Author: Press Room

A man reported missing from Ōtorohanga yesterday has been found safe by police this morning.In an updated statement, police thanked the public for their help following an appeal.”Police would like to thank members of the public who contacted us with possible sightings of the man’s car, which helped officers find the man.”Earlier, Waikato police said the man was reported missing by his family.According to police, he left his Ōtorohanga home at around midday on Christmas Day to drive to Huntly, however, he did not arrive in Huntly as expected.

Police are investigating a suspicious blaze that broke out at a Napier home in the early hours of this morning.Emergency services were called to the residential address on Geddis Ave in the suburb of Maraenui at about 1.45am, according to a police spokesperson. Investigators are urging anyone with information about the fire to contact authorities. “A scene guard was put in place overnight and police will be conducting a scene examination at the address today, alongside Fire and Emergency New Zealand.”People with information are urged to contact 105, citing file number P061072109.

Blake Lively’s claims that “It Ends With Us” director and co-star Justin Baldoni unleashed a smear campaign against her have gained support from a new lawsuit that Baldoni’s former publicist filed against him.The lawsuit was lodged Tuesday (local time) in New York state court in Manhattan by Stephanie Jones, who began representing Baldoni in 2017. It said the actor and his movie production company, Wayfarer, expanded their contract in 2020, agreeing to pay a US$25,000 monthly fee.The lawsuit alleged that Baldoni, 40, and Wayfarer last August, when the film was released, teamed up with publicists to try to “bury” and…

A search is continuing for a man missing in the water near Ōhope after police said he fled from officers last night and swam away.Police responded to a “family harm-related incident” at Ōhope Beach, east of Whakatāne, at around 6pm yesterday.When officers arrived at the scene, a 48-year-old Whakatāne man ran away and jumped into the harbour, Eastern Bay of Plenty area commander Inspector Nicky Cooney said.”Officers engaged with him and attempted to get him to come out of the water but he refused, continuing to walk away from them,” she said.”When the man started swimming further away and against…

Hawke’s Bay officials are preparing for possible flooding with heavy rain expected for Boxing Day.MetService forecasters earlier issued an Orange Heavy Rain Warning for a period from early morning Boxing Day, for Gisborne-Tairāwhiti, and Hawke’s Bay north of Napier.The warnings are in pace from 6am Thursday until 6am Friday in the Gisborne area and 9am Thursday until 1pm Friday in the Hawke’s Bay north region.Up to 130mm of rain is expected to fall, and possibly more in localised areas, and thunderstorms are possible. It said that means there is potential for streams and rivers to rise rapidly, as well as…

Meat exporters say 2024 has been a tough year for the industry — but positive signs are emerging. A joint report from Beef & Lamb and the Meat Industry Association says global markets remain challenging, but there are green shoots which may result in prices firming in 2025. “Recent reductions in interest rates have also provided some relief for farmers,” the Red Meat Report said. It said export prices had been weak, though improvements were expected. “Despite the weaker prices for our sheep meat particularly, caused by China’s economic headwinds and our products experiencing increased competition, we could see prices…

This week’s Good Sorts is a woman from the Southland town of Riverton doing her best to bring her community together this festive season.Five years ago, Tanya Colyer was scrolling through Facebook when she stopped on a photo of fairy doors.Colyer was so taken with them that she ordered her own. She then recruited friends, family, and anyone she could find to pick up a paintbrush. “It’s a huge community project.” The doors were then taken to a hill high above Riverton and laid on a track, turning Moore’s Reserve into a Christmas trail.”Every single door has a story which…

It’s a brew for a Brew who brewed a best brew. The development of a new RNA/DNA stabilisation buffer at cancer diagnostics company Pacific Edge has been celebrated in liquid form, combining a corporate milestone with a festive narrative. The performance of the company’s Cxbladder Solution — the key stabiliser of RNA in urine — has been improved so it has a longer shelf life at customer sites and can preserve the RNA for even longer periods. The upshot was it would improve both the company’s operations and logistics immensely, chief executive Dr Pete Meintjes said. Tom Brew was the…

The pontiff reminded the Catholic faithful on Wednesday of children suffering from war and hunger, the elderly living in isolation, those fleeing their homelands, people who have lost their jobs and those persecuted for their faith. ADVERTISEMENTIn his traditional Christmas message on Wednesday, Pope Francis urged “all people of all nations” to find the courage during this Holy Year “to silence the sounds of arms and overcome divisions” plaguing the world, from the Middle East to Ukraine, Africa to Asia.The pontiff’s address summarised the woes facing the world this year. As Christmas coincided with the start of the 2025 Holy…

I am a little bit out of date — I still use the word “pivot”. In 2020, LinkedIn named “pivot” the word of the year, and many considered it the most overused word of 2021. It became a shorthand way to describe changing a business to adapt to social distancing and other pandemic restrictions. I use it in the sense that I encourage people I work with to “pivot” away from the story they have in their head about a conflict they are stuck in. What story have you had reverberating around your head in 2024 that you want to…