Author: Press Room

A large recycling fire fuelled by plastic in Waiuku overnight is being treated by police as suspicious.Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) was called to the rubbish fire south-west of Auckland just before 11pm. Shortly after 10am today FENZ confirmed the fire was out and would soon be handed back to the owners.The large fire broke out in Auckland’s Waiuku overnight. (Source: Supplied)Specialist investigators and police would work to determine the cause.”If you are in the vicinity, it is now safe to open doors and windows and go outside without a mask.”Earlier, police said they were treating it as suspicious.…

Police have released the names of two people involved in a fatal water incident off the coast of Northland earlier this month.Jason Paul Wharerau, 11, died in the incident, while his brother-in-law Ethan Gordon James Neels, 23, remained missing after their boat was reported overdue on November 14.An air and sea search was launched after the 17-foot vessel failed to return to Pataua South, east of Whangārei, following a fishing trip.The vessel and Wharerau’s body were discovered on November 15, and despite extensive search efforts by police, search and rescue teams, Coastguard and the Royal New Zealand Navy, Neels has…

A second season of the award-winning documentary series Escaping Utopia – which sheds light on the inner workings of Christian sect Gloriavale – has been confirmed. It follows the success of the first season, which revealed the careful planning involved for leavers of the sect and showed the unravelling of its leadership, as well as the pursuit of justice by the Gloriavale Leavers’ Trust.The West Coast community has been the subject of various television series over the decades as it has faced allegations of abuse, sexual offending, human rights violations, employment dispute cases and fraud.This afternoon, TVNZ announced the second…

Two climbers have died in a fall while attempting to summit Aoraki Mount Cook last night. According to the Timaru Herald, police said the group of four had been attempting the climb when two, connected by a rope, fell near the summit.The pair killed in the incident were an International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations (IFMGA)-qualified mountain guide and their client, the NZ Mountain Guides Association confirmed this afternoon.Police said it was made aware that four climbers needed assistance on the west side of the mountain around 11.20pm. “A helicopter from Queenstown flew to Wānaka and picked up the Wānaka…

By Nik Dirga of RNZ Explainer – You can’t turn around without seeing a Black Friday advert this week. But where did it first come from? The shopping sales event – officially taking place this Friday – is an American import that’s picked up speed among retailers since first migrating over here more than a decade ago. But why has it gained ground here? Events labelled “Black Friday” sales have been going on all month long, as what was originally a single day has ramped up into a long-haul sales opportunity. “Black Friday has become a really critical sales point in…

The Co-operative Bank has admitted to charging “unreasonable fees” over several years and has repaid nearly 50,000 customers a combined total of $7.225 million. It comes after the bank entered into a settlement agreement with the Commerce Commission following an investigation launched when the bank self-reported the breaches. There were concerns about the fee amounts the bank was charging customers. The bank said it cooperated with the Commission throughout the investigation. The Commission said Co-Operative Bank charged unreasonably for 12 fees across its lending schemes, including home loans, personal loans, home loan establishment fees, and overdraft facility fees.Most customers were…

A copy of the first Superman issue, unearthed by three brothers cleaning out their late mother’s attic, netted US$9.12 million (NZ$16.25 million) this month at a Texas auction house which says it is the most expensive comic book ever sold.The brothers discovered the comic book in a cardboard box beneath layers of brittle newspapers, dust and cobwebs in their deceased mother’s San Francisco home last year, alongside a handful of other rare comics that she and her sibling had collected on the cusp of World War II.She had told her children she had a valuable comic book collection hidden away,…

Hundreds of mourners have turned out in bright colours to celebrate the lives of the three children whose bodies were found following a Manawatū house fire earlier this month.August, Hugo, and Goldie Field, aged 7, 5, and 1, died on November 15 at the family’s home in the Manawatū town of Sanson.Their father Dean Field was also found dead at the scene of the blaze, with police investigating the incident as a homicide.The ceremony took place at the Crossroads Church in Palmerston North from 11am, with Beauchamp Funeral Home encouraging those attending to “wear bright colours”.The funeral notice read: “Three…

The Invercargill City Council has given its first look at how much last month’s devastating storm cost the organisation, and it is not cheap.On October 23, severe weather hit the region, toppling trees, damaging properties and leaving thousands without power.The council revealed in a report for a coming meeting the estimated cost to date to the council was more than $2.39 million — a figure which was expected to change in the coming weeks.Parks and reserves topped the spending at $930,538, followed by $623,304 for elderly housing and $298,308 for roading.On the other end of the spectrum was a bill…

By Kirsty Johnston of RNZ Fossil fuel companies were given privileged, insider access to confidential drafts of legislation during a two-year campaign to weaken oil and gas regulation and overturn the offshore exploration ban, RNZ has found. Internal documents show how the sector repeatedly lobbied Resources Minister Shane Jones to dilute New Zealand’s clean-up rules for ageing oil fields – rules brought in to protect taxpayers after the 2019 Tui Oil Field collapse left the state burdened with a $300m bill. Some of the oil executives meeting with Jones had been closely involved in the Tui disaster, but were invited to confidential briefings…