Author: Press Room

A woman has been arrested and a “modified pistol” seized after a man’s bank card and phone were stolen in a Facebook marketplace deal gone wrong. The victim met a person at Auckland’s Westgate at around 1am, where the purchase was set to take place, police said.When the victim got into the alleged offender’s vehicle, his phone and ATM card were stolen, police said.“An amount of cash was withdrawn from the victim’s account before the two offenders fled the area in two separate vehicles,” Senior Sergeant Damian Albert said.“Police were provided with detailed descriptions of both vehicles.” Officers “quickly” found…

Kiwi feathers collected from across the US and Europe will soon be brought back to New Zealand as part of an international repatriation effort. The NZ Ambassador to the US, Rosemary Banks accepted the kiwi feathers on behalf of New Zealand during an event led by Save the Kiwi at the NZ Residence in Washington DC. Banks said the return and gifting of kiwi feathers back to Aotearoa was significant for all that it represented in Māori culture. “This repatriation of kiwi feathers really does symbolise the way we work with each other; with respect to our indigenous people and…

Auckland Council says about 45% of homeowners affected by last years’ floods registered for an assessment before the end of the cut-off date.Just under 3500 homes registered to be categorised by Monday to determine whether they qualify for a council buy-out or funding to improve the flood resilience of their property.Council’s manager heading the city’s flood recovery, Craig Hobbs, told Nine to Noon there were no guarantees there would be another chance for a council buy-out of flooded homes in the future.”This is a $2 billion investment from both ratepayers and taxpayers, it’s huge, whether the government or council will…

Multiple Tokyo Foods hijiki seaweed products are being recalled due to elevated levels of arsenic.All batches and dates of the following products are being recalled:Wako Shokai brand Dried Seaweed (Kome Hijiki) 30gWako Shokai brand Roasted Seaweed (Hijiki) 25gYamanaka Foods brand Dried Seaweed (Mekabu) 15gIchbiki brand Hijiki Seaweed / Seasoned Vegetable 70gNZFS deputy director-general Vincent Arbuckle said the products contain hijiki, a type of seaweed “which is known to naturally have heightened levels of inorganic arsenic”.”The concern with these products is that they could have inorganic arsenic at levels that could make you sick.”Hijiki seaweed is not used in sushi products,…

By Susan Edmunds of RNZ Mobil, Z, Caltex and Waitomo petrol stations are offering motorists new ways to pay for their fuel, but there are concerns that struggling households could end up in more debt. Z Energy now offers Afterpay at Z and Caltex stations, and Waitomo and Mobil have signed up to the Kora card scheme. Afterpay allows people to pay off a purchase over four instalments, but late fees of up to 25 percent of the original purchase price, or $68 can be charged, whichever is lower. Kora gives members cards to use at Mobil and Waitomo. They…

The dry weather most of the country has been enjoying is coming to an end with heavy rain and heavy snow forecast for some as an active front moves across the Tasman Sea.From later today through to Thursday, rain is expected in western and northern parts of the country while snow is forecast for the southern parts of the South Island. A heavy snow warning is in place for Central Otago and the Queenstown Lakes District from 9am to 9pm tomorrow. Meanwhile, heavy rain warnings are in place for multiple locations across the country.High pressure that moved in during the…

Stella Kyriakides has served as the EU’s Health Commissioner for the past five years, during which she confronted an unforeseen global pandemic that impacted the lives of millions across Europe. ADVERTISEMENTIn Brussels, exit interviews are often particularly insightful, especially with a commissioner responsible for a complex portfolio where decision-making predominantly rests with individual governments.While Kyriakides did not always assume a central public role during the COVID-19 crisis, her team was tasked with overseeing vaccine procurement in Europe and introducing numerous other significant legislations. These included the EU’s Cancer Master Plan, the extension of smoking bans to outdoor areas, a European…

A new Government fund for cleaning up contaminated sites has shouldered the bulk of the cost of remediating Nelson’s Tāhunanui Beach.About 10,000 cubic metres of toxic sawdust and sand is currently being removed from the beach environment from where it had been used as fill in the 1960s for a raised carpark.Minister for the Environment Penny Simmonds announced the $3.44 million grant during a visit on Tuesday morning.“This is such a stunning beach, and it’s so important to Nelson. But of course, places like this all over the country, we find there are legacy issues.”The new Contaminated Sites and Vulnerable…

A Talley’s worker has died at the company’s wharf at Port Nelson today.Talley’s Ltd chief executive Tony Hazlett confirmed that a staff member had been fatally injured.”We are extremely saddened and send our deepest condolences to the person’s family, who we are supporting,” he said.Police said emergency services were called to the scene at 12.50pm.The person was found in critical condition and CPR was commended, however, the person was unable to be revived.”Enquiries into the circumstances of the incident are ongoing and the death will be referred to the coroner,” police said. Port Nelson (Source: 1News)Talley’s is working with police…

A Tauranga man has been sentenced to three months’ home detention for possessing over 8000 images of children being sexually exploited and abused.The 67-year-old pled guilty to one representative charge of knowingly possessing objectionable material depicting the sexual exploitation and abuse of children. He was granted name suppression and was not required to register as a child sex offender.Local investigators received a tip-off from the US-based National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that the man had uploaded 262 images “depicting the sexual abuse and exploitation of children to a search engine to locate similar illegal material”, according to…