Author: Press Room

A Western Bay of Plenty dog owner is “absolutely gutted” there won’t be a prosecution after his beloved Border Collie was “ripped open” by two dogs.Warning: This story contains details and images which may be distressing to some readersPaul Gibbs said he was “truly disappointed” that Western Bay of Plenty District Council has decided not to prosecute the owner of two German Shepherds that he believed attacked his dog, Molly.In December last year, the 13-year-old Border Collie was relaxing on the lawn when two German Shepherds came onto Gibbs’ Whakamārama property after leaping from a ute at a nearby petrol…

Before becoming one of the stars of the popular quiz show The Chase, Darragh ‘The Menace’ Ennis was a scientist at Oxford University.Although he left that career behind for the bright lights of television trivia, he’s still connected to science with his intriguing new book, The Body: 10 Things You Should Know. Hilary Barry caught up with The Chase star to talk about the show, his new book, and to turn the tables on the quizmaster with a quiz of her own.Tell us about how you came to be on The Chase.”I was just a fan of the show. It’s…

October 1 is a hard-working date on the political calendar, with several government policies beginning and other initiatives ending.Here’s a rundown of what New Zealanders can expect, with changes across health, parking, tourism, vaping, early childhood education and winter energy payments.No more free Covid testsNew Zealanders have been able to access free Covid rapid antigen tests (RATs) since early 2022 but those days have officially come to an end. The free supply of RATs ended yesterday, with tests now only available to purchase. Epidemiologist Professor Michael Baker said removing access to free RATs could create a “huge equity problem”.”This equity…

Australia’s consumer watchdog will be given a multimillion-dollar boost to crack down on “unfair” practices by supermarkets and retailers. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will on Tuesday put the supermarket giants on notice over their “dodgy practices”. “We don’t want to see ordinary Australians, families and pensioners being taken for a ride by the supermarkets, and we’re taking steps to make sure they get a fair go at the checkout,” he said. The $A30 million ($NZ52 million) of extra money will help the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) complete more investigations and enforcement. It will aid the commission in monitoring…

The Commerce Commission has declined to give clearance for Foodstuffs North Island Limited and Foodstuffs South Island Limited to merge to become a single national grocery entity. Commission chairperson John Small said the commission was “not satisfied that the proposed merger would not have the effect of substantially lessening competition in multiple acquisition and retail markets”. “The proposed merger would result in a permanent structural change to the New Zealand grocery industry. We are concerned about the impact this could have on competition and New Zealand consumers,” Small said.“The proposed merger would reduce the number of major buyers of grocery…

Former deputy prime minister Carmel Sepuloni has been eliminated from Celebrity Treasure Island and was given a moving sendoff by her teammates, who thanked her for her contribution to Pasifika people. The politician was eliminated on last night’s episode of the show after losing a challenge to former rugby league player and sports commentator Wairangi Koopu. “I’ve had such a good time, and I’ve learnt so much about myself and everyone else that’s been on our team,” she said.Sepuloni said she was “really hopeful” that the younger competitors made it to the end. Before leaving, fellow competitors Bubbah and Gaby…

First-home buyers were the biggest group of purchasers for the last three months, according to new property data, ending a decades-long trend. According to the latest CoreLogic numbers, first-time home buyers made 27% of property purchases in August.Meanwhile, relocating owner-occupiers, or movers, remained “quieter than normal”, sitting at 25%. Mortgaged multiple property owners, including investors, remained “low by past standards” at 22%. Speaking to Breakfast this morning, The Money Men financial adviser Josh Farry said the strong showing from first-time home buyers was because property investors and movers had been held back “for quite some time”.He said high interest rates…

The Commerce Commission has declined Foodstuffs’ proposal to merge its North Island and South Island divisions. Earlier this year the country’s biggest supermarket operator proposed bringing the divisions together to create a national cooperative. The boards of Foodstuffs North and South Island divisions currently operate separately and run a number of well-known brands including New World, Pak’nSave and Four Square. On Tuesday, the Commerce Commission declined the proposal saying it would substantially lessen competition. In a statement, chair Dr John Small said it would reduce the number of buyers of grocery products in New Zealand from three to two giving…

Large numbers of New Zealanders continue to withdraw money from KiwiSaver for financial hardship reasons.More than 4200 members withdrew money for this reason in August, up from 2760 in August last year.But how do you make a financial hardship withdrawal, how long does it take, and what might get you turned down?What can you claim for?KiwiSaver members can apply for withdrawal for hardship reasons in fairly limited circumstances.You can apply if you cannot pay your minimum living expenses – such as power, water and food bills, if you can’t keep up with your mortgage or rent, if you need to…

Drake Hogestyn, the Days of Our Lives star who appeared on the show for 38 years, has died, his family confirmed. He was 70.The actor was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and his family said in a statement that Hogestyn died after “putting up an unbelievable fight” against the disease.”He was the most amazing husband, father, papa, and actor. He loved performing for the Days audience and sharing the stage with the greatest cast, crew, and production team in the business,” the statement, signed The Hogestyn Family, continued. “We love him and we will miss him all the Days of our…