Author: Press Room

Three people are likely to face serious charges after they were stopped in a car allegedly containing 422 pāua taken from Kaikōura’s south coast – more than half of which were undersized.Fishery Officers had previously stopped the car on Sunday afternoon and were attempting to inspect their catch when the driver of the car drove off, Fisheries New Zealand district manager Marlborough/Canterbury Stuart Moore said. The car was stopped by police yesterday in Rangiora.”Of the 422 pāua recovered from the car, 230 were undersized. People who disregard the rules like this steal from us all,” Moore said.Boxes containing some of…

By Susan Edmunds of RNZ Insurance has had the largest price rise of any item tracked in the consumer price index since 2000, Consumer NZ says, and there’s a risk that more people may not be able to access it at all in future unless there are industry changes. Consumer has released a report into the insurance industry, investigating how climate change is affecting the cost and availability of house and contents insurance. It noted the cost of insurance had gone up 916 percent since 2000. That is ahead of the increase in the price of cigarettes and tobacco, which…

Around 8000 people have received erroneous text messages demanding $135 in fines following a systems error, the Ministry of Justice has confirmed.Officials have apologised for the erroneous text sent out yesterday afternoon. The text contained the words “Amount $135.00″, the ministry’s bank account details, a fines reference number, and the surname of the person receiving the text message. The ministry’s national service delivery group manager Tracey Baguley said “some people would have received the same message up to eight times”.“We sometimes send text messages to people who owe fines. In this case, a system error meant a message went to…

It’s a love story and, baby, she said yes: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are engaged, they announced Wednesday.In a five-photo joint post on Instagram, the superstar singer and football player revealed their engagement, the fairytale culmination of a courtship that for two years has thrilled and fascinated millions around the world, but especially Swifties, the pop star’s enormous and ardent fan base.“Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married,” the caption read, accompanied by an emoji of a dynamite stick.Kelce was a famous football player when they met — a star tight end for the Kansas City…

A man has been arrested after a sawn-off .22 rifle and ammunition was found during a police investigation into an alleged shooting in Levin this afternoon.It is the seventh arrest in Levin during an ongoing investigation into a spate of gang-related shootings in the area earlier this month.Police said they received reports of a firearm being discharged around 3.10pm today in the vicinity of Mabel St.Officers arrived at the sceneand found “no obvious damage located, or injuries to any person,” Inspector Ash Gurney said. Police enquiries in the area led to the arrest of a 34-year-old man following a traffic…

Nicki and Craig McMillan, owner-operators of HeliVentures in North Otago, have been nominated as Rural Champions for their outstanding contribution to the aviation industry and the wider rural sector. Described in their nomination as “very close to being one of the leading aviation companies in the South Island,” the McMillans have built HeliVentures around a commitment to safety, innovation and community. Mr McMillan said the company had grown because of its focus on investing in the best possible equipment, training and systems. “Our biggest focus has always been on safety and delivering the best service possible to our client. That…

Firefighters who responded to Wellington’s fatal hostel fire more than two years ago, have given emotional testimony at the High Court in Wellington.It’s the second day of the trial for the man who’s said to have started the blaze at Loafers Lodge on May 16, 2023.The 50-year-old, who has name suppression, is charged with two counts of arson and five of murder, for killing Michael Wahrlich, Melvin Parun, Peter O’Sullivan, Kenneth Barnard and Liam Hockings.It’s expected he’ll pursue the defence of insanity.A 50-year-old man is accused of lighting the Loafers Lodge blaze, killing five people.  (Source: 1News)Several Fire and Emergency…

ADVERTISEMENT Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini’s comments have set off a firestorm between France and Italy. France summoned the Italian ambassador on Thursday after Salvini urged President Emmanuel Macron to put on a bullet-proof vest and go to Ukraine himself, in critical remarks about French support for the possible deployment of European peacekeeping troops in post-war Ukraine. “Go if you want. Put on your helmet, your gun, your bullet-proof vest, go to Ukraine,” the far-right MP said in remarks on Wednesday. He also told the French president to “hang on to the tram,” an expression that can generally be…

The New Zealand Merino Company is back in the black, having posted an after-tax net profit of $160,000 for the full year ended June 30. That was a $3.45 million improvement on last year’s loss, while ebit of $1.23m was up $3.86m on last year. In an update to the USX, the company said there was no trade facility debt as at June 30, down from $10m of borrowings a year earlier. There were 85,000 bales sold, with 69% into contract, down from 115,000 bales last year. No dividend was declared, in line with dividend policy. The company said a…

A homicide investigation has been launched following the death of a man in Gisborne this morning.Police were called to an address on Winter St in Mangapapa around 6.50am to a report of disturbance coming from the home, Inspector Danny Kirk said.Officers arrived at the scene where they found a man unresponsive.First aid was immediately carried out, but he died at the scene.”Police are undertaking several enquiries to determine the circumstances of the death,” Kirk said.A cordon would remain at the scene overnight for a scene examination on Wednesday morning.”Police are speaking with several people in connection to the incident and…