Author: Press Room
Police are investigating reports of gunshots in Raumanga, Whangārei last night.At about 11.20pm, police received a report of a group of people arguing and gun shots being heard at a Hedley Place property.Two vehicles reportedly left the address.Police attended and spoke to a number of people at the property.A short time later where a vehicle was located with “significant damage, consistent with a firearm being discharged”, police said.”Thankfully no one was injured during the incident.”There will be a police presence in the area throughout the day as we continue to make enquiries.”Police encourage those with information to get in touch…
Donald Trump wants to make Hollywood “bigger, better and stronger” and has cast Mel Gibson, Jon Voight and Sylvester Stallone as stars of what he is calling his “Special Ambassadors to a great but very troubled place, Hollywood, California”.On Thursday, the President-elect announced on his social media site that the three actors would be his eyes and ears to the moviemaking town.“It will again be, like The United States of America itself, The Golden Age of Hollywood!” he wrote on Truth Social.He also called the trio special envoys. Special ambassadors and envoys are typically chosen to respond to troubled hot…
A three-vehicle crash has closed State Highway 29, Lower Kaimai this morning and left one person with critical injuries.The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) said the crash occurred between McLaren Falls Rd and Poripori Rd.”Delay your journey or follow directions of response crews and expect long delays,” it said.There is no expected opening time for the road at this stage.Police said the crash involved a car, a ute, and a small truck at about 10.30am. “One person has critical injuries and was airlifted [to] hospital,” a police spokesperson said.”The injured person was travelling in a vehicle with two other occupants,…
Provisional figures show new literacy and numeracy requirements have dented NCEA level 1 pass rates.The Qualifications Authority said only 64 percent of Year 11 students attempted level one last year and 70% of that group were successful, down from 82% in 2023.NZQA said the decline was due to the new literacy and numeracy requirements, which were assessed through online tests in reading, writing and maths, and to changes in the composition of the cohort that attempted level 1.It said the 64% of Year 11s that entered a full level 1 programme last year was down from 75% in 2023.”As more…
When Northland ear specialist Marg Hunt was driving to work on Thursday morning, she was not surprised to hear on the radio that there were hundreds of ACC claims relating to cockroaches in ears over the past five years.”I was laughing because I was thinking ‘oh gosh, you know, that’s bread and butter for me’,” Hunt, who has been in the ear-cleaning field for 40 years, said.That same morning she removed a pesky mosquito lodged in a person’s ear canal.Armed with a microscope, suction device, and special crocodile forceps to tweezer out any remaining bits of the critter’s body, Hunt…
ASB is the latest major lender to cut its mortgage rates as banks respond to falling short-term wholesale interest rates. The bank is cutting its six-month, one-year and 18-month rates by 20 basis points each, with the one-year term at a market leading rate of 5.59%. It came after Westpac cut its six-month rate on Thursday to 5.99%, with both banks matching the BNZ’s move from late last year – which came after the Reserve Bank’s 50 basis point official cash rate (OCR) cut in November. “We want to help customers looking to refix, or Kiwi looking to buy, get off to…
Animal management officers Ginny Mason and Kevin Gregor have become familiar faces in South Auckland.They said they visited so often that residents had started waving as they passed by.After watching several roaming dogs sprint back home when they pull up, Mason said she thought dogs also recognise their white van with cages in the boot.The pair patrol an area spanning from Māngere to Orere Point, covering some of the most problematic parts of the region for roaming dogs.They are part of a wider team under Auckland Council responding to a constant stream of calls about dogs roaming the streets, behaving…
It Ends With Us actor and director Justin Baldoni has sued his co-star Blake Lively and her husband, Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds, for defamation overnight in the latest step in a bitter legal battle surrounding the dark romantic drama.Baldoni’s suit seeks at least US$400 million (NZ$713 million) for damages that include lost future income. The lawsuit from Baldoni and production company Wayfarer Studios, which also names publicist Leslie Sloane as a defendant, comes about two weeks after Lively sued Baldoni and several others tied to the film, alleging harassment and a coordinated campaign to attack her reputation for coming forward…
ASB has announced changes to some of its fixed mortgage rates.The bank has dropped its 1-year term 20 basis points to 5.59%, from 5.79%.Its 18-month term has also dropped 20 basis points to 5.39% from 5.59%.The six-month rate dropped from 6.19% to 5.99%.The rates are for those with minimum 20% equity.”Today’s rate changes reflect the recent fall in short-term wholesale rates,” ASB’s general product manager Emma-Jayne Liddy said.”With more than two-thirds of our mortgage customers opting for a term of 18-months or less, we expect these changes to be popular,” she said.ASB has also reduced some of its term deposit…
Police are investigating after a person was shot in East Auckland last night.In a statement, a police spokesperson said police were called after three males entered a premises on Dunrobin Place, Highland Park and assaulted a man.A shot was fired and one person received serious injuries. St John said it sent one ambulance, one rapid response unit and one operations manager was sent to the scene.”One patient, in a critical condition, was transported to Middlemore Hospital,” a St John spokesperson said. Police are investigating and ask anyone with information to get in touch.