Author: Press Room

Whangārei Police are looking for Toa Pitman while warning the public of the gangmember’s predisposition for violence.Detective Senior Sergeant Aaron Crawford said: “Police consider him to be dangerous and he should not be approached.”Police last encountered the Black Power member in a vehicle in the Kamo suburb of Whangārei on Wednesday evening.”Pitman stopped his vehicle and evaded police on foot after the pursuit ended in Otangarei,” Crawford said.The 42-year-old has multiple warrants over other family harm offences, police said.”Pitman remains a serious threat to his victim, and it is a priority for our staff that he is taken into custody.”Crawford…

A former political figure who sexually abused two teenage boys nearly 30 years ago has been sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison.The man, who is not a sitting MP, sexually assaulted two young teenagers he mentored through a sports club in the mid- to late-1990s.He continues to deny any offending after being found guilty of eight charges of indecent assault after a week-long jury trial in the Auckland District Court in August.Judge David Sharp has now sentenced him to two-and-a-half years’ imprisonment, taking into account discounts for good character and reparations of $1500 for each victim.The judge acknowledged the man…

The head of High Performance Sport NZ was warned in 2018 of concerns “we would have an athlete kill themselves” if the environment in Cycling NZ was not fixed, an inquest into the death of elite cyclist Olivia Podmore has heard.Warning: This story discusses mental health and suicide. Helpline numbers are at the end of this article.The warning came from a senior doctor who had worked closely with athletes in the Cycling NZ high performance programme.The doctor told the Coroner’s Court in Hamilton on Friday that she met with former HPSNZ boss Michael Scott in June 2018 as the government…

Demonstrations against the government are ongoing in the Serbian city of Novi Sad, with protestors denouncing corruption and a lack of transparency. ADVERTISEMENTA former government minister was reportedly among 11 people arrested in Serbia on Thursday over the deadly collapse of a train station awning earlier this month that killed 15 people and severely injured two others. The suspects, who have not been officially identified, face charges of committing criminal acts against public security, causing public danger and irregular construction work, said prosecutors in the northern city of Novi Sad, where the tragedy occurred.Meanwhile, local media reported that Goran Vesić,…

Maketū Pies has gone into voluntary liquidation after five years of losses.Its owner, Te Arawa Management Ltd, bought the national pie supplier in 2019 during a receivership process but says it has operated at a loss since.It was at the time, the town’s largest employer and had operated for about 40 years. It had about 40 staff, mostly locals.Interim chief executive Tina Kilmister-Blue said the “difficult decision” was made after a “great deal of discussion and deliberation”.Maketū Foods Ltd, trading as Maketū Pies, went into a solvent liquidation process on Thursday, which meant it would remain operating for now.Kilmister-Blue said…

Meet the new European Commission. ADVERTISEMENTUrsula von der Leyen has assembled a new team of 26 European Commissioners to steer the powerful executive into a five-year chapter of sheer unpredictability.The full College will receive the final confirmation vote next week in Strasbourg.Getting there was not exactly easy: three nominees – Teresa Ribera, Raffaele Fitto and Olivér Várhelyi – became the target of partisan squabbles that threatened to derail the start of von der Leyen’s second mandate, now scheduled for 1 December.The centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), prodded by Spain’s Partido Popular (PP), mounted a fierce campaign against Ribera, framing her…

Australia will require some shops selling essential items to accept cash from 2026, and the Reserve Bank is not ruling out a policy response to safeguard cash in New Zealand. The Australian government will introduce a mandate that requires businesses selling items such as groceries medicines and fuel to accept cash from January 1, 2026. It will also phase out the use of cheques. Australia’s cash use has declined quickly – in 2007 it accounted for 69% of transactions, but in 2022 only 13%. New Zealand’s cash use has followed a similar trajectory. Reserve Bank manager of money and cash…

The announcement, which Boris Pistorius made in a video posted to SDP social media channels, clears the way for incumbent chancellor Olaf Scholz to run for a second term. ADVERTISEMENTGermany’s Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has said he is “not available” to run as a candidate for chancellor in February’s snap election, saying he would instead support Olaf Scholz’s re-election bid.The announcement, which Pistorius made in a video posted to social media channels belonging to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), ends days of speculation about him replacing Scholz.”I have emphasized this over and over in recent weeks and I’m saying it…

American rapper Childish Gambino has cancelled the Australia and New Zealand leg of his upcoming tour. According to Ticketmaster’s website, the musician’s sole New Zealand show at Spark Arena in Auckland on 28 January has been cancelled.His Australia dates have also been cancelled. In a statement to ticket holders, Gambino (whose real name is Donald Glover) said his recovery from a recent surgery was “taking longer than expected”, triple j reports.”The upcoming concerts in Australia and New Zealand are cancelled. One of the last things I’d ever want to do is disappoint my fans,” he said. “I really appreciate the…

Opinion: The end of a local newspaper has concerning ramifications for a community, writes Greg Treadwell.When media company NZME proposed the closure of 14 community newspapers last week, the so-called “news desert” encroached a little further into the local information landscape.The term refers to those many regions in both town and country where newspapers that for generations have kept their citizens informed – and local politicians and planners (mostly) honest – have been shut down.As a metaphor, the desert evokes a sense of arid emptiness and silence. But it also suggests a featureless place where we lose a sense of…