Author: Press Room

Get ready for the brand-new season of the reality juggernaut that is Celebrity Treasure Island.TVNZ has revealed the 18 lucky and larger-than-life celebrities who are about to duke it out against the stunning backdrop of Te Whanganui o Hei / Cathedral Cove in the Coromandel.Their goal? To be crowned the Celebrity Treasure Island 2023 winner and win $100,000 for their chosen charity.Carmel Sepuloni swaps the Beehive for the beach. (Source: TVNZ)Among the big names to feature are former Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni, broadcaster Duncan Garner and sports stars Casey Kopua and Christian Cullen.From the world of acting comes James…

The man accused of killing Christchurch mother Yanfei Bao has reappeared at the High Court in Christchurch today.Tingjun Cao, now 53, appeared by video link before Justice Rob Osborne.Last month, just days after the one year anniversary of her disappearance, police found Bao’s body in a shallow grave in rural farmland in the Greenpark area.Real estate agent Yanfei Bao (file image). (Source: 1News)More than 60 officers were involved in searching the area at the time.In September 2023 Cao pleaded not guilty to Bao’s kidnapping and murder.The court heard today everything was still on track for his trial, set down for…

Police have released new movements of the 60-year-old Auckland man as part of an ongoing appeal to locate him. Henderson man Kevin Taylor was reported missing after he left his Blacklock Ave home around 11.20am on August 14 and failed to return. His family reported him missing at 7.48pm that evening. It was previously established by police that Taylor walked through Hiseman Lane, passing Humphrey Kemp Ave, and onto Fuller Lane at around 11.21am on Wednesday.He then caught a bus on Te Atatū Rd, travelling from Glendene towards New Lynn at around 11.41am. He then hopped off at the New…

A cave rave goes viral on YouTube, toasties that taste like success, camera-carrying sea lions, and women’s football scores big time.Waitomo Caves in the spotlightThe world’s biggest YouTuber Mr Beast has just spent seven days underground in Waikato’s Waitomo Caves.Mr Beast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, has 311 million subscribers on the video platform.7 Days Stranded In A Cave has earned more than 70 million views in less than a week.Mr Beast does a deep dive into tourism at Waitomo. (Source: YouTube)It’s a huge global boost for the tourist attraction.Picton toasties go viralDown south, a small but mighty business…

Home loan borrowers are facing a “massive” opportunity to save money — if they can afford to.Interest rates are starting to fall for the first time since 2020, and people who do not lower their repayments when it comes time to refix on to a lower rate can save a lot of money.Broker Glen McLeod of Edge Mortgages said people could find “massive savings”.A $500,000 mortgage over a 30-year term at 6.85% might cost $754.41 a week, he calculated.If the rate dropped to 6.35% but repayments stayed the same, the extra $37.90 a week that would go on to reducing…

A 39-year-old man will face court after he allegedly drove on the wrong side of the motorway in Auckland while being followed by police helicopter. Waitematā North Area Prevention Manager, Senior Sergeant Roger Small said officers were notified of a vehicle travelling on State Highway 1 south through Wellsford, allegedly bearing stolen plates around 4.15am. The police Eagle helicopter observed the vehicle as it left the motorway at Dairy Flat, accelerating rapidly and driving over the speed limit.”The vehicle wasn’t pursued, however spikes were successfully deployed near Greville Rd. “The driver has continued onto the motorway, this time travelling in…

Russia and Ukraine exchanged over 100 prisoners of war on Saturday as Kyiv marked its third Independence Day since Moscow’s full-scale invasion. ADVERTISEMENTRussia and Ukraine exchanged over 100 prisoners of war on Saturday as Kyiv marked its third Independence Day since Moscow’s full-scale invasion.Ukraine said the 115 servicemen who were freed were conscripts, many of whom were taken prisoner in the first months of Russia’s invasion. Among them are nearly 50 soldiers captured by Russian forces from the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol.The Russian Defence Ministry said the 115 Russian soldiers had been captured in the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces…

Kiwis are still spending less as the total volume of retail sales continues to drop. Spending at supermarkets continued to climb, however, as trolleys rolled through the checkouts.According to new numbers from Stats NZ, the total volume of retail sales dropped 1.2%, around $379 million, in the June 2024 quarter after adjusting for price inflation and seasonal effects.”This movement continues the downward trend observed in the last eight quarters,” Stats NZ said. Stats NZ said 11 of the 15 retail industries had lower sales volumes in the June 2024 quarter when compared with the March 2024 quarter. The biggest contributors…

A police officer who was at the synagogue was injured when a gas cylinder allegedly exploded in a parked car, local media reported. ADVERTISEMENTTwo cars parked at the Beth Yaacov synagogue in the seaside resort town of La Grande Motte near Montpellier were set ablaze on Saturday morning, injuring a police officer, according to French media reports.He was injured when a gas cylinder allegedly exploded in one of the cars, local media reported.The Ministry of Justice said there had been five people, including the rabbi, inside the synagogue at the time of the attack, but none of them were hurt.France’s…

For the residents of a Christchurch retirement village, life regularly leaps from the real to the virtual and back again.In the time it takes to make a cup of tea and whip up a batch of scones, Russley Village residents Anne and Doug can travel to France for a quick tour of Paris. Then, a stop off in the Caribbean to go scuba diving — all from the comfort of their armchairs.Anne and Doug use virtual reality technology — powered by distinctive headsets — to transport themselves to locations across the globe. According to Russley Village, the idea is to…