Author: Press Room

The final stages of the Polkinghorne murder trial are underway, with Crown prosecutors beginning their closing address to jurors today.The trial is now in its eighth week.Crown prosecutor Alysha McClintock wasted little time telling the jury about the Crown’s impressions of the 71-year-old murder accused.Polkinghorne denies fatally strangling his wife and staging her death to look like a suicide in 2021.His defence has said nothing sinister happened and he woke to find her already dead, highlighting her prescription pills and depression.Large monitors in the courtroom were used this morning, including to show an image of Hanna’s covered body.The public gallery…

Key points: There are 24 areas across Auckland, including the CBD, which will have more restrictions on the opening of new off-licences from today.New licences and renewals of existing licences in these areas may also face stricter conditions of opening, such as an accident register or the use of CCTV.The cut-off time for alcohol sales in these areas is set to change, but not until December 9.It will be harder for new liquor stores to open in 24 areas across Auckland, including the city centre, as the region’s new local alcohol policy comes into effect today. The policy, which was…

The bilateral deal is intended to ease the entry of skilled workers from Uzbekistan to Germany, particularly those working in the healthcare sector. ADVERTISEMENTGermany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz has signed a migration agreement with Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on the first day of his three-day trip to Central Asia.The bilateral deal, which was signed in the ancient Silk Road city of Samarkand, is intended to ease the entry of skilled workers from Uzbekistan to Germany, particularly those working in the healthcare sector.The agreement will also speed up and simplify the repatriation of Uzbeks living in Germany without a legal residence permit.The German…

Chinese state media said the drills, named Northern/Interaction-2024, aim to deepen strategic cooperation between the two countries and strengthen their ability to respond to security threats. ADVERTISEMENTSix days of joint military drills between China and Russia have ended in the Sea of Japan.Chinese state media said the drills, named Northern/Interaction-2024, aim to deepen strategic cooperation between the two countries and strengthen their ability to respond to security threats.Drills are expected to continue in the Sea of Okhotsk later this month.According to a statement by China’s Ministry of Defence, the Chinese navy will also participate in the Russian navy’s larger Ocean-2024…

Shogun could be in for an epic night, The Bear could clean up for the second time in less than a year, and Baby Reindeer has gone from dark horse to contender as the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards start later today.Back in their traditional mid-September spot after a single strike-delayed edition in January, the Emmys will air from the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles. The father and son duo of Eugene and Dan Levy, the winning stars of the 2020 Emmys with their show Schitt’s Creek, will host.Here’s a look at the how the awards could play out across…

On Tuesday Education Minister Erica Stanford announced a Māori Education Ministerial Advisory Group has been established to help improve outcomes for Māori learners.In a statement, Stanford said the group will provide independent advice on all matters related to Māori education in both English and Māori medium settings. “It will focus on the most impactful ways we can lift achievement for Māori learners and close the equity gap that has persisted for too long in our education system.”“While some Māori students achieve excellent results, on average Māori experience worse outcomes than other learners on every major metric that we currently measure.…

A George St retailer shutting up shop says he is tens of thousands of dollars out of pocket after the “atrocious” handling of upgrades to the main street. But the Dunedin City Council says it has always acknowledged the work is disruptive and Dunedin businesses are being affected by other economic forces at play. The Outpost co-owner Paul Currie, of Queenstown, said the Dunedin store was set to close in November after about seven years in business in George St. It was a “huge cost” to close a business, and they would be walking away from the Dunedin store with…

The amount of cash the government pays to cover people’s emergency housing costs has dropped by nearly a third in a month, government figures show.The Ministry of Social Development’s latest monthly housing report showed it paid $10.7 million for emergency housing grants in August – down from $15.6 million in July.The number of households living in emergency housing dropped 22% in the same period, from 1548 to 1215.”This is a significant drop from the same time last year, when the number of households in emergency housing stood at 3,396, marking a 64% decrease,” the report said.Auckland recorded the most significant…

Flights to and from the Gold Coast will operate three times a week from next winter, Dunedin Airport has confirmed. The airport officially announced the return of international flights in a joint statement with Queensland Airports Ltd and Jetstar Group this morning. The Otago Daily Times broke the news of the return of international flights to Dunedin late last month after an apparently accidental announcement on the airport’s official YouTube channel. The first direct flight between Dunedin Airport and Gold Coast Airport in Coolangatta, Queensland, would be on June 24, the statement said. Jetstar’s roughly three-and-a-half-hour flight will be the first commercial…

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown remains tight-lipped about whether he’ll stand for re-election next year, but is keen to tout private polling showing his apparent popularity.The first-term mayor says he hasn’t yet decided on his political future while speculation grows. It remains unclear who Brown’s opponents might be.Speaking to Q+A, he said “Mrs Brown wasn’t that mad” about the idea of him running again, but that “lots and lots of people” had approached him about another campaign.“Lots and lots of people come up every day and say, ‘come on, run.’” he said.“And I said: ‘Last time I put a whole lot…