Author: Press Room

The Government has announced proposed changes to the Retirement Villages Act as part of a review. The proposed changes — announced by Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka and Seniors Minister Casey Costello today — progress the review of the Act as part of National and New Zealand First’s Coalition Agreement. Key changes include:A process for former residents to apply for early access to funds in situations of specific need.Interest being paid after six months if a unit remains unlicensed.Repayment of funds no later than 12 months after a unit is vacated.Weekly fees and deductions stopping immediately when a resident vacates.The…

Woolworths NZ has admitted a charge after a rat infestation at a Dunedin store in late 2023 and early 2024. It saw the supermarket chains’ Dunedin South branch shut for nearly three weeks.Woolworths NZ was charged in September by New Zealand Food Safety after what NZFS called a “thorough investigation into rodent activity”.The charge relates to a failure to ensure a significant rodent infestation was promptly identified and escalated in accordance with the business’ food control plan. It carries a maximum fine of $200,000.In the Dunedin District Court today, Woolworths admitted the charge after appearing for the first time. Sentencing…

Hollywood heavyweight Jason Momoa has stepped in to back an Oscar-contending New Zealand Short film made by Tongan actress Luciane Buchanan, joining as Executive Producer. Buchanan, who previously co-starred with Momoa in Chief of War, announced the news this morning and told TVNZ it came about after she sent Momoa the film and a text message. “I said, ‘No pressure, just putting it out there,'” Buchanan told Breakfast today. She wrote and stars in the short film. “It was an idea that came up and I was like, ‘I don’t want to do that to him!’ But I got to…

Some people who attempted to call Tenancy Services were left confused this week after an “unfortunate human error” meant their call automatically redirected to emergency services. One person told 1News they first attempted to call Tenancy Services through the 0800 number link on its website on Tuesday morning. Instead of answering their tenancy query, an automated voice said: “We’re experiencing technical difficulties, please try again later” before following up with “you have dialled 111 emergency, your call is being connected”. The person attempted to call through the website link again on Wednesday, and said it was “shocking” to hear that…

Consumers are cutting back on holiday gift-giving and vacations as cost-of-living expenses take priority. A survey of nearly 1100 Westpac customers indicates nearly three-quarters (73 percent) were either extremely or moderately concerned about the cost of living, which was little changed from last year. “This year has been tough for many New Zealanders, with prices continuing to creep higher despite inflation coming off its highs,” Westpac NZ general manager of consumer banking & wealth Helen Ryder said. Only 15 percent of those surveyed expected to spend more than last year, while 42 percent expected to spend less. Nine-out-ten of those…

A man has been has been jailed after committing two sex attacks against women nearly a year a part at the same location in Auckland’s Ōtara.Johnathan Tamihana was yesterday sentenced to preventative detention with a non-parole period of five years at the Auckland High Court.He had previously pleaded guilty to three counts of indecent assault, threatening to kill and assault with intent to commit sexual violation.Police began investigating the first incident on February 22, 2023 – after a French national was subjected to a sexual assault in broad daylight at the Ōtara Creek Reserve.Where to get help for sexual violence.…

A doctor who pleaded guilty to selling ketamine to Matthew Perry in the weeks before the Friends star’s overdose death was sentenced to 2½ years in prison on Thursday. Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett handed down the sentence plus two years of probation to 44-year-old Dr Salvador Plasencia in a federal courtroom in Los Angeles.The judge emphasised that Plasencia didn’t provide the ketamine that killed Perry, but told him, “You and others helped Mr Perry on the road to such an ending by continuing to feed his ketamine addiction”.”You exploited Mr Perry’s addiction for your own profit,” she said.Plasencia was led…

A porn addicted law firm boss seen looking at objectionable material while at work – multiple times a day in some instances – has been found to have created a “toxic” and “emotionally unsafe” workplace. The man’s conduct while at work, the result of an addiction, has been highlighted in a recently released decision by the Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal, which found his “wilful blindness” to his employees’ knowledge of his habit caused them to feel “horror, shock, disgust, discomfort, embarrassment, and shame”. He was suspended from practising law for three months, censured, and ordered to pay $5000 each…

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon spoke from New Zealand’s first IKEA store on it’s opening day. Up to 20,000 shoppers are predicted to visit on the first day. In September, Luxon was given a tour of the store and said he thought “Kiwis are going to love it”. “It’s a great company, and I’ve actually studied it just from a company point of view and it’s just got an awesome culture, great management team, outstanding supply chain and it’s just a business model that enables to get the balance between design and value for money really well, so it’s just an…

A handful of eager shoppers have begun to gather outside the new IKEA store at Mt Wellington in Auckland. Drivers are being warned to expect 40-minute queues today, with traffic analysts expecting crowds of up to 20,000 a day to visit the store – IKEA’s first in New Zealand. They’re predicting a 40-minute crawl on the nearby motorway and another 40 minutes to find a car park. The store opens at 11am, while the carpark was opened to shoppers at 8.30am. An RNZ reporter at the store estimated around 200 people to have gathered outside. “We chose to open at 11am so that…