Author: Press Room
The installation of a rainbow crossing in Tauranga is bittersweet for the pride advocate who made it happen.The new zebra crossing was installed on Devonport Rd in the city centre on Wednesday flanked by the progress pride flag.LGBTQIA+ advocate Gordy Lockhart told Local Democracy Reporting he was unhappy that Tauranga City Council hadn’t held an opening ceremony for it.Lockhart campaigned for six years for the crossing and petitioned Tauranga City Council for one in April.The council’s community, transparency and engagement committee approved the crossing in September.Lockhart said he was so proud he had a lump in throat when he first…
A homicide investigation has been launched following the death of a man in the Napier CBD early on Wednesday morning.Police were called to the scene near the intersection of Emerson and Hastings streets around 3.15am on December 18, following a report of a person lying on the street.The man has today been formally named by police as Boy Taylor, 58, of Napier.A post mortem has been completed, confirming Taylor sustained injuries consistent with assault, Detective Inspector David de Lange said.”A large team of investigators are working on this investigation and would like to hear from anyone who has information that…
An experienced crew of Kiwi urban search and rescue personnel is set to arrive in Vanuatu later today to assist with search efforts in the wake of Tuesday’s devastating earthquake. At least 14 people are confirmed dead following the 7.3 magnitude quake, with more than 200 injured. An NZDF Hercules, carrying the urban search and rescue personnel, was set to land in Port Vila last night but needed to be diverted to Noumea due to an engine fire warning.In a statement at about 11.40am this morning, the defence force confirmed a second flight had landed in Noumea to recover the…
An Auckland-based labour hire company at the centre of a migrant exploitation investigation is in liquidation, and 190 workers – mostly migrants on work visas – are set to lose their jobs.Prolink NZ was under investigation by Immigration New Zealand (INZ) as early as September last year, after complaints from workers who say they have been cheated out of thousands of dollars, but have had little to no full-time work.Licensed Insolvency Practitioner Pritesh Patel was appointed by Prolink NZ to liquidate the company yesterday.Workers received letters from Patel saying that “further employment is no longer available with the company”.Patel said…
The nation’s stock of rental properties is “abundant”, Trade Me Property says, with listings up 36% year-on-year.The company’s latest Rental Price Index was released this morning. It showed listings were at their highest level since 2019. Listings were up 4% month-on-month.Trade Me Property’s customer director Gavin Lloyd suggested the rise in listings could possibly be caused by “homeowners seeking additional income, an increase in Kiwi moving overseas, or maybe people are simply choosing to not leave the nest and live at home a while longer”.”As a result of the oversupply, landlords may need to soften price expectations to meet the…
MrBeast’s ambitious reality show, which the YouTube megastar hopes will expand his giant online reach and turn the corner on recent controversies, is already raising questions from consumer advocates over a partnership with a fintech company.Prime Video’s Friday premiere of the record-setting Beast Games capped off a tumultuous year for Jimmy Donaldson and his production company. Shortly after reaching never-before-seen YouTube subscriber totals, MrBeast began facing heightened scrutiny over past “inappropriate content”, the channel’s philanthropic efforts, its workplace culture and allegations of dangerous on-set conditions that Donaldson has denied.As MrBeast’s loyal following tunes in to watch 1000 contestants compete for…
One person has died following a three-vehicle crash in Karaka, south of Auckland, yesterday. Emergency services responded to the crash involving three vehicles on Karaka Rd between Blackbridge Rd and Sim Rd at about 5.20pm. “Sadly one person died last night and three others remain in hospital,” a police spokesperson said. St John spokesperson told 1News that 11 vehicles attended the incident and took six patients to Middlemore Hospital.Investigations into the circumstances of the crash remain ongoing.
New Zealand’s gross domestic product (GDP) fell 1% in the September quarter – and the figure for the quarter before that has been revised downwards as well.Stats NZ announced the 1% fall in the September 2024 quarter this morning. In September, the agency said the economy shrank by 0.2% in the three months to June – but today, it said that decrease was actually 1.1%.”The update to the June 2024 quarter growth rate reflects the incorporation of annual data, a process completed by Stats NZ each October,” Stats NZ explained.”In this instance, while the June quarter growth rate has been…
A third person has been charged with murder in relation to an alleged homicide at Lake Horowhenua, near Levin in October. Police launched a homicide investigation after 56-year-old Robert Nattie Albert’s body was found in a building in Muaūpoko Park on October 17.A 23-year-old man and 40-year-old man were both separately charged with Albert’s alleged murder earlier this month, and now a third man has also been arrested. “A 36-year-old man was arrested after presenting to the Levin Police station yesterday,” a police spokesperson said. He was due to appear in the Levin District Court today charged with murder.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has ruled out the possibility of allowing the transit of Russian-made gas under the label of Azerbaijan. ADVERTISEMENTUkraine will no longer allow the transit of Russian gas through the country’s territory after the end of this year, Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Thursday after meeting with leaders of the European Union in Brussels.The ban, he added, will apply to any gas flow “coming from Russia” to avoid the risk of having Russian gas sold to Europe under the guise of Azerbaijan-made gas.”We’re not going to extend the transit of Russian gas,” Zelenskyy told reporters.”We won’t allow them to earn…