Author: Press Room

A 40-year-old “serial spitter” who has been causing trouble in Auckland’s North Shore has been arrested.Police said inquiries into several incidents across Devonport and Bayswater began in June this year as allegations “spiralled” on social media.Waitemata east area prevention manage acting inspector Tim Williams said: “Today, we located a person of interest walking on Wairoa Rd in Narrow Neck, and he was promptly arrested.”While being arrested, police said the man allegedly attempted to spit at police staff.The man, from Belmont, would appear in the North Shore District Court tomorrow. He faced three common assault charges, and one count of resisting…

A man has been taken into custody after shots were fired at police in Palmerston North in two incidents over the past 48 hours. The 20-year-old man was arrested this morning and charged with using a firearm against a law enforcement officer as well as having a warrant for outstanding driving offences.Police central district commander Dion Bennett said patrolling officers were notified of a speeding vehicle near Highbury Ave at 1.30am today.”The driver failed to stop, and as police pursued the fleeing vehicle, a passenger leaned out of the window and aimed a firearm at police, firing five or six…

ADVERTISEMENT The French prime minister, Francois Bayrou, accused Italy of pursuing a policy of ‘fiscal dumping’, just days before the vote of confidence in his government scheduled for 8 September and following the accusations made against President Macron by the Italian deputy prime minister, Matteo Salvini. Fiscal dumping is a term used to describe the act of creating more favourable conditions, or lowering taxes, to attract foreign business or investment in some countries, in comparison to others. During a media briefing on Sunday with franceinfo, Lci, Bfmtv and Cnews, the French PM pointed the finger at so-called “fiscal nomadism”, underlining…

Local voices in South Auckland warn the boy racer bill risks targeting Pacific families and cultural gatherings.The Government’s Anti-Social Road Use Bill has been criticised in South Auckland as heavy-handed and unfair, with Pacific car enthusiasts warning it risks criminalising family-friendly gatherings and cultural expression.Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board chair Apulu Reece Autagavaia said events he attended with his children were being wrongly lumped in with boy racers.”The Government should not be using a hammer… it needs to be more targeted and ensure it’s well-defined what type of group they’re trying to target.”Otherwise, this seems to be curbing the freedoms of people…

The man charged with arson and murder over the fatal Loafers Lodge fire is seen collecting cushions from around the hostel and putting them in a cupboard, where he later sets them alight. His movements before and after the deadly blaze, captured on CCTV, have been shown to the jury at the High Court in Wellington, as the second week of his trial gets underway.The 50-year-old, who has name suppression, has pleaded not guilty to seven charges and is pursuing the defence of insanity.He’s accused of lighting two fires in the building where he lived that night. The first –…

Prices are officially stabilising, but you probably won’t be noticing that at the supermarket. Frances Cook makes some suggestions of other ways to cut costs.Inflation is technically in the “under control” range, yet many New Zealanders are still feeling a squeeze in core areas. What’s happening? It’s a trick of the numbers that explains why you’re not imagining things. Many of the core categories you can’t avoid paying for are still soaring in price. Insurance, rates, food staples like butter and mince, are all going up. But “discretionary spending” categories are far calmer, bringing the average number down. In a…

The Government will provide up to $30 million in loans for struggling regional airlines as it intervenes with a “one-off” move to prevent more air routes from being cut.The money will come from the coalition’s Regional Infrastructure Fund and was expected to be a “one-off” measure to “stabilise the sector” in the short-to-medium term. Regional Development Minister Shane Jones said regions faced further cuts to flights, including the total withdrawal of services, without aid from the government.Carriers including Air Chathams and Sounds Air had been calling for a loan scheme for months amid a period of skyrocketing operating costs. “Without…

1News weather expert Daniel Corbett says Spring, which officially starts today, is arriving with a bang. He explains what we can expect in the coming days and weeks.Spring set to be ‘rollercoaster’ – watch Dan’s outlook on TVNZ+Buckle in again. It looks like the wild ride of weather from the Winter will continue right through the Spring.The recent spell of drier weather in August has given us a breather from the active rainmakers of June and July. Moving forward into Spring keep that merino layer and raincoat handy. Even though we might have a few fine and milder days there…

The number of new property listings jumped in August compared to the same time last year, Realestate.co.nz data suggests, with more than 8700 homes hitting the market.Figures showed the 8769 new listings last month was a 9% increase on the 8048 new listings recorded in August 2024.Bay of Plenty led the charge with 732 new listings, a 46.7% increase from August 2024’s 499 properties. Meanwhile, Gisborne recorded the second-highest growth at 40.9%, with 62 new properties listed compared to 44 last year.Realestate.co.nz chief executive Sarah Wood used the uplift to suggest vendor confidence was returning after stagnant sales over the…

ADVERTISEMENT The nationalist Revival party tried to prevent European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen from entering a weapons plant in Bulgaria’s city of Sopot on Sunday, attacking a vehicle that those gathered believed she was in. Revival’s leader Kostadin Kostadinov, who has previously called for Bulgaria’s withdrawal from NATO, organised demonstrations with another nationalist party, Velichie, at the Vazov Machine Engineering Plants in Sopot in opposition to Bulgaria’s European path and demanded protection of national sovereignty. Kostadinov was filmed blocking a black vehicle, claiming that the Bulgarian police — who were attempting to get the demonstrators to allow the…