Author: Press Room

Further charges have been laid against an Auckland funeral director arrested by police investigating allegations of inappropriate handling of burials at Waikumete Cemetery.The man was initially charged by police on Friday in the second arrest by Operation Lola, launched last year to examine complaints after bodies were disinterred by the Auckland Anniversary floods and Cyclone Gabrielle in early 2023.Undertaker Fiona Bakulich, 48, was previously arrested and pleaded guilty to 14 charges, two of interfering with human remains and 12 of obtaining by deception. She would be sentenced in April.Detective Inspector Glenn Baldwin confirmed the charges were being laid against an…

The Belgian Federal Public Prosecutor said on Tuesday that four people have been charged with active corruption and criminal organisation, and one person has been charged with money laundering. ADVERTISEMENTFive people have been charged in a corruption probe linked to Chinese company Huawei, which has been suspected by Belgian prosecutors of bribing EU lawmakers. The Belgian Public Prosecutor’s office confirmed on Tuesday that four people have been charged with “active corruption and criminal organisation,” while a fifth person was charged with money laundering.The latter was released under conditions, but the other four were placed under an arrest warrant.The Public Prosecutor…

Three-quarters of Dunedin businesses are optimistic about the future, but there is “still a lot of work to do” before the results start to show, a business leader says. According to Business South’s latest quarterly survey, for the final quarter of last year, southern business confidence has continued to improve, coupled with a fall in interest rates and anticipated improvements in individual financial performance. The survey compiled the responses from 244 organisations across Otago and Southland, and 75% of businesses in Dunedin said they were expecting a stronger financial performance over the coming year. A total of 52% of businesses…

New Zealand could be under as much as 20% more rainfall in some places by the end of the century as atmospheric rivers become more intense and frequent, according to new research.The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research study – led by NIWA research assistant Felix Goddard – examined projections for the frequency and intensity of atmospheric rivers under a relatively high greenhouse gas emissions future.The one scenario investigated found the narrow bands of concentrated water vapour could increase and the “rivers in the sky” were likely provide a much greater proportion of the country’s total annual rainfall.The findings…

Ursula von der Leyen already unveiled a ReArm Europe proposal earlier this month she said could see up to €800 billion poured into the defence sector over the next four years. ADVERTISEMENTUrsula von der Leyen on Tuesday announced that the bloc’s plan to boost its defence will include a joint Task Force with Ukraine to coordinate military support to the war-torn country and a European Military Sales Mechanism aimed at strengthening the European defence industrial base.The European Commission chief said the two new instruments will be part of the highly-anticipated White Paper for Defence that will be released on Wednesday…

Brenworth’s new chairman Rob Hewett says a fresh approach is needed to drive the carpet company’s growth and earnings. Yesterday, the company announced Mr Hewett, Julie Bohnenn, Murray Dyer and Trevor Burt had been appointed independent directors with immediate effect. Incumbent directors Paul Izzard, Katherine Turner and Dianne Williams were stepping down while previous chairman George Adams and John Rae were staying on the board. Earlier this month, a group of disgruntled shareholders called for a special meeting to consider proposed director changes, citing “years of poor operational performance, erratic strategic direction and substandard execution under the stewardship of Bremworth’s…

Police have named a man found dead near Queenstown earlier this month and revealed they now believe he fell from a cliff prior to being hit by a vehicle on State Highway 6.Emergency services were called to the scene near Kawarau Bridge Historic Reserve on State Highway 6 at around 10pm on March 3.”Sadly, the man was located deceased at the scene,” a police spokesperson said.He was today named by police as 22-year-old Ryoma Seki from Japan.”Police extend our condolences to his family and are providing them with support during this difficult time,” a spokesperson said.Although police inquiries determined he…

Crunch time is looming for people who borrowed money through the small business cash-flow loan scheme, launched during the pandemic. The loans were made available in May 2020 for small businesses affected by Covid-19. Businesses were offered up to $20,000 plus $1800 per fulltime employee. More than 129,000 businesses took out loans worth $2.4 billion. The average loan amount was $17,000. Borrowers had five years to repay the loan and many would reach that limit from June, Inland Revenue said. There were no repayments due for the first two years, and after that there was interest of 3% charged. From…

A man found critically injured on a roadside in Wellington’s Miramar in the early hours of Monday morning has died in hospital.Police are still investigating whether the now-fatal incident was linked to an earlier home invasion nearby.An unexplained death investigation has now been launched by police.The man was found on a footpath a short distance from his vehicle at the intersection of Camperdown Rd and Totara Rd around 2.20am yesterday.It was the second serious incident in the area on Monday morning after a home invasion on a neighbouring street just 20 minutes earlier.Residents at a Darlington Rd address called police…

Whangārei District Council’s only hope of stalling the start-up of fluoridating its drinking water supply tomorrow has been dashed.The council took its fight against a fluoridation directive to the High Court in Wellington today.Justice Karen Grau reserved her decision on granting interim relief to Whangārei District Council.The Whangārei District Council needs to start the process to fluoridate its water by 9am tomorrow in order to set up the specialised infrastructure in time to meet the Government’s March 28 deadline.Justice Grau told the court she had more reading to do on the matter but that she would release her decision before…