Author: Press Room
A man has died in hospital after a sand dune collapsed on him at west Auckland’s Muriwai Beach on Saturday.28-year-old Kane Watson became trapped under the dune around 5pm. He was airlifted to Auckland City Hospital in critical condition but died this morning, police said. Shaquille, Kane’s sister, said he was “my best friend and my favourite person”.Shaquille’s friend, Kristalle Tayler, said between Kane and his partner, the couple had four children, with a fifth on the way in January.”He was so excited about their new baby,” she said.”He was building a life with his partner, he was the best…
By Susan Edmunds of RNZ A group of Air New Zealand international flight attendants have lost their bid to claim they were unjustifiably dismissed when they did not receive the Covid-19 vaccine. The group of six was dismissed in 2021 when they did not meet the statutory Covid-19 vaccination requirements of the time. Air New Zealand said its actions were what a fair and reasonable employer could have done. On July 12, 2021, changes to the rules meant vaccines were required for international cabin crew members and pilots. They had to receive the first dose of the Pfizer vaccination by September 30,…
Australian rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds will perform in Wellington in what lead vocalist Cave has said will be “a wild and mighty joy”.As part of their Wild God Tour, the band will perform two shows in February 2026 for the Aotearoa Festival of the Arts.TSB Arena will play host to both shows, on February 5 and 6. The two and a half hour show will draw on the band’s 2024 album, Wild God, alongside songs from their last 40 years together.(Source: Megan Cullen)Cave said the upcoming shows in Australia and New Zealand were a long time…
Data from the country’s biggest KiwiSaver provider shows that when it comes to putting money aside in the scheme, where you live matters.A comparison of average balances around the country shows Wellingtonians lead the pack.There, ANZ members had an average balance of $44,863. That was followed by Taranaki, at $40,562.At the bottom of the table, more than $10,000 behind were Northland, at $33,830 and Gisborne, at $33,673.ANZ Funds Management managing director Fiona Mackenzie said KiwiSaver could hard code any income inequality. People who earned less over their lifetimes would end up with less in their KiwiSaver accounts as a result.Northland…
Horowhenua’s mayor says the recent spate of gang shootings is “causing some real concern” among residents who are worried about ongoing criminal behaviour.It comes after a Gang Conflict Warrant was put in place for Ōtaki, Shannon, Foxton and Levin after four gang shootings in three days.A Gang Conflict Warrant gives police more powers to search vehicles without a warrant.By Saturday evening, they had seized four guns and a large knife.Horowhenua mayor Bernie Wanden said people were still feeling anxious, and he hoped things would be resolved quickly.”Obviously, we get isolated incidents every now and then, but this continuing behaviour and…
By Susan Edmunds of RNZ Even retirees who have paid off their homes are struggling with the cost of living as pressure goes on rates and insurance, financial mentors say. An RNZ survey looked into the cost of living in households around the country, even if the mortgage has been paid off. It showed that in some cases, people were having to pay almost $800 a month. The data included average 2024 rates payments, average cheapest house insurance premiums and the cheapest electricity option available on Powerswitch for the region for a two-person household with someone home during the day, using electricity for heating…
Police are appealing for witnesses after a man was allegedly assaulted while trying to help another motorist near Tokoroa in the early hours of Friday morning.The incident happened around 4.15am near the intersection of Old Taupo Rd and Baird Rd. The man stopped his vehicle to assist another driver when he was allegedly attacked, suffering a head injury.”He is now recovering at home,” a police spokesperson said.Police were working to establish the full circumstances of what had occurred and to locate the other party believed to be involved.”We would like to hear from anyone who saw one or two cars…
Jerry Adler, who spent decades behind the scenes of storied Broadway productions before pivoting to acting in his 60s, has died at 96.Adler died Saturday, according to a brief family announcement confirmed by the Riverside Memorial Chapel in New York (local time). Adler “passed peacefully in his sleep,” Paradigm Talent Agency’s Sarah Shulman said on behalf of his family. No immediate cause was given.Among Adler’s acting credits are The Sopranos, on which he played Tony Soprano adviser Hesh Rabkin across all six seasons, and The Good Wife, where he played law partner Howard Lyman. But before Adler had ever stepped…
A body has been found in the water at Wairau Bar in Marlborough.Police said a member of the public reported the body in Spring Creek at around 3.50pm on Saturday.”A formal identification process is underway and may take some time,” a police spokesperson said.”Inquiries into the matter are ongoing and police are unable to comment further at this stage.”A rāhui was put in place for the Wairau River, Ōpaoa and Wairau River confluence to the River mouth.It prohibits the gathering of kai, swimming, and entering the water and was expected to be in place for five days.
Despite Dunedin and Christchurch being two of the colder cities in New Zealand at this time of year, new research shows they have some of the lowest potential to reduce heat-related carbon emissions. University of Otago physicist and Sustainable Energy Programme director Associate Professor Michael Jack said it was because the cities had low use of LPG/natural gas to heat homes and water. He said the research showed how much energy was used in each New Zealand region to heat its homes and hot water, and the carbon emissions associated with that. By contrast, Taranaki and the upper West Coast…