Author: Press Room

Police have charged a driver following a crash which injured 12 people, four seriously, on State Highway 5, near Taupō this morning. The crash, between a van and SUV near Rangitaiki School Rd, was reported around 10.30am, a police spokesperson said.”Initial enquiries suggest the driver attempted to overtake a vehicle, and has struck the second vehicle head on.”St John treated 12 patients at the scene and responded with four ambulances, one rapid response unit, and four helicopters.”Nine patients have been airlifted to Waikato Hospital; four in a serious condition, three in a moderate condition, and two in a minor condition,”…

A police presence will remain across the Wairarapa today after a man was killed and two were arrested when a vehicle was shot at yesterday.Police responded to reports of a firearm being discharged at a car leaving a Featherston supermarket carpark at around 4pm on Saturday.”A short time later, a man has been located in Carterton with an apparent gunshot wound, he has since died,” said Detective Inspector John van den Heuvel.Carterton New World was closed following the incident but reopened on Sunday morning. A second vehicle fled the Featherston scene and was intercepted by police “without incident” at Kaitoke…

A statement from a United Nations committee calling for countries to check tax is being applied proportionally to the wealthiest individuals, and questioning the fairness of GST, should prompt scrutiny of New Zealand’s tax settings, commentators say.The committee for economic, social and cultural rights said it wanted to emphasise the need to ensure tax policies promoted equality and non-discrimination and the mobilisation of resources for better economic, social and cultural rights outcomes.It said regressive and ineffective tax policies could disproportionately affect low-income households, women and disadvantaged groups.”One such example is a tax policy that maintains low personal and corporate income…

Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu appeared before authorities for questioning on terror and corruption related charges on Saturday. ADVERTISEMENTHundreds of supporters of detained Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu gathered outside of a courthouse on Saturday, where he was being further questioned over allegations of corruption and terror links.Imamoglu was arrested on Wednesday after a dawn raid of his residence. His detention sparked public outcry and triggered widespread protests across Turkey.He was expected to officially become the largest opposition party’s – Republican People’s Party, or CHP – presidential nominee on Sunday in the party’s Primary.Many view his arrest as politically motivated and accuse…

By Susan Edmunds of RNZ A statement from a United Nations committee calling for countries to check tax is being applied proportionally to the wealthiest individuals, and questioning the fairness of GST, should prompt scrutiny of New Zealand’s tax settings, commentators say. The committee for economic, social and cultural rights said it wanted to emphasise the need to ensure tax policies promoted equality and non-discrimination and the mobilisation of resources for better economic, social and cultural rights outcomes. It said regressive and ineffective tax policies could disproportionately affect low-income households, women and disadvantaged groups. “One such example is a tax…

New Zealand’s Hamish Kerr has been dethroned as the world indoor high jump champion after collecting silver in Nanjing.Paris Olympic champion Kerr wasn’t at his best, managing a best clearance of 2.28m to finish three centimetres behind South Korean Wood Sang-hyeok, who also won the world indoor crown in 2022.Kerr had three misses at 2.31m but finished second overall on a countback ahead of three other jumpers who had cleared 2.28m.Bronze went to Jamaican Raymond Richards.It was the first global event contested by 28-year-old Kerr since he soared to Olympic gold with a best of 2.36m eight months ago.Elsewhere, New…

Three earthquakes that struck within seven minutes of one another jolted the bottom of the North Island this morning. GeoNet recorded all three earthquakes within 15km of Levin as “light”, ranging between 2.8 and 4.1 in magnitude. The first two hit simultaneously at 7.25am, and the third followed seven minutes later at 7.32am. More than 2600 people were reported to have felt the first two quakes, while 955 people reported feeling the third. On a Facebook post from GeoNet one user said: “at first [I] thought it was thunder – it was so loud”.Another claimed to have felt it in…

A veiled woman burst screaming from an elevator. The small crowd gathered in a basement corridor of New Zealand’s Parliament drew back nervously.Their guide, wearing a trailing, white gown, smiled sweetly. “You’re welcome to take the elevator,” she said. Nobody did.Mysterious deaths, unexplained noises and late-night apparitions are not the usual fodder of daily tours offered at the Parliament Buildings in Wellington. After hours on Thursday, however, guides donned Victorian-era garb to regale visitors with the precinct’s less savoury history — “mostly factual” tales of real-world tragedy and paranormal lore that have grown established among political staffers through decades of…

A man has died while jetboating on the Ruamāhanga River in the Wairarapa region.Police said they received reports of an unresponsive jet boat passenger in his 20s at 4.20pm on Friday.Emergency services were called to Lees Pakaraka Rd, Te Ore Ore.The man later died at the scene.Police were investigating the death on behalf of the coroner.Maritime NZ principal advisor Vince Cholewa said the agency was supporting police who were leading the investigation.He said, “no next decisions have been made”.rnz.co.nz

Organisers of the demonstration warned against the rise of the far-right in the Netherlands, whose government veered to the right last year. ADVERTISEMENTThousands took to the streets of Amsterdam to demonstrate against racism and fascism on Saturday. The protest was peaceful and police did not arrest anyone, according to an official spokesperson. Groups involved in organising the event included Amnesty International, Kick Out Zwarte Piet, the Dutch Palestine Committee and Another Jewish Voice. Protesters held signs reading “Never Again” and “Fact or Faber.” They waved flags for Palestine, Turkey, Ukraine and Black Lives Matter. Local media report that speeches at the march increasingly focused…