Author: Press Room

Labour leader Chris Hipkins has told the Queenstown Business Chamber the economy is not recovering, and more spending is needed to get the settings right.Hipkins and several of his MPs are in the city ahead of a caucus retreat in Christchurch this week, aiming to speak to South Island communities.In Thursday’s speech to the Queenstown Business Chamber, he said the Government’s strategy for growth was not tackling the underlying economic problems.”While there are pockets of positivity around economic growth, overall the country is not in the economic shape that we need it to be.”Despite a lot of talk about economic…

A councillor is calling for a Bay of Plenty highway bridge to be raised and lengthened, in the wake of last week’s flooding that closed the important route. The issues with Matekerepu Bridge turning into a “choke point” during flooding was discussed at an Ōpōtiki District Council meeting this week. Councillor Tom Brooks described the new Matekerepu roundabout as “pointless” if traffic from Ōpōtiki couldn’t get over the bridge less than 50 metres away. He said when the new roundabout was announced, he queried at an Eastern Bay Road Safety Joint Committee meeting why the bridge wasn’t being replaced at…

Rookie Leroy Carter was still coming to terms with his inclusion in the All Blacks squad to play in Argentina in the opening rounds of the Rugby Championship when he made the shocking discovery. “The dog ate my passport.”The utility back with the Hamilton-based Chiefs was one of four uncapped players included in Scott Robertson’s Championship squad. The phone call from Robertson informing him of his selection had come as a massive surprise.Carter was rushing to get things together for the squad’s assembly and departure when he realised the family dog had intercepted his passport.“I got my passport out to…

Police tactics in the fatal shooting of Shargin Stephens showed a disregard for the right to life, according to a scathing coroner’s report.A probationary officer in “a heightened emotional state” pushed his way past experienced officers and got “unnecessarily and dangerously close” to Stephens, who was holding a slasher after smashing up a police car, and shot him twice with an M4 rifle.Coroner Michael Robb ruled the death, in July 2016, was preventable and his 207-page report painted a picture of police chaos on the day, including a lack of leadership and a failure to de-escalate the situation.He said frontline…

The Government made it official this week that the petrol tax is on the way out, to be replaced by electronic road user charges, or RUCs, for everyone.Drivers of all light vehicles – petrol, hybrid, diesel and electric – will now pay for road use based on distance travelled and vehicle weight, instead of an extra charge at the pump.Right now, Road User Charges (RUC) only apply to vehicles not powered wholly by petrol, and all vehicles weighing more than 3.5 tonnes.An awful lot of the specifics around the new system remain uncertain, as the government considers how to implement…

Foodstuffs says a customer who found a stone in her bag of potatoes can have a fresh bag – and she doesn’t even have to give back the rock.The woman posted on TikTok that she had just finished peeling potatoes from a Pam’s bag bought from Pak’nSave.Among the potatoes was a large rock.When she put it on her kitchen scales, it weighed more than 1.1kg.”You cannot tell me this is a potato because it weighs a kilo and then some,” she said.Other people had commented on the video that it had happened to them, too.A Foodstuffs spokesperson said it seemed…

The Bay of Plenty Regional Council says it will accelerate trials to identify possible fixes for the deteriorating Ōhau Channel diversion wall. Former Rotorua Mayor Kevin Winters admitted partial responsibility for the situation and pledged to help find a lasting solution at a meeting today. Concerned community boards remain sceptical, however, and warned legal action remains an option. Built in 2008 to protect Lake Rotoiti from nutrient-rich polluting water from Lake Rotorua, the $11 million wall began corroding in 2014 because of previously underestimated microbial damage. Last month, local groups issued a letter of demand to the regional council, with…

A fake online store using the name of a genuine Matakana business has shaken the town’s business community, misled customers, and prompted a compliance probe from the Commerce Commission.The scam website, registered in April, has been using the name Matakana Boutique — identical to the legitimate accommodation and catering business run by Amy and Simon Hope in the north Auckland town since 2016.It has aggressively marketed itself on Facebook and Instagram, claiming to be a New Zealand-based clothing retailer.The Commerce Commission said it has received 150 inquiries this year about fake retail websites that appear to be locally run. General…

A collaborative concoction by eight Dunedin breweries is among the trophy winners at this year’s New Zealand Beer Awards. Emerson’s Brewing Company won a trophy in the Amber/Dark Lager & Ale category along with four gold, eight silver and seven bronze medals. The trophy-winning beer, the “D.C.B.C” (Dunedin City Breweries Collaboration) 7.2% Black IPA, was a collaboration between eight separate Dunedin breweries — Arc Brewing Co., Noisy Brewing Co., Black Rock, BS Brewing Co., DogStar Brew Lab, Cell Division and Rudd House Brewing, with Emerson’s taking the lead. Emerson’s sales and marketing manager Greg Menzies said the result was “really…

A young girl has died following a two-car crash in the Far North this afternoon.Emergency services were called to the scene at the intersection of Hillcrest and Orrs roads in Kaikohe just after midday.Detective Senior Sergeant Christan Fouhy said a family was travelling in one of the vehicles.”In that vehicle, multiple occupants were injured and, sadly, a child has lost her life as a result of this crash,” Fouhy said.”I’m unable to confirm further details about the girl at this very early stage.”This is a devastating incident for the whānau involved.”Fouhy said the two occupants of the second vehicle involved…