Author: Press Room

Convicted double murderer Mark Lundy will be released next month after serving more than 23 years behind bars for the murders of his wife and daughter.In 2001, the then 43-year-old was convicted of murdering his wife, 38-year-old Christine, and their daughter Amber, 7, on August 29 or 30, 2000. The pair were found bludgeoned to death in the family home in Palmerston North. He was charged with their murders six months later.Lundy, who jointly owned a kitchen sink business with his wife, was twice tried and convicted of their murders. He was first found guilty at a trial in Palmerston…

ADVERTISEMENTIn a race against time, some European companies are rushing to export their goods to the United States, fearing a further increase in customs duties at the end of the current 90-day pause. Others had anticipated the entry into force of the 10% surcharges and accelerated container shipments at the start of the year.Container exports via the port of Antwerp to the United States rose by 3% in the first quarter, compared with the first quarter of 2024, according to a press release from the port of Antwerp-Bruges.On closer examination, two of the sectors most affected by the increase in…

More than 2400 jobs are now on the line at Health NZ, with about half of them currently vacant.The agency this week confirmed it was consulting on proposed restructures in its people and culture team, and communications and engagement team.In the people and culture team 613 jobs were slated to go, while 119 communications and engagement roles were proposed to be cut.Ten departments were undergoing restructures, but the changes were all proposals, with no decisions confirmed.In total 2464 jobs are proposed to be gone, including vacancies.Health NZ interim chief human resources officer Fiona McCarthy said the agency was asking for…

ADVERTISEMENTRussia’s Supreme Court has lifted a ban on Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban, a group that was designated a terrorist organisation more than two decades ago.The move is being seen as a diplomatic victory for the group, who were put on Moscow’s list of terrorist organisations in 2003, making any contact with them punishable by law.Parallel to this, Taliban delegations have attended various forums hosted by Russia as Moscow has sought to position itself as a regional power broker.The court’s ruling, following a request by the Prosecutor General’s Office, comes after last year’s adoption of a law stipulating that the official designation as a…

Experts in infant health are calling for a centralised, nationwide approach to human milk banks, aiming to improve access to pasteurised breast milk for vulnerable, premature newborns.There are four established milk banks in New Zealand hospitals – alongside community-led milk banks – which exist to support babies whose mothers have not yet had their own breast milk come through or don’t produce enough.However, two of the country’s largest neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), Starship and Middlemore, are operating without formal systems for sourcing and distributing breast milk.Dr Gergely Toldi, a neonatologist at Starship Hospital, said with just four milk banks…

ADVERTISEMENTA string of false and misleading online claims have emerged about the pandemic treaty, a landmark agreement which has just been agreed by more than 190 members of the World Health Organisation (WHO). The pandemic treaty was first proposed by WHO members in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the aim to “prevent, prepare for and respond to pandemics.”For global health experts, a future pandemic is a matter of when and not if.After more than three years of lengthy negotiations, WHO members came to an agreement on 16 April, while the treaty will not be legally binding until after it…

ASB is the latest major bank to drop some of its fixed mortgage rates following last week’s OCR cut. Effective immediately, the bank announced it would cut its 6-month term by 20 basis points to 5.59%, one-year rate by 26 basis points to 4.99%, and 18-month rate by 20 basis points to 4.99%. The move follows similar cuts by BNZ, Westpac, Kiwibank and ANZ earlier this week. “Today’s rate changes reflect our ongoing commitment to supporting customers in achieving their homeownership goals. We’ve seen growing interest in the 24-month term 4.99% rate, showing customers are beginning to favour longer-term certainty,”…

Gardens are being dug up and buildings washed in the Wellington suburb of Newtown, after a “wet slurry” of asbestos was blown onto properties by waterblasters on a nearby roof.According to a letter sent to residents, and provided to RNZ by Wellington City Council, the contamination occurred on 9 March during pressure washing activities on the asbestos roof at 102 Daniell Street.Southerly winds blew the spray over “several” nearby properties, covering them with contaminated debris.Plants and the top layer of soil have been removed from at least one property, and work is underway at others downwind of the building.A council…

Inflation bumped up to 2.5% according to official figures from Stats NZ out today but still remained within the Reserve Bank’s target range. The slight increase in the 12 months to the March quarter followed two consecutive inflation figures of 2.2% in October 2024 and January 2025. “The annual inflation rate is within the Reserve Bank of New Zealand’s target band of 1% to 3% for the third consecutive quarter,” Stats NZ prices and deflators spokesperson Nicola Growden said.The largest contributor to annual inflation was rent, which was up 3.7%. According to Stats NZ, rent prices contributed to 14% of…

More court action looks to be in store for Rotorua’s council as groups opposing a controversial sewerage scheme seek a judicial review.The Rotokākahi Board of Control would also look to appeal an Environment Court decision this month that enabled work on the about $32 million Tarawera Sewerage Scheme to restart.The board oversees the iwi-owned private Lake Rotokākahi and has protested the pipeline being built nearby in an area considered wāhi tapu – sacred land.The Rotorua Lakes Council scheme aimed to improve water quality at Lake Tarawera by replacing septic tanks with reticulated sewerage.Work to lay the pipeline near Lake Rotokākahi…