Author: Press Room
A further seven people have been arrested in Auckland following an ongoing police investigation into an alleged multimillion-dollar money laundering operation using cash wages in the construction industry. The arrests were made after police this morning carried out nine searches of properties in Ellerslie, Mt Wellington, Panmure, Mt Roskill, Weymouth, Murrays Bay, Waimauku and Whenuapai.Tens of thousands of dollars in cash, illegal drugs, luxury goods and evidence relating to the investigation were seized by police.It brings the total number of arrests as part of Operation Beach – a long-running covert investigation into money laundering in the construction industry – to…
ASB has agreed to pay $135.6 million to settle a class action for alleged breaches of the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act (CCCFA).The claim, which was first filed in 2021, suggested both ASB and ANZ NZ had failed to refund more than 150,000 customers interest and fees they were not entitled to charge.The class action related to disclosure documents which the bank was required to provide to customers who had requested changes to their lending arrangements between 2015 and 2019 – and whether one potential interpretation of the CCCFA legislation was the correct one.As part of the settlement, ASB…
Kiwis are in for a treat tonight with the first supermoon of the year.The moon is going to appear bigger and brighter in the sky on Tuesday night and, if the skies are clear, you won’t need a telescope to catch a glimpse.What is a supermoon?While a supermoon appears bigger, the moon doesn’t actually get any bigger.Stardome astronomer Josh Aoraki said there are usually a few supermoons each year.”The term ‘supermoon’ is more of a media term, than a scientific one,” Aoraki told RNZ.”The scientific term for what we are describing is what’s called perigee and apogee, they are the…
An investigation is underway following the death of a three-month-old girl in Masterton last week.Police were notified of the incident at around 2pm on Thursday October 2. “Officers are now working to determine what exactly has occurred,” Senior Sergeant Philip Skoglund said. “The family are assisting the investigation team with our inquiries, and we are not seeking anyone else at this time.” Police were awaiting the formal report from the pathologist after the postmortem was completed.
A woman was allegedly caught driving three times over the legal alcohol limit after dropping her kids off at school in Whanganui on Monday morning.Police said detectives Karin Wakefield and Piet De Vegt were on their way to an appointment in Taihape at around 10am when they were held up by road work traffic near Whangaehu on State Highway 3. The driver in front of them approached their unmarked car and told the detectives a vehicle ahead of him had been “swerving all over the road”.He pulled over to let the detectives pass when traffic started to move again. “They…
Several Blenheim bricklayers have been formally warned by the Commerce Commission following an investigation into suspected cartel conduct.G J Marfell Ltd, Mike Vis Bricklaying Ltd, and bricklayers Benjamin Robertson and Andrew Dwyer may have breached breached Section 30 of the Commerce Act, which prohibits cartel conduct. The Commission’s investigation uncovered a pattern of “courtesy calls”, including text message exchanges where the bricklayers discussed quotes for projects.Commerce Commission chairperson Dr John Small said discussions, particularly when specific pricing was disclosed, could lead to cover pricing which was a form of bid-rigging.He said the warnings were appropriate as while the conduct was…
New Zealand has paid Samoa’s government around NZ$6 million in compensation for last year’s Manawanui disaster, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. The total payment was 10 million Samoan Tala and followed a request from the Government of Samoa, Peters said in an announcement today.”We have responded to the Government of Samoa’s request in full and with good faith. We have always said we will do the right thing,” he said. “We recognise the impact the sinking has had on local communities and acknowledge the disruption it caused.”The HMNZS Manawanui struck a reef and sank off the coast of Upolu…
By Susan Edmunds of RNZ Changes have been signed off that allow NZ Post to reduce the number of days it offers a mail service. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment said on Tuesday the government had approved changes to the Postal Deed of Understanding between the Crown and NZ Post. These are designed to allow NZ Post to operate the mail service in a commercially sustainable way. It has come under pressure as mail volumes have declined in recent years. In 2023, it was reported that NZ Post planned to cut 750 jobs over the next five years in response.…
Police are working through a potential breakthrough in relation to the identity of a man who was found dead in the Christchurch suburb of Heathcote Valley more than two weeks ago.The death occurred on Horotane Valley Rd on September 19, and police believe it was not suspicious.Police earlier said they did not know if the man was a New Zealander, and they were using Interpol to help identify him.Detective Sergeant Chris Power told RNZ today that police had received some information over the weekend that had provided “a strong line of inquiry”.The backpack, found with the body of an unidentified…
Around 21kg of cocaine worth an estimated $7.3 million has been seized from a shipping container at the Port of Tauranga, Customs officers say.The container, which arrived from Balboa, Panama on October 2, was assessed by Customs officers which led to the discovery of a shrink-wrapped duffel bag containing 21 bricks of cocaine branded with ‘VESPA’ and a ‘mouse’ logo, wrapped in fragile tape. An x-ray screening of the cargo revealed the abnormal bag hidden among other legitimate goods. Customs maritime group manager Paul Campbell said Customs had intercepted over 430kg of cocaine in Tauranga in 2025 alone, nearly double…