Author: Press Room

An innocent driver has been critically hurt after a stolen vehicle, monitored by police for nearly two hours from Auckland, smashed head-on into their car near Pōkeno.The collision happened on State Highway 2 at 3pm when the driver of the stolen vehicle swerved into oncoming traffic while attempting to avoid road spikes, according to police.The drivers of both cars suffered critical injuries and have been taken to hospital, police said. SH2 is now closed between Avon Rd and Koheroa Rd, with diversions in place.It came after the stolen car had been tracked by authorities since 1.20pm, police said.Authorities first “observed”…

An Auckland golf club has been left in shock by council plans to convert half of its land into a flood water catchment.The proposal would see 20 hectares of Takapuna Golf Club, which sees more than 500 visitors per day, converted into a wetland.Takapuna Golf Club spokesperson Stephen Dowd said in a statement lease renewal negotiations had been halted recently by the council prior to the release of the wetland proposal.The council was hoping to use the land to capture around 550,000 litres of water during an intense weather event, the statement said.The Wairau catchment was one of the most…

A former Auckland undertaker accused of improperly handling human remains and deceiving people to buy vaccines for their dead loved ones has pleaded guilty to 14 charges.Fiona Bakulich, 48, a former employee of Tipene Funerals, admitted to two charges of interfering with human remains and 12 charges of obtaining by deception.Bakulich was required to correctly line and seal coffins with zinc prior to interment as part of her job. Today, the court heard how the offending came to light when caskets were damaged during Cyclone Gabrielle. In one case, a casket was disinterred to check for damage, which revealed the…

Preliminary autopsy results didn’t determine how Oscar-winner Gene Hackman and his wife died at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, but did rule out that they were killed by carbon monoxide poisoning, the sheriff leading the investigation said.The condition of the bodies found Wednesday (local time) indicated the deaths occurred at least several days earlier, and there was no sign of foul play.At a news conference, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said the initial examination by the medical examiner showed no sign of carbon monoxide, a colourless and odourless gas produced from kitchen appliances and other fuel-burning items.…

A 16-year-old has been arrested after a woman was critically injured in an assault at a Christchurch park earlier this month.Detective Senior Sergeant Karen Simmons said the victim was found injured at the Richmond Village Green on Stanmore Rd on February 5. The alleged attack took place on February 4. The 16-year-old will appear in the Christchurch Youth Court today charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.He has also been charged with assault in relation to a second victim and theft in relation to a separate offence in the area.Detective Sergeant James Haigh said police wanted to…

The Government has announced changes to make it easier for local councils to finance the infrastructure needed to support local housing growth.That’s things like sewage lines and local streets.In a speech to the Local Government New Zealand conference on Friday, Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop, said councils not zoning enough housing land was one problem, but so is the cost of infrastructure to support housing expansion.A regulator will be set up to govern new pre-set levies – replacing ‘Development Contributions’ that currently don’t allow councils to recover the full costs of associated infrastructure.Ratepayers have been left picking up the bill instead…

Drake has reached a settlement with Texas-based iHeartMedia in his ongoing legal dispute over Kendrick Lamar’s diss track Not Like Us, according to court records.In November, Drake filed a legal petition in Bexar County, Texas, where San Antonio is located, alleging that iHeartMedia had received illegal payments from Universal Music Group to boost radio airplay for Not Like Us. UMG is the parent record label for both Drake and Lamar.The petition, a precursor to a potential lawsuit, had sought depositions from corporate representatives of both companies.In a court document filed Thursday (local time), attorneys for Drake said the rapper and…

An Environment Court judge has ordered works on a controversial sewerage scheme to pause ahead of an urgent hearing.A group protesting the Tarawera Sewerage Scheme pipeline path going under the road at wahi tapu Lake Rotokākahi made the application to halt work last week. It is the latest legal hurdle for Rotorua Lakes Council to complete the works.In court notes, the judge said he had “significant worries in both directions” and pausing the work was a pragmatic response to an “urgent but complex problem”.The project would connect hundreds of Tarawera households to the town sewerage system and is aimed at…

More than 30 bags of a potentially lethal pest control poison have been found on a beach in the eastern Bay of Plenty.The Bay of Plenty Regional Council were notified yesterday that around 15 small bags containing Feratox, an encapsulated form of cyanide used for pest control, had been found on the high tide line at Waiōtahe Beach, west of Ōpōtiki last night.Feratox was an encapsulated form of cyanide often used for possum and wallaby control.If inhaled, it could lead to a coma with seizures, apnea, and cardiac arrest, with death following in a matter of seconds.Council staff, alongside local…

Pharmac chief executive officer Sarah Fitt has resigned.Fitt had been in the position for seven years, beginning in 2018.In a statement, the Pharmac board said: “The board and Pharmac are appreciative of all of Sarah’s work over her times as chief executive and her previous five years in senior executive roles in the organisation.””Sarah has provided valuable leadership across significant projects and strategic initiatives. We thank her for her work and commitment over her 12 years with us.”It added Fitt was “looking forward to future endeavours”.”Sarah’s last day will be 30 May with her taking a period of leave in…