Author: Press Room

Westpac New Zealand has admitted to making “misleading representations” that resulted in $6.35 million in overcharges for customers, according to the Financial Markets Authority (FMA).The FMA said the bank admitted in civil proceedings at the High Court in Auckland that customers entitled to benefits under its Employee, Gold and Platinum packages did not get the advertised discounts.Personal and business banking customers did not get benefits under another of the bank’s advertised packages. The bank also failed to honour its agreed pricing for business customers who held a Business Transact Account.These breaches of the fair dealing provisions under the Financial Markets…

A cyclist has died of their injuries following a crash on Auckland’s North Shore last week.The crash, on Calliope Rd in Stanley Point, was reported to police around 10.30am on December 20.Police said the cyclist sustained critical injuries and has since died in hospital.”There were no other vehicles involved in the incident,” a spokesperson said.”Police extend our condolences to their family and friends at this time.”An investigation into the circumstances of the crash remains ongoing.

Westpac Bank has admitted overcharging nearly 25,000 customers more than $6.3 million by not giving promised discounts and benefits. The Financial Markets Authority (FMA) brought civil proceedings against the bank for not delivering advertised benefits for various banking packages, which resulted in consumer and business customers effectively being overcharged. FMA Head of Enforcement Margot Gatland said Westpac used preferential pricing to attract and retain customers, but its systems were not up to the job. “Westpac’s issues stemmed from deficiencies in its systems that meant the bank failed to deliver to them contractually agreed discounts.” The breaches involved several specialised packagers…

Justin Baldoni has been dropped by his talent agency, WME, in the wake of Blake Lively’s sexual harassment lawsuit.The 40-year-old actor had been represented by WME but company bosses had him depart “at least in part” due to the sexual harassment lawsuit filed by his It Ends With Us co-star Blake Lively, who is also represented by the firm, Deadline reports.The decision came hours after Blake submitted her 10-claim complaint with the California Civil Rights Department late on Friday (local time), in which she accused Baldoni, his production company Wayfarer Studios and others involved with making the movie of sexual…

Every Monday, Abi James packs three kids and a good portion of her garage into her car. Sometimes, it’s so full, it’s nearly up to the roof.Five minutes down the road, she pulls into a DOC car park. Others begin to emerge, ready for their own adventure — resplendent in boots and jackets. The weather is average, but the attitude is far from it.”There is no bad weather, just pick your plan or dress accordingly,” James said, watching her group prepare for a day outdoors.James founded the Fiordland Outdoor Playgroup three years ago, inspired by her love for the outdoors…

Out-of-work public servants have been slogging it out on a months-long job hunt – and for some that will continue into 2025, in a job market that a recruiter says remains “rough”.Meanwhile, some who have secured employment say they have made significant compromises.Following growth in the public sector under the Labour government, Finance Minister Nicola Willis made it clear at the beginning of the year it was time to cut back.Thousands of roles have since been slashed, and public servants have found themselves competing for few jobs against stacks of qualified candidates.Asher Wilson-Goldman was working on the government’s Let’s Get…

A Te Awamutu church has taken extreme measures to stop copper thieves.St John’s Church Reverend and parish vicar, Julie Guest, said since November, people had been ripping copper off the church’s roof.Three 4sqm panels had been stolen during multiple incidents, as well as the church’s last remaining copper downpipe, Guest said.Since the theft started ramping up, Guest and her husband had been camping at the church every night and installed security cameras to deter thieves.”We’re campers so we already had the equipment and we have to protect this building.”Last week, Guest and her husband caught a thief in the act.”We…

Analysis: A rare national call for unity helped shape an extraordinary year to be Māori, writes 1News reporter Te Aniwa Hurihanganui.On the eve of the Māori King’s death, thunderstorms ripped through the country.The old walls of my grandparents’ house in Masterton, where I was staying, trembled in the darkness. Outside, the rain was relentless. It poured and poured.Waikato University Professor Tom Roa would later tell reporters that the skies that night were a tohu, a sign that a great loss was coming. And yet, when it came, few could believe it.She was brought on to the marae by chiefs of…

New Plymouth’s mayor admits he is nursing a broken wrist and a “fat lip” after crashing off a bike at a community event yesterday.Neil Holdom was in attendance of the opening of a new skatepark at Otupaiia Marine Park in Waitara earlier in the day.The community leader said he was riding his single-speed bike around the park before “catching a rail” and then face-planting.In a post on social media, Holdom said he sustained a broken wrist and a fat lip.”Stoked to see Waitara’s new skatepark officially opened today at Otupaia Marine Park,” he said.”Unstoked to catch a rail when riding…

Fico is the second EU leader, after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, to meet with Putin since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. ADVERTISEMENTRussian President Vladimir Putin greeted Slovakia’s prime minister, Robert Fico for talks in the Kremlin on Sunday.The rare visit marks only the second time an EU leader has met with Putin since Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. It comes after Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, visited the Russian leader in Moscow earlier this year.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Fico arrived in Russia on a “working visit” and met with Putin one-on-one on…