Author: Press Room

Online financial scams have become the “plague of our times”, banking executives have warned, as major lenders devote more resources to combating them.A two-day federal parliamentary hearing into Australia’s big four banks has been told while financial losses from online scams are largely down, prevention efforts have been ramping up.NAB chief executive Andrew Irvine said more than $100 million in payments to scammers had been disrupted between March 2023 and June 2024.NAB chief Andrew Irvine says more needs to be done to prevent customers being scammed. (Mick Tsikas/AAP PHOTOS)”This is the plague of our times,” he told the inquiry.”Customer losses…

Behind the facade of jury duty’s anonymity, twelve ordinary people bring with them their histories and lives, which can be as complex as the trial itself. That’s the premise of The Twelve, the hit courtroom drama starring a trio of talented Kiwis led by national treasure Sir Sam Neill. The star delivers a seasoned performance as a charismatic criminal defence lawyer in the Australian show, season two of which is streaming now on TVNZ+.Seven Sharp’s Hilary Barry caught up with Neill to discuss what fans can expect from the show’s second outing.Where are you at the moment, Sam?”I’m in Downtown…

TVNZ says the economy, the changing media landscape and a “difficult advertising market” are behind a $28.5m loss for the year.The broadcaster announced the results today, in line with the early warning it gave about its financial situation three months ago.The company also announced a net loss after tax of $85m for the year to the end of June including a non-cash impairment of $62.1m.Revenues fell $38.8m during the year, while the company made cuts in spending of $9.9m and used $7.4m of its cash reserves.CEO Jodi O’Donnell pointed to the success in reaching audiences during the year, both on…

Dunedin’s newest startup Givenwell was launched in the city this week. Business editor Sally Rae talks to founder Jonny Mirkin about the very personal reason behind the team wellbeing platform. Startup life might sound glamorous but the reality is often far from it — just ask Jonny Mirkin. Mr Mirkin founded successful tech business Nomos One in 2011 but, during his tenure at the startup, all his energy went into building the business and he failed to look after himself. Landing in hospital badly burned out was a “massive wake-up call” for the Dunedin man and it kicked off a transformation…

Some South and West Auckland liquor stores fear they could lose up to 40% of their business under new rules preventing the sale of alcohol after 9pm.Auckland Council has unanimously voted to stop off-licenses selling alcohol after 9pm from December 9. There will also be a two-year freeze on new bottle shops opening in some town centres from September.But while businesses were worried, community advocates said the new rules would reduce alcohol-related harm.The new rules will also mean no liquor stores can open within 200m of a town centre in 23 suburbs with the highest alcohol-related harm.Mount Wellington was one…

This article was originally published in Portuguese With no Gaza ceasefire deal yet agreed, clashes between Israel and Hezbollah have raised the risk of all-out war in the Middle East. ADVERTISEMENTA top UN diplomat has warned of the risk that a major international war could break out in the Middle East.Jean-Pierre Lacroix, who serves as UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, is particularly concerned about Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel along the UN demarcated “Blue Line” in southern Lebanon and Israel’s airstrikes on Hezbollah weapons sites and militants.Lacroix spoke to Euronews about the need for de-escalation as he headed for the EU Defence…

Police are encouraging people not to engage in “vigilante behaviour” after reports of an attempted kidnapping in Porirua. The alleged incident took place earlier this week, and it was reported that a man had attempted to get a woman into a black van. Detective Senior Sergeant Peter Middlemiss said officers had made “extensive inquiries” into the incident, “however at this stage, we have not been able to fully establish what has occurred”. “We know reports like this can cause great alarm in the community, however police have received a call from an innocent person who was accosted by a member…

Hundreds of the city’s residents are evacuating every day as Moscow’s forces, less than 10 kilometres away, keep slowly advancing. ADVERTISEMENTHundreds of people are fleeing the eastern city of Pokrovsk every day as Russian forces slowly advance towards its centre. The city, which had a pre-war population of some 60,000 and is a major road and rail hub, would be a great strategic prize for Moscow — if it can be taken.It remains unclear if the Russian military, which is now less than 10 kilometres away, intends to fight its way through the city, which would likely incur civilian casualties,…

King Charles has paid tribute to Kīngi Tuheitia, who died in the early hours of this morning.King Charles said he and Queen Camilla were “profoundly saddened” to learn of the Māori King’s death.”Kua hinga te tōtara i Te Waonui a Tāne,” a statement from the monarch read. “A mighty Totora tree has fallen.”I had the greatest pleasure of knowing Kiingi Tuheitia for decades.”He was deeply committed to forging a strong future for Māori and Aotearoa New Zealand founded upon culture, traditions and healing, which he carried out with wisdom and compassion.”King Charles remembered his meetings with Kīngi Tuheitia “with immense…

Philip Polkinghorne’s defence team has begun its case in his murder trial, telling jurors there’s no evidence of a crime being committed.Warning: This article contains content that could be disturbing to some people.Polkinghorne, 71, denies the Crown’s accusation that he killed his wife Pauline Hanna in their Auckland home at Easter 2021 and staged it to look like a suicide. His lawyer Ron Mansfield told the jury this morning the case comes down to “murder 101″.”You don’t need a motive if a crime hasn’t been committed, and you don’t need a motive if there has been no murder,” he said.Mansfield…