.3 million in last night’s First Division draw.The winning numbers were 10 19 22 24 31 40, Bonus 37, Powerball 01.The winning ticket was sold on MyLotto to a player from Auckland. The prize is made up of $23 million from Powerball First Division and $333,333 from Lotto First Division. Last night’s winner is the eighth Powerball multi-millionaire this year. Two other lucky Lotto players will also be celebrating after winning $333,333 in Lotto First Division. The winning tickets were sold at Pak’nSave Mangere in Auckland and on MyLotto to a…

A 16-year-old youth has been remanded in custody after being charged with murdering Kyle Whorrall.He was also facing a charge of aggravated robbery.The accused youth entered no plea and would reappear in the High Court in May.A 32-year-old woman also appeared this afternoon, charged with being an accessory to murder after the fact.Charging documents alleged she actively suppressed evidence against the murder accused, by selling a vehicle, “in order to enable him to escape… arrest”.She was granted interim name suppression and remanded in custody without plea to reappear at the same time as the murder-accused, in the High Court.Sixteen-year-old charged…

ADVERTISEMENTTens of thousands of faithful and tourists alike flocked to the Vatican after the body of Pope Francis was transferred to St Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday.While many were intrigued by the historical significance of the event, others took the opportunity to pay their respects to the late pontiff by expressing their condolences.In most cases, people simply felt compelled to say a final goodbye.Some of the faithful cannot hold back their tears. Violetta and Pavel are from Poland but live in London. Both were so shocked by the pontiff’s death that they immediately changed their travel plans to see him one…

Banks will now be required to reimburse scam victims up to $500,000 if they fail to adequately warn and protect a consumer from a scam. The Banking Association has announced five new protections introduced to the Code of Banking Practice, which will be progressively rolled out over the next seven months.Where a bank fails to meet the five new commitments, institutions will compensate all or part of the loss for eligible customers. Banks will also retain the discretion to pay compensation beyond what is set out in the code.Banks would also continue to compensate losses for eligible customers when services…

ADVERTISEMENTPolish President Andrzej Duda has said that only the United States — and in particular, his US counterpart Donald Trump — has the power to bring Russia’s war in Ukraine to an end. In an exclusive interview with Euronews, Duda warned that a future peace deal will require painful compromises from both sides, including concessions from Ukraine, and called for renewed transatlantic cooperation to ensure long-term stability in the region.“Today my conclusion is absolutely unequivocal, there is no one outside the United States who can stop (Russian President) Vladimir Putin,” Duda said. “That’s why I believe that President Donald Trump,…

People heading out to dawn services across the country tomorrow won’t need an umbrella, but will need warm layers, says a MetService meteorologist. The forecaster expected settled but cooler temperatures for much of the country for the rest of the week. MetService meteorologist Mmathapelo Makgabutlane told Breakfast it would be “a chilly start” for many parts of the country on Friday morning, with some beginning the day with single-digit temperatures. Watch the full interview with MetService on TVNZ+. “For most of us, we won’t be needing an umbrella on Friday morning, apart from just a few spots. Parts of Northland,…