Author: Press Room

Tauranga police apprehended a 36-year-old fleeing driver with non-lethal sponge rounds, and a Taser, after a 15km incident this morning. Police were initially called to an address on Sabana Pl in Bethlehem after a person reported a relative being shot at shortly after 8am. Bay of Plenty District Commander Superintendent Tim Anderson said officers were responding as the suspect left the scene in a white ute and drove towards Cameron Rd. Officers found the vehicle and observed while plans were put in place to safely stop it.Anderson said the vehicle fled when police signalled for it to stop and a…

Dawn Meats Group has upped its offer for a stake in Alliance Group by up to $25 million on the back of the co-operative’s stronger-than-forecast year-end results. On Monday, Alliance farmer shareholders will vote on whether to sell a 65% stake in their co-operative for a total proposed cash investment of about $270m. The special general meeting in Invercargill is not open to the media and the result will be announced the following day. In a statement yesterday, Alliance chairman Mark Wynne said the additional investment was triggered by an agreed adjustment mechanism between Dawn Meats and Alliance which rewarded…

Food prices increased 4.1% in the 12 months to September, the smallest annual increase since April.According to Stats NZ figures out today, the grocery food group contributed the most to the annual increase – up 3.9% – while meat, poultry and fish jumped 6.4%, and fruit and vegetables jumped 5.8%.Although food prices had increased, the rate of increase had slowed, with the 4.1% increase the smallest since April this year.The 12 months to August and July both saw 5% increases. Food prices decreased 0.4% in the September month.The foods driving up the cost of your supermarket shop – Watch on…

Cabbage prices have almost doubled over the past year, but Dunedin vege businesses are optimistic rising produce prices are mostly seasonal trends. According to figures released by Stats NZ yesterday, vegetable prices rose 5.2% annually in the 12 months to September. The weighted average price of cabbage increased from $2.97 to $5.85 per kilogram — a 97% rise. “This is the highest price for cabbage in nearly three years,” prices and deflators spokeswoman Nicola Growden said. The price of lettuce also rose, from $4.35 to $6.75 a kg, costing 55% more than a year ago. Veggie Boys owner Parvesh Kumar…

A missing vehicle belonging to the victim in a Pahiatua homicide investigation has been located in Rotorua today, police say.A homicide investigation was launched after the woman was found dead near a school on Arthur Street yesterday.Police found the deceased woman after officers were called to a residential address at around 4.40pm.Police were earlier seeking sightings of a red, late-model Mitsubishi ASX VRX station wagon with the registration QGU91, which was taken from the woman’s address.Now, after locating the vehicle, police are working to identify who the driver was.Detective Senior Sergeant David Thompson said: “We hope the public can help…

Dunedin Venues has defended its decision to award a contract to a Christchurch company after being accused of aiding the city’s “direct competitor”. Dunedin marketing agency Firebrand hit out at the organisation after losing out on a tender to manage the rebuild and design of its website. It was awarded to Dunedin-based Walsh & Beck, in a joint venture with Christchurch-based Voyage Studios. Firebrand managing director Georgina Guthrie-Murray said she took issue with work being taken out of Dunedin. “These organisations are owned by Dunedin ratepayers, yet they have elected to shift the work and investment out of our city…

The Government is loosening rules for home-based cake makers – promising to make it cheaper and easier for hobby bakers to sell their goods.Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard and Regulation Minister David Seymour on Thursday announced changes designed to reduce compliance costs and paperwork for “low-risk” businesses.From November, home-based cake makers will no longer face ongoing verification and will have simpler registration requirements.”There is no reason low-risk cake makers should have to navigate the same level of red tape and compliance costs as a large commercial bakery, but currently they do,” Hoggard said.”These changes fix what matters for bakers. They…

With flames licking up above their knees, two police officers struggled to restrain an offender and save all of them from a blazing garage.The dramatic events of July, 2024 have been recounted today as the two officers were recognised for their bravery.”I don’t know if we’ll get out of this one,” Sergeant Richard Bracey said he thought as he and Constable Friederike Faber tussled in the locked, petrol-soaked garage – and an offender holding a lighter. They were soon in waist-high flames, desperately trying to find a way to get out. Faber had responded to a routine family harm incident…

A 0% rate rise sounds attractive, until you consider what needs to be cut from the council budget, a Canterbury council boss has warned.Introducing library book charges, hiking swimming pool fees and selling off community halls could be among the trade-offs to keep rate bills the same.Candidates across the country promised a 0% rate rise, including some running for the Waimakariri District Council.This was despite the fact Waimakariri had one of the lowest rate rises this year at 4.98%.Council chief executive Jeff Millward said a 0% rate rise is possible, but it would come at a cost.The council would need…

ADVERTISEMENT The European Commission on Thursday said that its newly-unveiled defence roadmap paves the way for the bloc to reclaim its security independence – at least materially. The 16-page paper builds on months of discussions between the Commission and member states on how to ensure the bloc is ready to defend itself before the turn of the decade when some intelligence agencies have warned Russia could attack another country. The roadmap’s only novelty is that it puts clear timelines and objectives on targets identified in previous documents including the capability priority areas and the four pan-European flagship projects the Commission…