Author: Press Room

A man has been charged with burglary, and a dog recovered, after a break in at the Nelson SPCA which left three animals missing.In a statement, police today said a 32-year-old man has been charged with burglary.Distressed SPCA staff yesterday showed 1News damage to the facility including cuts to fences, and said animals had been released from their crates and cages.After reviewing CCTV footage and following lines of inquiry, police said they located a suspect in Tapawera. A search of the man’s vehicle located a dog, believed to be one of the missing animals.Nelson SPCA manager Amy Sturkenboom told 1News…

Discount chain Look Sharp has been slapped with a nearly $300,000 fine for “frequent and widespread pricing errors” – with some products costing as much as 33% more than advertised.Walond Limited, commonly known as Look Sharp – known for its extensive range of party supplies and hardware products – has 20 stores nationwide and a revenue of up to $44 million a year.However, the company has been fined $292,500 in the Auckland District Court after pleading guilty to making misleading representations about product prices and consumers’ rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act, in breach of the Fair Trading Act.The Commerce…

A leaked draft of a keenly awaited Action Plan for Affordable Energy suggests cutting green levies and VAT could ease costs for European consumers – but tax reforms have been deadlocked since 2021. ADVERTISEMENTThe European Commission “stands ready” to help EU governments reach an agreement on reforms to the Energy Taxation Directive proposed back in 2021, according to a leaked draft of an action plan to cut energy costs that put Europe at a disadvantage with competitors China and the US.But with tax matters one of a handful of EU policy areas where legislation requires the unanimous backing of all…

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has today announced he is standing again for the top job in October. In a statement, 78-year-old Brown said: “There’s more to do, and I have the experience to get it done.” “I don’t stand for any political party, and my focus remains firmly on the work at hand – fixing Auckland, not running an election campaign. “My priority is to ensure that ratepayers get a fair deal and that every dollar spent by Auckland Council delivers real value to our communities,” he said. The Auckland Mayor had repeatedly teased his second tilt at the mayoralty,…

European countries are insisting there can be no discussions about peace in Ukraine without the direct involvement of Ukraine and Europe as talks between Washington and Moscow have started. ADVERTISEMENTEuropean leaders clamouring for a seat at the negotiation table with Ukraine, Russia and the US have not started to discuss who could represent them, diplomatic sources have told Euronews.An EU source has however confirmed to Euronews that European Council President Antonio Costa “has begun a process of bilateral consultations” with the leaders of the 27 member states to work out what they are willing to do in terms of aid…

New Zealand First MPs Winston Peters and Shane Jones have once again attacked Green MP Ricardo Menéndez March for being a migrant — this time because he referred to the country’s name as Aotearoa during Question Time.Rather than apologise, Peters has indicated he will seek to update Parliament’s standing orders.The Greens have criticised the Prime Minister for a lack of accountability, and said he was still yet to respond to a letter they wrote him the last time Menéndez March was attacked three weeks ago.In a question to Immigration Minister Erica Stanford regarding the case of Daman Kumar, Menéndez March…

A growing number of young Europeans are turning to social media as their primary news source, with platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube surpassing traditional media outlets such as TV and print. ADVERTISEMENTIt’s official: social media is now the number one news source for young people in the EU, surpassing television and both print and digital media.According to the latest European Parliament Youth Survey, 42% of Europeans aged 16 to 30 rely mainly on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube to access news about politics and social issues. This shift reflects changing attitudes toward news consumption – speeding toward…

The multimillion-dollar house once owned by former Auckland eye surgeon Philip Polkinghorne is for sale.Polkinghorne was found not guilty last year of murdering his wife Pauline Hanna, after she was found dead in their Remuera home in 2021.The trial lasted eight weeks and heard from 80 witnesses before the verdict was delivered.Crown prosecutors said Polkinghorne murdered Hanna and staged the scene as a suicide due to a combination of financial problems, infidelity and drug use.The defence argued Hanna took her own life after struggling with depression for many years.Polkinghorne was found not guilty, however, he was sentenced to 150 hours…

A suspected sighting of fugitive father Tom Phillips and his children has today been confirmed by police as a case of mistaken identity.Police on Sunday responded to a report Phillips and his children – Jayda, Maverick and Ember – had been seen dressed in camouflage sitting in a layby on State Highway 4, south of Te Kuiti, at around 8.30am.The sighting was around 100m south of the Tikitiki Rd intersection with Aramatai Rd.Police on Sunday said the group was comprised of an adult, believed to be a man, and three other people, two of which were described as children.”Following the…

A new study suggests scams are becoming one of the most prevalent types of crime in New Zealand, with hundreds of thousands of Kiwis affected.Researcher Jarrod Gilbert believes the Government and private companies are not moving quickly enough to address the issue, leaving us a “soft target”.”Because the scammers are international, they don’t care where they get their money from,” he says.”They will look for countries with weaknesses.”The report was informed by the New Zealand Crime and Victims Survey, which shows 10.3% of Kiwis were affected by fraud or deception in the last year.In all, there were 541,000 instances of…